BCCL Launches Women-Led Initiatives in Dhanbad to Boost Gender Inclusivity

By: WE staff | Wednesday, 16 July 2025

• BCCL starts women-led businesses in Dhanbad, Jharkhand, paving the way for women empowerment and inclusivity
• The businesses are started by Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL)
• They are path-breaking businesses in the area, a never-before attempt at women leadership in mines

In a forward-thinking step towards gender inclusiveness and empowerment, Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), which is a subsidiary of Coal India Limited (CIL), has initiated two historic women-run schemes in Dhanbad, Jharkhand.

The first scheme initiated the overall changeover at Koyla Nagar Hospital, which is run completely by women doctors, nurses, as well as support staff — as a landmark achievement in the field of public sector healthcare. The transition was officially launched by BCCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Samiran Dutta, with senior officials and prominent women healthcare professionals like Dr. Poonam Dubey, Chief of Medical Services, and Dr. Vandana Thakur, Chief Medical Officer Central Hospital Dhanbad in attendance.

CMD Samiran underlined that the move is a demonstration of BCCL's firm belief in gender equality and growing women leadership at all its operations.

Augmenting this healthcare achievement, BCCL has also introduced a first-of-its-kind central technical workshop for the maintenance and repair of solar and LED equipment. Situated at Koyla Nagar, this unit is run solely by seven women technicians from the Electrical & Mechanical (E&M) branch and is monitored by a specific in-charge.

The center, designed to perform several technical repairs, represents a radical move toward the inclusion of women in engineering positions previously held by men. CMD Samiran noted that empowerment is a reflection of faith in the ability of women, and this step proves their increasing power beyond care-giving.

These steps are an extension of the overall vision of the Ministry of Coal and CIL to foster inclusiveness, innovation, and operational efficiency among public sector undertakings. They also come on the heels of BCCL's Central Hospital Dhanbad being granted dual ISO certifications ISO 9001:2015 for Quality Management and ISO 45001:2018 for Occupational Health and Safety — by UKAF CERT Limited, UK.