Mining, among other economic industries, has long been a male-dominated industry, not only in India but also in the industrialised world. Yet, in Rajasthan, many female engineers are gently but steadily breaking down this gender prejudice.
Inside India’s largest and only Zinc, Lead, Silver producing company,505 women employees including 109 women engineers are leading the wave of change in mining and smelting operations. From driving mining vehicles twice/thrice the sizes to operating plants which produce the highest quality products to working nightshifts, these women have done it all and are a fundamental part of the growth story of Hindustan Zinc.
The company has taken a multi-pronged approach that includes focused efforts to encourage and empower young engineers to create new processes and implement new technologies. Hindustan Zinc, strongly believes that diverseworkforce is the key to high performance, andactively pursues this goal. The company targets gender paritywith equal representation and equal opportunitiesfor both the genders across all levels. Empoweringwomen employees and enabling them to showcasetheir potential has been the cornerstone of the company’s growth journey.
As a result, India’s First womenMine managers to work in underground mines arefrom Hindustan Zinc.
Hindustan Zinc under the Inclusion Project has focussed on workforce compositionas the first step, which includes gender,regional, educational, physical ability, age, ethnicity,and communities. The company has also developed a roadmap and declared, the EqualEmployment Opportunity Policy and the DiversityPolicy.
Hindustan Zinc firmly believes that the presence of women in mining and engineering is important to India’s robust journey of growth and development. The mining and metals major has engaged 19.34% of women in the executive workforce, and 5% in leadership roles across various departments. The company has also been providing training and development opportunities to its female employees to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Hindustan Zinc has always been a frontrunner in promoting gender, geographical, cultural, & racial diversity and has set a target to achieve and maintain 30% diversity among all executive and management committees.