• Launched to improve road connectivity, enhance freight/passenger movement, and reduce logistics costs.
• First-phase launched in 2017, covering 34,800 km of roads, with an estimated cost of Rs. 5.35 lakh crore.
  • Long-term goals to be completed in phases over several years.

Key Components:

• Economic Corridors & Efficiency: Focus on developing 26,000 km of roads and improving the Golden Quadrilateral and North-South/East-West Corridors.
• Inter-State & Feeder Routes: 8,000 km of interstate corridors and 7,500 km feeder routes.
• Border & International Roads: 2,000 km of roads for trade and security.
• Coastal & Port Connectivity: 2,000 km of roads for better port connectivity.
• Green-Field Expressways: New expressways to reduce congestion.

• 50 national corridors to be constructed, reducing freight traffic congestion and facilitating movement on national highways.
• 550 districts to be connected nationwide, up from the current 300 districts linked with national highways.
• Logistic Performance Index (LPI) to be introduced, helping identify trade and logistics challenges and opportunities.
• Expected to increase employment opportunities for people.

• Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRF): Created under the Central Road Fund Act, 2000, this non-lapsable fund is used for building and upgrading national highways and other infrastructure, funded through cess on petrol and diesel.
• Monetization of National Highways: The monetization of existing infrastructure assets is used as a source of funding.
• Private Sector Investment: Bharatmala invites participation from the private sector for funding and execution of certain projects.
• Additional Budgetary Support: Funds from additional budgetary allocations by the central government also support the project.

Do you know?

1. Sagarmala Programme approved in 2015, focuses on port infrastructure development along the 7,516-km coastline through modernisation, mechanisation, and computerisation.
2. Parvatmala (National Ropeways Development Programme) announced in Union Budget 2022-23 to improve connectivity in hilly areas, under MORTH.
3. • Implemented in PPP mode as an ecologically sustainable alternative to conventional roads in challenging terrains.
   • Initial regions: Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, and North Eastern states.

PYQ:

[2017] With reference to ‘National Investment and Infrastructure Fund’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is an organ of NITI Aayog.
2. It has a corpus of Rs 4,00,000 crore at present.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2