Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday debunked claims that blending ethanol with petrol was damaging motor vehicles, asserting that it facilitated diversification of the agriculture sector. Addressing the inaugural session of the 'Bihar Investor Summit 2026: The Emerging Investment Destination of India', Gadkari said that since 2022, 4 crore four-wheelers and 20 crore two-wheelers have been running on petrol mixed with ethanol. "I challenge anybody to come up with the complaint that his or her vehicle has suffered damage on this account. Of course, those with vested interests may have some other story to tell," said Gadkari, who holds portfolios of Road Transport and Highways. "We must understand that the decision to blend ethanol with petrol was taken with a view to diversification of agriculture towards energy and power sectors... Our farmers shall no longer remain 'anna data' (food producers) but also become 'urja data' (energy producers)," he added. Gadkari claimed all leadi

The service will initially cover seven cities, with the Madhya Pradesh government planning to operate 1,500 buses across the state in the first year

He said, "I come from a region where we have seen 10,000 farmer suicides, and working on this (issue) for 15-20 years, the core of this problem is that our agriculture is not economically viable"

With the Mumbai-Goa highway still facing delays, Gadkari has vowed to blacklist more contractors and suspend officials responsible for poor project execution

The road transport minister also urged automakers to offer discounts against scrappage certificates to accelerate fleet replacement and boost demand for new vehicles

The government is planning to roll out Bharat NCAP 2 from October 2027, which will assess the complete safety framework and will address the severe challenge of road accidents in the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. Addressing the 66th SIAM Annual Convention 2025, the Minister for Road, Transport and Highways highlighted the success of Bharat NCAP. Launched in 2013, Bharat NCAP (Bharat New Car Assessment Program) is India's official, independent vehicle safety rating system that crash-tests passenger cars and assigns them a star rating from 1 to 5 stars. It evaluates how well cars protect adult and child occupants during collisions. Highlighting the urgency of addressing India's severe road accident problem, Gadkari said, "We are moving forward with Bharat NCAP 2. This is a very important programme wherein, from October 2027, the entire safety chain will be evaluated. This is very important because road accidents are a big problem... we are number one in the .

India's electric vehicle (EV) market is expected to grow to Rs 20 lakh crore by 2030, with the potential to create five crore jobs, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. Addressing a summit organised by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, Gadkari said that currently 57 lakh electric vehicles are registered in India, with 7 per cent market penetration. "India's electric vehicle(EV) market will be worth Rs 20 lakh crore by 2030. It will also create five crore jobs by 2030," he said. The road transport and highways minister highlighted that India's two largest two-wheeler vehicle manufacturers, Bajaj Auto and Hero MotoCorp, export more than 50 per cent of vehicles they produce. Gadkari said there is demand for one lakh electric buses annually in India, but 'we are able to manufacture only 50,000-60,000 EV buses annually'. He said the government aims to make India's automobile industry number one in the world within five years. The future of the In

Consultants involved in preparing defective detailed project reports (DPRs) are "culprits" behind accidents and deaths on highways, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday, and warned contractors of black-listing and other consequences for compromising on construction quality. The minister's warning has come amid reports that his ministry is preparing tunnel tenders worth Rs 2 lakh crore to Rs 2.5 lakh crore. Addressing industry body FICCI's 4th Edition of Tunnels & Bridges Conference 2026 in the national capital, the road, transport and highways minister termed the makers of defective DPRs as "culprits" and alleged that consultants prepare these documents with the help of Google, causing loss of life and property. "Such poor-quality DPRs mean that today on roads, 5 lakh accidents occur, and 1.8 lakh deaths, and all have the problem of defective DPRs," Gadkari said. The minister also cautioned contractors against compromising on construction quality after bagging an ...

Highway developers flag concerns over arbitration, traffic-risk allocation and termination provisions, warning that unresolved issues could deter private participation

The government is working to reduce road fatalities to zero and has also identified 100 districts with high accident rates for urgent intervention, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. The government aims to halve the number of road accidents and resultant deaths by 2030. Addressing an event organised by ICICI Lombard, Gadkari said changing public behaviour and enforcing traffic laws remain the country's biggest challenges in improving road safety. "We are working to reduce road fatalities to zero. Authorities have also identified 100 districts with high accident rates and are targeting black spots for urgent intervention," the minister said. The number of road accidents in India rose by 5.3 per cent to more than 5.13 lakh in 2025, with road crashes claiming the lives of 21 people every hour, according to government data. On average, 59 road accidents occurred every hour in the country. "A total of 5,13,563 road accidents have been reported by police

The Bombay High Court directed social media platforms to remove allegedly defamatory AI-generated content targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, while protecting the right to fair criticism

The Bombay High Court directed social media platforms to remove allegedly defamatory AI-generated content targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, while protecting the right to fair criticism

The Bombay High Court directed social media platforms to remove allegedly defamatory AI-generated content targeting Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, while protecting the right to fair criticism

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim relief to Union minister Nitin Gadkari, ordering Meta, X and Google to immediately remove all the "vile, abusive, obscene and defamatory" social media posts targeting him. A single-judge bench of Justice Arif Doctor issued the direction while hearing a civil defamation suit filed by the Minister for Road Transport and Highways challenging a series of AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated digital posts that falsely alleged Gadkari and his family received illegal financial benefits from the Centre's ethanol-blended petrol (E20) initiative. "These posts, on the face of it, are abusive, vile, and obscene," Justice Doctor said, adding, "The material on the face of it is absolutely vile and abusive. Such material should have no place on a public platform, which is accessible to everyone, including the younger generation." The bench directed Meta, X Corp and Google LLC to ensure forthwith that the posts are taken down. Justice Doct

The AAP plans a march to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow as opposition parties step up protests against blended petrol, Archis Mohan writes

India's EV penetration has risen more than 11-fold since FY20, but the country has just 52,718 public charging stations for over 10 million registered electric vehicles

Road Transport Minister says E20 is the only petrol sold at retail outlets nationwide, making separate display of ethanol blending levels unnecessary

Union minister Nitin Gadkari said only some BS-III vehicles made before 2016 may need rubber parts and gaskets replaced when operated on E20 petrol, with no major impact on performance

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said it would hear on August 5 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's suit against Meta, X Corp, Google LLC and unknown persons for "defamatory" deepfakes and AI-generated posts uploaded against him over the ethanol policy. The bench of Justice Arif Doctor directed the Union minister's advocate Sandeep Ladda to serve the respondents copies of the civil suit, seeking a permanent injunction against the circulation of posts that allegedly tarnished his reputation. Gadkari, in his plea, sought an immediate takedown of all fake and fabricated content, along with an injunction against the circulation of such content. The senior BJP leader, who is serving as the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, has claimed that several fake, AI-generated and defamatory posts were available online regarding the ethanol-blended fuel issue. Unknown persons have uploaded and circulated posts and deepfake content falsely portraying him as being personally responsible for

High Court permits Union minister to file civil suit against Meta, Google, X and unidentified persons over allegedly fabricated social media posts