In a recent press conference, Anurag Jain, the secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), expressed confidence in achieving the ambitious highway construction target of 13,814 kilometers for the current fiscal year. Jain highlighted the significant progress made in highway construction since the Narendra Modi government came into power in 2014, witnessing a remarkable 60% increase in the total length of national highways, reaching 1,46,145 km by December 2023.
“The pace of highway construction in 2023-24 so far has been better than last year, and we are confident of achieving the 13,814-km highway construction target during the current fiscal,” stated Jain. The ministry reported constructing 6,217 km of national highways from April to December 2023, surpassing the 5,774 km built during the same period a year ago.
In a strategic move to expedite the awarding process, the government plans to award 10,000 km of national highway projects in the fiscal year 2023-24. Jain emphasized the importance of detailed project reports (DPR) and revealed that companies have been instructed to prepare them for unawarded identified projects.
Key Highlights:
- Infrastructure Growth Over the Years: The ministry has shown consistent growth, constructing 10,237 km in 2019-20, 13,327 km in 2020-21, 10,457 km in 2021-22, and 10,331 km in 2022-23.
- Focus on Four-Lane Highways: The total length of four lanes and above national highways increased 2.5 times to 46,179 km in December 2023 from 18,387 km in 2014.
- Exponential Increase in Expenditure: Expenditure on highway construction by the ministry is expected to surge by 9.4 times to ₹3.17 lakh crore in 2023 from the 2014 levels.
- Vehicle Scrapping Policy: Under the Vehicle Scrapping Policy, 44 registered vehicle scrapping facilities are operational in India, with 49,770 vehicles scrapped to date.
- Delhi-Mumbai Expressway Completion: Construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway is anticipated to conclude by December 2024.
Jain also shared that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has collected ₹18,450 crore as toll till December in the current financial year. Furthermore, the government plans to introduce new technologies, including GPS-based toll collection systems, by March next year, replacing existing highway toll plazas.
As the fiscal year progresses, India’s road ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to achieving unprecedented milestones in highway construction, contributing significantly to the nation’s infrastructural development.
