The diverse worlds of coal in India: energising the nation, energising livelihoods
Date
2016-12
Authors
Lahiri-Dutt, Kuntala
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
Coal dominates energy production of modern India, shaping the economic and political milieu of the
country and dictating its energy future. But invisible to the state’s view of coal running the nation, are
roles played by this commodity in the livelihoods of millions of poor who live on the coal tracts of the
country. In this paper, I argue that there are four coal economies — with yet another one lurking within
or following behind as a shadow — in India. Each of these economies has different meanings of coal to
those who are involved in the economy, producing the'diverse worlds’ of coal. To substantiate my argument,
I critically analyse official and field-based primary data within a'diverse economies framework’
to present the intricate interlinkages among these worlds. I show that the multiple coal worlds are
neither tiered in a hierarchical manner, nor'parallel’ in the sense of dualism implied in a simplified
formal-informal dichotomy. Rather, these worlds of coal have different actors, and their domains are
ruled by different norms and values about the qualities of coal as a material commodity; yet they overlap
and intersect with each other through their complex labour regimes.
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Keywords
Coal mining impacts, Indian coal, Informal mining, Resource materialities, Diverse economies
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Source
Energy Policy
Type
Journal article
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2099-12-31
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