The paper presents a detailed conceptual framework for monetary valuation of non-renewable mineral and energy resources as prescribed in the SEEA Central Framework, according to a release by MoSPI
Since 2018, MoSPI has been following the UN SEEA Framework and compiling physical asset accounts for coal and other mineral and energy resources through the EnviStats India series and Energy Statistics India, it stated.
Accurate and transparent monetary valuation of India’s mineral and energy resources serves as a foundational input for data-driven policymaking and sustainable development.
The discussion paper titled ‘Methodological Approaches for Compilation of Monetary Asset Accounts of Coal in India’ aligns with the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) Central Framework, endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission as an international statistical standard.
The monetary valuation of environmental assets provides a measure of the economic value embodied in India’s natural resource endowment, enables assessment of depletion costs, supports the estimation of future government revenues from resource extraction, and facilitates comparison across different environmental assets.
The paper also presents physical asset accounts for coal in India for the period 2015-16 to 2023-24, using data from the Geological Survey of India through EnviStats India 2024 and Energy Statistics India 2025.Coal has been selected as the illustrative case given its strategic importance to India’s economy.
As the nation’s most abundant domestic energy resource, coal accounts for the majority of India’s electricity generation and supports a wide range of core industries including steel, cement, and chemicals.
India achieved record raw coal production of 1,047.523 million tonne and lignite production of 45.133 million tonne in 2024-25, underscoring the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision.
This discussion paper is open for comments and feedback from experts, researchers, government agencies, and international organisations.