The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Monday accused the union government making claims of adopting new and renewable energy path even as coal mines allocation and extraction went up by 13 times in past 10 years as per government's own reply in Rajya Sabha.

The party was reacting to a written reply given by the Coal Ministry in Rajya Sabha. It said production from mines allocated under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act had risen sharply - from 12.34 million tonnes in 2015–16 to 155.02 million tonnes in 2024–25. The ministry claimed this increase demonstrated the success of its new allocation process.

The CPI said the steady increase in coal output over the past decade runs counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s repeated assertions that India is expanding its clean energy share in total fuel consumption. “Instead of moving towards cleaner sources, the country’s energy mix is becoming more deeply locked into fossil fuels,” the statement said.

The party also criticised Government for favouring corporates at the cost of livelihood of tribals in providing a series of environmental relaxations to big players that include permission for mine expansions of up to 50 per cent without a fresh public hearing and the delegation of clearances for projects below 500 hectares to state authorities, extending the validity of environmental approvals, bundling "Consent to Establish" into the environmental clearance process, and exempting underground coal gasification projects from environmental clearance.

The CPI MP P.P. Suneer argued that the figures actually contradict the government’s narrative of moving away from fossil fuels. In a statement issued by the CPI Parliamentary Party, he said linking the production jump solely to changes in allocation procedures glossed over broader factors such as demand, technology, infrastructure and pricing policies.

According to the CPI, these steps collectively weaken oversight and curtail the participation of affected communities, especially in regions where tribal populations live near proposed or operating mines.

The press statement also flagged the ministry’s inability to disclose the number of trees felled for mines allocated under the Act. Although mining projects require forest clearances and state-level permissions, the government said no consolidated information on tree loss was available, a gap the CPI described as troubling amid rising ecological stress.

Suneer has demanded an independent review of the post-2015 coal allocation regime, full disclosure of forest diversion and tree-felling data, withdrawal of recent environmental relaxations, and a time-bound shift away from coal dependence.

The CPI said the government must demonstrate genuine intent on energy transition rather than rely on “announcements that diverge sharply from policy outcomes.”