Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology - Chapter 883

Chapter 883: Training & New Ministry’s
23rd March 1672

Mahadevapuram, Kakatiya Puri State, Akhand Bharatiya Empire

It was like any other day for Vidyut. He got up early in the morning, took a warm and comfortable bath, completed his daily pooja rituals, dressed up in a fresh set of uniform which was prepared by his lovely wife, had his breakfast, and finally bid farewell to his wife as he set off to work.

On his way to work, Vidyut came across many people wearing the same uniform as himself, but it was not surprising because the village of Mahadevapuram, which he lived in, is a military cordoned-off area. Only the employees of one of the three military conglomerates are allowed to live here, so most of the people in the village are in some way related to the three conglomerates of the Bharatiya Empire.

Vidyut came across a close friend. His expression did not change; instead, he flicked his eyebrows and gestured with his hands. His friend of several years, Jala Deva, immediately understood what he meant. As a response, he shook his head with some disappointment and shrugged.

Jala Deva was actually a few years older than Vidyut. He even had a son who was almost 16. He had completed his college studies and should have gotten into a university, but unfortunately, his ranking in the college examinations was not too good. So the good universities wouldn’t admit him unless Jala Deva splurged vast amounts of money to get him admitted into a private first- or second-tier university.

Jala Deva might be well off, as he is an operator of the power department in the Mahabali Enterprises, but he is not rich enough to the point of buying seats in first- or second-tier universities. So, as a try, he wanted to see if he could help his son get employed in one of the three military conglomerates. But unfortunately, all three organisations refused.

Vidyut and Jala Deva were walking side by side. More groups just like them walked beside them, randomly chatting about work and life. The farther they went, the more crowded it became. The sounds of bells ringing on the bicycles constantly echoed, attracting the enviable gazes of many.

In fact, most of the workers working for the three conglomerates can afford a bicycle, especially with how cheap they have gotten. But it’s like how any middle-class man can afford a fairly good bike—they just don’t buy it. It’s the same situation here. Unless people try the bicycle, they don’t even know they want it. This is even more so for employees like Jala Deva and Vidyut, who are within walking distance of the factory.

“So you’ll be sending your son to a university?” Vidyut enquired.

Jala Deva slowly nodded, “There’s no other way. The ranking of my brat is too bad to be accepted into the three military conglomerates. The recruitment has become much stricter since the time we joined the workforce. We only needed to have the ability to read, write, and do some arithmetic. But now, not only do they want college students, but they also want college students with good rankings, especially in the subjects of arithmetic, physics, and chemistry. Unfortunately, my son doesn’t seem to be cut out for it.”

“Hmm, then why don’t you join him in a business school? Maybe he can take the route of an accountant, manager, or a civil servant.”

“Sigh!”

“It can only be that.”

The conversation was mundane, but it was one of the rituals factory workers like them had to participate in for the peace of their own minds.

Bidding farewell to the other group of colleagues who had walked along with them, Vidyut and Jala Deva entered the manufacturing plant after being searched by the soldiers at the perimeter.

Looking towards the flowing river to the right, Vidyut smiled, “The tide is very strong today. Looks like a lot more work can be finished, and maybe we’ll get a few days off.” Jala Deva looked towards the raging Godavari River, which was flowing several times faster than usual. “Maybe so.”

They went into the manufacturing plant, walked to their workstations, and started work after signing in at the desk. A few hours after they started to work, something bizarre happened.

Vidyut, as well as Jala Deva, were both invited by the factory manager, along with some other high-performing workers, to a meeting.

Vidyut looked around and asked his fellow colleague what was happening, but his colleague shrugged, saying that he did not know. A few people asked him, and he asked more people, but no one knew why they were being called.

However, Vidyut noticed that the people who were called were mostly those responsible for operating the power generation unit of the factory—more specifically, operating the water wheels.

Getting into the office, which he thought was ridiculously massive before but now could barely fit so many people, he saw Manager Raghu tying his hands behind his back and looking through the window.

Before he even turned back, the secretary of the manager started to distribute papers to each and every person who had come. Reading what was in the paper, Vidyut was taken aback, as it was a confidentiality agreement, and the penalty for the breach of contract was monstrous.

Still, he signed the agreement, as he had no interest in spreading information about the company to anyone, not even to his wife.

It was only after everyone had signed the confidentiality agreement that the manager turned around.

“I’ve gotten direct orders from the executive team of the company. They have sent four engineers from Sriranga Industrial Tools. Apparently, a new invention has been made that is capable of powering our existing machine tools without relying on the water wheels.”

“As some of the best water wheel operators in this branch, all of you have gotten the opportunity to learn how to operate this new machine. And if you learn the new machine quickly enough and you get the approval of the engineers, your position will be elevated by a level, becoming G-grade employees in a single step. Naturally, the salary will mirror that of a G-grade employee, which is quite a kick up from your current salary.”

The manager opened the drawer and took out a bunch of contracts.

“Anyone who is interested in learning this new machine, you have to sign this contract,” he said as he had the security pass the contract to everyone. “It is similar to the confidentiality agreement, but this one is a more serious version where breaking its contents would make you a traitor of the state, punishable by the military court.”

“So, read the contract carefully and sign it. If you pass the test put forward by the engineers, I will have the new G-level employment contracts ready for you.”

Vidyut carefully read through the contract. Soon, he understood that the contract, like the confidentiality agreement, was there only to stop them from publicising what working with the new machine is like or how it is serviced and repaired. It’s basically no different from the contract signed by the Gen5.5 machine tool operators.

Apart from the extremely strict no-publicity condition, it didn’t put any restrictions on them. Although the punishments for the breach of contract were a little scary, he also became excited because if the confidentiality for this new machine was so strict, it meant that it was very important. He was not the only one with this realisation. Working in the power generation unit of the manufacturing plant under one of the three military conglomerates meant that all the workers were educated and knew how to read and write. Most of them read the newspapers every day. None of them were idiots. So, none of the workers got intimidated by the punishment for the breach of contract; instead, everyone signed it and waited for further direction from the manager.

The manager had them board the carriages, setting off to a different location. On the way, people started gossiping amongst themselves, speculating about where they were going. Vidyut met up with Jala Deva. Overall, everyone was filled with anticipation and excitement.

Similar things were happening all over the empire in the production plants of the military conglomerates, giving rise to the first batch of steam engine operators who, in the future, would go on to achieve many things due to their familiarity with the machine. For example, Vidyut went on to become a steam engine consultant for other small companies that were looking to buy the steam engine but could not find anyone to train their employees. As for Jala Deva, he started a small coaching centre called Elephant, responsible for training college students for examinations in a targeted manner after he made a boatload of money operating the steam engine and later bringing in new employees for several years.

But that is all in the future.

—

Private organisations were not the only institutions doing pre-preparations for accepting the steam engine into their life; the government was doing the same. Vinod held a meeting with the Cabinet ministers and proposed the establishment of a department under both the state and central government, which would be responsible for managing all the special economic zones in the empire. The central government’s department would take charge of managing all the special economic zones currently functioning in the empire, while state branches would act as inspection units.

There were some doubts among the Cabinet ministers as to why suddenly such a department was being established, but when the ministers learned that it was His Majesty himself who proposed the establishment, no one objected, and everyone agreed.

However, before the meeting ended, the Minister of Transportation put forward a suggestion which Vinod felt could be considered.

“Prime Minister, don’t we already have a similar department responsible for managing the large-scale public infrastructure development projects in the empire at both the central and state levels?”

“Why don’t we add that department and the new special economic zone management department that is about to be created under a new ministry? Wouldn’t it be more convenient? This ministry would not have to have any fixed roles; it could be made flexible, taking on any tasks that a normal government ministry cannot handle.”

The suggestion made a lot of sense to many ministers, and several of them agreed that such a ministry would improve the efficiency of the government significantly.

Vinod was among these people as well. “It’s a good idea. I will write a report to His Majesty and ask for his opinion.”

The meeting was soon dismissed.

To be Continued…