Bilaspur । In line with the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in the energy sector, South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) organised its first-ever Chintan Shivir on Friday at its Headquarters auditorium in Bilaspur. The high-level brainstorming conclave focused on reviewing the company’s performance, identifying gaps and formulating time-bound strategies to strengthen SECL’s future growth.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director Shri Harish Duhan, who led the initiative, said that SECL must reclaim its position as India’s number one coal company. “Reforms should not remain mere slogans; they must become an integral part of our work culture,” he said, stressing the importance of speed, transparency, technology and digital interventions in decision-making and execution.
The CMD underlined the need to balance production with quality to ensure superior customer satisfaction, while simultaneously improving cost efficiency and revenue generation. Referring to Vision 2030 and Vision 2047, he emphasised diversification, the net-zero roadmap and stronger industry linkages, and called upon young officers to take a leadership role in transforming SECL into a future-ready organisation.
The programme was attended by SECL’s senior management, including Director (Technical–Operations) Shri N. Franklin Jayakumar, Director (Human Resources) Shri Biranchi Das, Director (Finance) Shri D. Sunil Kumar, Director (Technical–Projects & Planning) Shri Ramesh Chandra Mohapatra, and Chief Vigilance Officer Shri Himanshu Jain.
Nearly 200 officers from headquarters and operational areas, including Area General Managers, Heads of Departments and young officers up to E-5 level, participated in the deliberations.
A total of 15 presentations were made during the Chintan Shivir, covering key areas such as the roadmap towards 2047, underground mining, coal quality, dispatch, FMC, safety, land acquisition and rehabilitation, environment and forest clearances, digitisation and AI, human resources, finance and contract management. Each presentation was followed by interactive discussions and open-floor question-and-answer sessions involving the CMD, Directors and the CVO, encouraging both top-down and bottom-up inputs.
The SECL Chintan Shivir was organised in the backdrop of a similar conclave held by the Ministry of Coal in New Delhi on January 5–6, 2026, with Coal India and its subsidiaries. Based on the outcomes of that forum, SECL first conducted deliberations at the operational area level before holding the consolidated headquarters-level Chintan Shivir.
The initiative marks a significant step towards fostering collaboration, innovation and result-oriented thinking within SECL. It also provided a strong platform for involving young officers in policy formulation and decision-making, reinforcing the company’s preparedness to meet future challenges in India’s evolving energy landscape.