ET Infra's Roads and Highways Summit: Improving BOT model, tech-enabled highway development, key focus points at the event, ETInfra
Advt
By ,
ETInfra
NEW DELHI: Technology-enabled road development, quality maintenance as well as choosing the optimum financing model were among the key themes which resonated amongst the speakers and participants at the second edition of ET Infra's Roads and Highways Summit which was held on Friday in Delhi.Chief guest at the summit, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Harsh Malhotra, emphasized on the rapid development of highways and rural roads since 2014, which has substantially led to GDP growth and employment generation, especially in previously underserved regions like the Northeast. He further highlighted that major road infrastructure development in and around Delhi is expected to decongest the city and significantly reduce pollution.V. Umashankar, Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways , spoke on significant progress in highway construction over the past decade but noted a recent dip in the pace of awards, necessitating a recalibration of direction, including improving and making more attractive the Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) Model of highways development.He further outlined that highway construction globally and in India as well occurs in spurts, with the country's road infrastructure buildup expected to see saturation within the next 15-20 years.Rahul Kaswan, Member of Parliament and Member, Standing Committee on Transport, highlighted that while India has made strides in highway development, the infrastructure continues to face issues such as a lack of white lines and lane segmentation, faulty entry/exit points, improper compaction leading to road settlement, and potholes. He called for such issues to be addressed by the ministry and National Highways Authority of India in order to prevent the number of accidents on India's highways.Lt. Gen Raghu Srinivasan, Director General, Border Roads Organisation, underlined that since 2014, significant government impetus on infrastructure has led to a surge in border connectivity, transforming remote villages and ensuring strategic sovereignty. Major projects like the Sela Tunnel, the upcoming Shinku la Tunnel, and the Indo-Myanmar border fencing underscore the organisation's expanding scope and its commitment to developing vital infrastructure despite extreme conditions.Kesridevsinh Jhala, Member of Parliament and Member, Standing Committee on Transport, stated that for the future, the focus should be on developing climate-resilient infrastructure to withstand the impacts of global warming and sporadic weather events.Panel discussions amongst various stakeholders from the industry and government deliberated on relevant roles of Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs), Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) and Build–operate–transfer (BOT) Model, as well as budgetary support to the sector.Technology-enabled roads and highway development along with the need for sustainable practices were also among the key topics of discussion at the summit.The summit was supported by industry partners Arcadis, Welspun Enterprises, Bosch, Autodesk, Xpedeon, CP Plus, ACE (Action Construction Equipment), Khaitan & Co, Equirus Raghnall, JSA, Dextra, RETAS.Government associations included Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, NAREDCO, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, Construction Industry Development Council, National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency.Community partners included International Road Federation (India Chapter), Construction Federation of India, National Highways Builders Federation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
National highway construction slowed to 29 km/day in last fiscal year: Gadkari
NH construction and Bharatmala update Advt Greenfield corridors and GatiShakti By , ETInfra The pace of National Highways (NH) construction in India dropped to 29 kilometres per day in the last financial year, Parliament was informed on per a PTI report, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, said the construction rate during 2023–24 was 34 kilometres per day. The highest pace of construction was recorded in 2020–21, at 37 kilometres per Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is responsible for the development and maintenance of NHs, including expressways. According to Gadkari, the ministry constructed 10,660 kilometres of NHs in 2024–25, 12,349 kilometres in 2023–24, and 10,331 kilometres in 2022–23.'Projects of 26,425 kilometres have been awarded under Bharatmala Pariyojana, out of which 20,770 kilometres have been constructed so far, including 2,967 kilometres during FY 2024–25,' he minister said NH development projects, including access-controlled High Speed Corridors (HSCs) and expressways, are planned in line with the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) said the government is prioritising greenfield access-controlled corridors to improve logistics efficiency. 'Accordingly, 26 greenfield corridors in about 7,500 kilometres have been awarded and, additionally, about 600 kilometres have already been approved,' he this, about 4,800 kilometres have been constructed so far, and 2,636 kilometres are operational. The remaining sections are planned to be operationalised over the next two added that the GatiShakti NMP portal shows economic zones and required infrastructure linkages with the objective of integrating multimodal connectivity projects. It also helps identify missing gaps for movement of people, goods, and services.
Economic Times
11 hours ago
- Economic Times
Parliament watch: From debt to GST to NPA, govt shares key data as Monsoon Session kicks off
Synopsis In FY24, the Centre forwent ₹99,000 crore in corporate tax revenue due to incentives. India's external debt reached $736.3 billion, remaining sustainable at 19.1% of GDP. The PM Internship scheme saw 22,500 offers accepted, while the government issued ₹72,275 crore in sovereign gold bonds. PLI schemes drove ₹1.76 lakh crore in investments, creating over 12 lakh jobs. PTI New Delhi: Security personnel atop the Parliament building, in New Delhi. Centre Gave up ₹99,000 cr Corporate Tax Revenue in FY24 on Account of Tax Incentives The Finance Ministry Tuesday informed Parliament that the Centre has foregone ₹99,000 crore of corporate tax revenue in FY24 on account of tax incentives. The corporate tax revenue foregone in 2023-24 stood at ₹98,999 crore, followed by ₹88,109 crore and ₹96,892 crore in 2022-23 and 2021-22, respectively, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. In 2020-21 and 2019-20, the total corporate tax revenue foregone was ₹75,218 crore and ₹8,043 crore, respectively. At $736.3 b, External Debt Hits 19.1% of GDPIndia's external debt stood at $736.3 billion as of March 2025, which was only 19.1% of gross domestic product and 90.8% of forex reserves, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told RS Tuesday. 'These debt vulnerability indicators are benign and indicate India's external debt remains sustainable and prudently managed,' he said. He added that external debt of nations rises over time as it is associated with increasing investment and productivity, which has also been the case with India. "India has managed its external debt prudently with the overarching objective of keeping the current account deficit within sustainable limits." PM Internship Scheme: 22,500 Offers Accepted So Far About 71,000 offers were made by companies to the youth under the second round of the PM Internship scheme as of July 17 and about 22,500 were accepted by them, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply, minister of state for corporate affairs Harsh Malhotra said about 327 companies had posted over 118,000 internship opportunities against over 4,55,000 applications. No GST Compensation Pending, Except to Arunachal & Manipur The Centre Tuesday informed Parliament that no amount is pending for release of the final GST compensation to states and Union Territories except Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. In the case of these two states the Centre has not received the certificate of Auditor General, required to release the payment, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. ₹72,275 cr Sovereign Gold Bonds IssuedThe government issued sovereign gold bonds worth ₹72,275 crore–equivalent of 146.96 tonnes of the precious metal—between the scheme's launch in late 2015 and March 2025, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said Tuesday. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the minister also said the mopup under the gold monetisation scheme (through medium-and-long-term deposits) was to the tune of 37.81 tonnes during this suggests the gold bond scheme was far more popular than the monetisation one. The government, however, would consider the cost of garnering funds via such gold bonds before issuing any fresh tranche, he added. The government hasn't budgeted any mopup through such bonds this fiscal due to high borrowing costs. 'The recent global geopolitical unrest has impacted gold prices significantly, increasing the cost of borrowing through sovereign gold bonds,' Chaudhary added. PLI Scheme Drives ₹1.76 L crore Investments Actual investment of ₹1.76 lakh crore have been realised till March 2025 across 14 sectors covered under Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, leading to incremental production/sales of over ₹16.5 lakh crore and employment generation of over 12 lakh. The production of mobiles in value terms has increased almost 146% to ₹5.25 lakh crore in 2024-25 from ₹2.13 lakh crore and their exports rose 775% to ₹2 lakh crore in FY25 from ₹22,870 crore in 2020-21. The pharmaceuticals sector has witnessed cumulative sales of ₹2.66 lakh crore which includes exports of ₹1.7 lakh crore achieved in the first three years of the scheme. The scheme has contributed to India becoming a net exporter of bulk drugs ( ₹2,280 crore) from a net importer of ₹1,930 crore. 'A number of foreign companies have established or expanded their operations in India under the PLI scheme. For example, Apple, a global smartphone company, has shifted its suppliers to India viz. Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron,' the commerce and industry ministry told Lok Sabha. Over ₹35,105cr Tax Demands Raised Under Black Money Law The finance ministry told Parliament Tuesday that the government has raised tax and penalty demands of over ₹35,105 crore from 1,021 assessments and filed 163 prosecution complaints till March 31 under the foreign black money law. The government has recovered ₹338 crore under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, towards tax, penalty, interest between July 1, 2015 and March 31, 2025, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. Renewables Sector Creates Over 600,000 Jobs in 5 Years An estimated 6.61 lakh jobs were created in the last five years from FY21 to FY25 in the renewable energy sector, minister of state for renewable energy Shripad Yesso Naik said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. VGF Scheme Extended The power ministry has recently extended the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for battery energy storage systems for additional 30,000 MWh capacity through the Power System Development Fund, MoS for renewable energy Shripad Yesso Naik informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Action Taken Against 886 Entities Enforcement action has been taken against 886 entities between April 2024 and June 2025 for fraudulent or unfair trade practices relating to the stock market, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Parliament watch: From debt to GST to NPA, govt shares key data as Monsoon Session kicks off
Centre Gave up ₹99,000 cr Corporate Tax Revenue in FY24 on Account of Tax Incentives The Finance Ministry Tuesday informed Parliament that the Centre has foregone ₹99,000 crore of corporate tax revenue in FY24 on account of tax incentives. The corporate tax revenue foregone in 2023-24 stood at ₹98,999 crore, followed by ₹88,109 crore and ₹96,892 crore in 2022-23 and 2021-22, respectively, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha . In 2020-21 and 2019-20, the total corporate tax revenue foregone was ₹75,218 crore and ₹8,043 crore, respectively. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science MCA Data Science Design Thinking Management healthcare PGDM Data Analytics Degree Public Policy Leadership Technology others Artificial Intelligence Finance Cybersecurity MBA Project Management Operations Management Others Healthcare CXO Digital Marketing Product Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months IIT Madras CERT-IITM Advanced Cert Prog in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details At $736.3 b, External Debt Hits 19.1% of GDP India's external debt stood at $736.3 billion as of March 2025, which was only 19.1% of gross domestic product and 90.8% of forex reserves, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told RS Tuesday. 'These debt vulnerability indicators are benign and indicate India's external debt remains sustainable and prudently managed,' he said. He added that external debt of nations rises over time as it is associated with increasing investment and productivity, which has also been the case with India. "India has managed its external debt prudently with the overarching objective of keeping the current account deficit within sustainable limits." PM Internship Scheme: 22,500 Offers Accepted So Far About 71,000 offers were made by companies to the youth under the second round of the PM Internship scheme as of July 17 and about 22,500 were accepted by them, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply, minister of state for corporate affairs Harsh Malhotra said about 327 companies had posted over 118,000 internship opportunities against over 4,55,000 applications. Live Events No GST Compensation Pending, Except to Arunachal & Manipur The Centre Tuesday informed Parliament that no amount is pending for release of the final GST compensation to states and Union Territories except Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. In the case of these two states the Centre has not received the certificate of Auditor General, required to release the payment, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. ₹72,275 cr Sovereign Gold Bonds Issued The government issued sovereign gold bonds worth ₹72,275 crore–equivalent of 146.96 tonnes of the precious metal—between the scheme's launch in late 2015 and March 2025, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary said Tuesday. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the minister also said the mopup under the gold monetisation scheme (through medium-and-long-term deposits) was to the tune of 37.81 tonnes during this period. This suggests the gold bond scheme was far more popular than the monetisation one. The government, however, would consider the cost of garnering funds via such gold bonds before issuing any fresh tranche, he added. The government hasn't budgeted any mopup through such bonds this fiscal due to high borrowing costs. 'The recent global geopolitical unrest has impacted gold prices significantly, increasing the cost of borrowing through sovereign gold bonds,' Chaudhary added. PLI Scheme Drives ₹1.76 L crore Investments Actual investment of ₹1.76 lakh crore have been realised till March 2025 across 14 sectors covered under Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, leading to incremental production/sales of over ₹16.5 lakh crore and employment generation of over 12 lakh. The production of mobiles in value terms has increased almost 146% to ₹5.25 lakh crore in 2024-25 from ₹2.13 lakh crore and their exports rose 775% to ₹2 lakh crore in FY25 from ₹22,870 crore in 2020-21. The pharmaceuticals sector has witnessed cumulative sales of ₹2.66 lakh crore which includes exports of ₹1.7 lakh crore achieved in the first three years of the scheme. The scheme has contributed to India becoming a net exporter of bulk drugs ( ₹2,280 crore) from a net importer of ₹1,930 crore. 'A number of foreign companies have established or expanded their operations in India under the PLI scheme. For example, Apple, a global smartphone company, has shifted its suppliers to India viz. Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron,' the commerce and industry ministry told Lok Sabha. Over ₹35,105cr Tax Demands Raised Under Black Money Law The finance ministry told Parliament Tuesday that the government has raised tax and penalty demands of over ₹35,105 crore from 1,021 assessments and filed 163 prosecution complaints till March 31 under the foreign black money law. The government has recovered ₹338 crore under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015, towards tax, penalty, interest between July 1, 2015 and March 31, 2025, MoS for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told Rajya Sabha in a written reply. Renewables Sector Creates Over 600,000 Jobs in 5 Years An estimated 6.61 lakh jobs were created in the last five years from FY21 to FY25 in the renewable energy sector, minister of state for renewable energy Shripad Yesso Naik said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. VGF Scheme Extended The power ministry has recently extended the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) scheme for battery energy storage systems for additional 30,000 MWh capacity through the Power System Development Fund, MoS for renewable energy Shripad Yesso Naik informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. Action Taken Against 886 Entities Enforcement action has been taken against 886 entities between April 2024 and June 2025 for fraudulent or unfair trade practices relating to the stock market, minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary told the Rajya Sabha Tuesday.
