PM Gati Shakti plan: National Highway network will be expanded by 25,000 kms

Presenting the Budget 2022, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced that under the PM Gati Shakti master plan, the government will expand the National Highway network by 25,000 kms in 2022-23.

Finance Minister also announced that the PM Gati Shakti masterplan for the road transport will be finalised in 2022-23. The Economic Survey on January 31 said the extent and quality of infrastructure determine the ability of a country to utilize its comparative advantage and enable cost competitiveness. Having said that, the survey reveals a consistent increase in the construction of National Highways/roads since 2013-14, with 13,327 kms constructed in 2020-21 as compared to 10,237 kms in 2019-20.

"Infrastructure is the backbone for any economy," the Economic Survey tabled in Parliament said. It said in 2021-22 (till September), 3,824 kms of the road network was constructed.

"There has been a consistent increase in the construction of National Highways/roads since 2013-14 with 13,327 kms of roads constructed in 2020-21 as compared to 10,237 kms in 2019-20, indicating an increase of 30.2 percent over the previous year," it further said. According to the Survey, the significant upturn in road construction in 2020-21 was due to the increase in public expenditure by 29.5 percent as compared to the previous year.

A reflection of the was impetus given by the government to a critical sector that generates employment and supports infrastructure during a pandemic year. The survey also noted that road infrastructure is widely recognized as a potent means of socio-economic integration and is vital for the economic development of the country. 

With inputs from PTI 

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