Titled the Saksham Skill Census Impact Book, the initiative was undertaken by the Office of the District Collector, Mumbai Suburban, and the District Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship Guidance Centre, Mumbai Suburban, Government of Maharashtra. The Saksham Skill Census was conducted as a pilot project in the H-West ward of the Mumbai Suburban District.
The census identified underserved and previously invisible populations and connected them with livelihood pathways for growth. It found that 6,891 women homemakers were ready to earn income for the first time. It also revealed that 36% of the youth in the ward were financially constrained and therefore excluded from a proper career pathway. The exercise further identified persons with disabilities, youth who perceived discrimination from employers, and several other demographic groups whose potential had remained untapped.
"Through the intelligence from this census, we have placed 100 women with a US based organization partnered with us, generating foundational data intelligence. Models from OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Physical Intelligence, are expected to get significantly enhanced if they use this intelligence. New foreign income generated by women for the first time, while doing a dignified job that builds AI and shape their future, this is one of the impacts of this census," said Hardik Somani of Sapio Analytics, the execution partner of the census.
According to the organisers, the census has also placed Mumbai Suburban on the global academic map after becoming a case study at Northwestern University and is currently being studied by prestigious global institutions and knowledge partners. The initiative used artificial intelligence to uncover hidden and untapped insights about the ward and its residents while generating the district's own AI model for matchmaking and decision-making.
"Census has traditionally been episodic, but this census is continuous. It is based on the proprietary concept of citizens in the loop, involving residents of Mumbai to continuously share insights, which can be used to build AI models that can recommend contextualized impact policies for them," said Ashwin Srivastava of Sapio Analytics, who was responsible for intelligence generation from the census.
The census was conducted under the leadership of Shri Saurabh Katiyar, IAS, District Collector, Mumbai Suburban, with the guidance of Shri Ashish Shelar, Guardian Minister, Mumbai Suburban. Mr Katiyar, a 2016 batch IAS officer and an IIT Kanpur alumnus, has previously been recognised for his work in Amravati district. For the census, he envisioned the use of artificial intelligence and the latest technologies to create measurable ground-level impact through frameworks integrating all stakeholders. The field verification and performance management platform ARC was used for the door-to-door enumeration.
The model is expected to be replicated across all districts of Maharashtra through hyperlocal territories. Mumbai Suburban district will continue implementing the census to strengthen livelihood opportunities for its residents, marking a significant step in the state's use of artificial intelligence for public policy and employment generation.
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