The initiative of the Mines and Minerals Department of the Government of Punjab to digitise the mining sector to encourage growth and promote worker welfare was certainly needed. The profession is incredibly risky in and of itself and when factoring in the lack of safety measures, equipment and training, the condition of the mining industry becomes a matter of grave concern. If however, the ultimate objective is to create safe working conditions and lower the frequency of fatal mining disasters, more improvements must be sought outside of digitisation.
According to the concerned department, the process of inspection, royalty monitoring, IT integration, e-filing and the implementation of the Human Resource Management Information System are the main points of focus of the initiative. It further promises to protect worker interests by improving hospital services through digitisation. There is no doubt that these are the right steps to take by the government, but in the later stages of revamping the mining industry. Such initiatives can be taken once the bare minimum of providing a safe environment for workers is achieved. The primary objective should be to prevent the countless life-threatening incidents that occur on a regular basis in regions like Balochistan and take the lives of an average of 200 miners each year, according to the Pakistan Labour Federation.
The ingestion of toxic gasses released in mines, collapses, explosions and even suffocation are common occurrences. It is alarming that basic safety measures are not taken or endorsed in the industry and little is done institutionally to improve the situation. Digitisation will surely make the process smoother but what is required is the utilisation of modern technology and equipment in a manner the miner labour union sees fit. Only after this is done successfully will the digitisation of routine processes and healthcare benefits make more sense.
