Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra highlighted that, due to the government's emphasis on infrastructure creation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pace of highway construction had increased significantly. He noted that the construction rate rose from 14 km per day before 2014 to 32 km per day presently. Speaking at an event hosted by Summit India, he underscored the BJP-led NDA government's commitment to enhancing road connectivity for economic growth. Malhotra emphasised that, apart from facilitating connectivity, highways contribute to economic prosperity and development in the regions they traverse. He pointed out that the total length of national highways in India had expanded by 60 percent, reaching 1,46,145 km by December 2023, up from 91,287 km in 2014. Discussing capital expenditure (capex) across other sectors, he highlighted the establishment of 75 new airports in the last decade, aimed at making air travel accessible to a larger segment of the population. He also mentioned that the government's focus on capex-led growth over the past decade had propelled India to become the 5th largest economy globally, up from its position at 11th before 2014.