Meet Akanksha Kumari, the diamond of Coal India's underground mines

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 1, 2021 | moderator

Jharkhand: For the first time in the history of Coal India, Akanksha Kumari scripted history by becoming the first-ever woman mining engineer to work in Coal India's underground mines.

"A graduate of BIT Sindri, Ms. Kumari broke the gender barriers by joining Churi Underground mine. She became the 1st women mining engineer in the history of CIL to work in underground mines," he tweeted.

Bihar's Press Information Bureau, Central Coalfields released a statement that said that the women employees have excelled in many roles, from security guard to officer to doctor to even running heavy machinery. However, this is "the first time when the core mining activity of one of the biggest coal mining companies of the world will witness this progressive change. The enormity of her achievement can be gauged by the fact that Akanksha is the second mining engineer in the Maharatna conglomerate Coal India Limited and the first woman to work in an underground coal mine.”

Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Coal and mines congratulated Akanksha on her achievement. PC Mohan, three-time BJP MP hailed it as a historic moment for gender representation.

A resident of Barkagaon in Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand, Akanksha belongs to the mining belt and witnessed mining activities from close since she was a child. With interest in mines, she opted to study mining engineering at Birsa Institute of Technology Sindri. Kumari received all the support from her family which allowed her to pursue her dreams.

The official Twitter account of the Ministry of Coal also congratulated her: "You are an inspiration to many women."