Page 3 - Nitin Gadkari

Gadkari stresses importance of science & tech, need to increase exports

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said the countries which are indulging in 'dadagiri' (bullying) in today's world can do so because they are economically strong and have technology. Speaking at the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) here, he also stressed the need to increase India's exports and reduce the imports. "If the rate of our exports and economy increase, then I don't think we will need to go to anyone. Those who are indulging in 'dadagiri' are doing so because they are economically strong, and they have technology. If we get better technology and resources, we will not bully anyone, because our culture teaches us that welfare of the world is most important," he said. "We are facing various problems globally, and the solution to all these problems are science and technology, that is knowledge, which is a power," he said. Increasing exports and decreasing imports is necessary if India wants to become a 'Vishwaguru', the BJP leader said. Research .

Govt aims to accelerate pace of highway construction to 100 km/day: Gadkari

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday said the government's aim is to accelerate the pace of highway construction to 100 km a day from 38 km/day at present. Speaking at the Business Today India@100 event, Gadkari said so far this year, the road ministry has awarded highways projects worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore, and by March next year, it will award highways projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore. "Currently, the pace of National Highways construction in India is 38 km/day. We aim to accelerate the pace of highway construction to 100 km a day. This is our target, whether it will happen next year, I can not say," he said. The ministry constructed 10,660 km of national highways in 2024-25, 12,349 km in 2023-24 and 10,331 km in 2022-23. Responding to the growing concern over social media about E20, rolled out by the government, is damaging the vehicle and there is no reduction in fuel cost, Gadkari rejected the claim, saying that the petroleum sector is lobbying again

New mining policy to ensure ease of business, faster clearances: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said the mining policy being framed by the Centre would provide ease of doing business as all clearances will be given in three months so that the extraction process starts in the fourth month. He said all bottlenecks would be removed under the new mining policy. The Minister for Road Transport and Highways was speaking at the "India@100 charting Vidarbha's journey to a Developed India" in Nagpur. Talking about various developments taking place in Gadchiroli district in Vidarbha in the fields of mining and steel, he said a mining policy was being framed by the central government. "This mining policy came up for an approval in the cabinet meeting recently. However, the prime minister was not fully convinced about it and after I gave some suggestions, he (the PM) directed the cabinet secretary to discuss and review the policy with me," he said. Gadkari said he suggested that the policy should allow the mining process to start as soon as ...

Gadkari lays foundation for road projects, inaugurates 2 worth over ₹5k cr

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday laid the foundation for 27 road projects and inaugurated two National Highway projects worth Rs 5,233 crore in Andhra Pradesh from here. He was accompanied by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and others. "In any country and kingdom, four things are very important for development--water, power, transportation and communication. You will get prosperity from roads," said Gadkari, addressing the public meeting convened for the foundation laying an inauguration programme. The two major road projects which he dedicated to the country include the upgradation of Madanapalle - Pileru stretch of NH 71 into a modern four-lane corridor. This 56 km highway was built at a cost of Rs 1,994 crore The second major project was the upgradation of a 31 km stretch from Kurnool on NH 340C to Mandlem at a cost of Rs 858 crore. These projects will link Andhra Pradesh more closely with Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha and Tamil Nadu.

Around 489 road projects delayed due to land and clearance issues: Gadkari

As many as 489 road projects, which were originally scheduled for completion by March 2025, are pending due to delays in land acquisition, forest/wildlife clearances and railway approvals, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the government is making all efforts to resolve the pending issues in close coordination with state governments and other stakeholders to complete these projects. Gadkari said cost overrun has been incurred in some of the delayed projects due to various factors like enhanced cost of compensation for land and structures, price escalation, Goods & Services Tax (GST) impact, additional VUPs/PUPs on public demand or otherwise, change in General Arrangement Drawing (GAD)/design for Road Over Bridges/Road Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs) to meet the Railway standards, etc. If projects are inordinately delayed due to some reasons and further progress under the ongoing ...

Govt to finalise 27% ethanol blending norms by August: Nitin Gadkari

The Indian government will introduce norms for 27% ethanol blending in petrol by the end of August as part of efforts to cut fuel imports and reduce pollution

Over 26,000 dead in road accidents on NHs in first half of 2025: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that 53,372 fatalities were recorded on national highways in 2023, while 52,609 people died in 2024

National highways construction pace slows to 29 km per day in FY25: Gadkari

The pace of National Highways construction in India slowed to 29 km/day in the last fiscal, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the pace of National Highways construction during 2023-24 stood at 34 km/day. The highest-ever pace was recorded in 2020-21, when it reached 37 km per day. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of National Highways (NHs), including National Expressways. The ministry had constructed 10,660 km length of national highways in 2024-25, 12,349 km length of national highways in 2023-24 and 10,331 km length of national highways in 2022-23. Gadkari said all the NHs development projects, including development of access-controlled High Speed Corridors (HSC) / Expressways, are planned in line with PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) Principles. "The government has constructed 10,660 km of NHs duri

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates India's 2nd longest cable-stayed bridge in K'taka

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated India's second-longest cable-stayed Sigandur bridge here. While senior BJP leaders attended the event, none from the state cabinet attended it. According to officials, the bridge constructed across Sharavathi backwaters between Ambaragodlu-Kalasavalli in Sagara taluk of this district has been built at a cost of Rs 472 crore. This bridge is expected to significantly reduce the distance from Sagara to the villages around Sigandur, a place which is known for the Chowdeshwari temple. The event was attended by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa, among others. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah or any of his ministers did not attend the event. Recently, Siddaramaiah had urged Gadkari to postpone the inauguration of the bridge and foundation stone laying ceremony of infrastructure projects at Sagara taluk in Shivamogga on July 14, stating that he was not informed in ...

Govt policies aimed at reducing poverty, creating jobs, says Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said his government's policies were aimed at reducing poverty and creating jobs, as he cautioned against economic liberalisation that could lead to concentration of wealth in the hands of a few. "Our objective is to create an economic option that will eliminate poverty, create jobs for youth and lead to creation of wealth," he said in his address at the National Conference of CA Students-2025 and added we need such an economic option. He said previous governments under P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh adopted an economic liberalisation framework. "But with economic liberalisation, we should also make sure that there is no centralisation of the economy. It should not be that the number of poor is slowly increasing while wealth is getting centralised in the hands of a few," the minister cautioned. "There has been a sea change in the economic landscape (in the last decade) and your role is crucial in this change," the minister said. At the

Gadkari's mega mobility plan: Electric buses, ropeways on fast track

Gadkari said the transport sector is undergoing a major transition, with initiatives like tree bank, mobile-based driving tests, and flex-fuel engines by 11 leading automakers in the pipeline

Centre to invest ₹2 trillion to transform Jharkhand's infra: Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Centre is committed to augment Jharkhand's infrastructure, and it would implement projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore in the state. The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister asserted that Jharkhand, which is rich in mineral resources, would see unprecedented growth in the highways sector. "I am committed to bolster Jharkhand's infrastructure. I assure the people of implementing Rs 2 lakh crore-worth national highway projects in the state," he said, while addressing a public meeting. "We have completed Rs 40,000-crore national highway projects in the state. At present, we are implementing highway projects worth Rs 70,000 crore, while projects worth Rs 75,000 crore are in the pipeline," Gadkari said. Strengthening infrastructure was the need of the hour to make India a USD 5-trillion economy in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, he said. He said the Rs 36,000-crore Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata greenfield corridor will be ...

Gadkari to inaugurate, lay foundation stone for projects worth ₹6,350 cr

Union minister Nitin Gadkari will on Thursday inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 6,350 crore in Jharkhand, officials said. The Union Road Transport and Highways Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 11 National Highway projects in the state, including nine from Ranchi and two from Garhwa. Among the projects are an elevated corridor worth Rs 560 crore in Ranchi, and two projects worth Rs 2,460 crore in Garhwa. Gadkari will inaugurate the 4.18-km elevated 'Ratu Road flyover', which starts near Raj Bhavan and ends at OTC Ground in Ranchi. In Garhwa, he will inaugurate a 23-km four-lane highway from Shankha to Khajoori, built at a cost of Rs 1,130 crore, the officials said. He will also lay the foundation stone of a Rs 1,330-crore project for four-laning of a 32-km stretch of NH 39 from the Chhattisgarh-Jharkhand inter-state boundary to Gumla, they added. "From Ranchi, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari will launch the

Centre okays ₹3,667 cr plan for road, infra development in Himachal Pradesh

The Union government has approved the annual plan of Rs 3,667 crore for the construction and up-gradation of roads, bridges and related infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh for the financial year 2024'25, said Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Monday. The plan includes construction of bridges, road widening, installation of crash barriers and other works on national highways across various districts of the state, he said in a statement issued here. The minister said that he recently met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and discussed important issues related to the state, appraising him that presently the state has around 1,200 kilometres of roads under the national highway network and requested to enhance central assistance for their maintenance and improvement of road and other related works. He said that while the state had submitted an annual plan of Rs 2,600 crore for the financial year 2023'24, but received only Rs 269 crore, which was ...

Will no longer continue with toll operate transfer model: Gadkari

Centre to halt toll-operate-transfer model in favour of InvITs to boost domestic participation in road monetisation and enable salaried class to invest, says Gadkari

Hydrogen wheels: Why Gadkari is betting big on trucks powered by fuel cells

The government is working on 10 major hydrogen fuel cell projects involving auto companies, which will operate hydrogen-powered trucks and buses, says Nitin Gadkari

Gadkari says govt working on rare earth alternatives: 'Will be solved soon'

Speaking to Business Standard, Gadkari explained the government's multipronged push for self-reliance and assured that the problem of restrictions on rare earth magnets will be solved soon

Gadkari calls e-rickshaw push his biggest achievement in the past 11 years

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari says introduction of mechanised e-rickshaws in 2014 has freeing 15 million people from exploitative manual ferrying work in states like Jharkhand and West Bengal

Work, not vote bank: Why Gadkari won't let elections dictate development

The road transport minister says development must be guided by long-term merit, not election cycles, even as states head to polls with pre-budget handouts and populist pledges

Plan to double projects to ₹5 trillion this year, says Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari talks about why elections should not matter while setting targets, his take on being seen as a future prime minister, and much more