MoRTH constructed its second-highest length of national highways in a fiscal in FY24 with 12,349 kilometres, next to FY21 when it built 13,327 kilomet
…
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has constructed 12,349 kilometres of national highways across India in the last financial year, which concluded in March 2024, reported PTI. The report further stated that MoRTH reached its second-highest level of national highway construction in FY24, next to FY21, when it constructed a record 13,327 kilometres of NH across the country.
In FY23, MoRTH reportedly constructed 10,331 kilometres of national highways, while in the previous financial year, in FY22, 10,457 kilometres of national highways were constructed across India. Back in FY20, national highways of 10,237 kilometres were built, stated the report.
Quoting a government official, the news agency has reported that in FY24, the MoRTH awarded a total of 8,581 national highway projects across India. He reportedly also revealed that the capital expenditure including private investment during the last financial year touched an all-time high level of ₹301,200 crores. According to the official, the total length of national highways across the country increased 1.6 times in the last 10 years. He reportedly claimed that while the total length of national highways across India was 91,287 kilometres in 2014, it has increased to 146,145 kilometres in 2024.
Further revealing the initiatives of MoRTH, the government official stated that the Indian government has launched a pilot project to provide cashless treatment to road accident victims. Under this initiative, road accident victims will be entitled to cashless treatment of up to ₹1.5 lakh, for which the costs will be borne by the government.
Meanwhile, MoRTH is also planning to introduce a new toll tax collection system across India, which would abolish the FASTag and conventional toll plazas across the country. Instead, the ministry is planning to introduce a GPS-based toll collection system, which will make it necessary for all vehicles to come equipped with GPS.
First Published Date: 10 Apr 2024, 08:41 AM IST