India's coal imports directive to power plants a precautionary step - official

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's recent coal imports directive to power plants was a precautionary measure as the country is expecting high electricity demand to continue in the coming months, a top government official said on Thursday.

India this week asked all power plants to import and blend 6% of their coal requirement as domestic coal availability is expected to fall short due to high consumption.

"It is a matter of abundance caution," Coal Secretary Amrit Lal Meena told reporters on Thursday.

(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh, writing by Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Editing by Krishna N. Das)