KOLKATA (miningweekly.com) – India’s Labour Ministry has issued notifications amending rules that will now permit women to work in underground coal mines to ensure gender equality and open up greater job opportunities.
The rules have been amended for women working in opencast coal mines too. Until now, women were permitted to work in opencast coal mines only during fixed day time hours, but under the amended ruled, women would now be permitted to work in any shifts at opencast coal mines, which would ensure a higher number of women employees in such mines.
The official notifications have been issued and will be implemented over the next few days, according to government officials.
According to government information, Coal India Limited (CIL) has about 300 000 workers on its payroll of which about 20% are women in supporting functions and they will now be eligible to enter and work in underground mines, as well as on any shifts in the case of opencast mines.
The new rules would also be applicable for captive coal mines wherein mine operators would be permitted to employ women in core operational functions, officials added.
It was pointed out that most of the existing women employees at CIL were engaged in allied functions in workshops and drilling, or were drivers of dumpers who had gained employment in the mining company either as compensation for land acquired from them or who were given employment on compassionate grounds in lieu of their worker relatives.
With the changed rules, mining companies would be able to now directly employ women for mining operations opening up new employment opportunities, not only in CIL, but also at the large number of new coal blocks that were slated to be put up for auction over the coming months, officials said.