The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved “In-Principle” declaration of about 51,300 km length of state roads as new National Highways subject to the outcome of their Detailed Project Reports (DPRs). The declaration of state roads as new National Highways is done from time to time depending upon the requirement of connectivity, inter-se-priority and availability of funds. 

The State roads are declared as new NHs on the basis of well established principles. The criteria for this include roads running through length, breadth of the country, connecting adjacent countries, national capital with state capitals, mutually the state capitals, major ports, non-major ports, large industrial centers or tourist centers, roads meeting very important strategic requirement in hilly and isolated area, arterial roads which enable sizeable reduction in travel distance and achieve substantial economic growth thereby, roads which help opening up large tracts of backward area and hilly regions (other than strategically important ones), achieving a National Highways grid of 100 km, etc. 

The total length of NHs in the country as on 31st March, 2014 was about 91,287 km. This has been enhanced to about 1,15,435 km at present. Further, the Ministry has also taken up detailed review of NHs network with a view to develop road connectivity to border areas, development of coastal roads including road connectivity for non-major ports, improvement in the efficiency of National Corridors, development of Economic Corridors, Inter Corridors and Feeder Routes along with integration with Sagarmala, etc., under the proposed Bharatmala Pariyojana. During its meeting on 16th June, 2017 the Public Investment Board (PIB) has recommended the proposal for Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana for consideration of Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for investment approval. 

This information was given by Minster of State for Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Shri Pon. Radhakrishnan in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today. 
 

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