PIB TrackerAt the BRICS Transport Ministers' meet, Gadkari pitches sustainable, future-ready mobility
Opening the 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers' Meeting in Nagpur under India's BRICS chairship, Nitin Gadkari called for cleaner, safer, smarter transport across the grouping — showcasing India's world's-second-largest road network, greenfield expressways and the Hybrid Annuity Model for private infrastructure investment.
What happened
- Nitin Gadkari opened the 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers' Meeting in Nagpur under India's 2026 BRICS chairship.
- He called for sustainable, resilient, inclusive and future-ready transport, noting BRICS represents nearly half the world's population.
- He highlighted India's world's second-largest road network and expanding access-controlled expressways and multimodal connectivity.
- He cited the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, Sonamarg Tunnel and 10,000+ km of greenfield expressways as sustainability-plus-innovation examples.
- He flagged the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) as a successful framework for private investment in infrastructure.
For Prelims
- BRICS: An intergovernmental grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, plus recent additions) representing a large share of world population and GDP; India chairs it in 2026.
- Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM): A highway PPP mode where the government funds ~40% during construction and pays the rest as annuities, sharing risk to attract private investment.
- Greenfield expressway: A new-alignment access-controlled highway (vs. brownfield upgrades) — e.g. under Bharatmala and PM GatiShakti.
- India's road network: The world's second-largest (after the US); National Highways carry the bulk of freight and passenger traffic.
- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: 'The world is one family' — the civilisational idea framing India's BRICS and G20 outreach.
- Multimodal connectivity: Integrating road, rail, ports and airports (via PM GatiShakti) to cut logistics costs.
For UPSC: Read this as infrastructure diplomacy and sustainable mobility — India using its BRICS chair to shape cleaner, smarter transport, and showcasing PPP finance (HAM), expressways and multimodal connectivity. Anchor BRICS (India's 2026 chair), the HAM model, Bharatmala/GatiShakti, and the logistics-cost and decarbonisation agenda.
What it is NOT: This is a ministerial address at a BRICS sectoral meeting (transport cooperation), not a binding agreement or a new scheme. The claims (second-largest network, 10,000+ km expressways) are India's stated record; HAM is an existing PPP model, not a new announcement.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.9 · GS2.18 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Sustainable, future-ready mobility through cooperation — leveraging a plurilateral grouping and PPP finance to build cleaner, smarter transport.
Substantiation (data)
Gadkari opens the 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers' Meeting (Nagpur, India's 2026 chair): world's second-largest road network; 10,000+ km greenfield expressways; Delhi-Dehradun Corridor, Sonamarg Tunnel; Hybrid Annuity Model for private investment.
Exemplification
HAM-financed expressways, multimodal connectivity (GatiShakti) and access-controlled corridors as models of sustainable, investment-backed infrastructure.
Problematisation
Financing gaps, land acquisition, road safety and the carbon footprint of transport growth must be balanced against expansion.
Way-forward
Scale PPP finance, green and multimodal transport, and BRICS/South-South cooperation on standards, technology and connectivity.
Position
India's stance: 'Humanity First' cooperation to build sustainable, resilient and inclusive global mobility.
Deploys into: Infrastructure — roads and transport (GS3.9 — expressways, HAM, multimodal connectivity) · bilateral and plurilateral groupings involving India (GS2.18 — BRICS, India's 2026 chair) · PPP finance, Bharatmala/GatiShakti and sustainable mobility.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways · 2026-07-11 · PRID 2283599 · PIB source ↗