9.32 ndian onom
each way will operate by 2023, and will Jammu and Kashmir, launched in November
go up to 105 trains per day each way in 2004.
2053. By early 2017, few new initiatives were
It will have approximately 36,000 daily taken by the GoI – Bharatmala programme
users per day (both ways) in 2023, which to connect non-major ports; Backward Areas,
will go up to 186,000 per day (both ways) Religious, Tourist Places Connectivity programme;
or 68 million per annum by 2053. Setubhratam Pariyojana to construct about 1500
major bridges; and the District Head Quarter
roads Connectivity Scheme for development of about
9000 km newly declared NHs.
With about 52.32 lakh km of road network
comprising National Highways, State Highways Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY):
and other roads, India has the second largest road Launched to provide single all-weather road
network in the world. The NH in the country connectivity to eligible unconnected habitations
cover a total length of 1,00,475 km and carry having population of 500 persons and above in
about 40 per cent of the road traffic. plain areas and 250 persons and above in hill states,
tribal (Schedule V) areas, desert (as identified
Financing of the NHDP: A part of the fuel cess in the Desert Development Programme) areas,
imposed on petrol and diesel is allocated to the and LWE-affected districts as identified by the
NHAI for funding the implementation of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Rural roads has also
NHDP. The NHAI leverages the cess flow to been identified as one of the six components of
borrow additional funds from the debt market. Till Bharat Nirman which has the goal of providing
date, such borrowings have been limited to funds all-weather road connectivity to all villages with
raised through 54 EC (capital gains tax exemption) a population of 1,000 (500 in the case of hilly or
bonds and the short-term overdraft facility. tribal areas).
Government has also taken loans for financing
Bharatmala Pariyojana: Launched in 2015-16,
projects under the NHDP from the World
this is a new umbrella program for the highways
Bank (US$ 1,965 million), Asian Development
sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency
Bank (US$ 1,605 million) and Japan Bank for
of freight and passenger movement across the
International Cooperation (32,060 million yen)
country. It aims at bridging critical infrastructure
which are passed on to the NHAI partly in the
gaps through effective interventions like
form of grants and partly as loan. The NHAI has
development of Economic Corridors, Inter
also availed a direct loan of US$ 180 million from
Corridors and Feeder Routes, National Corridor
the ADB for the Surat-Manor Expressway Project.
Efficiency Improvement, Border and International
Special Accelerated Road Development connectivity roads, Coastal and Port connectivity
Programme for North-East region (SARDP-NE) roads and Green-field expressways. The objective
aims at improving road connectivity to state of the program is to achieve optimal resource
capitals, district headquarters, and remote places allocation for a holistic highway development.
of the north-east region. Development of roads
in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected areas in
cIvIl avIatIon
the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Airport infrastructure development continues
Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh is continuing; Prime to be a matter of concern. Upgradation of
Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) for many airports, including construction of new