Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that the toll revenue of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will rise to Rs 1.40 lakh crores from Rs 40,000 crores per annum currently within the next three to five years. He was addressing the audience during the 'Regional Conference of Professional Empowerment' in Delhi.
"The toll revenue of the NHAI will rise from Rs 1.40 lakh crores per annum from Rs 40,000 per annum currently in next three to five years," said Gadkari while addressing the audience. He said that when it comes to roads, the country is preparing to go from having 96,000 kilometres worth of highways to two lakh kilometres of highways. "At one point, the construction used to be three kilometres a day, but now, 38 kilometres of a road was constructed in a day. It is a world record," he added. During the event, he asserted that economic growth is the first agenda of the government.
Highlighting the importance of financial capital investment in Rural agriculture, the Tribal and Rural sector, he said, "In our economy, 22-24 per cent growth comes from manufacturing, 52-56 per cent from the service sector and 8-12 per cent from agriculture and allied sectors. But 60-65 per cent of the population is in agricultural, tribal and rural areas. There is social, educational, economic backwardness. Financial capital investment in Rural agriculture, forest and tribal sectors will increase the per capita income, the GDP and we will become 'aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant)."
