Rs 7 lakh cr cleared for road expansion; thousands to get jobs: Highlights

This could also put to rest allegations that the Narendra Modi government has failed to create employment opportunities

The government on Tuesday approved Rs 7 lakh crore worth highway projects including the ambitious Bharatmala, Ashok Lavasa,Finance Secretary said.

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

Bharatmala is a mega plan of the government and the second-largest highways project after NHDP that saw the development of about 50,000 km, and aims at improving connectivity in border and other areas.

A study under the proposed Bharatmala project by global consultancy firm AT Kearney had identified 44 economic