“In the government system, when something new is experimented with and fails, senior officers order action against those who initiated the experiments. But my suggestion is that new experiments need to be done for new jobs. When we experiment, we may or may not get success. If the mistakes are bonafide, forgive them. If the mistakes are malafide, then take action against them,” said Gadkari.

If new initiatives are not encouraged or supported, he asked, “How will change come? How will you accept the best practices adopted globally?”

“To take India forward, we want to implement new practices and successful experiments,” he said.

Hailing the IRC as the knowledge platform that prepares the codes, standards, guidelines and design practices for road engineering for the past nine decades, Gadkari asked the engineers and researchers to vet these with the international standards.

For qualitative transformation in road engineering, Gadkari stressed the need for constant research and expeditious decision-making in a transparent manner.

Gadkari said that along with transparency, quality commitment and fast-track decision making, necessary changes in the administrative system are also needed to push infrastructure growth.

To ensure safer and more efficient mobility, Gadkari underlined the government’s commitment to road safety, focusing on advanced engineering standards, intelligent transport systems and awareness initiatives.

On the country’s eco-friendly infrastructure goals, Gadkari noted that the use of bio-bitumen and recycled plastic waste in highway construction has helped in enhancing durability, sustainability and cost-efficiency.

He also highlighted India’s transitioning from a fuel-importing to a fuel-exporting country, driven by the production of ethanol, methanol, bio-LNG, green hydrogen, and CNG.