Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

About Ministry

• The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is a ministry of the Government of India, that is the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules, regulations and laws relating to road transport, transport research and in also to increase the mobility and efficiency of the road transport system in India.
• Through its officers of Central Engineering Services (Roads) cadre it is responsible for the development of National Highways of the country.
• Road transport is a critical infrastructure for economic development of the country. It influences the pace, structure and pattern of development. In India, roads are used to transport over 60 percent of the total goods and 85 percent of the passenger traffic. Hence, development of this sector is of paramount importance for India and accounts for a significant part in the budget.
• The Ministry has two wings –

a. Road Wing

• • • Deals with development and maintenance of National Highway in the country
    • Main Responsibilities 
      • Planning, development and maintenance of National Highways in the country.
      • Extends technical and financial support to State Governments for the development of state roads and the roads of inter-state connectivity and economic importance
      • Evolves standard specifications for roads and bridges in the country.
      • Serves as a repository of technical knowledge on roads and bridges.

b. Transport Wing

• • • Deals with matter relating to Road Transport
    • Main Responsibilities
      • Motor Vehicle legislation.
      • Administration of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
      • Taxation of motor vehicles.
      • Compulsory insurance of motor vehicles.
      • Administration of the Road Transport Corporations Act, 1950.
      • And promotion of Transport co-operatives in the field of motor transport.
      • Evolves road safety standards in the form of a National Policy on Road Safety and by preparing and implementing the Annual Road Safety Plan.
      • Collects, compiles and analyses road accident statistics and takes steps for developing a Road Safety Culture in the country by involving the members of public and organising various awareness campaigns.
      • Provides grants-in-aid to Non-Governmental Organisations in accordance with the laid down guidelines.

 

BHARATMALA PARIYOJANA

• An umbrella Programme that focuses on optimizing efficiency of road traffic movement by bridging critical infrastructure gaps
• It will subsume unfinished parts of NHDP & focus on new initiatives like –
  1. 1. Economic corridors development (routes that have heavy freight traffic)
     2. Inter-corridor (Stretches of roads connecting more than 2 corridors ) & feeder roads (routes connecting to 1 or 2 corridors)
     3. National Corridors (Golden-Quadrilateral & NS-EW corridor) improvements (through lane expansion, construction of ring roads, bypasses/ elevated corridors)
     4. Border & International connectivity roads – to promote trade with Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar
     5. Coastal & port connectivity roads
     6. Green Field Expressways

Execution

• • Through Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH), NHAI, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and State Public Works Department (PWDs).

Objectives

• • Umbrella program for the highways sector that focuses on optimizing efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps.

Salient Features

• • A total of around 24,800 kms are being considered in Phase I of Bharatmala which is to be implemented over a five years period of i.e. 2017-18 to 2021-22.
  • In addition, Bharatmala Pariyojna phase -I also includes 10,000 kms of balance road works under National Highways Development Project (NHDP), taking the total to 34,800 km.
  • Bharatmala Project category –
    • • 1. Economic Corridor
        2. Feeder Route or Inter Corridor
        3. National Corridor Efficiency Improvement
        4. Border Road and International Connectivity
        5. Port Connectivity and Coastal Road
        6. Green Field Expressway
        7. Balance NHDP Works.
  • Improvement in efficiency of existing corridors through development of Multimodal Logistics Parks and elimination of choke point
  • Enhanced focus on improving connectivity in North East and leveraging synergies with Inland Waterways.
  • Special attention to fulfil the connectivity needs of backward and tribal areas, areas of economic activity, places of religious and tourist interest, trade routes with neighbouring countries etc.
  • National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched Logistic Efficiency Enhancement Programme (LEEP) under Bharatmala Pariyojnawhich aimed to enhance the freight transportation in India through improving cost, time, tracking and transferability of consignments through infrastructure, procedural and Information Technology (IT) interventions.
  • National Highways Authority of India has created a National Highways Investment Promotion Cell (NHIPC) for attracting domestic and foreign investment for highways projects.
  • The project will be executed through Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways (MoRTH), NHAI, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and State Public Works Department (PWDs).
  • The cell will focus on engaging with global institution investors, construction companies, developers and fund managers for building investor participation in road infrastructure projects. It will help to raise funds for investment of Rs. 5,35,000/- crores required under ‘Bharatmala Pariyojna’.

 

SETU BHARATAM

Objectives

• • Development of bridges for safe and seamless travel on National Highways
  • Aims to make all National Highways free of railway level crossings

Salient Features

• • Need
    • In order to ensure safe and smooth flow of traffic, and to prevent the frequent accidents and loss of lives at level crossing
    • Railway Over Bridges (ROB)/Railway Under Bridges (RUB) will be built at the level crossings
    • About 1500 old and worn down bridges will also be improved by replacement / widening / strengthening.

 

CHAR DHAM HIGHWAY PROJECT

Objectives

• • To improve connectivity to the Char Dham pilgrimage centres in the Himalayas i.e. Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath

Salient Features

• • All weather road connectivity for pilgrims & defence forces – 900 km highway roads with paved shoulders, provision for landslide mitigation and other road safety measures.

 

LOGISTIC EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAMME (LEEP)

Objectives

• • to enhance freight transportation through improving cost, time, tracking and transferability of consignments through infrastructure, procedural and Information Technology (IT) interventions Initiative to improve India’s road logistics efficiency and to support the ‘Make in India’ through a ‘Move in India’

Salient Features

• • It includes development of Multimodal logistics parks.
  • Functions includes –
    • 1. freight aggregation and distribution
      2. multimodal freight movement
      3. storage and warehousing
      4. Value-added services such as custom clearances.

 

Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification & Maintenance) Policy, 2015

Objectives

• • To promote greening of Highway corridors with participation of the community, farmers, private sector, NGOs, and government institutions.

Salient Features

• • Funding
    1. 1. 1% of the total project cost of all highways projects will be kept aside for the highway plantation and its maintenance. No separate funds are earmarked.
       2. NHAI will act as Fund Manager
  • Monitoring- by Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL)
  • Target – at least one NH corridor in each State would be taken up for model plantation
  • Key Benefits –
    1. 1. Reduced impact of air pollution and dust, arresting soil erosion, reduced glare of oncoming vehicles
       2. reduced accidents, employment generation through community involvement in tree plantation.

 

FASTags

• It is a device that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology for making toll payments directly from the prepaid account linked to it.
• It is affixed on the windscreen of vehicle and enables to drive through toll plazas without waiting Validity of 5 years and after purchase, it only needs to be recharged or topped up.
• Launched by NHAI

Benefits: FASTag

• • Reduce human interventions
  • Avoid long queues – increase the seamless passage of vehicles
  • Reduce use of fuel and pollution due to high waiting-times
  • Helps the government identify the quantum of road use and types of vehicles passing through – better policy interventions

MyFASTag

• • • It is a consumer App that can be downloaded from App Store for both Android and iOS systems.
    • A consumer can purchase or recharge FASTags on this App.
    • The App also helps to keep track of transactions and provides for on line grievance redressal.

FASTag Partner

• • It is a merchant App.
  • Agencies like Common Services Centre, banking partners and vehicle dealers can sell and enrol FASTag through this App.

 

IT INITIATIVES FOR ROAD TRANSPORT

 

BIDDER INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (BIMS)

Objectives

• • To streamline the process of pre-qualification of bidders for Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) mode of contracts for National Highway works, with enhanced transparency and objectivity.

Salient Features

• • The portal will be operated in conjunction with the Central Public Procurement Portal (CPPP) portal for invitation of bids for civil works for EPC mode.
  • Functionality
    1. 1. The portal will work as a data base of information about bidders, covering basic details, civil works experience, cash accruals and network, annual turnover etc.
       2. The pre-qualification of bidders can be assessed from data already stored in the portal, so that Technical evaluation can be carried out much faster.
  • Key Benefits
    1. 1. BIMS is estimated to significantly reduce the procurement time for projects through an objective & transparent online evaluation system, thus, leading to accelerated project implementation.

 

BHOOMI RASHI

Objectives

• • To expedite the process of publication of notifications for land acquisition.

Portal developed by – MoRTH and NIC (National Informatics Centre)

Salient Features

• • Functionality
    1. 1. The entire process flow, from submission of draft notification by the State Govt. to its approval by the Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and publication in e-Gazette, is online.
       2. It comprises the entire revenue data of the country.
  • Significance of Integration of Bhoomi Rashi with PFMS
    1. 1. The payment of compensation for land acquisition by the Ministry to the beneficiaries will be directly through the Bhoomi Rashi system, just-in-time, and without any parking of funds.

 

OTHER INITIATIVES BY MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

 

 

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