Guwahati: India's national highways will meet US standards by 2024, said Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways. Speaking at the "National Highways Excellence Awards (NHEA) 2021" ceremony hosted by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) at Vigyan Bhavan, Gadkari stated that the Ministry is committed to providing people with high-quality highways.

"I am confident that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appreciated the accomplishments made in the highway infrastructure sector in recent years and expressed hope that India will reach new heights in the future."

The Lok Sabha Speaker stated that the awards will motivate and inspire the engineers and workers involved in highway construction. He discussed the Ministry's efforts to introduce new technologies and resolve stalled projects.

"The Ministry has done a lot of good work in toll management, highway and tunnel construction, and green highway infrastructure." Nitin Gadkari has resurrected numerous stalled projects. The ministry has been guided by a vision. "We will set even more records in road connectivity in the coming days," he predicted.

Giridhar Aramane, Secretary of Road Transport and Highways, explained the Ministry's efforts to implement new technologies in order to improve highway quality. He also encouraged developers to use new and innovative technologies and designs.

He urged engineers to use cutting-edge techniques to ensure excellence in highway construction.

A total of 122 nominations were received, with 89 of them being found to be valid. A total of 58 nominations were shortlisted. For Field Assessment, 37 nominations were chosen. Finally, a Jury comprised of former Secretary Government of India K.C. Mishra, former DG Roads & Special Secretary Shri A.V. Sinha, and Vice President Corporate Affairs, Ola Electric Mobility Pvt Ltd Shri B.C. Datta, headed by CEO Niti Aayog Shri Amitabh Kant, selected 13 nominations for the awards.