'Transformative push': PM Modi praises Cabinet for approving 8 highway projects worth over Rs 50,000

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called the eight highway corridor projects approved by the Union Cabinet a “transformative boost” to India's infrastructure landscape.

Prime Minister Modi called the move “a transformative boost to India's infrastructure landscape!” in a social media post on X. He said the decision highlighted the central government's commitment to a “future and connected India”.

“The Cabinet approved 8️⃣ National Highway Corridor projects with an outlay of over Rs. 50,000 crore which will have a multiplier effect on our economic growth and increase employment opportunities.

Cabinet approved eight major national highway corridor projects. According to official sources, the projects, which are 936 kilometers long and cost a total of Rs 50,655 crore, are aimed at improving logistics efficiency and enhancing connectivity across the country.

The implementation of these projects is expected to create approximately 4.42 billion person-days of direct and indirect employment.

Approved projects include:

• 6-lane Agra-Gwalior National Expressway Corridor
• 4-Lane Kharagpur-Moregram National Highway Corridor
• 6-lane Tharad-Deesa-Mehsana-Ahmedabad National Expressway Corridor
• 4 Lane Ayodhya Ring Road
• The 4-lane section of the Raipur-Ranchi National Expressway Corridor between Pathalgaon and Gumla
• 6 Lane Kanpur Ring Road
• 4-lane North Guwahati Bypass and widening/improvement of existing Guwahati Bypass
• 6-lane elevated Nashik Phata-Khed corridor near Pune

The government has adopted a corridor-based approach to highway infrastructure development focused on ensuring consistent standards, user convenience and logistical efficiency, while an earlier project-based development approach focused on addressing local congestion issues, the release said.

“This corridor approach identifies a 50,000-km-long highway corridor network through scientific transport studies based on GSTN and toll data to support India's transformation into an economy worth over $30 trillion by 2047,” the report said.