National Highway Projects Worth Rs 2 Lakh Crore To Receive Clearance By December: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has reaffirmed the government's commitment to maintaining an aggressive pace in highway construction.

Gadkari announced that the government is poised to approve additional highway projects, potentially bringing the total cost of cleared projects to Rs 2 lakh crore by the end of December, during an appearance at The Indian Express Idea Exchange.

This announcement follows a series of approvals for major infrastructure projects under the Narendra Modi 3.0 administration, underscoring a strategic focus on infrastructure development as part of the Prime Minister’s Vision 2047.

Gadkari emphasised that despite the National Highways Authority of India’s substantial debt and increased reliance on budgetary funds, the government has sufficient resources to support ongoing and future projects.

The current fiscal year targets the construction of 10,421 km of highways, although this is a 15 per cent reduction from the previous year’s target. The capital expenditure for 2024-25 is set at Rs 2.72 lakh crore, marking a slight increase of 2.9 per cent from the last fiscal year, reports Financial Express.

The accelerated project clearance rate reflects a broader push by the Modi government to enhance infrastructure rapidly. Last month alone, the cabinet approved projects worth Rs 51,000 crore, with an additional Rs 40,000-50,000 crore worth of projects in the pipeline. However, this expansion comes amidst financial constraints, with increased reliance on toll-operate-transfer schemes and infrastructure investment trusts to raise funds.