Ministry Of Road Transport And Highways

Govt proposes 5-yr age extension for EV, CNG, hydrogen commercial vehicles

MoRTH has proposed a 5-year extension in age limit for battery, hydrogen and natural gas-powered commercial vehicles, along with digital permits, longer authorisations, simpler registration processes

MoRTH revises BOT model concession agreement to attract private players

The revised model concession agreement includes buyback, revenue support and traffic-risk sharing measures aimed at making BOT highway projects more bankable.

Highways min working to reduce road accident fatalities to zero: Gadkari

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

55 National Highway projects faced major failures since 2014; Kerala tops

Of the 55 NH projects involving caving in, major failures or structural damage since 2014, Kerala accounted for the highest number

No insurance, no fuel: Inside SC's plan to cover 165 mn uninsured vehicles

The court has proposed linking fuel purchases, number-plate cameras and police enforcement to insurance databases as 56 per cent of vehicles in India remain uninsured

What is V2V, India's connected vehicle system to make roads safer from 2028

MoRTH has released draft rules proposing mandatory V2V communication systems in new vehicles from October 2028. Here's how the technology works and where it fits into India's broader V2X roadmap

Bike ambulances to get national standards: What MoRTH's draft rules propose

India plans a dedicated regulatory framework for bike ambulances. The draft rules set standards for construction, safety, registration and periodic fitness inspections

Draft rules mandate V2V communication in new vehicles from Oct 2028

The proposed rules require new vehicles to support V2V communication from October 2028, aiming to improve road safety through real-time exchange of vehicle data.

Govt issues draft notification for phased V2V communication systems

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has proposed phased implementation of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication systems to facilitate timely warnings and strengthen the use of connected technologies to boost road safety. V2V communication enables nearby vehicles to exchange real-time information, including their speed, position, direction, acceleration, etc. This information can provide warnings to drivers or vehicle systems in safety-critical situations, including sudden braking, forward-collision risk, unsafe lane changes and the approach of emergency vehicles. MoRTH has issued a draft notification proposing amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. "The 5.875 GHz to 5.925 GHz frequency band has been considered for V2V and other Intelligent Transportation System applications," the draft notification said. The Department of Telecommunications, through G.S.R. 466 (E) dated 10 June 2026, has exempted the use of this frequency band from licensing ...

Technology can help in enhancing road safety, raising awareness: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said technology can help raise awareness and enhance road safety in India, emphasising that adhering to traffic rules and wearing seat belts and helmets may seem simple, but they are crucial in reducing fatalities in road accidents. Addressing an event organised by Uber, the road transport and highways minister further said India records nearly 5 lakh road accidents and 1.80 lakh fatalities annually. "Following traffic rules, wearing seat belts and helmets, sounds simple, but they play a big role in reducing fatalities in road accidents. Technology can play an important role in spreading awareness and making our roads safer," he said. The number of road accidents in India went up by 1.48 per cent to over 4.87 lakh in 2024, resulting in the deaths of 20 persons every hour, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The report showed that on average, 56 road accidents take place every hour in the country. "Thr

Centre seeks state funding support for urban NH decongestion projects

States can choose from four funding models, including sharing land acquisition costs, to support ring roads, bypasses and elevated corridors around cities

Diesel-isobutanol blending mandate likely this year: Transport secretary

India is likely to bring a mandate on blending isobutanol with diesel as early as this year to improve energy security in the country and decarbonise the road and highways sector, Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Secretary V Umashankar said on Friday. Addressing the 'CII Multimodal Transportation and Logistics Summit', Umashankar further said that the highways ministry may bring a draft notification on truck-trailers interchangeability soon to build an ecosystem that needs battery-swapping and battery charging for electric heavy duty commercial vehicles. "Blending of diesel has been looked into with great seriousness. Bharat Petroleum is already undertaking strategic research for isobutanol blending with diesel. And the results are very encouraging. "It is quite likely that the blending mandate will start coming in somewhere later this year," he said. Umashankar said since diesel consumption is almost two times that of petrol, the impact on blending in terms of die

Explained: Technology behind India's barrier-free toll collection system

New system removes toll barriers using RFID, ANPR and LiDAR sensors, enabling vehicles to pass without stopping while laying groundwork for GNSS and V2X-based tolling

Govt revises BOT guidelines, allows big funds to bid for highway projects

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has allowed big funds and large investors to bid for build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects after some projects failed to attract private investments due to concerns over contract terms. Earlier, big funds were allowed to bid only for toll, operate and transfer (TOT) projects. The ministry has allowed sovereign wealth funds, infrastructure funds and pension funds, and private equity to bid for BOT projects under the public-private-partnership (PPP) model. In a modified request for proposal (RFP) document, MoRTH has relaxed norms for investments in such projects. The ministry came out with the modified framework after four highway projects worth Rs 22,000 crore failed to attract bids from private companies under the BOT model due to concerns over contract terms. National Highways are developed under different modes of execution, including BOT or toll, BOT (annuity), Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC), InvIT and Hybrid

Cost overruns in central infra projects ease slightly to ₹5.61 trn in March

Cost overruns in centrally funded infrastructure projects eased marginally in March, though revised estimates remain significantly higher than original project costs

No cash at toll plazas from April 10; UPI payments to cost 1.25 times more

Cash payments at toll plazas will be discontinued for travellers on national highways from April 10, the road transport and highways ministry has said. In a gazette notification, the ministry has said that in cases where a vehicle enters a fee plaza without a valid FASTag, users can still pay via Unified Payment Interface (UPI), but at a higher charge of 1.25 times the applicable toll fee. A senior NHAI official said that the move is aimed at reducing long queues at toll gates and make highway travel smoother for commuters. The official said that cash payments will no longer be accepted at the toll booths from April 10 and FASTag will remain the primary mode of toll collection, while UPI will serve as the fallback payment option for vehicles that arrive without a valid FASTag. "If the user of a vehicle enters a fee plaza without a FASTag or a valid functional FASTag, as the case may be, and opts to pay fee through the Unified Payment Interface (UPI), he shall pay 1.25 times of the

Policy, AI and growth themes set tone at Day 1 of BS Manthan 2026

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari headlined the first day of the summit

Govt looks to raise ₹30K crore from highway monetisation in FY27

The Centre plans to raise Rs 30,000 crore through highway monetisation and build 10,000 km of roads in FY27, with a renewed emphasis on PPP projects, asset quality, and mobility improvements

Govt plans to revive private investment in highways with ₹1 trn project

The renewed push for private capital is intended to modernise infrastructure and reduce logistics costs, as well as strengthen India's competitiveness against China

New policies in works for faster decision-making: Gadkari on Invit push

Kahi problemach nahi (there's no problem). The NHAI is economically sound, and it has an AAA rating, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said