Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 22: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sanctioned more than 1,200 development and upgradation projects on National Highways across the country in the last four years, with Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu emerging as the top states to secure the highest number of approvals.

As per official data, a total of 1,229 projects were cleared between 2021-22 and 2024-25, spanning several thousand kilometres and involving lakhs of crores in expenditure.
Maharashtra led the tally with 257 projects, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 120 and Tamil Nadu with 106 clearances during the period.

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply, stated that highway development and maintenance was a “continuous process” undertaken on the basis of traffic density, connectivity needs, road condition and their integration under the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan.

A year-wise breakup showed a steady stream of approvals — 606 projects in 2021-22, 650 in 2022-23, 390 in 2023-24, and 368 in 2024-25. While larger states consistently received approvals each year, some Northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram were cleared only in select years.

Interestingly, financial outlay showed wide variation. Kerala, despite having only 26 projects cleared, saw a sanctioned cost exceeding Rs 33,000 crore due to high land acquisition and construction expenses. Haryana, on the other hand, received 32 project approvals amounting to around Rs 23,000 crore.

Details of pending or rejected proposals were not mentioned in the reply, with the ministry clarifying that projects were examined based on priority and financial viability before final clearance.