Tata Steel deploys all-women shift in an iron ore mine, the first ever in India

This initiative, India’s first, underscores the company’s unwavering commitment to creating an equitable workplace and empowering women in traditionally male-dominated industries.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

This shift will comprise women employees for all the mining activities of the shift including Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM), shovel, loader, drill, dozer operators, and shift supervision.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Tata Steel Ltd. said it has operationalised an all-women shift at its Noamundi Iron Mine starting Monday reinforcing its commitment to women’s empowerment.

“This initiative, India’s first, underscores the company’s unwavering commitment to creating an equitable workplace and empowering women in traditionally male-dominated industries,” the company said in a statement.

This shift will comprise women employees for all the mining activities of the shift including Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM), shovel, loader, drill, dozer operators, and shift supervision.

The all-women shift was flagged off by Shyam Sundar Prasad, Dy. Director General, Mines Safety, SE Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand.

D.B. Sundara Ramam, vice-president, raw material, Tata Steel, said, “This all-women shift represents a landmark achievement not only for Tata Steel but also for the Indian mining industry. It is a testament to the resilience and capability of women breaking stereotypes.” 

The journey began in 2019 with the launch of Tata Steel’s flagship diversity initiative, “Women@Mines,” making it the first company in India to deploy women in all shifts at its mines, following the Government of India’s decision to relax Mines Act, 1952. Building on this, the company introduced the “Tejaswini” initiative, aimed at recruiting and training women from local communities to operate Heavy Earth Moving Machinery (HEMM) and participate in the mining ecosystem.

Under the “Tejaswini 2.0” programme launched in 2021, women from nearby communities were rigorously trained and inducted as HEMM operators. 

“The initiative was met with overwhelming enthusiasm and women were deployed across roles such as dumper, shovel, dozer, grader, and drill operators. They underwent extensive training, including technical and operational skills, simulator sessions, safety protocols, and physical fitness, before joining the workforce in April 2022,” the company said.

The success of “Tejaswini 2.0” paved the way for the “Tejaswini 2.1” programme in 2022, which attracted over 2,100 applications, culminating in the selection of 24 operators.