The Centre has allocated ₹1.68 lakh crore to NHAI in the interim Budget. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

After a massive jump in allocation every consecutive year in the recent past, this year’s budgetary allocation for the road sector saw a measly 2.7% increase.

The Interim Budget set aside ₹2,78,000 crore for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways as compared to the ₹2,70,434 crore in the budget estimate for this fiscal. When compared to the revised estimate of ₹2,76,351 crore, the allocation is a hike of a mere 0.5%.

Of the total budgetary grant, ₹1,68,464 is for investment in NHAI for the development of national highway corridors under Bharat Mala Pariyojana. As of November 2023, a total of 15,045 km of the total project of 26,418 km have been completed and an amount of ₹4.10 lakh crore has been spent under Bharat Mala Pariyojana up to October 2023.

Also read: Interim Budget 2024-2025 documents presented by FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Separately, a sum of ₹78,349 crore has been set aside for road works, which includes six landing of crowded sections of the Golden Quadrilateral, road development in Naxal-hit areas and provisioning of last-mile connectivity through State government’s Public Works Department.

Last year, the budget announcement saw a hike of 35%, and the year before that there was a 70% hike in the grant for roads.