In keeping with the government’s plan to front-load capital expenditure during the financial year, the ministry of road transport and highways has spent over 22% of its FY24 budget outlay for road building and allied activities in the first two months of the year. “Of the total gross budgetary support of Rs 2.58 trillion for capital spending the ministry has already spent Rs 59,078 crore till the end of May,” the ministry said.

With the brisk start to spending plans, the ministry is now targeting to use 91% of its allocation for the year by December-end. In recent years, in revised estimates the ministry has seen increase in allocations. Last year the allocation for capital expenditure was revised upwards to Rs 2.06 trillion in the revised estimate from Rs 1.87 trillion (budget estimate).

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The targeted pace of spending this financial year is higher than last year when only 87% of the allocation of Rs 2.06 trillion capital expenditure allocation in revised estimate could be used till the end of January. In the remaining two months of February and March, the spending by the ministry picked up and it managed to touch Rs 2.05 trillion.

In the last five financial years, the spending by the ministry has fallen short of the allocation in the revised estimates, which have always been higher than the budget estimates. However, the utilisation rates have been over 90%.

During April-May, various highway building arms of the ministry have constructed 1,465 km of highways as compared to 1,307 km in the same period last year. Contracts were awarded for 382 km of highways in the first two months of the financial year compared to 496 km in the same period last year.

In this financial year, the ministry is targeting 12,500 km of national highways as against 10993 km of highways constructed during the last financial year. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) itself is targeting building 5,060 km of national highways in this financial year as against 4,882 km in FY 23. The NHAI also plans to award 6036 km of highway stretches this financial year as against last year’s 6,003 km.

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The highway-building programme of the ministry is carried out by the NHAI and National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDL). The NHIDL is charged with construction and upgradation in parts of the country which share international boundaries with neighbouring countries.