Women engineers employed at Tata Steel mine in Jharkhand

Private steel manufacturer Tata Steel has employed women engineers at its Noamundi iron ore mine in Jharkhand, a release said. The company has recruited ten women officers from mining, electrical, mechanical and mineral processing engineering disciplines, the firm's statement on Monday said.

"Tata Steel is the first company in India to employ women in all shifts in mines from September 1, 2019," it said. The release said measures such as sanitary vending machines, canteens, restrooms, female security guards, transportation and deployment of women in groups of not less than three in a shift are being put in place.

Security measures such as GPS and CCTV monitoring have been implemented, it said. The statement said written consents have been taken from every woman prior to their posting in the mines.

The initiative comes after the Centre earlier this year scrapped Section 46 of the Mines Act, 1952 which restricted employment of women in the mines. Arun Misra, vice president, raw materials division of Tata Steel, said, "We are enhancing facilities to recruit more women in all sections of our mines." Misra said employing women in mines leads to the generation of innovative ideas and perspectives.

The release said the initiative is in line with the company's target of achieving 20 percent of women officers in the workforce by 2025. It said all norms stipulated by Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) are being adhered to.

Earlier, the company had started two shifts for women employees at its Jamshedpur plant shop floor on April 1 this year, it added. A total of 52 female employees were posted at its coke plant and electrical repair shop floor in A and B shifts between 6 am and 10 pm, the release said.

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