India Inc's inclusion factory

IT IS A PACKED DAY at the Tata Motors factory in Pune. A female voice echoes through speakers, announcing workstation updates. Meanwhile, on the assembly line at the Trim, Chassis and Final-2 plant, a skeletal vehicle frame inches forward. A group of young women tighten bolts, guide robotic arms lifting heavy windshields into place, and wire up electronic components that will eventually power the vehicle’s dashboard and safety systems. By the time the frame reaches the end of the line, it has transformed into a ready-to-roll-out Tata Harrier or Safari. “It makes me proud to see a Tata Harrier and Safari on the road — for I built it,” says Pratiksha Pawar, a 21-year-old operator from Maharashtra who works on the line.

Around 530 km away in Vadodara, an 11-member all-women team at a Larsen & Toubro (L&T) precast facility produced more than 91,125 concrete noise-barrier panels for the Mumbai–Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. The task involved pouring around 30,906 cubic metres of concrete. The team wrapped up the work in 62,860 man-days, ensuring timely delivery.