Govt constructing 10,000 km greenfield expressway projects at Rs 6 lakh cr investment: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gakdari on Thursday said that the government is constructing 25 greenfield expressways, totalling 10,000 km across the country, at a cost of Rs 6 lakh crore.

The construction of expressways and economic corridors has helped reduce the country's logistics costs to 10 per cent, from 16 per cent earlier.

India's logistics cost is expected to come down to 9 per cent by December, which will help India become more competitive, he said while addressing an event here.

He said the highways ministry will get Rs 15 lakh crore if it monetises its road projects.

Around 75-80 per cent of the work on the strategic Zojila Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between the Ladakh region and the rest of the country, has been completed

He noted that India's dependence on fossil fuels is an economic burden, as Rs 22 lakh crore is spent annually on fuel imports and is an environmental hazard, making the adoption of clean energy crucial for the country's progress.

The minister said there is a need to focus on agriculture to boost India's GDP growth.

Gadkari pointed out that farmers have earned an additional Rs 45,000 crore by producing ethanol from corn.

Gadkari also informed that so far 80 lakh tons of solid waste have been used for road construction by NHAI. "Delhi has four garbage mountains; it does not look good. We have segregated 80 lakh tons of waste and used it in road construction," he added.