The Bharatmala project is the second largest highways construction project in India since the National Highways Development Programme (NHDP).
The National Highways Development Programme (NHDP) was launched by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government in the year 1998. Under NHDP, almost 50,000 km of highway roads were targeted across the country. About 10,000 km of roads under the programme is yet to be completed.
Bharatmala is an umbrella project which has subsumed all existing road-connectivity programs under it. Bharatmala project was cleared by the Union Cabinet on 25 October 2017.
Along with Bharatmala, the Government had also announced a massive bank recapitalisation programme worth Rs.2.11 trillion to improve private sector investments and resolve the twin balance-sheet problem.
(Read: Bank recapitalisation- Explained)
Under Phase 1 of the ambitious Bharatmala project, a total of 34800 km of roads will be constructed across the country over the next 5 years. It includes the 10,000 km remaining under the NHDP. The highways work is expected to begin by the end of 2018.
The Bharatmala project will require a total investment of 5.35 lakh crores.
The components of phase 1 and estimated expenditure are as follows:
| Components | Length -km | Outlay -Rs crore | |
| a. | Economic corridors development | 9,000 | 1,20,000 |
| b. | Inter-corridor & feeder roads | 6,000 | 80,000 |
| c. | National Corridors Efficiency improvements: | 5,000 | 1,00,000 |
| d. | Border & International connectivity roads | 2,000 | 25,000 |
| e. | Coastal & port connectivity roads | 2,000 | 20,000 |
| f. | Expressways | 800 | 40,000 |
| Total: | 24,800 | 3,85,000 | |
| Balance road works under NHDP | 10,000 | 1,50,000 | |
| Total | 34800 | 5,35,000 |
In addition to the Bharatmala project, there is an existing plan of building 48,877 km highways by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) with an estimated expenditure of Rs.157000 crore. Thus, overall the Government will spend Rs.692000 crore on road construction over the next 5 years (535000 crores + 157000 crores)
The total expenditure of Rs.692000 crores will be funded in the following ways:
- ₹209,000 crore through borrowings from the market
- ₹106,000 crore through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model
- ₹377,000 crore through Budgetary support, Central Road funds and Toll.
Benefits of the Bharatmala project:
- Bridge infrastructural gap
- Improve reach and connectivity and make the movement of man and material more efficient.
- Connect backward and tribal areas, areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, border areas, coastal areas and trade routes with neighbouring countries.
- The programme will also help generate a large number of direct and indirect employment. The project is expected to create nearly 100 million man-days of jobs during the road construction.
- The project is expected to create 22 million jobs as a result of the increased economic activity across the country due to better road connectivity.
Criticism
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