New Delhi: According to the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the government on Friday has planned a new road alignment plan for the Delhi-Mumbai expressway that provides a connection with the most backward areas in five states and also helps in saving Rs. 16,000 crore in land acquisition.

“We are planning a new alignment for Delhi-Mumbai express highway from Gurgaon to Jaipur ring road to Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan) to Ratlam (MP) to Vadodara. It is from backward areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. That is the reason our land acquisition cost is reduced from Rs. 7 crore to Rs. 80 lakh per hectare. We saved Rs. 16,000 crore in land acquisition in this project,” Mr. Gadkari said talking via video conference at a meet on “Public Affairs: The New Paradigm”.

As per the earlier plan, the Delhi-Mumbai expressway included Surat and Ahmedabad districts. The fresh alignment plan of the 12-lane express highway will bolster the economic development of all these backward areas and also will help reduce the distance by up to 120 km.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari were speaking at the 5^th National Forum which was being hosted by the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), an organization that provides a platform for public affairs professionals in the country. The minister said that “politics is an instrument of social economic reform”.

According to him, the government has given the highest priority to rural development to contain the growing migration from the rural areas to the cities which is posing a great concern. As of now, the rural population has come down from its earlier 85 percent to 55 percent since Independence.

“Rural development is crucial to the well-being of the overall Indian economy and the government of India’s priority is the upliftment of rural infrastructure, and providing quality education, clean drinking water, and employment opportunities. Agriculture faces water challenges and we are working towards harnessing our resources by building dams and different kinds of innovative models for effective water conservation,” he said.

Mr. Gadkari also holds the portfolio as the Minister of Shipping and of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation.

The minister wanted greater private participation for the work of upcoming waterway between Varanasi and Haldia, resulting in an economical alternative for the exports to neighboring countries in the east.

He further said that the aviation fuel’s import cost can be resolved through the use of indigenously produced bio-fuel for the aviation industry.

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