PM Modi Inaugurates Rs.11,000-crore National Highway Projects in Delhi; Rural Road Gaps Remain a Concern

PM Modi Inaugurates Rs.11,000-crore National Highway Projects in Delhi; Rural Road Gaps Remain a Concern

CNB World Times

New Delhi, 18^th August 2025: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated two major national highway projects in the national capital-the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway and the Urban Extension Road-II(UER-II). The projects worth Rs.11,000 crore are aimed at decongesting traffic and improving connectivity in and around Delhi.

Ahead of the inauguration the Prime Minister held a vibrant road show, greeted by enthusiastic crowds along the route. Supporters waved flags and raised “Modi-Modi” slogans as the Prime Minister acknowledged their cheers with folded hands.

According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH), India’s national Highway network has expanded by 60% in the last decade, growing from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,195 km in 2024. The length of high-speed corridors also surged from 93km to 2,474 km during this period, with 44 Expressways currently operating across different states.

Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the need to transform New Delhi into a ‘Vikas Model’ (Development model), reflecting the aspirations of a nation striving to become ‘Viksit Bharat’(Developed India).

However, the event also reignites a larger debate on the contrast between urban and rural infrastructure. While expressways and urban highways symbolize progress, 80% of Indi’s population lives in villages, many of which still lack basic road connectivity. In several rural areas, poor road conditions force people-sometimes even pregnant women – to be carried over long distances of 5 to 10 kilometers to reach the nearest hospital, as ambulances often cannot access these regions.

Despite government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana(PMGSY), which aims to provide all-weather road connectivity to remote habitations, many villages continue to struggle with broken or inaccessible roads.

Development in metros and capital cities, experts argue, cannot be considered complete until rural India too shares the benefits of infrastructure growth. True progress, they say, will be visible only when villages gain better access to hospitals, schools, and essential services alongside the rapid growth of expressways.