Around 2,285 km of highway completed in Q1 FY22: Nitin Gadkari

21 Jul 2021 CW Team

In a written response to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that the government built 2,284 km of national highways across India in April-June, up from 1,823 km in 2020.

In April-June 2019, national highway construction totalled 2,155 km, compared to 2,155 km in April-June 2018.

Gadkari asserted in response to questions from Member of Parliament Sushil Kumar Gupta that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and its agencies appoint consultants for day-to-day supervision to ensure that work is completed according to prescribed specifications and standards.

According to Gadkari, it is the responsibility of such consultants to ensure that the quality of the work is in accordance with the provisions of the concession or contract agreement.

Random quality checks are conducted by the Ministry of National Highways Authority of India or the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation officials to look for flaws in the work.

Road safety experts and the Authority Engineer or Independent Engineer are also hired to audit and inspect roads to ensure their safety and construction quality.

If there are any defaults, he said, action will be taken against the defaulting agencies in accordance with the terms of the agreement.

Despite pandemic-related disruptions and a nationwide lockdown in the first quarter, when construction activity came to a halt, the ministry of road transport and highways exceeded its highway construction target for the current fiscal year.

In FY21, approximately 13,000 km of highways were built, compared to a target of 11,000 km for FY20.

Image Source

Also read: Highway construction in India increases 25% in Q1 FY22

Also read: Govt relentlessly working to make highways the mainstay of economy

Infrastructure Transport

06 Feb 2026

Second Mountain Tunnel Breakthrough in Palghar Advances High Speed Rail

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed rail (MAHSR) project reached a milestone with the breakthrough of a mountain tunnel in Palghar, Maharashtra. Mountain tunnel MT-six measures 454 metres long and 14.4 metres wide and will accommodate up and down tracks. The breakthrough follows MT-five near Saphale on second January 2026 and the MT-six excavation was completed from both ends using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method. The ministry reported that the tunnelling was completed within 12 months. The New Austrian Tunnelling Method is favoured for its flexibility in complex geology and irregular tunnel s..

Modi Government Pushes Atmanirbhar Container Drive With BCSL MoU

The Union Government advanced a plan to create an integrated, domestically anchored container ecosystem with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Bharat Container Shipping Line (BCSL). The MoU was signed by key agencies including the Shipping Corporation of India and Container Corporation of India alongside major port authorities and Sagarmala Finance Corporation Limited under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in the presence of senior ministers. The initiative aligns with the Container Manufacturing Assistance Scheme announced in the Union Budget 2026–2..

Ministry Reports Gains In Mobility For Marginalised Communities

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is implementing skill development, education and rehabilitation schemes to promote socio-economic mobility and sustainable livelihoods for marginalised and disadvantaged communities across the country. Programmes target Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, De-notified Tribes and Safai Karamcharis through specialised implementing corporations and empanelled training institutes. Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi Yojana, or PM-DAKSH, provided skill training and placement support through the Nati..