West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday (December 28) said that a minimum of one lakh jobs will be created once the Deocha Pachami coal block in Birbhum district starts operating.

Speaking at an administrative meeting, Banerjee said that the coal extracted from the block is expected to generate electricity for 100 years.

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The CM said, “One lakh jobs will be created which will solve the problem of unemployment.”

The world's second-largest coal block, with an estimated reserve of 2.1 billion tonnes, was allocated to West Bengal by the Centre in June 2018.

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The coal block is located in the southwestern part of Birbhum. It has the potential to bring in investments to the tune of Rs 12,000 crore over a period of time.