SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, January 24: IIT Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad, in association with Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI), began a lecture series on the legal provision of empowering women in the mining industry.
Prem Kumar Agarwal, former Calcutta High Court judge, delivered an extensive talk on empowering women in the mining industry and about statutory requirements for women’s employment in the country’s mining sector.
Male-dominated industry
“The mining sector, since its very inception, is widely seen as a male-dominated industry despite female participation,” said Agarwal while addressing virtually.
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Agarwal, while giving details of legal strategies for combatting gender discrimination in the mining sector, said that Section 46 (1) (b) of the Mines Act, 1952 prohibits employment of women in any mine above ground except between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Still, the central government, by notification of 2019, 393 (S0 506 (E)), has exempted the women in any mine from the provisions of section 46 (1) (b), allowing the mine owner to deploy women between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Gender imbalances
“The industry should move beyond traditional narratives and rhetoric urging stakeholders to actively engage in reshaping legal social and cultural framework and thereby getting the opportunity to rectify historical gender imbalances and also to emerge as a beacon of inclusivity, innovation and progress,” said Agarwal.
Zoom Platform
The 90-minute lecture was held online mode on the Zoom Platform, during which Dr Prachi Kaul, director of Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Prof Ratna Ghosh and Prof Dheeraj Kumar, deputy director of IIT (ISM) and director of TEXMiN were present.
Corporate communications
The series is being coordinated by Prof Rajni Singh, dean of corporate communications at IIT ISM.
Other experts addressing the conference are Prof Ratna Ghosh, a distinguished McGill professor and Sir Macdonald Professor of Education at McGill University. They will talk about critical aspects of gender inequality: Empowering women in the mining industry and also Women in Science, Engineering, Technology, & Trade. Nandini Chakravarty, managing director of Mine Line Pvt Ltd, will deliver a lecture on women’s workplace culture and reforms needed at the grassroots level.
Gender mainstreaming
Earlier, during his remarks, Prof Dheeraj Kumar termed the 2019 notification of the Central Government allowing women to work during the night and in underground mines as a game changer, which brought a lot of change from the point of view of gender mainstreaming in the Mining sector.
