Addressing Livelihood Concerns due to Energy Transition away from Coal in India

The paper briefly outlines the overview of coal jobs globally and highlights the coal dependency of India. The paper brings forth the livelihood concerns learnt through the secondary reports (2017-22) of coal India and that from field visits from select coal-dependent areas (04 coal mines and 04 power plants) of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal India. Based, on the lessons from the field visits, we suggest some policy recommendations to address the same. The study highlights some vital differences in existing coal jobs classification and practice existing on the ground. We discuss the concerns and suggestions given by the coal community for the job loss of workers and that by the other depending local community members. We find that the closure is already happening due to financial and technical nonviability in coal mines and thermal power plants in India. The local stakeholders expressed their deep concern about extending the loss of livelihood due to the anticipated energy transition away from fossil fuels (coal) in India. They suggested a gradual closure, guideline for closure in thermal power plant areas and a shift towards alternative livelihood are major steps to tackle the issue