By Faiza Tehseen ISLAMABAD, March 18 (INP-WealthPK): The Punjab government has taken a special initiative to promote women participation in the mining sector by providing technical skills training to them. ‘Women in mining’ is a first project of its kind, which is encouraging women to choose both traditional and technical fields, including mine engineering. Talking about the ‘women in mining’ initiative, Atika Ammar Bukhari, deputy secretary of the mines and minerals department, Punjab, told WealthPK that the department had contacted different women chambers, women mineral traders and geology graduates, asking them to take part in the government’s initiative. She said women were interested in joining the mining field, but there was a lack of orientation related to mining, value addition, marketing, mine leasing, documentation and legal ethics. Under the initiative, launched in 2021, graduate or undergraduate students, who were interested in getting trained, were offered internship with a monthly scholarship of Rs20,000. She added that 20 students, who had graduated in multiple disciplines related to the mining sector, formed the first batch of the pilot project. Atika Bukhari said that it was ensured that female trainees were given jobs in mines and mineral departments of the provinces. However, they were also free to make job decisions, she said, adding that a good number of women affiliated with the chambers all over the province were also keen on getting training in minerals business. In reply to a question about the training of women workers in the mineral sector, Atika Bukhari said there was no such plan as yet, but in coming phases such a step could be undertaken. Sonia Liaqat, the mineral department’s mining engineer, told WealthPK that the number of women getting specialised degrees was increasing, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to decide what job they should choose. She said that the provincial government departments, including Punjab Mineral Company, Punjab Mines Corporation and Chief Inspectorate of Mines and Directorate General of Mines and Minerals would be asked to absorb the female trainees. She added that federal government’s departments, including Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Pakistan Gems & Jewellery Development Company and Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Authority, would also be approached to hire women under the initiative. She told WealthPK that it was also an important part of the training that the trainees had the knowledge about both the provincial and federal departments. Sonia Liaqat said in the first phase of the training, importance was being given to the field work for the trainees. “In the next phases, successful role models whether belonging to government departments or from the private sector will be invited to share their experience with the trainee students.”