Interim Budget 2019: India is world's fastest highway developer, says FM

Business Standard Interim Budget 2019: India is world's fastest highway developer, says FM

Interim Budget 2019: India is the fastest highway developer in the world with 27 km of highways being built every day, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said Friday highlighting the importance of infrastructure sector in the nation's development.

Presenting the Interim Budget for 2019-20 in Lok Sabha, Goyal said there are now 100 functional airports in India with the latest addition of the airport in Sikkim.

Asserting that rapid infrastructure growth has ushered in transformative changes, Goyal said, "India is the fastest highway developer in the whole world" with 27 km of highways being built every day.

Crediting the government for rolling out stuck projects like Eastern Peripheral Expressway to decongest Delhi and Bogibeel Bridge in Assam, Goyal said India also witnessed container movement on waterways.

Mentioning the government's ambitious Sagarmala project for port-led development, Goyal said for the first time container cargo was moved on Kolkata to Varanasi stretch and now work is on for container cargo movement to the North East.

He said Sagarmala can usher in a blue economy and waterways will be developed.

Goyal in his budget speech also said that for a 10-trillion dollar economy which India aspires to become, physical and social infrastructure will be developed.