Bharatmala to Spur the Economy

Bharatmala Pariyojana, ₹5.35 lakh crore road construction package with a capital outlay of ₹ 6.92 lakh crore, the biggest ever infrastructure project, a part of the “New India” that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wishes to create by 2022, was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister on Tuesday 24 October 2017, to build 34,800 km of roads nationwide, that include 10,000 kms of balance road works under NHDP; in a bid to spur the economy and generate at least 14.2 crore man days of work across the country over the next five years.

Bharatmala Pariyojana is a new umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through effective interventions like development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor Efficiency Improvement, Border and International connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity roads and Green-field expressways. The objective of the program is optimal resource allocation for a holistic highway development/improvement initiative.

According to Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, this first phase of the project will start before the end of 2018.

• Bharatmala Pariyojana has been designed to bridge the gaps in the existing highways infrastructure so as to make the movement of man and material more efficient.
• To solve issues related to traffic congestion, seamless cargo movement across ports and border area connectivity.
• Special attention has been paid to fulfil the connectivity needs of backward and tribal areas, areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, border areas, coastal areas, port areas and trade routes with neighbouring countries under the programme.
• Bharatmala project will include economic corridors (9,000 km), inter-corridor and feeder route (6,000 km), national corridors efficiency improvement (5,000 km), border roads and international connectivity (2,000 km), coastal roads and port connectivity (2,000 km) and Greenfield expressways (800 km
• With this up to 80% of freight will move along NH as against the 40% at present.
• The travel time by road would reduce cost across supply chain up to 25%.
• Bharatmala will provide NH linkage to 550 districts, as against around 300 Districts currently and be a major driver for economic growth in the country
• Bharatmala will also have a positive impact on the Logistic Performance Index (LPI) of the country.
• Bharatmala Pariyojana will also help generate a large number of direct and indirect employments in the construction activity, the development of highways amenities and also as part of the enhanced economic activity in different parts of the country that will result from better road connectivity.