Catalytic gasification of a low rank coal- Inner Mongolian lignite has been carried out with carbon dioxide. The gasification reactions were performed in a thermogravimetric analyzer at temperatures of $600^{circ}C$ to $900^{circ}C$. The kinetic parameters were evaluated using three different gas-solids reaction models and the prediction ability of each model were compared. Among the models evaluated, the modified volumetric model was found to correlate best both the non-catalytic and catalytic gasification reactions. The theoretical models, homogeneous and shrinking-core models, were found to satisfactorily correlate gasification reactions for the non-catalytic and $FeSO_4$-catalyzed reactions. In case of alkali metal catalysts, the catalytic activity was mostly pronounced at a low temperature of $600^{circ}C$ and observed to decrease by 50% as the temperature was increased to $700^{circ}C$, and it remained nearly constant at temperature over $800^{circ}C$. The order of catalytic activity was found to be: $K_2CO_3$ > $Na_2CO_3$ > $K_2SO_4$ > $FeSO_4$.