Rat hole Mining is the type of coal mining carried on in Meghalaya. In India, to extract minerals, individual needs the due permission of the government as most of the minerals are nationalised or acquired by the government of the country. In case of Meghalaya, it is different; coal mines in the tribal areas of North-east India are acquired by the individuals and communities rather than the government. Large deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and dolomite, etc are found in Meghalaya. In Jowai and Cherapunjee, coal mining is done by family members by digging a long narrow tunnel, which is referred to as ‘Rat hole Mining’.