(Image source from: Dnaindia.com)

Cabinet Gives Nod For National Highway Projects Worth Rs 7 Lakh Crore:- The cabinet on Tuesday, gave its approval for the National highway projects, including the ambitious Bharatmala, said an official. The projects are estimated at around Rs 7 lakh crore.

The development of the cabinet, comes barely few months after Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told that the Bharatmala project will soon be launched by the government, to build  over 20,000 km of highways in the first phase.

An official who did not wish to be quoted said a leading news channel, the go ahead to highway projects worth about Rs 7 lakh crore was given by the cabinet on Tuesday, for development of over 80,000 km of highways including Bharatmala project in the next five years.

Earlier, Road, Transport Minister Gadkari had said that the detailed project reports (DPRs) are being prepared for the Bharatmala project. After NHDP that saw development of about 50,000 km, Bharatmala is a mega plan of the government and the second-largest highways project. The Bharatmala project aims at improving connectivity in border and other areas. The economic corridor developments aimed at faster movement of cargo are also included in the highway projects approved on Tuesday, said the official.

Besides 14,000 km of feeder routes, the government had earlier planned to develop economic corridors with a length of about 21,000 kms. Mumbai-Cochin-Kanyakumari, Bengaluru-Mangaluru, Hyderabad-Panaji and Sambalpur-Ranchi are the corridors included. Around 44 economic corridors have been identified in a study by global consultancy firm AT Kearney under the proposed Bharatmala project.

Earlier, to the first phase of the project, the Prime Minister’s Office had asked for Public Investment Board’s (PIB) clearance in 2017. Later, the PIB chaired by the expenditure secretary, had approved it.

Besides the secretary of the administrative ministry concerned, secretaries of economic affairs, Niti Aayog, statistics and programme implementation, environment and forests are the other members of PIB included.

SUPRAJA