This framework paper proposes the Haryana Workforce: District Skill Demand Index, a structured diagnostic and planning tool designed to shift the state's workforce planning from a supply-driven trade-allocation model to an opportunity-led, demand-anchored system aligned with Haryana Vision 2047 targets. It argues that conventional skill gap studies are static, sector-generic, and supply-focused, and reframes the core question to ask what district-specific economic opportunities can generate sustainable employment and what skills and institutional capacities are required to unlock them.