NHAI Launches Project Aarohan for Toll Plaza Families’ Education

The National Highways Authority of India has announced the launch of ‘Project Aarohan’ in collaboration with Vertis Infrastructure Trust to fulfill the educational aspirations of toll plaza employees and their families.

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that the objective of this initiative is to remove financial barriers for students from economically weaker sections and provide equal access to quality education.
• Speaking at the launch of this initiative, NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav said that ‘Project Aarohan’ reflects NHAI’s commitment towards toll plaza employees and their families.

Key features of ‘Project Aarohan’-

• For the first phase of ‘Project Aarohan’ to be implemented by India Cares of SMEC Trust, an allocation of 1 crore rupees will be made and it will run from July 2025 to March 2026.
• The objective of this project is to include 500 students from class 11 to the final year of graduation, each of whom will receive an annual scholarship of 12,000 rupees during the financial year 2025-26.
• In addition, 50 meritorious students aspiring for postgraduate and higher education will be provided with a scholarship of 50,000 rupees per student. This program combines financial assistance with structured mentoring, skill-building workshops and career guidance to prepare students holistically for higher education, employment and entrepreneurship.
• The application process will be conducted through an online portal, where students will have to submit relevant documents such as academic records, income proof, caste certificate, identity card.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)

• The National Highways Authority (NHAI) was established by the National Highways Authority Act, 1988 for the development, maintenance and management of highways in the country, which came into force on February 10, 1995.
• As an autonomous body under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI manages important projects including the Golden Quadrilateral and the North-South and East-West corridors and has achieved milestones such as the Guinness World Record for rapid highway construction.
• The first construction sector organization to go digital
• In 2016, NHAI signed a memorandum of understanding with ISRO to use spatial technology for highway monitoring and later became the first construction sector organization to go completely digital.

Guinness World Record:

• In 2022, NHAI demonstrated its rapid construction capabilities by constructing a 75 km highway in just five days, setting a Guinness World Record.