Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot said on Tuesday that the Centre was pressuring the states to purchase imported coal.

Gehlot alleged that states were being pressured to buy imported coal saying that it has been increased to 10 per cent of the total purchase.

He also urged the Centre to remove the requirement of purchasing imported coal at three times the price of coal produced in the country.

The Rajasthan CM said that his state may have to bear a burden of Rs 1,736 crore if it purchased the imported coal, which was around three times the price at which Coal India provided.

An official release quoting him read, “The Union ministry of power had issued an advisory in December 2021 to the Rajasthan Vidyut Utpadan Nigam for 4 per cent imported coal blending and in April, it has been made mandatory to buy 10 per cent.”

“The price of this imported coal is more than three times the price of coal being given by Coal India Limited. Its cost is expected to be about ₹ 1,736 crore, which is much higher than the cost of domestic coal,” it added.

Gehlot further expressed his concern over the additional burden on the common consumer as states are forced into buying imported coal at higher prices.

He directed officials in a review meeting of the energy department to ensure a smooth operation of power generation units in the state and increase production.

The CM further directed that repair works be undertaken to fix the accident-prone power lines.