On December 23, 2025, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Mines (MoM), inaugurated a Centre of Excellence (CoE) under the National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM) and India’s first Virtual Reality Mine Simulator (VRMS) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Dhanbad, also known as Indian School of Mines (ISM), in Dhanbad, Jharkhand.
- He also inaugurated two flagship projects of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) in Dhanbad.
Exam Hints:
- What? Inauguration of CoE, VRMS, BCCL, ICCC
- Who? Union Minister G Kishan Reddy (Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Mines)
- Where? At IIT Dhanbad (Jharkhand)
- CoE Collaboration: IIT Gandhinagar, IIT BHU, University of Cambridge, St Petersburg University, CPI, UK
- VRMS Developers: IIT Dhanbad, Coal India Ltd. subsidiaries: NCL & ECL
- BCCL Projects:
- Dugdha Solar Project: 20 MW, generates 37.43 MU/year
- ICCC: AI-enabled, monitors mine sites, washeries, transportation using CCTV, RFID, and automated weighbridges
About Centre of Excellence (CoE):
Overview: It will serve as a national hub for research and industry solutions in critical minerals, covering exploration, extraction, processing, recycling, reuse and waste-to-wealth.
Industry Collaboration: It will collaborate with industry partners and global universities such as the University of Cambridge(the United Kingdom, UK) and Saint (St) Petersburg University(Russia), with infrastructure support from IIT Gandhinagar (Gujarat), IIT Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, UP) and Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), UK.
About Virtual Reality Mine Simulator (VRMS):
Developers: VRMS is developed by IIT Dhanbad in collaboration with Coal India Limited (CIL) and its subsidiaries Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).
VR Theatre: The simulator features a 360-degree immersive Virtual Reality (VR) theatre, which recreates real mining environments using actual mine data.
Structured Training Modules: VRMS offers more than 20 structured training modules covering operation of heavy mining equipment, critical safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Emergency Response (ER) scenarios, and productivity and operational efficiency.
Safety Preparedness: VRMS enhances safety preparedness by enabling risk-free training, reduces training time by nearly 50%, improves operational efficiency and decision-making, and minimises accidents through realistic hazard simulation.
Inauguration of flagship projects of BCCL:
Dugdha Solar Power Project: The 20-Megawatt (MW) Dugdha Solar Power Project was inaugurated in the Dugdha region of Bokaro (Jharkhand).
- The plant is expected to generate 37.43 Million Units (MU) of green electricity annually, reducing 33,000 Metric Tonnes (MT) of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions each year.
- The project also aligns with the Ministry of Coal’s target of achieving 12 gigawatt (GW) Renewable Energy(RE) capacity by 2030.
Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC): It is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled ICCC, serving as a digital brain for BCCL by using AI and real-time data analytics to centrally monitor mine sites, washeries, and transportation systems.
- It is done through integrated technologies such as Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) vehicle tracking, and automated weighbridges, enhancing transparency, decision-making efficiency, and safety response.
About National Critical Minerals Mission (NCMM):
Overview: NCMM was approved and launched by the Government of India (GoI) on 29 January 2025 aimed at ensuring secure, sustainable, and self-reliant access to critical minerals.
Duration: The NCMM is implemented under the MoM and spans seven years, from Financial Year 2024-25(FY25) to FY31.
Total Outlay: Rs.34,300 crore.
Critical Minerals: It is the minerals that are essential for key industries such as Renewable Energy (RE), Electric Vehicles (EV), electronics, defence, space, and semiconductors, and vulnerable to supply disruptions due to import dependence or geographical risks.
About Jharkhand:
Chief Minister (CM) – Hemant Soren
Governor – Santosh Kumar Gangwar
Capital – Ranchi
Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) – Hazaribagh WLS, Lawalong WLS
