India achieves significant reduction in coal import

Why in news?

• Ministry of Coal said that imports of all grades of Non-Coking Coal has come down by around 20% during April to December 2021 as compared to the corresponding months of 2020.
• Non-Coking Coal does not have any caking properties and it is mainly used as thermal coal for power generation.
• It has higher ash content.
• It is used in industries like cement, fertilizer, glass, ceramic, paper, chemical and brick manufacturing.
• Coking coal, also known as metallurgical coal, is used to create coke, one of the key irreplaceable inputs for the production of steel