The Bharatmala project of the Government of India comes under which of the following Ministries of India?

The correct answer is Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Key Points

• The Bharatmala Pariyojana is a centrally-sponsored and funded road and highways project of the Government of India.
• It aims to optimize the efficiency of freight and passenger movement across the country by bridging critical infrastructure gaps.
• This project was launched by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• The initiative focuses on improving connectivity in border and other areas, which have not been covered by the Golden Quadrilateral and North-South and East-West Corridors.

Additional Information

• Golden Quadrilateral
  • It is a national highway network connecting many of the major industrial, agricultural, and cultural centres of India.
  • It forms a quadrilateral by connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.
  • The total length of the quadrilateral is about 5,846 km.
• North-South and East-West Corridors
  • These corridors are part of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP).
  • The North-South Corridor connects Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the south.
  • The East-West Corridor connects Silchar in the east to Porbandar in the west.
• Setu Bharatam
  • Setu Bharatam is an ambitious program to make all national highways free of railway level crossings by 2019 to ensure safe and smooth travel.
  • Under this project, 208 rail over and under bridges are to be constructed at a cost of ₹20,800 crore.
• Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)
  • Launched in 2000, PMGSY aims to provide good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages.
  • The primary objective is to connect rural areas to the main road network to promote economic development and poverty reduction.