New Delhi, July 22 -- The Union minister of coal and mines G. Kishan Reddy, on Wednesday, launched a corpus of around Rs.40,000 crore for closing mines in a scientific way. The government has set a target to shut 147 coal mines in the next two to three years, according to a statement from the coal and mines ministry.

The minister made the announcement at the release of AAROH: Annual Report on Mine Closure in the national capital. The report tracks 42 scientifically closed coal mines, showing how reclamation and community efforts restored them into usable land.

He said that the coal ministry has built a sustainable ecosystem for mine closure.

"For the first time, 25% of the approved mine closure cost has been earmarked for community dev...