Indian road sector: Highway of economic growth

18 Oct 2023 CW Team

National highway plays a vital role in the social and economic integration and development of the country. Total budgetary spending in the road sector has increased by more than eight times to Rs.2.6 trillion in FY2023BE over FY2014 at a CAGR of more than 20 per cent. The road sector is likely to continue to be a torch bearer for investments for the government, says Vishal Kotecha, Director, India Ratings & Research.

The government's focus on infrastructure spending is visible given its multiplier effect of 2.5x -3x on GDP. Realizing the infrastructure-backed growth, the government announced the National Infrastructure Plan (NIP) and the National Monetization Plan (NMP). The road sector accounts for a significant proportion of the NIP and NMP as it is critical for economic development in the country. With the contribution of 65 per cent and 90 per cent of countrywide freight traffic and passenger traffic respectively, road sector contributes to 3.2 per cent of the GVA. National highway plays a vital role in social and economic integration and development of the country as it caters to almost 40 per cent of the road traffic despite constituting only 2 per cent of the road network.

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