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Tata Steel first all-women iron ore mine shift
Careers

All Women, All Steel

Tata Steel has made history by instituting the first-ever, all-women shift in an iron ore mine in India

January 2025     |     793 words     |     3-minute read

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Kiran Mundali had never learned how to ride a scooter or even a cycle; today, as a drill operator at Tata Steel’s Noamundi mine, she has the technical skills and knowledge to efficiently operate some of the heaviest machinery in the mining business.

Hailing from a remote village 10km from Noamundi — which will celebrate a century in June this year — Kiran underwent training from “level zero”, along with several other women. “When Tata Steel created this vacancy for women to operate heavy earth moving machinery (HEMM), I applied along with many other women, and 17 of us were selected after a written exam,” recalls Kiran, who has now been working at the mine for three years. “We were taught the basics at the training centre in Noamundi — from learning driving on a simulator and then in a light motor vehicle (LMV), followed by classes for six months, after which we were divided into drill, shovel and dumper operator teams.”

Kiran herself was given specialised training in drill operations, while her co-workers Kavita Mundali and Devti Poorti, were trained in dumper operations and shovel operations respectively. The three of them, along with many other women, are making history as the first-ever, all-women shift in an iron ore mine in India, for which they are universally grateful to Tata Steel and Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India.

India’s first first-ever all-women shift in an iron ore mine

Pioneering empowerment

In December 2024, Tata Steel operationalised the all-women shift at Noamundi, a first for India, thus underscoring the company’s unwavering commitment to creating an equitable workplace and empowering women in traditionally male-dominated industries. Indeed, Tata Steel has been recognised with the World Economic Forum’s Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Lighthouse 2023 and has also achieved 20% diversity in its India workforce.

However, the company took small steps much earlier. In 2019, Tata Steel launched its flagship diversity initiative, Women@Mines, making it the first company in India to deploy women in all shifts at its mines. The initiative followed the DGMS’ relaxation of the Mines Act, 1952, which made Tata Steel’s efforts possible. Later, the company also introduced Tejaswini, which was aimed at recruiting and training women from local communities to operate HEMM and participate in the mining ecosystem.

At the event to flag off the all-women shift, DB 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. It is also a reflection of our belief that diversity and inclusion are essential for driving innovation and operational excellence. We are proud to lead this change and will continue to create more opportunities for women, specially in our mining ecosystem. This initiative marks a significant addition to the 100 glorious years of mining at Noamundi.”

DB Sundara Ramam, Vice President, Raw Material, Tata Steel and Shri Shyam Sundar Prasad, Dy Director General, Mines Safety, SE Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand, were among the dignitaries who flagged off the all-women shift

Also present at the event was Shri Shyam Sundar Prasad, Dy Director General, Mines Safety, SE Region, Ranchi, Jharkhand, who emphasised that the decision by DGMS to permit the deployment of women in all shifts in mining in 2019 was a key step in the right direction, while commending Tata Steel’s pioneering effort in taking the lead as a responsible corporate in promoting equitable employment.

A shift in perspective

The first all-women shift in an iron ore mine will comprise women employees for all mining activities including HEMM, shovel, loader, drill, dozer operators, and shift supervision. “Now we confidently manage to drive, and because of this job, our social and economic circumstances have greatly improved,” says Kavita Mundali, a dumper operator in the shift.

Tata Steel’s Tejaswini programme is largely responsible for this sense of empowerment among local women employed at the mine. 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 success of Tejaswini 2.0 paved the way for Tejaswini 2.1 in 2022, which attracted 2,100+ applications, culminating in the selection of 24 operators.

“The opportunity to work in different shifts helped build my confidence,” says Devti Poorti. “Tata Steel has made an excellent initiative by creating an all women shift. The faith that they have put in us, we are determined to take forward.” Kiran adds, “We have so much confidence that we will together manage the ladies shift very well.”

—Anuradha Anupkumar


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