Tata Steel employs 22 women to operate heavy earth movers

JAMSHEDPUR: In a significant leap in achieving gender diversity in its operations, Tata Steel has deployed its first batch of 22 women in HEMM (Heavy Earth Moving Machinery) operators at Noamundi Iron mine in all three shifts, officials said on Saturday.

The 22 women, who will now operate bulldozers, excavators, dumpers, shovels, drill machines etc.– were appointed in a ceremony at Tata Steel’s Noamundi iron mine in West Singhbhum district on Friday in the presence of senior company officials.

“We are happy to induct the first batch of 22 women who will join as HEMM operators at our Noamundi Iron Mine. ‘Tejaswini 2.0’ initiative reflects our commitment towards fostering a culture of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in the organisation. We continue our efforts on hiring and creating infrastructure for a diverse workforce as well as retaining and developing women leaders,” said Atrayee Sarkar, Vice President, Human Resource Management (HRM), Tata Steel.

This initiative, christened as ‘Tejaswini 2.0’, has been designed to provide technical training to unskilled women workers and enable them to work in core jobs at mines. Ore Mines & Quarries (OMQ) Division became the first Division in the company to launch this initiative and all of the 22 appointees would work in three shifts, including night shift.

With this, Tata Steel became the first company to employ female employees in all the three shifts. The company had amended the rules to this effect in 2019.

The company has set a target of having 20% female workforce in the company by 2025.

The company had received over 350 applications of which 22 candidates were selected after a written test and personal interview.

The minimum qualification required to apply was matriculation.

These candidates will undergo an intensive training to hone their skills as HEMM operators.