Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that world-class infrastructure will be central to India’s ambition of becoming a $5 trillion economy by 2027, with the road and transport sector poised to drive economic growth, investment and large-scale employment.
Speaking at the CII National Conference on ‘Future of Smart Roads – Safety, Sustainability and Resilience’ in the capital, Gadkari said the Ministry’s annual revenue is set to rise from ₹55,000 crore currently to ₹1.4 lakh crore in the next two years, signalling the robust monetisation and asset growth potential in India’s highway network.
He informed that a comprehensive 2027 infrastructure plan has been discussed in the Union Cabinet, with sustainability at its core. This includes the proposed use of 80 lakh tonnes of segregated plastic waste in road construction and the reuse of treated water from purification plants for building highways — an approach that sharply reduces environmental impact and lowers construction costs.
Gadkari said 25,000 kilometres of existing two-lane highways are being upgraded to four lanes, while a ₹2 lakh crore port connectivity programme is underway to link major ports directly with the national highway grid. Enhanced road connectivity, he added, is already accelerating religious tourism and adventure sports in multiple regions.
Highlighting the sector’s economic multiplier, the Minister said every rupee invested in infrastructure results in ₹3 of economic growth.
