NEW DELHI (Commodity Online): India coal requirement would be 2 billion tons by 2031 and import dependence would stand in the range of 35-36%, pointed out Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of Coal in the event 'Indian Minerals and Metal Forum 2012' organised by Indian Chamber of Commerce in association with Ministry of Steel, Coal and Mines and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India Pvt Ltd.

Sriprakash Jaiswal, Minister of Coal, Government of India stated, "The environmental challenges are going to be more stringent in the years to come and the coal producers and consumers would need to address the issues for sustaining the projected growth in our energy planning through adoption of state-of-the-art technologies and human resource."

He added,”Due to the international coal price volatility the economics of power generation in India is getting hampered and it is creating a cost pressure on the consumers, therefore the government is trying to boost coal production and is also looking at PPP in coal sector to meet the rising demand."

Rajiv Mundhra, President Elect, Indian Chamber of Commerce said, "The country is heading towards becoming a global player in non ferrous metal industry with most of production plants tapping potentials in the foreign markets. However, the Indian iron ore mining industry, in 2011-12, has been severely affected by events related to regulation, policy and other environmental concerns."

India's non-ferrous metal industry, mainly consisting of aluminum, copper, lead and zinc has traveled a long way from where it was a decade ago. In the next decade, the industry is expected to see a dramatic turnaround with lots of expansion plans running at full capacity, pointed out the press statement.

Deloitte released a report highlighting challenges facing the Indian Mining Industry and Global Insights. The report also throws light on the organic growth in Mining Industry and challenges of overseas investment in the Mining sector.