Dr C.P Joshi Addresses 11th Auto Expo Inaugural Ceremony

NEW DELHI (PIB) --- The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Dr C P Joshi has said that the automotive sector is closely linked to the progress of the road network of a country. Roads and highways not only connect different production and consumption regions but also open up new markets by accessing new consumers. In a country as large as India, roads and highways are the arterial lifelines of economic growth. As the road network expands, opportunities for the automotive sector too rise concomitantly across the domains of passenger vehicles of all sizes, commercial vehicles, and auto parts. Addressing at the “11th Auto Expo Inaugural Ceremony” held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi yesterday, he has said that in the road transport sector, several initiatives have been taken by the Ministry for addressing delay and harassment in administrative procedures. The work of computerization of Road Transport Offices is almost complete, facilitating availability of complete database of information. The scheme for centralized database of driving licenses called Sarathi was introduced in July last year. Vahan, for vehicle registration, was also implemented simultaneously. Very soon these portals will facilitate online payment of taxes, fees and transport charges.

Applauding the role of Automotive industry, Dr. Joshi has said that the automotive industry will play a very vital role in the economy and generation of employment over the years to come. Platforms like Auto Expo are the place to see first-hand the opportunities that development of the industry is creating in India. Today, India is appreciated not only as one of the fastest-growing automotive markets in the world, but also a production hub for high quality vehicles and components that meet the needs of consumers across all income classes. One of the critical issues facing the auto- component industry today is the quality of auto- components sold in the aftermarket and the serious issue of spurious parts that afflicts the aftermarket in general. While the government on its part is looking at ways to ensure minimum quality and technical standards on spare parts sold in the aftermarket, I am extremely pleased to learn that a consumer education and public awareness campaign- “Asli Naqli”, is an integral part of Auto Expo.

He has announced that the Golden Quadrilateral is now complete and four-fifths of the North South East West Corridor is 4-laned while the rest is under implementation. Phases III, IV and V of the National Highway Development Program have already made excellent progress in four-laning and much work has been completed or is being implemented, while work on Phase VI has been initiated. Besides, the rural roads programs under Bharat Nirman and the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana are reaching down to the smallest villages, opening up markets in the remote areas. Similarly, initiatives for connecting north east states and border areas are also progressing.

Referring to the objectives of his ministry, the Minister has said that the ministry is to enable expansion of the road system and facilitate road transport so that each citizen is connected to the larger economic growth process of the country. India currently has 3.34 million kms of road network, the world’s 2nd largest road system. About 60 per cent of freight and 87 per cent of passenger traffic passes on roads. Although National Highways constitute only about 1.7 per cent of the road network, they carry 40 per cent of the total road traffic.