New Delhi: Marking the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), Vedanta Ltd. announced a major push toward gender diversity, revealing that women now account for over 35% of its STEM fresher hiring — rising to 45% when leadership and management roles are included — and setting an ambitious target of crossing 50% hiring in STEM roles from this year.
The move signals a notable shift in India’s metals, mining, manufacturing and energy sectors — industries traditionally dominated by male workforces — and reflects a growing industry effort to close the gap between women’s education and long-term technical careers.
The company said the initiative aligns with the UN’s 2026 theme focused on accelerating gender equality in scientific learning, innovation and leadership. While women represent nearly 40–45% of STEM graduates in India, their share in the global STEM workforce remains below 30%, with participation historically far lower in heavy industries such as mining and metals.
Expanding Women’s Role in Core Industrial Jobs
Vedanta highlighted its evolving workplace mix, noting that women are increasingly occupying technical and operational positions across its value chain.
Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director at Vedanta Ltd. and Chairperson of Hindustan Zinc Ltd., said science and technology would shape India’s self-reliance journey and stressed the importance of inclusive talent growth. She pointed to initiatives such as deploying women in underground mining, enabling night shifts, and operating all-women aluminium production lines and locomotives as examples of expanding opportunities.
Technology Driving Inclusion
The company credited digital transformation — including automation, real-time monitoring, standardised procedures and advanced safety systems — for making industrial workplaces safer and more predictable, enabling greater participation of women.
Women professionals across Vedanta’s operations are contributing to areas including mining, metallurgy, process engineering, environmental science, digitalisation and energy systems — supporting domestic value chains, critical mineral security and the global energy transition.
Talent Strategy and Workplace Policies
Vedanta’s progress is backed by a multi-layered talent strategy covering recruitment, development and retention. The company partners with women’s engineering colleges, offers structured career pathways and promotes leadership platforms to spotlight women role models in STEM.
Policies introduced to support employees across life stages include spouse-hiring provisions, childcare sabbaticals of up to a year, monthly flexible work-from-home days focused on wellbeing, and residential townships near industrial locations with access to social infrastructure. Women leaders have also been included in stock option programmes to strengthen long-term engagement and ownership.
Impact on the Ground
Vedanta showcased examples of women professionals shaping operations — from geologists contributing to mine planning and environmental initiatives at aluminium coal mines in Odisha, to energy sector experts using data-driven techniques to optimise drilling decisions and improve productivity in Rajasthan’s oil fields.
Building the Future Pipeline
Alongside workforce initiatives, the company said it is investing in social programmes to nurture future women scientists and engineers. Since 2021, STEM outreach efforts have reached more than 50,000 women and girls in underserved regions, with initiatives such as education support programmes enabling students to secure engineering admissions.
Through inclusive hiring, technology adoption, progressive workplace policies and community engagement, Vedanta said it aims to create an ecosystem where women in science and technology play a central role in India’s industrial growth and energy transition.
