Consider the following statements:

1. Coal sector was nationalized by the Government of India under Indira Gandhi.

2. Now, coal blocks are allocated on lottery basis.

3. Till recently, India imported coal to meet the shortages of domestic supply, but now India is self-sufficient in coal product.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

The correct option is 1 only.

Let us analyze each statement step-by-step to understand why statement 1 is correct and statements 2 and 3 are incorrect:

Statement 1: Coal sector was nationalized by the Government of India under Indira Gandhi.
This statement is correct. The coking coal mines were nationalized in 1971–72 and non-coking coal mines were nationalized in 1973 under the Coal Mines (Nationalisation) Act, 1973, during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Statement 2: Now, coal blocks are allocated on lottery basis.
This statement is incorrect. Following the Supreme Court judgment in 2014 that canceled coal block allocations, coal blocks in India are allocated through a transparent auction process (competitive bidding), not on a lottery basis, under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2015.

Statement 3: Till recently, India imported coal to meet the shortages of domestic supply, but now India is self-sufficient in coal product.
This statement is incorrect. India is not yet fully self-sufficient in coal production. India continues to import significant quantities of coking coal (required for steel manufacturing due to low domestic availability of high-grade coking coal) as well as thermal coal to meet power plant demand.

Therefore, only statement 1 is correct.