Page 23 - Nitin Gadkari

Apologise for anti-Savarkar remarks: Nitin Gadkari tells Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and said no one has the right to insult him. Gandhi should realise that he insulted the Hindutva icon due to some misunderstanding, Gadkari said addressing a gathering organised as part of the 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' at Shankar Nagar in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on Tuesday. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the former Congress president should show a big heart and tender an apology for his "crime". "Who has given him the right to insult Savarkar? No one will tolerate insult of Savarkar," Gadkari maintained. Gadkari, speaking in a lighter vein, thanked Gandhi for giving the BJP an opportunity to make the country's youth aware about Savarkar's life and message through the yatra. The former Congress chief has constantly targeted Savarkar by raking up the issue of his mercy plea. His latest attack came last month following his ...

Come Jan, travel from Mumbai to Goa on new highway in just 4.5 hrs: Gadkari

There will be massive tree plantations, signages as per world standards and other facilities to make the travel faster, easier and safer on the Mumbai-Goa National Highway

Nitin Gadkari dismisses reports of 'quitting politics', calls out media

"The media must uphold responsible journalism in their reporting on this matter," he added

Mumbai-Goa highway work will be completed by December 2023, says Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the ongoing work on the Mumbai-Goa national highway will get over by December this year, which would cut the travel time between these places to four-and-a-half hours and give a huge boost to development in Maharashtra's Konkan region. He was speaking to reporters at Ratnagiri, around 340 km from here. "The Mumbai to Goa highway stretch has been divided into 10 packages (phases) and road construction activity in all packages, except two, is almost over. Most of the pending construction work on the road and one tunnel will be completed by December this year," the Minister of Road Transport and Highways said. "By December, the entire stretch will be available for vehicular movement and the distance can be completed in four-and-a-half hours," he said. Gadkari said he has instructed the officials to conduct road safety audits and put international standard signages for the drivers on the Mumbai-Goa highway. With the help of local education

Mumbai-Goa highway work will be completed by December, says Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the work on the Mumbai-Goa highway will be completed by December this year, which would give a huge boost to development in Maharashtra's Konkan region. He was speaking at the 'bhoomi pujan' ceremony in Panvel of the concretisation of the Palaspe-Indupur national highway stretch and some other routes. The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways several works in the state's Konkan region were help up due to issues like land acquisition, permissions, contractor problems. He also announced the construction of the Rs 13,000 crore Morbe-Karanjade road, which will go through Jawaharlal Nehru Port and reduce the time needed to cover the distance between Mumbai and Delhi to 12 hours. Work on the Rs 1,200 crore Kalamboli junction and Rs 1,2000 Pagode junction too will begin soon, he said. He said the much-delayed Mumbai-Goa national highway work will be completed by December this year, which will hugely boost development prospects of the

Threat calls to Gadkari: Nagpur cops take custody of suspected caller

Nagpur Police on Tuesday took into custody a murder case convict from a jail in Belagavi in Karnataka in connection with the threat calls made to the office of Union minister Nitin Gadkari on two occasions, an official said. The convict, identified as Jayesh Pujari alias Jayesh Kantha, was taken into custody from the Hindalga jail and brought to Nagpur in a flight in the morning, a Nagpur police officer said. Two cases are registered against Pujari at Dhantoli police station in the city. "He would be interrogated to understand his motive behind making the threat calls (to the Union minister)," the officer said, adding Pujari would be produced in a local court in the afternoon. On January 14, a man identifying himself as Jayesh Pujari made threatening calls to Gadkari's public relations office in Nagpur city, demanding Rs 100 crore. The caller claimed that he was a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang. Fresh calls threatening to harm Gadkari if Rs 10 crore was not paid were made to hi

Most people in India not serious about following road safety rules: Gadkari

Most people in India are not serious about following road safety rules, and unless their mindset and attitude change, it would be difficult to reduce number of road accidents in the country, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. The road, transport and highway minister pointed out that a whopping 5 lakh road accidents take place in the country, in which 1.5 lakh people die every year. "Jyadatar log road safety ko lekar serious nahi hai. Jab tak logo ka dimag aur mindset nahi badlega, tab tak road accidents kam nahi ho payega (Most people in India are not serious about following road safety rules, and unless their mindset and attitude change, it would be difficult to reduce number of road accidents in the country)," he said. Gadkari also emphasised on the need of following land discipline by drivers. He announced that his ministry will soon start conducting digital examination for those applying for driver's licence and later a practical driving test will be conducted. The .

PPP for smart cities crucial to become $5 trillion economy: Nitin Gadkari

Public-private partnerships (PPP) in developing smart cities and villages are crucial to achieve India's vision of becoming a USD 5 trillion economy, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday. Addressing the '8th Smart Cities India Expo', Gadkari also stressed the need of developing smart cities and villages through the PPP model. "(Development of ) Smart Cities is a success story in India. We have got a huge potential here. "To achieve the Prime Minister's vision of making India a USD 5 trillion economy, it is imperative to develop smart cities and villages for which public-private partnership is key," he added. Also speaking at the event, Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic Karel Hirman said the future of urban development is in integrating technology and data analytics into city planning and management. In Slovakia, our cities are already implementing smart solutions in public transport, energy, wastewater management and public safety, he ad

India's highways infra to match US by 2024, work underway, says Gadkari

India's highways infrastructure will match that of the US by 2024 for which work in time bound 'mission mode' is on including construction of green expressways and rail over bridges, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said. He said cabinet nod to 'Bharatmala 2' is likely soon and once obtained it will meet the requirements of a robust infrastructure in the country. "I am confident that India's highways will be on par with that of the US by 2024. Work in a time bound mission mode is on to build a robust infrastructure including a network of green expressways across the length and breadth of India," Gadkari told PTI in an interview. The Road Transport and Highways Minister said in this year railway over bridges are being constructed at a cost of Rs 16,000 crore which will be increased to Rs 50,000 crore in five years. On the Kailash Mansarovar highway project via Pithoragarh, Gadkari said "Ninety three per cent work on Kailash Mansarovar project has been ...

India can be No 1 automobile manufacturer by using lithium reserve: Gadkari

Union road, transport and highway minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said that if India can use recently discovered reserve of lithium in Jammu and Kashmir, it will become number one automobile manufacturing country in the world. Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari said there is a need to encourage public transport, and electric buses are the future. "Every year, we import 1,200 tonnes of lithium. "Now, in Jammu and Kashmir, we got lithium. (If) we can use this lithium ion, we will be the number one automobile manufacturing country in the world," he said. India has beaten Japan to become the third largest vehicle market in 2022 after China and the USA. According to Gadkari, presently India's automobile industry is worth Rs 7.5 lakh crore, and the sector's contribution to the overall GST revenue is maximum. The estimated 5.9-million tonne reserve of lithium, a crucial mineral for the manufacturing of electric vehicles and solar panels, had been discovered in

Govt to introduce GPS-based toll system in 6 months to replace toll plazas

The government will introduce new technologies including GPS-based toll collection systems in the next 6 months to replace existing highway toll plazas in the country, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday. The move is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and charging motorists for the exact distance travelled on the highways, Gadkari said. Addressing an event organised by industry body CII, Gadkari further said state- owned NHAI's toll revenue is currently Rs 40,000 crore and it is going to soar to Rs 1.40 lakh crore 2-3 years. "The government is looking at new technologies including GPS-based toll systems to replace toll plazas in the country...We will bring new technology in six months," he said. The ministry of road transport and highways is conducting a pilot project of automatic number plate recognition system (automatic number plate reader cameras) to enable automated toll collection without stopping the vehicles. During 2018-19, the average waiting time for vehicles

Nitin Gadkari promises Rs 2 trillion road infra in Jharkhand by 2024

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday promised to bolster infrastructure in Jharkhand and asserted that Rs 2 lakh crore highway network will be rolled out in the state by 2024. The Road Transport and Highways minister said Jharkhand will be in the league of developed states in terms of infrastructure and a network of highways will be completed here including stretches under Bharatmala and economic corridors. "The projects what you are seeing at present is just a trailer. I promise I will deliver Rs 2 lakh crore road infrastructure projects in Jharkhand," Gadkari said addressing a rally in state capital Ranchi. The Union minister said Jharkhand has huge resources including coal and iron and a better infrastructure in state could propel country's growth. The road network will boost industry here and create huge employment, Gadkari said, adding that the target is to reduce logistic cost which was much higher in India at 16 per cent as compared to nations like China and the US which

More than 278,000 EVs registered in India in Jan-March 2023: Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said more than 2.78 lakh electric vehicles have been registered in the country in 2023 calendar year so far. Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are in the process of migrating to Vahan portal and hence their data on EV registration is partially included while Telangana and Lakshadweep data is not available on the portal, Gadkari said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. According to the data on the portal, the registration of electric vehicles (EVs) in India rose to 10,20,679 in 2022 from 3,29,808 in 2021. Replying to a separate question, Gadkari said National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has planted 344.27 lakh tress under Green Highways Policy during the period 2016-17 to 2022-23 (up to February 2023). Responding to another question, he said NHAI envisions development of wayside amenities (WSAs) at every 30-40 kilometre across brownfield national highways and greenfield expressways. Till date, 156 WSAs ha

Gadkari to inaugurate, lay foundation stone for 31 projects in Jharkhand

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for 31 projects worth Rs 13,296 crore in Jharkhand on Thursday, an official said. Gadkari will arrive in Ranchi around 12.30 pm and head to Jamshedpur, he said. The Union minister is also scheduled to address a BJP rally at Gopal Maidan here in the afternoon. Of the 31 projects, 21 pertain to state capital Ranchi, entailing an estimated investment of Rs 9,453 crore, and nine to Jamshedpur at a cost of Rs 3,378 crore, the official said. Gadkari will dedicate to the nation a 44-km stretch between Jamshedpur and Mahulta on National Highway-33, constructed at a cost of Rs 465 crore. "This stretch will provide Delhi-Kolkata and Mumbai-Kolkata connectivity via Jamshedpur, significantly reducing travel time, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chief General Manager S K Mishra told PTI. The project will also drive commercial development in the Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, he stated. Apart from these, ..

Gadkari to lay foundation stone for 31 projects in Jharkhand on March 23

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for 31 projects worth Rs 13,296 crore in Jharkhand on Thursday, including stretches of Delhi-Kolkata and Mumbai-Kolkata corridors and Bharatmala packages, under which ring road and bypasses are developed, an official said. Of these, 21 pertain to state capital Ranchi, entailing an estimated investment of Rs 9,453 crore, and nine to Jamshedpur at a cost of Rs 3,378 crore. Gadkari will dedicate to the nation a 44-km stretch between Jamshedpur and Mahulta on NH-33, constructed at a cost of Rs 465 crore. "This stretch will provide Delhi-Kolkata and Mumbai-Kolkata connectivity via Jamshedpur, significantly reducing travel time, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Chief General Manager SK Mishra told PTI. The project will also drive commercial development in the Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, he stated. Apart from these, foundation stone for a four-lane double-decker elevated corridor will be laid on NH-3

Our ultimate goal is social, economic equality, says Nitin Gadkari at C20

Social and economic equality is the ultimate goal of the government and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (world is one family) embodies a powerful message from India's G20 Presidency, signalling the commitment to pursue fair and equitable growth for all in the world, said Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday. He was speaking at the concluding session of the Civil20 India 2023 Inception meeting in Nagpur. C20 is one of the official Engagement Groups of the G20 that provides a platform for Civil Society Organisations around the world to voice the people's aspirations to the world leaders of G20. Gadkari said value-based education and a value-based family system are India's biggest strengths. The minister said that reaching out to the last man and making his life meaningful is the most important challenge of the government. Social and economic equality is the ultimate target for all of us, he said. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader called Antyodaya', the welfare of the people at the bottom

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari gets Rs 10 crore extortion calls: Police

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has been targeted for the second time in two months, with calls from alleged mafiosi demanding extortion money, police said here on Tuesday

Delhiites to get another ring road in major relief in congested areas

The third ring road or Urban Extension Road Project (UER-II), which is a Rs 7,716 crore project, will be implemented and inaugurated by this September

Corporates hopeful for green hydrogen; may pump Rs 16 trillion in 10 years

Industry experts have said that it will take a combination of technological advancements and regulatory support to boost the cost-effectiveness and viability of green hydrogen in the country

UER-II being developed as part of Delhi decongestion plan: Nitin Gadkari

Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari said the Urban Extension Road Project (UER-II), which is being implemented at a cost of Rs 7,716 cr, will be completed and inaugurated this year