Mumbai, June 18 -- Union Coal and Mines Minister G Kishan Reddy said coal gasification will play a central role in India's energy security strategy and help reduce the country's dependence on imports of key industrial inputs, as the Centre pushes ahead with a Rs 46,000-crore incentive programme to promote the sector.

Addressing a coal gasification roadshow in Mumbai on Thursday, Reddy said India currently spends nearly Rs 3 lakh crore annually on importing products such as natural gas, ammonia, methanol and urea, and coal gasification can help substitute a part of these imports with domestically produced alternatives.

"India spends nearly Rs 3 lakh crore for importing all these key industrial inputs such as natural gas, ammonia, methano...