Asian coal prices from exporters Australia and Indonesia, and the most-traded thermal coal futures contract on China's Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange touched record highs recently due to robust power consumption.

"We cannot increase the price of coal abruptly. It can only be increased slowly, and that we are planning (to do)," Coal India Chairman Pramod Agrawal told shareholders at the company's annual general meeting.

The world's largest coal miner, which accounts for over 80 percent of India's output of fuel, last raised coal prices in 2018 and is generally not aggressive with pricing.

"Coal India is planning to increase the price but taking the views of all the stakeholders and getting them on board is essential before we make a decision because it affects the price of the energy in the country," Agrawal said.