Roads that Changed the Direction of India’s Development...: Nitin Gadkari
“America does not have good roads because it is rich; America is rich because it has good roads.”
Roads that Changed the Direction of India’s Development...: Nitin Gadkari
When Narendra Modi took oath as India’s Prime Minister in 2014, from that very moment, the BJP-led Central government prioritised infrastructure development above all else. In this direction, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways became the focal point of infrastructure growth. Under Modi’s leadership, this Ministry has not only accelerated the country’s economic development but has also given it a new dimension over these 11 years, since 2014.
The construction of highways – both completed and upcoming – has played a significant role in changing the trajectory of the country’s growth. Efficient highways, waterways, and railways can reduce logistics costs and boost the economy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dreams of making India a ‘Vishwaguru’ (World Leader). India has emerged as the world’s third-largest economy and a $5 trillion economy. To fulfill this dream, we need to increase exports, which will in turn boost growth in agriculture, services, and industrial sectors.
In the past 11 years, the roads built have already reduced our logistics costs from 16% to 10%, and next year, we aim to bring it down further to 9%. This will enhance our exports, make us more competitive, and help India advance more powerfully toward becoming a ‘Vishwaguru’.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is building 25 new Greenfield Express Highways across the country. Over 3,000 km of highways are also being built to connect ports and promote religious tourism. The government’s efforts to boost religious tourism are also taking shape. The Buddhist Circuit project, completed at a cost of ₹22,000 crore, has significantly increased the number of tourists visiting the birthplace of Lord Buddha from South Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Singapore, and Japan.
Simultaneously, the number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dham sites – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri – has tripled. A ropeway worth ₹12,000 crore is being constructed to connect Kedarnath. About 90% of the work on the road linking Kailash Mansarovar in Uttarakhand to Pithoragarh has been completed.
In India, particularly in the national capital, the dream of ‘flying buses’ is on the verge of becoming a reality. This includes aerial buses, flash-charging electric buses, and double-decker flying buses for hilly regions. The aerial bus service from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi to Manesar, based on a skyway system, is almost in its final stages. I am confident that this experiment will be crucial in resolving the persistent traffic congestion on this special route.
Nagpur will soon see the launch of the first flash-charging electric bus. It will have 135 seats, executive class, front TV screens, and bus hostesses like air hostesses. This bus will have a maximum speed of 120 km/h and will stop every 40 km for just 30 seconds to fully charge before resuming its journey.
Such work cannot be achieved by merely sitting in an office preparing DPRs – it requires wholehearted effort!
A recent study by IIM-Bangalore on road construction revealed that every ₹1 spent on National Highway (NH) construction has led to a ₹3.21 increase in India’s GDP, a multiplier effect of 3.2 times. Consequently, domestic production has grown by 9% and car sales by 10.4%. The work done by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has not only boosted economic activity but also created numerous job opportunities.
Here are some figures worth noting: In 2014, India had only 91,000 km of national highways. By 2024, this network has expanded by nearly 60% to 1.46 lakh-km. The daily pace of road construction has increased from 12 km/day to 28–30 km/day. Under the ambitious ₹5.35 lakh crore Bharatmala project, the target is to build 65,000 km of roads, including economic corridors, international border roads, and border area connectivity. This plan is a decisive step toward reducing India’s logistics costs further.
The ‘Gati Shakti’ and multimodal connectivity initiative integrates roads, railways, air, waterways, and ports into a single digital platform, which has helped ensure timely project completion. Our ministry has also started implementing road development projects through public-private partnership (PPP) models, which has attracted significant private investment. Under this model, road projects worth over ₹12 lakh crore have been undertaken.
This journey, which began in 2014, is not just about roads; in a way, it has become the lifeline of India’s progress. The expansion of the highway network has not only made travel easier but also boosted domestic trade, industry, tourism, and safety.
From day one, our government has been working tirelessly to ensure inclusive development reaches every person in the last row of society. We are committed to accelerating this work even faster in the coming years to achieve this goal as soon as possible.
We now have a clear vision of building world-class infrastructure and making our national highways network superior to even that of the United States by 2047, so that India becomes an economic superpower.
“America does not have good roads because it is rich; America is rich because it has good roads.” This quote by former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, displayed in my office at the Transport Bhavan in Delhi and earlier in Maharashtra when I was a minister, is not there by chance. This has been our guiding mantra for the past 11 years under the leadership of Modi ji.
We are determined to carry this work forward even faster in the future. In the coming years, India’s road infrastructure will be better than that of the United States – this is not a dream, but a reality taking shape. By maintaining a balance of quality, speed, transparency, and environmentally-friendly policies, India’s national highway network will be recognised at the global level.”
(The author is the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways)