New Delhi, June 3rd: Sahaj Retail Ltd (a Kanoria Foundation initiative), which is one of India’s largest rural digital service provider, and provides IT infrastructure through its phygital outlets to over 550 million people in rural India, has tied up with Techno India Group to launch a blue-collar skilling initiative aimed at training one lakh novices in the first phase across five states—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, and Assam.
The initiative, titled Sahaj-Techno Blue Collar Jobs, is focused on equipping rural and semi-urban youth with vocational skills aligned with industry needs. In the initial ramp-up, the program will train 50,000 individuals, with the first phase expanding to 1 lakh candidates. The target demographic includes youth in the 18–35 age group, with a particular focus on unemployed, underemployed, and school dropout populations. Women will also be actively included, especially in tailoring and flexible digital roles.
Sahaj Retail CEO Biswajit Chatterjee said the initiative is designed to address the chronic underemployment in rural India. “There’s a huge demand in sectors like civil construction, electrical works, and electronic repair, especially from large infrastructure companies and gated housing communities,” Chatterjee said, adding that many companies hire untrained workers and are keen to onboard job-ready talent from rural areas.
Training will cover trades including electrician work, plumbing, civil construction assistance, electronic repair, tailoring and basic computer literacy. A standout feature of the program is its affordability, with course fees capped at ₹2,000 per person. Training will be delivered in a hybrid format, combining online modules with in-person sessions, ensuring accessibility even in remote regions.
Chatterjee also highlighted that many candidates may choose to remain in their villages post-training. For these individuals, Sahaj plans to facilitate entrepreneurship by providing access to Mudra loans through its partnership with leading bank.
Internships through the program are expected to offer stipends in the range of ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per month, along with food. Placement tie-ups are already in place with unnamed national and international construction firms, according to the company and Sahaj will help to get the employment.
Techno India Group, one of eastern India’s largest private education and innovation networks, is providing course design and academic infrastructure for the initiative. “This is about bridging the urban-rural divide in access to economic opportunity,” said Meghdut Roychowdhury, Executive Director and Chief Innovation Officer at Techno India Group.
Sahaj, which operates one of India’s largest rural digital service networks across 2.5 lakh villages catering to over 550 million people, believes the skilling initiative can drive large-scale social and economic transformation. With over 900 million Indians residing in rural areas, Chatterjee said the program represents a significant step towards building a more self-reliant and economically resilient Bharat.
About Sahaj Retail Ltd.
Sahaj Retail Ltd. is one of India’s leading rural service delivery companies, operating one of the country’s largest digitally enabled rural networks. With a presence in over 2.5 lakh villages across 23 states and catering to over 550 million people, Sahaj empowers last-mile communities by providing access to essential services including government schemes, financial inclusion, utility payments, education, and digital literacy. Through its network of Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs), Sahaj plays a pivotal role in bridging the urban-rural divide and driving grassroots transformation across Bharat.
