Labour productivity in coal mining sector in India: with special to major coal mining states

Coal is one of the Primary sources of Energy accounting for about 67% of total energy consumption in India. The production of Coal has increased from 35 million tons in 1951 to 409.3 million tons in 2004. At the same time, the Average Daily Employment (ADE) has increased from 352 thousand in 1951 to 405 thousand in 2004. However, the journey of Coal sector was not uniform throughout the five decades. It is shown in recent time that the productivity of labour in coal mines in Tamil Nadu and Orissa is very high in comparison with other major coal producing states, like, West Bengal and Jharkhand. However, the coal mining in Tamil Nadu and Orissa is mostly and increasingly dependents on Open-cast mining. The paper is wanted to show that the labour productivity in coal mine are the boom in productivity in Orissa and Tamil Nadu is only due to the weighted average of different types of productivities. But, the coals at open-cast and below ground are not same. They are different in quality. So, we simply cannot add (although we are taking the weighted average) the two different quality things. That is why we are getting the problem of Addition.