Gadkari outlines plans to expand FASTag beyond toll collection, ET Infra
Engagement with fintech sector
By ,
ETInfra
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that the FASTag system has the potential to support digital travel services across India. He said the government intends to develop FASTag into a broader platform to improve user convenience, streamline transport services, and increase efficiency in the sector.Gadkari was speaking at a workshop with fintech companies organised in New Delhi by the Indian Highways and Management Company Limited (IHMCL), which is promoted by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).The event aimed to gather input from fintech firms on matters such as regulatory compliance data security , and potential non-toll applications for FASTag. The workshop is part of efforts to shape the next stage of the system's development.V Umashankar, Secretary at the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said that India's fintech sector has introduced a number of innovations. He noted that FASTag has changed the process of electronic toll collection in the country.Santosh Kumar Yadav, Chairman of NHAI, said the suggestions from the workshop would support future developments and help expand the use of the FASTag system beyond toll payments.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
4 hours ago
- Business Standard
NH construction in Himachal on track; state govt failed to use funds: Nadda
The construction of three out of four National Highways is in an advanced stage in Himachal Pradesh and major works would be completed in the next two years, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in Bilaspur on Saturday. About 2,593 km long, four National Highways are being constructed in the state at an estimated cost of about Rs 38,000 crore. Addressing reporters, Nadda also lashed out at the state government for not utilising the funds allocated by the Union government. "The construction of three NHs is in an advanced stage and major works would be completed in 2026 and 2027 while the project for which Detailed Project Report (DPR) is under preparation would be completed in 2028", he said. Barring the Shimla-Mator National Highway for which preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) is underway and completion is slated for 2028, the Parwanoo-Shimla, Kiratpur-Manali and Pathankot-Mandi National Highways would be completed in 2026 and 2027, he added. Nadda raised the issue of the state government treating the construction of roads at par with industries, mandating no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Pollution Control Board every year which delays the work and argued that setting of crushers and burning of charcoal for metalling is temporary and stops after the works are completed. "Union Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari has already discussed the issue with the state government and I will also take up the matter with chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu", Nadda said and also cautioned that if the 'dredging' of River Beas, which is responsibility of the state government was not done, the Highways constructed by the NHAI would suffer huge damage. When asked about the complaints by the people whose properties have been affected during construction by NHAI, Nadda said that these would be disposed of on a case-by-case basis, adding that the government was sensitive and receptive about these issues. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday said that large companies were often awarded contracts based solely on their machinery, but they lack understanding of the fragile hill terrain of the state. As a result, they conduct hill-cutting as per their convenience, which causes damage. He advised NHAI to consider awarding such contracts to local contractors familiar with the region. The statement came after a five-storey building and a retaining wall near Kaithlighat-Dhalli four lane in the suburbs of Shimla collapsed in the ongoing week and residents cited negligence of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) as the main reason behind the damage. Nadda said that an atmosphere is being created by the state government that the Centre was not helping the state government but in fact the state government has failed to fully utilised the central funds and pointed out that under PM Health Infra-structure mission only 21 per cent has been spent while only 24 per cent of the funds allocated by the 15the Finance Commission for health have been utilised. Nadda also referred to the projects worth crores announced by Union minister Kiran Rijiju for tribal and remote areas and said that he got the Rs 1,000 crore JICA project sanctioned from Economic Affairs ministry under which the contribution of the state government would be only Rs 149 crore and the remaining cost would be borne by the Centre. He said that the Union government stood firmly with Himachal during the natural calamities in 2023 and released Rs 1,700 crore while Rs 1,000 crore have been announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah for losses suffered during the ongoing monsoon fury.
Mint
5 hours ago
- Mint
Good news for motorists! Govt announces up to 50 per cent cut in toll rates on national highways with bridges, tunnels
In a major relief for commercial vehicle owners, the central government has announced to slash the toll rates up to 50 per cent for the sections of National Highways with structures like tunnels, bridges, flyovers or elevated stretches. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to revise NH Fee rules 2008 and issued a notification informing about new formula to be used to calculate toll charges. The July 2 notification reads, 'The rate of fee for use of a section of national highway comprising of structure or structures shall be calculated by adding ten times the length of structure or structures to the length of the section of national highway excluding the length of structure or structures, or five times the total length of section of national highway, whichever is lesser.' 'Structure' defines an individual bridge, tunnel or flyover or elevated highway. If a section of a national highway spans 40 kilometers and consists entirely of structures, the minimum length for user fee calculation is determined as follows: either 10 times the length of the structure, which is 10 × 40 = 400 kilometers, or 5 times the total length of the highway section, which is 5 × 40 = 200 kilometers. "User fee shall be calculated on the lesser length i.e. for 200 kilometers" than 400 kilometers. The user rate applies to only 50 percent of the calculated road length in this case. According to existing rules, users are charged ten times the regular toll rate for each kilometre of structure on national highways. A senior official from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) mentioned that this toll calculation method is intended to compensate for the significantly higher construction costs involved in building such infrastructure.
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Mohali: Greenfield project opens Sept 1, to help ease Airport Road snarls
Come September 1 and the snarls on Airport Road may ease a bit, as the Greenfield Project, which will serve as an alternative route for Delhi traffic heading towards Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, will be thrown open to the public. In 2021, the project had been put on hold for nearly eight months as landowners were protesting against the rates being offered for their land. (HT Photo) A National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) official said that 93% of the work is complete and the rest will be done by the last week of August. 'Though our deadline was June, we will be able to open the road to the public by September 1,' the official said. The 31-kilometre road, being constructed under the Centre's Bharatmala Pariyojana, runs from IT Chowk (PR-7) near Chandigarh International Airport to Kurali-Chandigarh road. The NHAI had come up with this ₹1,400 crore project after scrapping the 40-km Kharar-Banur-Tepla road project in July 2019, owing to its high cost. A Maharashtra-based company was allotted the work in October 2022. In 2021, the project had been put on hold for nearly eight months as landowners were protesting against the rates being offered for their land. The NHAI had then approved a four-fold increase in the compensation amount for landowners. While it was earlier paying between ₹24 lakh and ₹4.18 crore per acre, depending on the location, landowners have now been paid between ₹1 crore and ₹1.09 crore per acre.
