Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The government on Sunday announced allocation of Rs 3.09 lakh crore for the road transport and highways ministry for 2026-27, about 8 per cent higher from the outlay of Rs 2.87 lakh crore for the current financial year.
Presenting the Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also proposed increasing the allocation to state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to Rs 1.87 lakh crore from last year's Rs 1.70 lakh crore.
According to a senior government official, NHAI is planning to reduce its debt to below Rs 2 lakh crore in the current financial year ending March.
NHAI's debt liability had peaked at Rs 3.5 lakh crore in 2021-22. As of December 31, 2025, the debt stands at Rs 2.35 lakh crore.