Coal Miners Day: 4th May

Tags: Important Days

Coal Miners Day is celebrated every year on 4th May to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and remarkable contribution of coal miners in the extraction of coal.

An Overview of the News

• Many awareness programs are organised on this day to promote the health and safety requirements of the workers.

• These initiatives attempt to educate workers about the various laws and regulations of the Government of India to enhance their working conditions and wages.

• It aims to empower workers with knowledge about their rights so that they can work in a safe and healthy work environment.

• Coal is an important fossil fuel widely used for various purposes, such as electricity generation and industrial production, especially in the manufacture of steel and cement.

• Coal mining is a labour intensive industry that provides employment to millions of people around the world.

History of Coal Miners Day

• The first coal mine was opened in Scotland in 1575, while India's first coal mine was established much later in 1774 by John Summer and Suetonius Grant Heatley of the East India Company. The mine was located in the Raniganj coalfield on the banks of the Damodar River.

• After India's independence, demand for coal increased, prompting the new government to draw up a 5-year development plan to meet the growing need for energy.

• Coal Miners Day was established in India to recognize and honour the contribution and sacrifice made by coal miners.

• May 4 is an important day as the first underground coal mine in India was inaugurated in 1907 at Raniganj, West Bengal.