India, New Delhi — May 22, 1990Skill Development Ministry, Prime Minister's Special Strategy Room
The digital display on the wall read:
"UNEMPLOYMENT ≠ LAZINESS. IT = UNTRAINED POTENTIAL."
Aryan stood before a half-circle of education leaders, industrialists, military veterans, and foreign observers. His mission was simple:
"We are not here to build more universities," he said."We are here to build competence."
The Core of Saksham Yojana
("Saksham" = Capable)
The plan would convert India's idle population into a world-class workforce in 18 months — not through degrees, but through hands-on mastery.
Structure Overview
National Skill Grid (NSG):Every district mapped with real-time demand — carpentry in Kerala, welding in Gujarat, CNC technicians in Pune, cold chain managers in Assam.
Military-Supported Training Brigades:Retired Army personnel with engineering, logistics, and telecom backgrounds would become Field Trainers in rural India.
MicroSkill Centers (MSC):Modular classrooms (made from recycled cargo containers) built next to BharatLink nodes.
2-week, 6-week, 12-week courses.
Fields: Electric mobility, AI maintenance, disaster logistics, drone ops, plumbing, cold storage, grain sorting, solar installation.
Guaranteed Placement System:Private sector was mandated to list jobs on NSG.
Every trained graduate = 3 guaranteed interviews.
If rejected, 6-month government stipend granted automatically.
Skill Passport via Aadhar Card:A permanent, portable digital ID that stored all certifications.No resumes. No fake documents. One scan, verified.
Launch Zones
Pilot Cities: Jabalpur, Ranchi, Warangal, Ajmer, and Nashik.
First focus: 50,000 candidates, 35 sectors, 3 languages of instruction.
Private Partnerships
Aryan brought in:
Infosys for coding bootcamps,
TVS Motors for assembly-line training,
Tata Steel for safety and industrial discipline programs,
Bosch and Hitachi for tech equipment training.
The incentives:
70% wage subsidies for hiring from Saksham grads.
Zero import duties on training hardware.
Public Reaction
In rural Maharashtra, a young girl named Neelam, who dropped out after 10th grade, got certified as a solar inverter technician.
In Odisha, an ex-Naxal youth learned drone farming and was hired as a crop surveillance officer.
In Tamil Nadu, a deaf boy learned silent coding and joined a local AI team for agriculture models.
May 30, 1990 — Aryan's Address
"The world may not want our degrees, but they can't ignore our skills.""Let others debate what India can't do. We'll show them what we can do."
System Notification
[Ding! Task Completed: National Skill Grid Activation][Reward: Universal Modular Training Pod Blueprint][Subtask Unlocked: Vocational Global Export Corridor]
Aryan folded the blueprint carefully and whispered:
"Today they graduate. Tomorrow, they build India."