NHAI to earn ₹1.34 lakh crore as toll revenue annually by 2025: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) financial status is in a good shape, and the country's toll revenue, which is ₹34,000 crore per year, will touch ₹1.34 lakh crore a year by 2025.

"Now, the great challenge for me is how we are going to monetise the project and how we are going to raise the funds. This is important that we are adopting different types of solutions for that," Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.

While speaking at an event 'Leadership Summit 2021' and 14th ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) Awards, Gadkari called chartered accountants are the "growth engine of our economy".

"Presently, the economics of NHAI is really in a good shape. Our present toll income is ₹34,000 crore per year... and...up to 2025, we will have an income of ₹1.34 lakh crore," he said.

The Indian economy is the fastest growing economy in the world and now, the country needs to adopt different types of innovation in financing, Gadkari noted.

"Our total system is digitised and I am sure that we need foreign investment for the development of our country," he said.

There is a need to develop different types of initiatives to make policy through which we can receive more foreign direct investment in the country, he added.

Gadkari also said socioeconomic transformation and eradication of poverty are big challenges, but with innovative financing models, new technology and research skills, conversion of knowledge into wealth is possible.