Central government stalls conversion of 53,000 km of state roads into national highways.

The central government has put on hold all new announcements as well as in-principle approvals already given to numerous state roads to be declared as national highways until a high-level interministerial panel approves a new set of comprehensive guidelines. The new norms will factor in various criteria, including the number of vehicles plying on the road per day before it is declared a national highway. Since 2014, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has approved about 72,000 km of state roads to be declared as national highways. Of these, 19,000 km have been notified, while the other 53,000 km of roads have been accorded in-principle approval.