Union Coal and Mines Minister and Telangana BJP President G. Kishan Reddy held a press conference on Monday. During this, he talked about the future of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), recent coal block allocation, public examination reforms, parliamentary proceedings and various national issues. He said that the Central Government is fully committed to strengthening Singareni and ensuring the energy security of Telangana.
Yes. Kishan Reddy said that Singareni is the largest coal producing company in South India, which supplies coal to many public and private power generation companies across the country. He alleged that both the previous BRS government and the current Congress government have ignored the long-term interests of Singareni. According to him, the BRS government failed to acquire even a single new coal block in ten years, while the Congress government has also failed to improve the financial condition of the company in the last two and a half years.
He claimed that the policies of both the governments had led to the accumulation of dues of about ₹54,000 crore, one of the highest outstanding debt figures for any public sector undertaking.
Center always cooperated
The Union Minister reminded that during the tenure of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when Singareni was facing proceedings before the BIFR, the Center had bailed out the company by granting moratorium on loans worth ₹684 crore and providing additional financial assistance of ₹525 crore. He pointed out that after the 2014 decision of the Supreme Court, the allocation of coal blocks was done through a transparent auction process, yet the then KCR government decided not to participate in it. As a result, Singareni suffered losses on both the production and financial fronts.
Mention of Naini and Tadicherla-2 blocks
Kishan Reddy said the Center had allotted Naini coal block to Singareni in Odisha in 2015, but the previous state government did not take the project forward. He said that after the BJP government came to power in Odisha, all the pending approvals were expedited, allowing production to start in 2024. He further said that due to the intervention of the Centre, the legal hurdles related to Tadicherla-2 coal block were removed, after which it was allotted to Singareni.
Demand to allot PKOC block to SCCL
The Minister said that PKOC (Prakasam Khani Open Cast) Dip Side Extension located at Manguru (Bhadradri Kothagudem district) has recently been put up for auction. He expressed concern that Telangana Genco is also participating in this process, while trade unions are demanding that this block be allotted to Singareni. He announced plans to write a letter to the Chief Minister, requesting the state government and Genco to withdraw from the auction process so that the block could be awarded to Singareni.
Big economic benefits from three coal blocks
Kishan Reddy said that operation of Naini, Tadicherla-2 and PKOC Dip Side Extension coal blocks will bring huge economic benefits to Singareni. According to him, employment will be generated for about 6,500 people. About 830 million tonnes of extractable coal reserves will be available. Singareni is expected to generate a turnover of approximately ₹1.95 lakh crore. Telangana government will get revenue of about ₹40,000 crore. He said that 340 million tonnes of coal reserves are available in Tadicherla-2, 455 million tonnes in Naini and 120 million tonnes in PKOC Dip Side Extension.
Appeal to the opposition to support the examination law
Referring to the parliamentary proceedings, the Union Minister said that the Central Government has introduced the ‘Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2026’ after the approval of the Cabinet. He said that the government had earlier made a law to prevent irregularities in examinations in 2024, and now this law is being further strengthened to effectively prevent incidents like paper leaks in future. He appealed to all opposition parties to support this law and give constructive suggestions.
Accused Congress
Kishan Reddy alleged that the Congress party has opposed many important decisions like GST, demonetization, removal of Article 370, digital transactions and agricultural reforms. He said that while on one hand Congress talks about the interests of students in matters related to examination, on the other hand it has failed to support the laws related to examination reforms. Terming Rahul Gandhi’s recent comments as irresponsible, he accused the Congress of suppressing democratic movements, limiting press freedom during the Emergency and taking action against political opponents.
Emphasis on democratic approach of Modi government
The Union Minister said that the Narendra Modi government has always adopted the politics of dialogue and consensus. As examples of this, he cited his interactions with students during protests related to the withdrawal of agricultural laws and examinations. He alleged that Congress gives priority to political gains over national interest.
Revanth Reddy cornered on paper leak
Kishan Reddy demanded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy take responsibility for the exam paper leaking incidents in the state. He also challenged the Congress for a detailed parliamentary discussion on the paper leaks that happened during the previous governments and the steps taken by the Modi government. He met BRS leader K.T. Rama Rao was also criticized and said that ‘Dharna Chowk’ was banned during his tenure, hence it is contradictory for him to talk about democratic protests.
Change will come if BJP government is formed in Telangana
Talking on the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), the Union Minister said that it is completely legal to receive foreign funds within the legal ambit. However, he alleged that some organizations misuse foreign funds, and the government aims to curb such activities and ensure strict compliance with the law. He expressed confidence that if BJP government is formed in Telangana in future, there will be major positive changes in the state and the families of the martyrs of Telangana movement will get justice.
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