Union Budget 2024: FM Sitharaman Allocates Rs 26,000 Crore for Road Projects

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a significant boost for road connectivity projects with a Rs 26,000 crore allocation. The projects include the Patna-Purnea expressway, the Buxar-Bhagalpur highway, the Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbhanga route, and an additional two-lane bridge over the river Ganga in Buxar.

Sitharaman said, “On the Amritsar-Kolkata industrial corridor, we will support the development of an industrial node at Gaya in Bihar. This will help develop the eastern region. We will also support road connectivity projects, including the Patna-Purnea expressway, the Buxar-Bhagalpur highway, the Bodhgaya-Rajgir-Vaishali-Darbhanga route, and a new two-lane bridge over the river Ganga in Buxar, with Rs 26,000 crore.”

This shows that the Modi government remains focused on boosting India’s economy through infrastructure growth.

In the Interim Budget in February, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman allocated Rs 2,78,000 crore for roads, transport, and highways.

According to an ET report from February, the government plans to bid out 54 road projects worth over Rs 2.2 lakh crore, covering 5,200 km, on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The focus will be on new projects in BOT and public-private partnership (PPP) modes, engaging the private sector and attracting investment to reduce overall logistics costs.