New Delhi: In a sector long dominated by men, Vedanta Limited is quietly shifting the ground beneath the metals and mining industry. With women now holding 28% of leadership positions, far above the global industry average of 8%, Vedanta is reshaping how the industry thinks about inclusion, power, and performance.
The company has set a clear goal for the future: by 2030, women will make up 30% of its workforce. But the approach goes far beyond recruitment targets. Vedanta is creating work environments where women don’t just join, they lead, innovate, and influence how India’s industrial backbone is built.
“We don’t just include women, we elevate them as central architects of transformation,” says Madhu Srivastava, Chief Human Resources Officer at Vedanta Limited. “Our policies are designed to dismantle invisible barriers and create an environment where ambition and family life are not in conflict, but in harmony.”
At a time when India’s female workforce participation had dropped to 19% in 2021, Vedanta is showing what it looks like when a company moves ahead without waiting for the world to catch up. Whether it’s managing critical mineral exploration, running high-risk operations, or rewriting internal policies, women at Vedanta are leading the charge.
Dr Kavita Bhardwaj, Deputy CEO of Hindmetal Exploration, is one such leader. “I lead exploration missions during the day and cherish time with my family in the evenings, this balance was made possible by Vedanta’s flexible and empowering environment,” she shares.
Across its operations, Vedanta has taken visible steps to bring more women into roles traditionally kept out of their reach. The company runs the world’s largest aluminium potline at Jharsuguda, Odisha exclusively through an all-women team. In Rajasthan, India’s first all-women underground mine rescue teams have been deployed. At Rampura Agucha mine, women now lead control room operations during night shifts, a breakthrough that came only after active policy engagement with regulators.
This drive is supported by structural changes: hybrid work models, flexible schedules, 12-month maternity sabbaticals, crèche facilities, and even spouse hiring schemes. Entire townships have been developed with schools, hospitals, and recreational spaces to support working families.
Security is another space where Vedanta has brought women forward. Its all-women Quick Response Team, Durga Vahini, drawn from rural parts of Rajasthan, now protects 38 oil fields. In doing so, they are not only securing critical infrastructure but also expanding the idea of who can serve as frontline defenders in India’s energy sector.
As the country heads into a minerals-led industrial era, Vedanta is not simply adapting to change, it is making sure women shape what that change looks like.
BI Bureau
