In a landmark move to empower women and enhance user experience on India’s vast highway network, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has stationed over 5,100 female employees across more than 1,140 toll plazas on national highways and expressways. This deployment, focused on daytime shifts, was announced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Friday.
The initiative aims to create a more efficient, empathetic, and user-friendly environment at toll booths. By placing women in frontline operational roles, NHAI seeks to improve interactions for highway users and reduce potential disputes at toll collection points. This step comes after extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including toll operators and industry bodies like the National Highways Builders Federation (NHBF), Highway Operators Association of India (HOAI), and All India User Fee Contractors Federation (AIUCF).
All toll operators have unanimously agreed to deploy women staff during day shifts for user fee collection. Already, more than 5,100 women have been positioned, with plans to onboard additional female workers soon. NHAI will closely monitor the implementation to ensure compliance.
This program is set to generate new employment opportunities, particularly for women from rural and semi-urban areas, boosting their participation in the national highway infrastructure sector. It will also spur job creation in remote regions. To support these women, especially those from rural backgrounds, NHAI will provide specialized training covering courteous user interaction, emergency handling, basic safety protocols, and efficient toll plaza operations.
This structured capacity-building effort will foster a safe, professional work environment while elevating service quality. By promoting greater female involvement in frontline roles, NHAI is advancing gender inclusivity and social empowerment alongside improvements in service delivery at toll plazas nationwide.