Maarg Manthan · Topic 11.2

Bharatmala Pariyojana (Roads)

Current Affairs & Government Schemes › Infrastructure and Connectivity Schemes · Topic 11.2

Bharatmala Pariyojana is the Government of India umbrella programme for highways, approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 October 2017 and run by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Its first phase targets about 34,800 km of national highways with an outlay of about Rs 5.35 lakh crore, focused on filling critical gaps through economic corridors, feeder routes, border and coastal roads and expressways. The programme was announced in the Budget of 2015 to optimise freight and passenger movement on a corridor basis instead of a project by project basis. The National Highways Authority of India and NHIDCL carry out most works.

6 min read · UPSC Prelims · Current Affairs & Government Schemes · Infrastructure and Connectivity Schemes

At a Glance

Approved 24 October 2017
Ministry Road Transport and Highways
Phase I length About 34,800 km
Phase I outlay About Rs 5.35 lakh crore
Agencies NHAI, NHIDCL, State PWDs
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Current Affairs and Government Schemes: Infrastructure and Connectivity Schemes

Where Does It Fit?

This topic sits next to ports and railways in the macro on infrastructure and connectivity. Roads carry most of India’s freight and passengers, so the corridors planned here feed ports, industrial nodes and rail terminals covered in the other topics. Previous topic: PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan. Next topic: sagarmala-programme-ports/" class="maargx-auto-link" data-preview="At a Glance Approved 25 March 2015 Ministry Ports, Shipping and Waterways Pillars Four Funding vehicle Sagarmala Development Company Limited Plan period…">Sagarmala Programme (Ports).

What Are the Components of Bharatmala Phase I?

Component	Approximate length
Economic corridors development	About 9,000 km of corridors that carry a large share of freight traffic
Inter-corridor and feeder routes	About 6,000 km that link corridors with each other and with districts
National Corridors Efficiency improvement	About 5,000 km of work such as lane widening, bypasses and removing choke points
Border and international connectivity roads	About 2,000 km along borders and to neighbouring countries
Coastal and port connectivity roads	About 2,000 km for first and last mile links to ports
Greenfield expressways	About 800 km of access controlled expressways
Balance National Highways Development Project	About 10,000 km of pending work carried over from the earlier programme

How Is Bharatmala Funded and Implemented?

Ministry and agencies: the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways leads. The National Highways Authority of India builds most projects, NHIDCL handles the North East and border areas, and State public works departments build some stretches
Budgetary support: a large part comes from the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund, which is funded by the cess on petrol and diesel
Market borrowings: NHAI raises money through bonds and loans against future toll and annuity income
Private capital: projects are given out under build operate transfer, toll operate transfer and the hybrid annuity model
Hybrid annuity model: the government pays 40 percent of the project cost in construction years, and the rest is paid as annuities, so the traffic risk stays with the government
Toll operate transfer and InvITs: finished roads are monetised to raise money for new ones, as in NITI Aayog NMP 1.0 target Rs 6 lakh crore, FY 2022 to FY…">National Monetisation Pipeline
Planning tools: projects are checked on the Gati Shakti platform, as in PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
Corridor approach: a study of freight flows in 2015 to 2016 picked corridors and identified about 44 economic corridors to be developed in stages

What Else Should You Remember?

Announcement: the idea was announced in the Budget speech of 2015 and the Cabinet approved Phase I in October 2017
Total vision: the first phase was meant to be the first of several phases. A total of about 83,677 km of highway development was envisaged under the full programme in official statements
Time frame: Phase I was planned to run to 2021 to 2022, but the completion dates have been moved several times, so recent status should be read as ongoing
Economic corridor logic: corridors were chosen by studying traffic and freight flows, with inter-corridor routes added to link them
Expressway examples: the Delhi Mumbai Expressway and the Dwarka Expressway are linked in official material with the programme
Border roads: roads near the border with China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar get priority for security and trade
Coastal roads: port connectivity roads link major and non-major ports and support Sagarmala, as in Sagarmala Programme (Ports)
Logistics parks: multimodal logistics parks are planned at nodes such as Jogighopa in Assam as part of the programme
Audit concerns: a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General in 2023 pointed to approvals of cost per kilometre that went beyond approved norms and to weak project appraisal on some stretches
Debt concern: the borrowing by NHAI for projects has grown, and critics say that annuity and bond payments will be a large liability in later years
Current status: reports say the programme is being reworked, with projects moved into other schemes. Treat the exact current status as reported and check official updates
Bharatmala and PMGSY: Bharatmala is for national highways, while rural roads are covered by a separate scheme, as in Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

Number based: the length of each component and the total Phase I length
Agency based: which body handles border roads and the North East
Funding model: hybrid annuity model, toll operate transfer and the role of the cess fund
Link questions: how Bharatmala connects with Sagarmala, UDAN and Gati Shakti
Common errors: confusing Bharatmala with the National Highways Development Project, or with PMGSY

As an analytical point, a corridor approach is better than building roads in isolation because it ties road capacity to freight demand. The risk lies in costs and borrowing. Roads that do not earn enough toll leave a financial burden, so project selection and traffic forecasts need to be sound.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Numbers Km targets by component
Funding Hybrid annuity and monetisation
Issues Cost and debt concerns

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the port-led development programme that links to these highway corridors. Next topic: Sagarmala Programme (Ports).

Key People and Terms

Bharatmala Garland of roads
Economic corridor High freight highway route
Feeder route Road that feeds a corridor
Hybrid annuity model Part payment during building, rest as annuity
NHIDCL National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation
Toll operate transfer Lease of a built road for toll collection

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Approved on 24 October 2017.
Phase I: about 34,800 km, about Rs 5.35 lakh crore.
Economic corridors: about 9,000 km.
Funding model: hybrid annuity, TOT and cess fund.
Ministry: Road Transport and Highways.

Do Not Confuse With

Bharatmala and NHDP A newer corridor based programme versus the older national highway programme of 1998 to 2000
Bharatmala and PMGSY National highways versus rural roads
Hybrid annuity and BOT toll Government bears traffic risk versus the concessionaire bears it

Memory Hook

Nine thousand for corridors, six for feeders, five for efficiency, two plus two for borders and coasts.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the gains of better roads and the problems of cost and debt. These points give a balanced frame.

Benefits Lower freight cost, regional growth, border access
Issues Cost per km, delays, land and debt
Way forward Better appraisal, monetisation, safety

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Evaluate the Bharatmala Pariyojana as a strategy for highway development in India, with reference to its achievements and challenges.”

How to Answer

Aim Corridor based highways.
Gains Freight and connectivity.
Issues Cost, delay, debt.
Way Sound appraisal and monetisation.

GS Relevance

Prelims: components, kilometre targets, agencies, funding models. GS Paper 3: infrastructure, roads, investment models, project delays and cost overruns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Bharatmala Pariyojana?

Bharatmala Pariyojana is a highway development programme of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 October 2017. Phase I aims to build or improve about 34,800 km of national highways through economic corridors, feeder routes, border and coastal roads and expressways.

What is the outlay of Bharatmala Phase I?

Phase I was approved with an outlay of about Rs 5.35 lakh crore for about 34,800 km of highways, including about 10,000 km of work carried over from the earlier National Highways Development Project. The money comes from the cess fund, borrowings by NHAI and private investment.

Which agencies implement Bharatmala?

The National Highways Authority of India implements most projects. NHIDCL, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, handles the North East and border areas, and State public works departments and the Border Roads Organisation take up some stretches under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

What is the hybrid annuity model?

Under the hybrid annuity model the government pays about 40 percent of the project cost during construction and the balance as annuity payments over many years, with interest. The traffic and toll risk stays with the government, which makes the model attractive to private builders when traffic is uncertain.

What criticism has Bharatmala faced?

Critics point to rising cost per kilometre, repeated delays, heavy borrowing by NHAI and weak appraisal on some projects. A Comptroller and Auditor General report in 2023 raised such concerns. The programme is also reported to be under review, so its present status should be checked.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Bharatmala Pariyojana was approved by the Cabinet in 2017.

True

The approval came on 24 October 2017.

2 The programme is run by the Ministry of Shipping.

False

It is run by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

3 Under the hybrid annuity model the government pays part of the cost during construction.