New Delhi: As India looks to reduce its dependence on coal, several factors including economic instability and health issues remain matters of concerns for marginalised communities.
A new study by the National Foundation of India (NFI) reveals that 75 per cent of focus group participants have chronic respiratory and skin ailments due to prolonged exposure to coal mining pollutants, reported The Economic Times.
The transition to other energy sources instead of coal is also expected to result in significant job losses for the various stakeholders who are involved with the coal mining economy, including coal mine workers.
The regions where coal mining is rampant are expected to be hit the worst.
The NFI study indicated that marginalised communities, more particularly the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) will be the most affected. The NFI study surveyed 41.5 per cent OBC households, 23 per cent ST households and 17 per cent SC households, reported The Economic Times.
During the study, it was discovered that these marginalised groups already face barriers when it comes to access to education and are at a disadvantage, wherein many of the individuals not being literate or have only completed their primary education.
“In regions solely reliant on coal production, we observed notably lower incomes compared to more industrially diversified districts,” Pooja Gupta, co-author of the study and a research associate at NFI told The Economic Times.
The NFI report makes a case for developing alternative livelihoods, initiatives focused on ecological restoration, and inclusive policies to ensure a smooth transition for all the stakeholders involved with the coal economy.
