Page 76 - Policy Economic Report - September 2026

POLICY AND ECONOMIC
OIL & GAS MARKET

of transition have been specifically highlighted during WCEF2026, besides exploring practical
partnerships, business collaborations, innovations and investments in circular solutions. Ideas must
become investments and successful innovations must scale with faster implementation, she
concluded.

Earlier, setting the context for the closing session, Additional Secretary (MoEFCC) and Chairman
(CPCB) Dr. Amandeep Garg informed the august gathering that the forum during the last two days
witnessed four plenary sessions and 16 parallel sessions covering financial, technical and
technological, social and economic aspects of Circular Economy. Topics such as employment,
inclusivity, gender equity, future challenges and need of adequate financing were also discussed. He
called upon all stakeholders to take the deliberations held during the forum to collective and
successful implementation on ground.

The Chairman highlighted that the plenary sessions collectively highlighted India’s vision and
leadership in advancing the circular economy through national and state-level initiatives, business
innovation and industrial strategy. The importance of enabling policies, material security, innovation,
entrepreneurship and skill development were focused upon in the sessions. These broad principles
were then translated into practical, sector-specific actionable insights through parallel sessions across
various waste streams, reaffirming the role of reskilling, digital technologies, finance, value-chain
partnerships and citizen participation in scaling circular solutions.

It was informed that the exhibition, organized concurrently with the forum, featured 135 national and
international exhibitors, offering a glimpse into the ground level implementation of circular solutions,
highlighting the practical challenges and the need to work together. 80 accelerator sessions would be
organized during 17th -18th September 2026 by various collaborators to take forward the ideas that
emerged during the forum, translating these into practical pathways. The forum gave a call to
accelerate inclusive and scalable circular economy solutions through institutional coordination,
capacity development and integration of circular principles into decision-making at all levels.

The closing ceremony concluded with Mr. Kristo Lehtonen, Director, International Programmes
(SITRA) handing over the baton for organizing the WCEF 2027 to Columbia University, United States
of America.

18. Ministry of Coal Successfully Launched 16th Round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions; Executes
CMDPAs for Six Coal Mines

The Ministry of Coal successfully launched the 16th Round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions on
September 17, 2026, in New Delhi. Shri Satish Chandra Dubey, Minister of State for Coal and Mines,
graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.

On the occasion, Shri Satish Chandra Dubey launched the 16th round of commercial coal mine
auctions and, along with Shri Vikram Dev Dutt, Secretary, Ministry of Coal, handed over Coal Mine
Development and Production Agreements (CMDPAs) to the successful bidders of six coal mines
auctioned in earlier rounds.

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