New Delhi:Coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal has invited Czech Republic firms to invest in the coal sector in India.

“Jaiswal.....invited the Czech companies to invest in Indian coal sector,” an official release said on Tuesday.

Jaiswal, who met Czech Republic trade and industry minister Martin Kocourek on Monday, also explored the scope for technical cooperation between both the nations in the field of coal mining.

“This included deep coal mining, lignite mining and clean coal technologies covering the areas of coal mine methane extraction, underground coal gasification etc,” the statement said.

The high-level delegation, comprising Alok Perti, special secretary, coal ministry, N C Jha, chairman and managing director, Coal India, among others, also proposed technical cooperation in manufacture of mining machinery for both underground and lignite mining.

“The Czech industry minister evinced interest in associating his country with the coal mining in India,” the statement added.

Jaiswal had left on a ten day visit on Monday to three European nations --Czech Republic, Belarus and Poland -- to seek technology for underground coal mining.