Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, stated that there has been a significant focus on expanding the road highway network in the North East region. He mentioned that projects worth more than Rs 2 trillion are currently underway in that area. This information was shared during a press conference held in New Delhi, where Gadkari emphasised the importance of road infrastructure development. During the conference, Gadkari highlighted the remarkable growth of the National Highways in India over the past nine years. He mentioned that the total length of the National Highways has increased by approximately 59% during this period, making India the country with the second largest road network globally, following the United States. Gadkari mentioned that in 2013-14, the total length of the National Highways was 91,287 km, which has now grown to 1,45,240 km in 2022-23. He also noted that the length of 4 lane National Highways has doubled over the past nine years, reaching 44,654 km from 18,371 km in 2013-14. Anurag Jain, the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), and Shri Santosh Kumar Yadav, the Chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), were also present at the press conference. The introduction of FASTag, a digital toll collection system, has significantly increased the revenue from tolls, as mentioned by Gadkari. He informed that the toll collection revenue has risen from Rs 47.70 billion in 2013-14 to Rs 410.342 billion in 2022-23. The government aims to further increase the toll revenue to Rs 1.3 trillion by 2030. Gadkari also highlighted the reduction in waiting time at toll plazas as a result of these developments. He mentioned that the waiting time at toll plazas has decreased from 734 seconds in 2014 to 47 seconds in 2023. The Minister expressed hope that this waiting time will be further reduced to 30 seconds in the near future. Speaking about the positive impact of FASTag on travel experiences, Gadkari mentioned that it has revolutionized toll payments by eliminating the need for cash transactions. He cited research stating that this breakthrough has saved approximately Rs 700 billion in wasted fuel expenses caused by waiting at toll plazas. In conclusion, Gadkari emphasised the special focus on expanding the road highway network in the North East region and highlighted the ongoing projects worth more than Rs 2 lakh crore in that area. Additionally, he mentioned the development of 670 road side facilities to enhance the overall travel experience along the National Highways.