The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in collaboration with the Vertis Foundation, is expanding its women-focused skill development initiative Project Saksham across rural communities connected to India highway network, with fresh coverage on 19 May 2026 spotlighting the scale and impact of the programme. Project Saksham operates through 12 training centres across the country and has so far trained more than 6,000 young men and women, of whom over 4,000 beneficiaries have secured employment across various sectors. More than 80 per cent of trainees are women, in line with the objective of empowering rural women and underserved youth through industry-relevant vocational training, employment pathways and long-term financial independence. Participants are trained in multiple vocational disciplines including electrical work, plumbing, appliance repair, tailoring, nursing assistance and multi-skill technician programmes. Trained beneficiaries are earning an average monthly income of Rs 13,000 to Rs 16,000, providing a meaningful jump from earlier informal household incomes. Project Saksham is designed as a community-engagement model where field teams work with rural families along national highway corridors to dismantle socio-cultural barriers and encourage first-time participation by women in skilled trades. The initiative complements the Lakhpati Didi target, the PM Vishwakarma scheme and the Skill India Digital Hub, embedding gender-inclusive growth into infrastructure development.