Tata Steel, a privately held steelmaker, has broken some of the many gender stereotypes by becoming the first mining company in India to recruit female engineers at its Noamundi iron ore mine in Jharkhand.
In a statement released Monday, the company has recruited ten female employees from mining, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and mining industries.
In a press release, the company stated: “Tata Steel is the first company in India to employ women in all shifts in mines in its OMQ division (Ore, Mines & Quarries) since September 1, 2019.”
The message states that all standards set by the Directorate General of Mine Safety (DGMS) are being followed to ensure the work of women in the mine: written consent has been obtained from each female worker, and safety measures have been taken such as GPS monitoring and video surveillance , canteens, rest rooms, sanitary vending machines, female guards, transportation and accommodation of women in groups of at least three people per shift.
The implementation of such an initiative became possible after the government repealed Article 46 of the Indian Mine Act of 1952, which prohibits women from working in mines in any work - both on the ground and underground.
The press release says that by 2025, up to 20 percent of the company's entire staff will be female employees. Earlier, since April 1 of this year, the company has already organized two work shifts for women working in the workshop of its Jamshedpur plant.
