The coal sector in India is about to undergo some significant changes. Prayas (Energy Group) organized a round-table discussion in New Delhi on December 1, 2014 on the possible future options for the Indian coal sector by bringing in various stakeholders such as representatives from the coal and power sectors, researchers on socio-environmental issues, trade union leaders and energy policy analysts. The event was attended by over 25 people and featured rich discussions on the various issues faced by the coal sector.

The discussions at the roundtable highlighted some important insights such as the need for a consultative multi-stakeholder approach, consideration of institutional designs and processes along with market structure and policies, need to consider socio-environmental concerns and labour issues upfront and the need to plan for the coal and power sectors together given the close relationship between them. The proceedings of the roundtable have been widely disseminated among analysts, policy makers and other stakeholders.