India is accelerating its highway development with a sharper focus on execution speed, private participation, and quality. Shri Ajay Tamta, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways of India, in an exclusive interview with Pratap Padode, Editor-in-Chief, Construction World, shares the Ministry's priorities and reform strategies. Excerpts from the conversation:

In recent years, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has made unprecedented progress in expanding India’s national highway network. In the financial year 2024–25, against an annual construction target of 10,421 km, we achieved 10,660 km, surpassing the goal. For 2025–26, a target of 10,000 km has been set, out of which 1,994 km has already been constructed indicating that we are currently on track to meet our schedule targets.

While construction targets were largely met, there was a shortfall in contract awards for FY 2024–25 due to the Model Code of Conduct during elections and procedural delays like land acquisition and environmental clearances. Despite this, the Ministry remains committed to clearing the backlog and accelerating project execution...