India, Nov. 13 -- With wide ranging international MoUs and targeted policy measures, India has set its priorities clear on securing its critical minerals value chain. The surging importance of critical minerals in energy transition offers a new opportunity for India to start afresh and envision an innovative way to view women employment in the mining sector. The critical mineral sector cannot afford to develop on a segmented and inequitable mining landscape which structurally excludes women from availing mining sector benefits.

Globally, women make up only around 10 to 15% of the industrial mining workforce. In India, according to Statistics of Mines in India (2015), women account for just about 5% of all workers across the formal, DGMS-...