PM Modi lauds Nitin Gadkari's infra push: A look at India's National Highways network in last 9 years

New Delhi: With the unprecedented pace in building National Highways — over 53,000 kms added in last nine years — India’s road network is marching towards world-class standards with widescale expansions and makeovers, thereby boosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.

“In the last 9 years (2014-23), India has amplified 53,868+ KMs to its National Highways network,” Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari tweeted on Tuesday.

In the last 9 years (2014-23), India has amplified 53,868+ KMs to its National Highways network.#PragatiKaHighway #GatiShakti pic.twitter.com/f2uP2Q8I7M

— Nitin Gadkari (@nitin_gadkari) April 25, 2023

As per the official data, India had a total of 91,287 km of National Highways till April 1, 2014, which has been expanded to 145,155 km by March 2023. From building 12.1 km per day of roads in 2014-15, India saw 28.6 km of roads being constructed every day in 2021-22.

In reply to Gadkari’s tweet, PM Modi wrote, “The last 9 years have been transformative in all infra related sectors. Better road connectivity has greatly strengthened other vital areas of the economy.”

The last 9 years have been transformative in all infra related sectors. Better road connectivity has greatly strengthened other vital areas of the economy. https://t.co/7BkOH3AfLn

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 26, 2023

The numbers say at all

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) are primarily responsible for the construction of national highways and expressways in India.

As per the official data, India witnessed construction of 10,237 km of National Highways in 2019-20, 13,327 km in 2020-21, 10,457 km in 2021-22 and 10,331 km in 2022-23.

India reportedly has about 63.73 lakh km of the road network, which is the second largest in the world.

What’s the need?

In order to boost the economy and improve connectivity, roads and highways play a major role as road transport is the basis of not only economic development but also social development, defence sectors, and access to basic things for life.

About 85 per cent of passenger and 70 per cent of goods traffic is carried by roads every year, according to a PTI report.

National Highways remain a predominant factor in the economic and social development of the country by enabling efficient movement of freight and passengers, connecting people and facilitating economic activities.

Over the last nine years, Prime Minister Modi-led central government has implemented multiple initiatives to augment the capacity of the National Highway infrastructure in the country.

Not to forget, a significant increase in the pace of National Highways construction has been witnessed between 2014-15 and 2021-22 due to the systematic push through corridor-based National Highway development approach.

Bharatmala Pariyojana

It is pertinent to mention here the Bharatmala Pariyojana — an umbrella program for the highways sector which focuses on optimising efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country. It bridges the infrastructure gaps through effective interventions like development of economic corridors, inter corridors and feeder routes, national corridor efficiency improvement, border and international connectivity roads, coastal and port connectivity roads and green-field expressways.

As a part of the Pariyojana, India’s largest expressway, i.e., 1,386 km long Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, is being developed, and Delhi – Dausa – Lalsot section of the expressway has already been dedicated to the nation by PM Modi.

As per the ministry, the Bharatmala Pariyojana envisages development of about 26,000 km length of Economic Corridors, which along with Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) and North-South and East-West (NS-EW) Corridors are expected to carry majority of the freight traffic on roads.

Further, about 8,000 km of Inter Corridors and about 7,500 km of Feeder Routes have been identified for improving effectiveness of economic corridors, GQ and NS-EW corridors.

Future vision

Earlier this year, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, while addressing the Economic Times Global Business Summit, said India’s road infrastructure will be equal to the US road infrastructure by the end of 2024.

He further stated that India’s logistics cost is 16 per cent, while the government targets to reduce it to around 9 per cent.

“Without infrastructure, there can be no industry, and without industry there can be no capital investment, and without capital investment there can be no employment potential. A world-class infrastructure is the way to achieve a $5 trillion economy,” Gadkari said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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