NHAI Encourages Women Focused Skill Development through ‘Project Saksham’

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in partnership with the Vertis Foundation is empowering rural women through structured skill development for sustainable livelihood opportunities through Project Saksham. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that 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. The initiative has trained over six thousand youth, with more than four thousand successfully placed across various sectors. Over 80 percent of the beneficiaries are women, underscoring the program’s strong emphasis on gender-led empowerment. The Ministry said that 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.