<span style="color: #222222;">Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi today said the government wants to minimize the import of thermal coal and make the country AtmaNirbhar in this sector.<br />''<br />''He was addressing an investor's meet, which was held in Mumbai today, to invite private companies to operate 20 closed/discontinued underground coal mines and bring them into production.<br />''<br />''Stating that the demand for coal is on the rise, the minister said extractable reserve in these closed/discontinued coal mines is around 380 million tonnes. Besides increasing coal supply, reopening these mines will also create employment opportunities.  Emphasizing that coal gasification is a cleaner option, Mr. Joshi urged industry members to think about 'coal to hydrogen' conversion.<br />''<br />''Minister of State for Coal, Mines & Railways Raosaheb Danve said the government aims to increase domestic coal production to 1.2 billion metric tonnes by FY 23-24.<br />''<br />''The Investor Meet was attended by key stakeholders like Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited-BHEL, Hindalco, Adani, Jindal Steel and Power Limited-JSPL, Reliance Industries, Tata Consulting Engineers Limited, Ultra Tech Cement, Vedanta and other leading industry players.</span><br />