Cover Story Jan 01, 2018 BHARATMALA: Beyond Connecting Roads October 2017 witnessed the largest ever outlay of road construction in India: Bharatmala. The programme involves around 83,000 km - including the first phase of 24,800 km - of national highways development by FY2022. It aims to bridge the critical infrastructure gap through corridor-based development, add to the country's overall GDP by 3 per cent, and unleash massive employment opportunities.