Coal India arm WCL on Saturday launched a mobile and desktop app 'Samvaad' for its employees and stakeholders which will provide a virtual platform for suggestions, feedback and experience sharing. The launch comes at a time when companies are increasingly adopting virtual tools in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

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"'Samvaad' is a mobile and desktop app for employees & stakeholders, which will provide a virtual platform for suggestion/feedback/experience sharing. Quick response teams will respond to the queries and feedbacks in seven days mandated period," the coal ministry said in a statement.

Western Coalfields Ltd also launched a digital surveillance system named 'WCL EYE' which will monitor operations of its 15 major mines round-the-clock that account for 70 per cent of the company's coal production.

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It will also help monitor coal stocks and availability of the dry fuel at sidings, keep a tab on placement of rakes and loading at railway sidings and ensure accountability, it said.

WCL on Saturday opened three new coal mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh having combined annual production capacity of 2.9 million tonnes (MT).

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi inaugurated the mines through video conferencing.

?WCL has to produce 75 MT of coal by FY 23-24. Opening of these mines will certainly add in the efforts of the company reaching this milestone and also help Coal India achieve one billion tonnes coal production target by FY 23-24," Joshi said.

"Opening of these three mines is a part of WCL's future plan to start 20 new projects by FY 23-24 including 14 in Maharashtra and six in Madhya Pradesh," he added.

The company will make total capital expenditure of Rs 12,753 crore on these projects and generate over 14,000 direct jobs, the minister added.

WCL had produced 57.64 MT of coal in FY 19-20, up over 8 per cent in comparison to the last fiscal.

Joshi also said that different subsidiaries of Coal India have given Rs 20 crore to the Madhya Pradesh government to strengthen its fight against COVID-19.

Coal India will also contribute Rs 20 crore in a day or two to the Maharashtra government to help it fight the coronavirus pandemic.