Project Aarohan

• 27 Aug 2025

Why in News?

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in collaboration with Vertis Infrastructure Trust, launched ‘Project Aarohan’ to support the educational aspirations of toll plaza employees' children, with the launch ceremony held at NHAI Headquarters in New Delhi.

Key Points

• About: The program aims to address financial barriers and promote equal access to quality education for students from economically weaker sections (EWS), first-generation learners, and marginalized communities, including Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and minority groups.
• Objective: The program combines financial assistance with structured mentorship, skill-building workshops, and career guidance to enhance the overall educational experience of the students.
  • The initiative aims to equip students not only for higher education but also for future employment and entrepreneurship.
• Funding: The first phase of the project has been allocated a fund of ₹1 Crore for the financial year 2025-26.
  • The project will support 500 students from Class 11 to their final year of graduation, offering an annual scholarship of 12,000 rupees for the financial year 2025-26.
  • Fifty bright students aiming for postgraduate and higher studies will receive scholarships of 50,000 rupees each.

National Highway Authority of India (NHAI)

• The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) was established by the NHAI Act, 1988, to oversee the development, maintenance, and management of national highways. 
• NHAI's key responsibility is implementing the National Highways Development Project (NHDP), which covers 50,329 km of highways, and improving road infrastructure for smoother traffic flow.
• With a total length of 132,499 km, national highways carry about 40% of the total road traffic in India, despite making up only 2% of the road network.