Udaipur, August 15, 2026: As the country prepares to celebrate its 80th Independence Day, Hindustan Zinc has been playing an important role in giving a new direction to women’s economic independence. The company is creating opportunities for rural women in self-employment and entrepreneurship while enabling women to take up technology-driven leadership roles in modern mines and smelters.
In rural areas of Rajasthan, women are becoming self-reliant through financial assistance, skill training and livelihood opportunities. At Hindustan Zinc’s modern and technology-driven mines and smelters, women engineers, operators and technical experts are handling important responsibilities in advanced areas such as AI, automation and digitalisation.
Under Hindustan Zinc’s ‘Sakhi’ initiative, more than 25,000 rural women have joined self-help groups. Through these groups, they are receiving access to savings, credit, entrepreneurship training and livelihood opportunities.
Farzana, associated with the Sakhi Production Committee, is one such example. She moved beyond domestic labour to establish herself in garment and FMCG product manufacturing and now earns around Rs 3.47 lakh annually. During the Covid-19 pandemic, her unit produced cloth masks, helping her maintain her income while also meeting an important community need.
Hindustan Zinc CEO Amarendu Prakash said independence gave the country the freedom to shape its future, while economic independence gives individuals the strength to improve their lives. He said the company’s responsibility extends beyond creating economic value to creating opportunities that help people progress.
The company’s ‘Samadhan’ initiative is also helping women strengthen agriculture- and livestock-based livelihoods. Prem Bai Vyas of Matoon village expanded her dairy business through the initiative. Earlier, she sold around 10 litres of milk a day and depended on middlemen for payments. Her production has now increased to around 85 litres a day, while her monthly income has crossed Rs 90,000. She receives payments directly into her bank account and independently operates a dairy with 20 animals.
While rural women are becoming economically stronger through entrepreneurship and livelihoods, Hindustan Zinc is also witnessing significant changes at its workplaces. Women account for 26.3 per cent of the company’s total workforce, the highest in India’s metal and mining industry. Around 62 per cent of employees are below 35 years of age, making the workforce among the youngest and most inclusive in the industry.
Women at Hindustan Zinc are working in underground mines, operating heavy machinery, managing critical production processes, serving as members of mine rescue teams and leading advanced technical areas such as AI, machine learning, automation and digitalisation.
Under the company’s ‘Tejaswini’ initiative, a team of women at the Leaching and Purification section of the Chanderiya Smelting Complex is handling operations across different shifts. The initiative has strengthened women’s participation and leadership in manufacturing.
At the Debari Zinc Smelter, IIT Delhi graduate Swapnil Thori is leading the digitalisation department. She is driving transformation across smelters and power plants through AI- and machine learning-based solutions. Her innovations have contributed to process efficiency, predictive maintenance and resource optimisation and have earned several recognitions for her and her team.
A Vedanta Group company, Hindustan Zinc continues to work towards inclusive development in areas including education, skill development, healthcare, community development and women’s empowerment. As the country moves towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047, the company remains committed to ensuring that the benefits of development extend beyond its operations to society and communities.
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