There is a need for interventions to enhance the coal evacuation infrastructure and reduce the freight cost to improve the overall competitiveness of coal. Discuss in the context of India.

Backward regions - Coal mines, refineries are located in tribal belts, where there is limited connectivity, power supply, eunea etc. Delayed loading/unloading of coal Improving CEI in India: i PM Gati Shakti - It aims to transform the logistics sector to monitor movement of freight trains ii National Logistics Policy - to ensure adequate coal infrastructure & optimise overall growth iii Freight operation information system - to monitor movement of freight trains & calculate freight charges Measures to improve logistics infrastructure: i Holistic evacuation of each region - newer projects need to be analysed for efficient / environmental transport of coal ii Optimisation of total logistics cost of coal in terms of time and price iii Interconnected multimodal network of transport infrastructure to promote efficient movement of coal iv Dedicated freight corridor for air, transport, and road, railways Despite divergence of coal from renewable causes renewals, coal continues to remain the powerhouse of Indian economy (60% of energy need). Thus it need to be channelised efficiently.

Additional measures to improve logistics infrastructure includes holistic evaluation of each region, optimization of total logistics cost, interconnected multimodal network, and dedicated freight corridors.