Submission of accurate and complete Annual Returns

of India Ministry of Labour & Employment Directorate General of Mines safety DGMS (Tech) Circular No. /CMC/2026/06 Dhanbad, Date 08-2026 To, All Owners, Agent and Managers of Coal, Metalliferous and Oil mines.

Subject: Submission of Accurate and Complete Annual Returns by Mine Managements.

It has been observed during scrutiny of the Annual Returns submitted by various mine managements that a large number of returns contain incomplete, incorrect, or inconsistent information. Such discrepancies adversely affect the quality and reliability of the national database relating to mines and hinder meaningful statistical analysis.

The Annual Returns submitted by mine managements constitute an important source of information for the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS). The data furnished therein are extensively utilized for monitoring safety and health performance, analysing accident and occupational disease trends, identifying emerging hazards, assessing the effectiveness of safety measures, and formulating evidence-based regulatory interventions and data driven decision making.

However, the scrutiny of Annual Returns has revealed the following common discrepancies:

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Incorrect or incomplete name of the owner.

Incorrect name of the company, including the use of abbreviations or short forms instead of the registered name.

Incorrect or incomplete address of the mine, particularly the district, State, and PIN code.

of the (Coal/Metalliferous/Oil, classification mine Incorrect Underground/Opencast/Mixed, etc.).

Incorrect entry regarding the gassiness classification of the seam, wherever applicable.

Mismatch between the figures of employment (manpower) and production reported.

Production reported whereas consumption of explosives has been shown as "Nil" or "Zero" despite blasting operations being carried out.

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Horsepower (HP)/rated power of machinery and equipment deployed in the mine not furnished or incorrectly reported.

Incomplete or incorrect particulars relating to persons employed, including category-wise manpower, vocational training, refresher training, and initial/periodical medical examination.

10. Mismatch between production, dispatch, and stock figures.

11. Inconsistency in the number of working days, shifts worked, and production achieved.

12. Incomplete or inconsistent details of Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM), transport equipment, winding machinery, or other major machinery.

13. Incorrect or non-reporting of electricity consumption or other energy-related data.

14. Incorrect reporting of drilling, blasting, and explosive consumption details.

15. Non-reporting or incorrect reporting of accidents, dangerous occurrences, or occupational diseases.

16. Mismatch between the number of statutory officials employed and the manpower reported in the employment section.

17. Incorrect reporting of contract workers or omission of contract labour engaged in the mine.

18. Incorrect or incomplete reporting of mine closure, temporary discontinuance, or suspension of mining operations.

19. Inconsistent information regarding mine status (working, discontinued, abandoned, or under development).

20. Mandatory fields left blank or filled with default values such as "Nil", "N.A.", or "0" without proper justification.

21. Computational errors, inconsistent units of measurement, or incorrect totals in the submitted Annual Returns.

The above discrepancies seriously impair the reliability of statistical analysis carried out by DGMS. Inaccurate or inconsistent data lead to misleading trends in accident analysis, including accident rates per thousand persons employed, accident rates per million tonnes of production, accident trends based on the level of mechanisation, and analyses relating to drilling, blasting, and explosive consumption. Similar inaccuracies also affect the analysis of occupational diseases and other occupational health indicators.

Reliable analysis of accidents and occupational diseases is essential for identifying causative factors, emerging risks, and priority areas requiring regulatory attention.

Such analyses form the basis for framing or revising statutory provisions, issuing technical guidelines, circulars, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), advisories, and other preventive measures for improving safety and health standards in mines with the ultimate objective of achieving Zero Harm in line with vision Viksit Bharat, 2047.

Further, the information furnished through Annual Returns is utilized for compilation of official publications and reports, including:

DGMS Annual Report;

Statistics of Mines in India (Volume-I and Volume-II);

Ministry of Labour & Employment Annual Report;

Replies to Parliament Questions;

Reports submitted to the Ministry, other Government agencies, and national/international organizations; and Various statistical analyses and policy documents prepared by DGMS.

In view of the above, all Owners, Agents and Managers of mines are hereby advised to ensure that:

1. All Annual Returns are prepared carefully and submitted only after due verification of every entry and authenticated by Owner/Agent/Manager.

2. The information furnished is complete, accurate, internally consistent, and supported by authentic records maintained under the applicable statutory provisions.

3. Production, employment, dispatch, stock, machinery, explosives, electricity consumption, accidents, occupational diseases, and other operational data are cross-verified before submission.

4. Mandatory fields are not left blank or filled with default values such as "Nil", "N.A.", or "0" unless such entries are factually correct and duly justified.

5. Any discrepancy noticed after submission of the Annual Return is immediately brought to the notice of the concerned Regional Office of DGMS and corrected in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

All mine managements are advised to accord due importance to the accuracy and completeness of Annual Returns. Submission of incorrect, misleading, or incomplete information may invite appropriate action under the applicable provisions of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the rules and regulations made thereunder.

(Ujjwal#ah)

Directorate General of Mines Safety & Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator