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Polity & Governance GS 2 In the news 6 times

Bharatmala Pariyojana

India's Flagship Highway Development Programme

Bharatmala Pariyojana is a centrally sponsored umbrella programme for highway development approved by the Government of India in October 2017. Implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), it aims to optimise the efficiency of freight movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps through economic corridors, inter-corridor routes, feeder routes, and national corridor efficiency improvements.

Key details
  • Approved: October 2017 by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs
  • Phase I target: 34,800 km of highways (including 10,000 km of balance NHDP works)
  • Estimated cost of Phase I: Rs 5,35,000 crore (total including subsumed projects: Rs 6,92,324 crore)
  • Components: 9,000 km of Economic Corridors, 6,000 km of Inter-Corridor/Feeder Routes, 5,000 km of National Corridor Efficiency Improvement
  • Original timeline: 2017-18 to 2021-22 (5 years) — significantly delayed
  • Progress as of October 2024: 26,425 km awarded, 18,714 km constructed
  • Implementing agency: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under MoRTH
In the news

Tracked since February 12, 2026 · last seen April 14, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes

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