 "National Highways, NHAI")
The Ministry of Road, Transport, and Highways (MoRTH) has reported the highest-ever capital expenditure (capex) utilisation of 99.93 per cent during the financial year 2023-24, government sources said on Tuesday.
As against the budgetary outlay of Rs 2.645 trillion in FY24, the road ministry has spent Rs 2.643 trillion. By including private investments, the capex goes up to Rs 3.01 trillion, according to government data.
The ministry has constructed 12,349 kms of national highways in FY24, the second highest in its history, missing the target of 13,800 kms by a whisker due to higher scrutiny on the quality of roads. “This is the year we would have the highest-ever four-lane and high-speed access control road constructions. So even if the total construction is not the highest ever, the quality of the roads if you measure in terms of widening and speed, this is the highest ever,” MoRTH Secretary Anurag Jain had said in February.
Sources said, going forward, the ministry was planning to bifurcate the construction data in two parts – road km and lane km. “This will help in showing the improving quality of highways across the country,” said an official.
