In a major plan to decongest cities and improve transportation, the Union road transport ministry has sought an additional Rs 25,000 crore as budgetary support for 2018-19.
Union Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari recently wrote to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley seeking around 18 per cent increase in budgetary allocation for his ministry. For 2017-18, the government allocated Rs 64,900 crore to the ministry of road transport and highways. The Rs 25,000 crore sought for 2018-19 is in addition to Rs 79,000 crore the ministry has asked for other programmes.
The government is also likely to announce a Rs 2,000 crore plan