Bharatmala Pariyojana

Bharatmala Pariyojana is a centrally‑driven highway development programme launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in 2017 to create a high‑quality, high‑capacity road network that stitches together economic corridors, ports, border districts and remote tribal areas. By earmarking roughly ₹5.35 lakh crore for its first phase, the scheme targets the construction, upgrading and maintenance of about 34,800 kilometres of national highways, making it the most ambitious road‑building effort in India’s post‑independence history.

Origins and Policy Context

The programme emerged from the 2015‑2020 National Infrastructure Pipeline, which identified road connectivity as a bottleneck to the country’s “Make in India” agenda. In the Union Budget of 2017‑18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Bharatmala as a “high‑speed, high‑capacity” network to complement the earlier Golden Quadrilateral and National Highways Development Project (NHDP). The policy draws authority from the National Highways Act 1988 (Section 2(1)(c)), empowering the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to acquire land and execute projects on behalf of the central government.

Structure and Components

Bharatmala is organised around five distinct strands: (1) Economic Corridors, comprising six major routes such as the Delhi‑Mumbai and East‑West corridors; (2) Inter‑Corridor Routes, a set of seven links that bridge the primary corridors; (3) National Corridors, thirteen routes that enhance connectivity between state capitals and major cities; (4) Border and Coastal Roads, nine stretches that improve access to frontier districts and ports; and (5) Tribal Corridors, six projects aimed at integrating remote tribal regions. Each strand follows a “greenfield” or “brownfield” approach, with greenfield projects involving entirely new alignments and brownfield projects upgrading existing roads to four‑lane or six‑lane standards.

Financing and Implementation Mechanism

Funding for Phase I (2020‑2025) is split between central allocations (≈ ₹4.5 lakh crore), state contributions (≈ ₹0.5 lakh crore) and external financing from multilateral agencies such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The MoRTH delegates execution to NHAI, which in turn contracts private firms through competitive bidding under the Engineering‑Procurement‑Construction (EPC) model. A dedicated “Bharatmala” cell within MoRTH monitors progress, while a digital dashboard tracks kilometre‑wise completion, cost overruns and land‑acquisition status in real time.

Progress and Current Status

As of March 2024, the Ministry reports that roughly 20,000 kilometres of highways have been completed, including the 1,200‑kilometre Delhi‑Ahmedabad Economic Corridor and the 1,800‑kilometre East‑West Industrial Corridor. An additional 12,000 kilometres are under construction, with 3,500 kilometres in the land‑acquisition phase. The project’s on‑time completion rate stands at about 78 percent, a notable improvement over the NHDP’s historical average of 55 percent. Phase II, approved in 2023, envisions an extra 48,000 kilometres of roads at an estimated cost of ₹5.5 lakh crore, extending the network to 2029‑2030.

Strategic Significance

By linking 550 districts and 120 major ports, Bharatmala is projected to lower logistics costs from the current 14 percent of GDP to near 10 percent, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Indian manufacturers. The scheme also shortens travel times on key routes by up to 30 percent, facilitating faster movement of goods and passengers. Compared with China’s National Trunk Highway System, which spans roughly 140,000 kilometres, Bharatmala’s 34,800 kilometres represent a focused, high‑impact addition that brings India’s high‑speed road density closer to the global median of 30 kilometres per 1,000 square kilometres. The programme’s emphasis on border and tribal corridors further strengthens national security and inclusive development, underscoring its role as a cornerstone of India’s long‑term infrastructure strategy.