Union Cabinet Minister for Food Processing Industries Chirag Paswan attended a convocation ceremony in Vaishali, Bihar, where women candidates completed training under the Saksham Project, a skilling initiative supported by Hero MotoCorp Limited and implemented by the Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC).
The event, held in Hajipur, marked the graduation of women trained in automotive telecalling, electric vehicle service assistance, and automotive sales executive roles. The ceremony also inaugurated a new batch of trainees from the region.
Paswan said the trained women represent changing demographics in Bihar and credited the Government of India's skilling initiative for enabling women to enter sectors previously dominated by men. He noted opportunities in the automobile sector at rural levels and indicated plans for establishing a Center of Excellence.
ASDC Vice President Vinkesh Gulati said the program addresses gender disparity in India's automotive workforce by providing technical and soft skills training to women from underserved communities. The training covers both conventional and electric vehicle segments.
The Saksham Project has trained over 4,000 women since its inception. Phase II of the program targets 20,000 women across eight automotive job roles. As of March, 2,299 women had been mobilized for the program, with 1,890 currently undergoing training.
The ceremony included district administration officials and senior representatives from ASDC and Hero MotoCorp. MLA Awadhesh Singh and Vivek Kumar, MD & CEO of Vision India Services Pvt Ltd, also attended the event.
The program forms part of broader government initiatives to increase women's participation in India's automotive sector, which has traditionally employed fewer women compared to other industries.