Page 5 - Nitin Gadkari

Gadkari mulls law for sound of Indian musical instrument as vehicle horns

Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said he is planning to bring a law under which only the sound of Indian musical instruments can be used as a horn for vehicles. Addressing the 78th Foundation Year Celebration of Navbharat Times, Gadkari said, "I am planning to make a law that horns of all vehicles should be in Indian musical instruments so that it is pleasant to hear. Flute, tabla, violin, harmonium." The transport sector contributes to 40 per cent of the air pollution in the country, he said, adding that the Modi government is promoting vehicles that run on green and bio-fuel, including methanol, ethanol. Gadkari noted that India gets maximum revenue from exports of two-wheeler vehicles and cars. According to him, in 2014, the Indian automobile sector was valued at Rs 14 lakh crore, which has now grown to Rs 22 lakh crore. Gadkari said India has surpassed Japan to become the world's third-largest automobile market, following the US and ...

Gadkari unveils projects worth ₹4K cr, says Odisha to get US-like highways

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said Odisha will soon get America-like highways. Unveiling 19 national highway projects worth Rs 4,137 crore in the state, he said road connectivity will boost tourism in the state. "The Centre will provide world-class infrastructure to Odisha, and the people here will soon get America-like highways. The state has ports, minerals and forests. Road connectivity will boost its tourism potential," he said. Noting that the Centre has undertaken highway projects worth nearly Rs 2 lakh crore in the state, Gadkari said projects worth Rs 60,000 crore have already been completed. Works for projects worth Rs 60,000 crore are underway, while projects worth Rs 75,000 crore are in the pipeline, he said. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy CMs Pravati Parida and KV Singh Deo, MPs, MLAs and ministers were present at the programme at Baramunda Maidan in Bhubaneswar. Referring to the demand made by Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, Gad

Nitin Gadkari to unveil highway projects worth Rs 4,000 cr in Odisha today

Union minister Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay the foundation of highway projects worth Rs 4,000 crore in Odisha on Thursday, an official release said. The Union minister for road transport and highways was welcomed by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and state BJP president Manmohan Samal upon his arrival at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here. He began his day-long tour of the eastern state by attending the Dr Harekrushna Mahatab Memorial Lecture at Ravenshaw University in Cuttack, commemorating the birth anniversary of the former chief minister. Gadkari will deliver a memorial lecture on 'Infrastructure Development and Odisha' and attend a national conference on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatab. The Union minister will visit the World Skill Centre here in the afternoon, the release said. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 19 national highway projects worth Rs 4,000 crore during a public meeting at Baramunda Maidan here around

Nitin Gadkari warns Delhi's toxic air can cause infections in 3 days

In Gadkari's view, road infrastructure and alternative fuels are central to solving India's pollution crisis, as Delhi's air continues to pose serious health risks

Mumbai-Goa highway to be ready by June, new toll policy soon, says Gadkari

Union minister Gadkari has said the long-delayed Mumbai-Goa highway will be completed by June this year, which is expected to bring relief to daily commuters and Konkan-bound travellers who have endured years of pothole-ridden roads. Speaking at an event here on Monday, the road transport and highways minister also reiterated that physical toll booths would be removed across the country soon and the Centre will come up with a new toll policy. Expressing confidence in the country's infrastructural future, Gadkari also said, "In the next two years, India's road infrastructure will be better than that of the United States." The national highway between Mumbai and Goa is expected to cut the travel time between these places and give a huge boost to development in the Konkan region. Gadkari acknowledged the many challenges faced in completing the highway. "There were numerous difficulties with the Mumbai-Goa highway. But do not worry, we will complete the road 100 per cent by this June,

Govt plans ₹10 trn push to rewire highways to match US standard: Gadkari

He said the Centre is working to transform the country's infrastructure drastically in the next two years so that it matches the best in the world

US tariff policy opens export opportunities for India: Nitin Gadkari

Gadkari inspected the ongoing construction work of the Rs 1,200 crore Multimodal Logistics Park project in Pithampur industrial area, about 30 km from Indore

India faces shortage of 2.2 million skilled drivers, says Nitin Gadkari

To address this issue, the Centre has launched a ₹4,500 crore scheme to set up 1,600 driving training institutes across the country in a phased manner

National Highways toll collection: UP tops list with Rs 7,060 cr revenue

Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states that reported high revenue collection through toll on National Highways in the April-February period of financial year 2024-25, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to Rajya Sabha said the government collected highest toll on National Highways crossing Uttar Pradesh at Rs 7,060 crore, followed by Rajasthan at Rs 5,967.13 crore and Maharashtra at Rs 5,115.38 crore up to February 2025. Gadkari further noted that the government has also decided to implement barrier free Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) System with available technology and use of existing fee plaza infrastructure at selected sections of National Highways. According to him, the government is committed to address various issues pertaining to the levy of user fee and to enhance operational efficiency and promote convenience of the road users at the user fee plaza including the introduction of an Annual Pass

Fall in lithium battery prices will boost EV sector, says Nitin Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said reduction in the cost of lithium batteries would significantly lower the price of electric vehicles (EVs), making them more affordable for consumers. Pollution is India's biggest challenge and the transport sector is a major contributor, Gadkari on Monday said, stressing the urgent need to transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. The Union minister for road transport and highways asserted the ongoing advancements in battery technology were key to India's transition to sustainable transport. He said India's dependence on fossil fuels is both an economic burden, as Rs 22 lakh crore is spent annually on fuel imports, and an environmental hazard, making clean energy adoption crucial for the nation's progress. Speaking at the launch of an eco-friendly electric cycle in Thane, the minister said cycling needs to be promoted as a sustainable urban transport option in view of increasing urbanisation. The rapid growth of India's ...

Pollution biggest challenge, transport sector key contributor: Gadkari

Pollution is India's biggest challenge and the transport sector is a major contributor, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on Monday, stressing the urgent need to transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. He said India's dependence on fossil fuels is both an economic burden as Rs 22 lakh crore is spent annually on fuel imports and an environmental hazard, making clean energy adoption crucial for the nation's progress. Speaking at the launch of an eco-friendly electric cycle in Thane, the Road Transport & Highways Minister said cycling needs to be promoted as a sustainable urban transport option in view of increasing urbanisation. Gadkari said the rapid growth of India's automobile sector has surpassed Japan to become the third-largest globally since 2014. He said by 2030, India will be the world leader in electric vehicle (EV) production, significantly impacting the global auto market. He credited the sharp decline in lithium-ion battery prices (now at USD 100 per

Nitin Gadkari announces ₹10 trillion plan to widen 25,000 km of highways

The government is planning to upgrade 25,000 km of highways to four lanes at ₹10 trillion, expand 16,000 km to six lanes for ₹6 trillion; it aims to cut road accidents by 50 per cent by 2030

Indian roads will surpass US quality within two years: Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari expressed his optimism about India's future in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, predicting that the country will surpass the US in both EV adoption and manufacturing within next 5 years

Parliamentary standing committee raps MoRTH over quality of highways

Alleges inadequate enforcement against errant contractors

India loses 3% of GDP annually due to road accidents: Nitin Gadkari

India is losing 3 per cent of its GDP due to around 5 lakh road accidents annually in the country, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. The Minister for Road, Transport and Highways made the remarks while addressing AMCHAM's Technology Interventions For Road Safety: US-India Partnership in the national capital. The most important problem for the country is road accidents, Gadkari said, noting that every year India sees 4,80,000 accidents, which lead to 1,88,000 deaths of people aged between 18 and 45 years. The minister raised concerns that 10,000 deaths are of children below 18 years. Gadakri said, "It is one of the major public health issue and the most important thing is also, we are losing 3 per cent of GDP because of road accidents." The Union minister cited poor detailed project reports (DPRs) as one of the key reasons for accidents. "DPR consultants are the main culprits who are responsible for the road accidents. (They prepare DPRs) sometimes because of cost sav

Prices of EVs to be same as petrol cars in 6 months, says Nitin Gadkari

Prices of electric vehicles (EVs) will be equal to those of petrol vehicles in the country within six months, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday. Addressing the 32nd Convergence India and 10th Smart Cities India Expo, Gadkari further said the construction work of the 212-km Delhi-Dehradun access-controlled expressway will be complete in the next three months. "Within six months, the cost of electric vehicles will be equivalent to the cost of petrol vehicles," he said. The minister said the government's policy is import substitute, cost-effectiveness, pollution-free and indigenous production. To make India the third-largest economy, the country needs to improve its infrastructure sector, the Union minister said. "By making good roads, we can reduce our logistics cost," he added. Gadkari asserted that the future of the country's economy is very good and the government is committed towards smart cities and smart transport. "We are working on

Panel on satellite toll system urges deliberation over security, privacy

Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said it is proposed to proceed with corridor/stretch-based projects

Nagpur violence: Residents share accounts of attacks on homes and vehicles

Aurangzeb row: Violence broke out in Nagpur on Monday night after rumours spread that a holy book was desecrated during a protest

Will kick anyone who talks about caste: Union minister Nitin Gadkari

In strong remarks against caste-based politics, Union minister Nitin Gadkari has said that nobody should be discriminated over caste, religion, language or sex. "Jo karega jaat ki baat, usko kaske marunga laat (I will kick hard anyone who talks about caste)," the senior BJP leader said, while addressing the convocation ceremony of Central India Group of Institutions in Nagpur on Saturday. Gadkari, 67, said he believes no person is big because of his caste, religion, language or creed but he is big because of his qualities. Hence, we do not discriminate anyone based on his caste, religion, sex, or language, he added. I am in politics and lots of things take place, but I walk my way. If anyone wants to vote for me, he can and if someone does not want, he is free to do so, he said. My friends tell me why have you said this or taken such a stand. I tell them that one is not finished if he loses an election. I will not compromise with my principles and will follow them in my personal ..

Nitin Gadkari opposes caste politics, says merit should define individuals

Gadkari asserted that an individual's worth should be determined by their qualities rather than caste, religion, language, or gender