SECL Director HR Biranchi Das Entrusted With Additional Charge of Director HR, MCL

Biranchi Das, Director (Human Resource) at South Eastern Coalfields Limited, has been entrusted with the additional charge of Director (HR) at Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, effective from July 1, 2026, for a period of six months.

Both SECL and MCL are Coal India subsidiaries, and the Director (HR) post at each carries responsibility for industrial relations, recruitment and the land-for-jobs rehabilitation packages that coal companies extend to communities displaced by mining expansion — a function central to maintaining trust with affected villages over multi-year timelines.

Das assumed charge as Director (HR) at SECL on March 20, 2024. During his tenure there, SECL's CSR initiative "SECL Ki Dhadkan" has facilitated 300 congenital heart surgeries for underprivileged children, while a separate programme, "SECL Ke Sushrut", has completed two batches of medical coaching students.

On the employment side, SECL has under his tenure provided jobs to more than 1,623 landowners and 946 dependent family members since FY 2024-25, figures that reflect the scale of land-for-jobs commitments the company has formalised with communities in its mining areas.

During an earlier tenure at MCL, Das was involved in strengthening industrial relations and contributed to the formulation of several HR policies — experience the company is now drawing on again through this additional charge arrangement rather than bringing in an outside appointee.

Das also serves as a Director on the boards of Chhattisgarh East Railway Limited and Chhattisgarh East-West Railway Limited, joint venture companies set up to develop rail evacuation infrastructure for coal movement out of Chhattisgarh's mining belt.

The additional charge is effective from July 1, 2026, for a period of six months, as per the order.