NHAI Achieves Highest Ever Construction of National Highways

Why in News

Recently, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) completed construction of 3,979 km of national highways in the financial Year 2019-20.

  • This is the highest ever highway construction achieved in a financial year by NHAI.

Key Points

  • The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has envisaged an ambitious highway development programme Bharatmala Pariyojana which includes development of about 65,000 km national highways.
  • Under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, implementation of 34,800 km of national highways in 5 years (from 2017 to 2022) has been approved.
  • NHAI has mandated development of about 27,500 km of national highways under Bharatmala Pariyojna Phase-I.
  • Bharatmala Pariyojana
    • It is an umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions.
    • The effective interventions include 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.

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)

  • NHAI was set up under NHAI Act, 1988.
  • Objective: It has been entrusted with the National Highways Development Project, along with other minor projects for development, maintenance and management.
    • National Highways Development Project (NHDP) is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was started in 1998.
  • Vision: To meet the nation’s need for the provision and maintenance of National Highways network to global standards and to meet user’s expectations in the most time bound and cost effective manner and promote economic well being and quality of life of the people.

National Highways (NH)

  • NH are the arterial roads of the country for inter-state movement of passengers and goods.
  • They traverse the length and width of the country connecting the National and State capitals, major ports and rail junctions and link up with border roads and foreign highways.
  • The NHs including Expressways constitute only about 1.7% of the length of all roads, they carry about 40% of the road traffic.

Source: PIB