After returning from the second tour of Vijayanagara, Vijay wanted to deepen the reforms and slowly transform the empire With the first 5-year plan like the Soviets and the Chinese, but As Vijay wanted to continue with the implementation of his plans, he realized that there were a few errors in his judgements, First is that he needed to fill in the various ministries of the Government, which were the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Communication, and the Ministry of Transportation. Without capable leaders in these key roles, his grand vision could not progress effectively.
The second and main reason is that The first 5-year plan was implemented by Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union in the late 1920s. the USSR In 1920 although last on the list, was also one of the top industrial powers of Europe, It still had the foundation of industry to implement the 5-year plan of Stalin, and moreover The USSR was built on the foundation of Tsarist Russia, a behemoth spanning 2 continents. and unlike the USSR, The Vijayanagara Empire did not have a sufficient foundation for Industry, as it was done for the first time in the history of the subcontinent.
Hence Vjay chose to transform the empire one step at a time, Finding a suitable candidate for the Ministry of Finance was relatively simple, as the candidate suitable for the job had already been found – Jagannath Mohan. Mohan is a middle-aged man who had worked closely under Ravichandra Rao during his tenure as the head of the finance department. Having served as Rao's deputy, Jagannath possessed a deep understanding of the inner workings of the Ministry of Finance. His loyalty was unquestionable, given his family's longstanding history of civil service to the Empire. Furthermore, Jagannath's exceptional mathematical skills made him an even more fitting candidate for the Ministry of Finance than Ravichandra Rao.
However, the real challenge lay in finding leaders for the Ministry of Communication and the Ministry of Transportation. These ministries were a new field of work and had never been established in the empire before, and they required substantial investment and significant experience in their respective fields. Moreover, much of the work in these ministries was originally carried out by individuals from lower castes, making the talent pool seem limited.
Vijay decided to take a unique approach to address this challenge. Since he couldn't find a candidate himself, he chose to cast a wider net. Within the population of 40 million, there had to be someone with suitable skills. He initiated a national enrollment process for these two positions, with the goal of digging out individuals from lower castes who possessed the necessary potential. Furthermore, he believed that this opportunity could serve as a political demonstration that anyone, irrespective of their caste, had the ability to ascend through the ranks and become a leader within a ministry.
The requirements for enrollment were disseminated throughout the empire. For the Ministry of Communication, the ideal candidates were sutradhars with at least 10 years of practical experience, capable of both reading and writing. This specific criterion served as a filter, reducing the number of potential participants.
On the other hand, for the Ministry of Transportation, Vijay was in search of a skilled craftsman capable of building high-quality roads at the lowest possible cost, while also possessing the ability to read and write. As soon as the enrollment news spread throughout the kingdom, those in the relevant industries became excited, finally seeing an opportunity to improve their lives.
The next day:
Hampi was filled with a bustling atmosphere throughout the city as the capital swiftly became crowded with people. As the sun painted the sky with hues of gold, the streets of Hampi were teeming with life. The sound of hurried footsteps, animated conversations, and the occasional burst of laughter created an Aura of anticipation. It was as though the air was charged with an electric current, each person bringing their dreams and aspirations into the heart of the capital.
Hundreds upon hundreds rushed into the royal capital upon hearing about the enrollment announced by the king. Vijay's popularity was at an all-time high after successfully suppressing the rebellion, attracting even those who did not qualify to come and witness the excitement anyway. Although the requirements were somewhat strict, many sutradhars had learned to read and write as part of their daily duties, spreading news ordered by the panchayat to various villages in their respective areas. Over time, some even became proficient in reading lengthy documents and edicts.
As for the craftsmen, an even larger number of individuals flocked to the royal capital. In their day-to-day businesses, dealing with money and understanding tax codes was common, leading many of them to learn basic reading and writing skills. This demonstrated that even in the face of obstacles, people are like water, they can always find some ways to ascend the power ladder.
Due to the sudden arrival of the crowd, the capital's traffic congestion caused an abrupt halt in the city's reconstruction, which had been disrupted by the civil war. To restore order, more police were swiftly recruited from the police academy. Not everything was negative; as the street vendors in the capital benefited greatly from the increased foot traffic And the inns in the city were filled all week long, The economy of the royal capital improved significantly due to this event. Observing this situation, Vijay realized that Hampi was no longer suitable as the capital of the empire. However, due to a shortage of funds, he had been delaying this decision. Although he now had some money available, it needed to be used wisely, as the available resources had to be spent carefully to complete various planned reforms.
As the craftsmen and sutradhars arrived at the royal palace gate, The guards directed them to an open field where numerous tents were being set up hastily. The crowd moved towards the tents and encountered several individuals who appeared educated and scholarly. Vijay arranged for these individuals to interview the crowd one by one, filtering out unqualified candidates and interviewing the rest himself.
As the interviews progressed, more and more individuals left the capital with disappointment, their expressions reflecting their sadness. Eventually, a group of three individuals was selected for the Ministry of Transportation, and a group of five for the Ministry of Communication. All the selected individuals carried a mixture of hope and trepidation on their faces, eagerly anticipating their meeting with King Vijay Devaraya.