**Executive Summary**
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), in partnership with the Vertis Foundation, is implementing ‘Project Saksham’ to empower rural women through structured skill development and sustainable livelihood opportunities. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between infrastructure expansion and economic inclusivity by providing market-aligned vocational training to communities residing along National Highways. To date, the project has trained over 6,000 individuals and successfully placed more than 4,000 in various sectors, facilitating financial independence and social empowerment.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Program Objectives and Scope**
* Focuses on providing rural women with industry-relevant skills and pathways into the formal workforce.
* Operates through a network of 12 training centres across India to serve underserved communities.
* Seeks to ensure that communities living near National Highways benefit directly from the economic opportunities generated by infrastructure growth.
**Operational Impact and Achievements**
* Over 6,000 youth have been trained, with more than 4,000 successfully placed across various sectors.
* Women constitute over 80% of the total beneficiaries, highlighting a strong emphasis on gender-led empowerment.
* Beneficiaries earn average monthly incomes ranging from Rs.13,000 to Rs.16,000, often surpassing state entry-level wage benchmarks.
**Training and Engagement Model**
* Offers vocational training in diverse fields including electrical work, plumbing, appliance repair, tailoring, general duty assistant nursing, and multi-skill technician training.
* Utilizes a strong on-ground engagement model where field teams work with families to address socio-cultural barriers and build trust.
* Equips participants with practical, market-aligned capabilities to enhance employability and economic self-reliance.
**Impact Analysis**
**Rural Women and Youth**
**Impact**
Beneficiaries gain access to professional vocational training and formal employment, leading to financial independence and a transition into the formal workforce. They experience a shift in personal and community aspirations through economic self-reliance.
**Action Required**
Eligible individuals must engage with field teams and enroll in the various vocational training programs offered at the 12 training centres.
**NHAI and Vertis Foundation**
**Impact**
These organizations fulfill their commitment to inclusive development by ensuring infrastructure projects deliver social and economic benefits beyond connectivity. The partnership enhances their role in creating resilient rural communities.
**Action Required**
NHAI and Vertis Foundation must continue to maintain the training infrastructure and deploy field teams to sustain community engagement and trust.
**Rural Communities residing along National Highways**
**Impact**
These communities are integrated into the economic momentum of infrastructure expansion, helping to reduce economic exclusion and build local resilience.
**Action Required**
Community members and families need to support and encourage the participation of women in these skill development and employment opportunities to overcome traditional socio-cultural barriers.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways: The nodal ministry overseeing NHAI's operations and the broader vision for inclusive infrastructure development.
Project Saksham: A skill development initiative focused on empowering rural women residing along National Highways through vocational training and formal workforce placement.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI): The primary authority driving the initiative to ensure inclusive growth and social empowerment alongside infrastructure development.
Vertis Foundation: The partner organization collaborating with NHAI to implement structured skill development and manage training centres for sustainable livelihoods.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
NHAI Encourages Women Focused Skill
Development through ‘Project Saksham’
Posted On: 15 MAY 2026 3:09PM by PIB Delhi
Reinforcing its commitment to promote inclusive development, National Highway Authority of India
(NHAI) in partnership with the Vertis Foundation is driving meaningful social impact through ‘Project
Saksham’, an initiative focused on empowering rural women through structured skill development for
sustainable livelihood opportunities. Beyond skilling, the initiative aims to create pathways for long-term
financial independence and social empowerment.
Project Saksham operates through a network of 12 training centres across the country, providing access to
underserved communities to industry-relevant skills and pathways into the formal workforce. To date, the
initiative has trained over 6,000 youth, with more than 4,000 successfully placed across various sectors.
Beneficiaries are earning average monthly incomes in the range of Rs.13,000 – 16,000 often surpassing
entry-level wage benchmarks in several states. Notably, over 80% of the beneficiaries are women,
underscoring the program’s strong emphasis on gender-led empowerment.
Aligned with NHAI’s broader vision of inclusive infrastructure development, Project Saksham is anchored
in the belief that communities residing along the National Highways, in particular rural women, should
directly benefit from the economic opportunities generated by infrastructure expansion. The initiative
seeks to bridge this gap by enabling access to skills, employment and financial independence for
communities that are connected, yet often excluded from the economic momentum surrounding
infrastructure expansion.
Project Saksham is distinguished by its strong on-ground engagement model. Field teams work closely
within rural communities, engaging with families to build trust, address socio-cultural barriers and
encourage participation of women in skill development and employment opportunities, often for the first
time. Participants are trained in a diverse range of vocational skills, including electrical work, plumbing,
appliance repair, tailoring, general duty assistant nursing and multi-skill technician training. These
programs are designed to equip beneficiaries with practical, market-aligned capabilities that enhance
employability. For many participants, it represents a transformative journey, enabling them to achieve
economic self-reliance and redefining aspirations for themselves and their communities.
This initiative underlines NHAI’s commitment to ensure that infrastructure development not only delivers
enhanced connectivity but also provides opportunities for inclusive growth that will further contribute
towards creating stronger, more resilient communities across the country.
*****
GDH/DS
(Release ID: 2261367) Visitor Counter : 523
Read this release in: Gujarati , Manipuri , Urdu , ही , Bengali , Bengali-TR , Tamil