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Coal mining and its unfavourable consequences have generated global attention. It has further stimulated the paradoxical debate of development and desolation in the contemporary scenario. Since the coal resources are profusely available in India and it is comparatively less expensive, the country has been largely relying on it for its essential and non-essential consumption needs. Coal resources indirectly fulfil many of the modern requirements and comforts. Consequently, mining of minerals in general and coal in particular has become the prime focus. It helps to generate revenue, augment industrialisation and promote employment opportunities in India. Despite these progressive features, the opencast coal mining activities impose serious threats to the livelihood of the local communities. Based on critical review of the relevant literature, the article seeks to exhibit the mineral reserves and coal mining activities at global, national and regional context. The paper has incorporated a special focus on Odisha—a resource-rich state located in eastern part of India. Particularly, the two existing major coalfields—Talcher and Ib valley, situated in western part of the state—have been emphasised. The manifold adverse externalities of the coal mining practices on the livelihood pattern among the affected people have been assessed. Furthermore, the paper aims to examine the mining-induced threats on different livelihood capitals which has given rise to multiple risks and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With growing demand for mineral resources and favourable policy towards the mining sector, developing countries have become investment hubs for mineral extraction, which has changed the socioeconomic and ecological scenarios particularly in rural areas. Extractive industries such as coal mining generate negative externalities that bring irreversible changes in the local ecological conditions, which adversely affect the local economy and threatens the sustainability of local livelihood systems. The objective of this paper is to analyse the effects of coal mining on local traditional livelihood systems in the eastern Indian state of Odisha. The study is carried out using household level data collected from four mining villages located in the Ib valley coal field of Odisha. The problem of sustainability of local traditional livelihoods is examined in the light of economic theories of sustainability (e.g. weak and strong sustainability) and sustainable livelihood approach (SLA). The results show that rural households in the mining area experience both positive and negative outcomes from the coal mining activities. The expansion of mines has provided employment to locals directly as well as indirectly, which has helped to increase financial as well as physical capitals. On the other hand, the reduction in the provision of ecosystem services due to adverse effects of coal mining resulted in lower yields in traditional livelihood activities such as forest, agriculture, and animal husbandry. The paper suggests that in order to effectively internalize the externalities arising from coal mining and maintain the sustainability of local livelihood system in Odisha, there is a need to reinvest some part of resource rents in regeneration of natural capital of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undoubtedly, coal is playing an important role in shaping today's world. But, excessive extraction of coal has created several adverse effects on the local economy as well as on the global economy. In this study, the households' vulnerability to coal mining operations is assessed by taking two indicators, i.e., the livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) and livelihood effect index (LEI) in active coal mining and non-mining villages of Talcher Coalfields region of Angul district of Odisha, India. The mining village has shown more vulnerability than the non-mining village in both indices. In LVI, natural disaster, climate variation, and environmental quality (NDCVEQ) indicator is the dominant factor that greatly impacted the overall vulnerability level of the households followed by water (W), health (H), and finance (FIN). Out of the five capitals of LEI, natural capital and financial capital have been affected more due to coal mining activities in the mining village, than the non-mining village. This reflects that households in the mining village are more susceptible to various environmental related issues, and hence, they need to adopt adequate measures to cope up with the issues created from mining operations. Additionally, the mining companies are needed to undertake effective steps to curtail the negative externalities and protect the interests of the local inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand of coal has led to expand the mining activities nationwide, which helps to improve the economic growth of the national capital. At the same time, it is the source of inevitable social and environmental consequences. In the developing countries, especially rural areas are often affected by this complex nature of mining. The local livelihood suffers most by mining-induced displacement and land acquisition. This research article examines the impacts of coal mining on financial, physical, human, natural, and social capitals and how these capitals affect the rural livelihood practices in the Sonepur-Bazari opencast coal mining area in Raniganj coalfield of West Bengal, India. Data for this investigation have primarily obtained from the Sonepur-Bazari area with the help of structured questionnaire. Findings indicate that the rural communities are affected positively as well as negatively by the mining activities. Acquisition of land due to expansion of mining has provided monetary and job compensations to the local land losers that directly and indirectly enhance the local economy, but the job opportunities are very much limited to the landholders. Monetary compensation has helped to increase the physical capital among the communities. On the other hand, natural and social capitals are adversely affected by the mining and associated activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforms of the Indian mining sector go back as far as 1991. The present round of reforms, however, fails to address the most important part of the mining sector: coal mining. A big reform has to be introduced to allow the coexistence of both public and private sectors in commercial exploitation of coal resources for the energy needs of the country. It is important to at least attempt to quantify the tangible financial benefits of the present reform accruing to the mining industry directly or indirectly. These aspects cannot be bye-passed as they strengthen the arguments for a true overhaul of the entire legal system governing the mining sector. In order for the mining sector to realize its full potential, more steps than those in the reform need to be undertaken to create a conducive environment for the industry to flourish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]