New Delhi: Skill India in partnership with Uber, the smartphone app that connects riders with drivers at the touch of a button, has announced the UberSHAAN initiative, aimed at creating 1 million driver entrepreneurs in India by 2018.

Launching the initiative at the 9th Global Skills Summit at FICCI and supporting Skill India Mission, Uber announced partnerships with Maruti Suzuki and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in support of this vision.

These partnerships will support skill development and driver training programmes to create livelihoods with dignity for the unskilled.
 
UberSHAAN is aimed at expanding access to economic opportunities across the spectrum.

From providing access to skill development and driver training to the unskilled; to helping trained drivers receive commercial licenses; to supporting the entrepreneurial ambitions of licensed drivers through vehicle financing and leasing solutions, UberSHAAN intends to empower 1 million Indians as micro-entrepreneurs on the Uber platform.
 
As part of the MoU signed with Maruti, the two will conduct a 4 month pilot in Delhi/NCR, Hyderabad and Chennai and organise driver training and on-boarding programmes, which is required to join the Uber platform. On completion of training and receipt of a commercial license, Uber will support the journey of successful candidates by offering vehicle financing and leasing solutions. Based on learnings from the pilot, the partnership will be expanded to other cities across India.
 
Through its partnership with NSDC, Uber will setup Uber Partner Support Centres in Driver Training Centres affiliated to the Automotive Sector Development Council (ASDC) under NSDC. These centres will facilitate vehicle leasing, financing and digital skills for trained and certified drivers.