4 days ago
FASTag expansion could deliver ₹25,000 crore annually: Gadkari
FASTag lets vehicles pay highway tolls electronically instead of stopping to pay manually.
Nitin Gadkari said using FASTag everywhere could bring much more money to the government.
He said toll collections have already increased since FASTag was introduced.
New barrier-free toll systems could increase collections further.
They could also make toll booths cheaper to operate.
Drivers may spend less time waiting in traffic.
The government estimates that lower waiting times have saved fuel worth more than ₹5,250 crore each year.
Gadkari also asked technology companies to help detect overloaded trucks and said the freight sector needs more transparency.
Nitin Gadkari said full FASTag implementation could benefit the Government of India by ₹20,000–25,000 crore annually.
Toll-booth income has risen by about ₹7,000 crore, reaching more than ₹82,000 crore, since FASTag adoption increased.
Barrier-free tolling is expected to add another ₹7,000–8,000 crore and reduce toll-booth operating costs to 2–3% from 12%.
The minister said more than 70% of booths would become barrier-free by December, with full implementation targeted for March; the article also separately mentions March 2027.
Gadkari said FASTag has helped save more than ₹5,250 crore annually in fuel costs and urged technology firms to develop truck overloading solutions.
- Who
- Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari made the statements.
- What
- He said full FASTag and barrier-free tolling could increase government revenue by ₹20,000–25,000 crore annually.
- Where
- The remarks were made at the Global Fintech Fest in India.
- When
- The statements were made on Friday at the Global Fintech Fest; the article gives conflicting timelines, citing both March 2027 and March of the following year for full barrier-free implementation.
- Why
- Electronic and barrier-free toll collection is expected to increase toll income, reduce operating costs, and cut vehicle waiting times and fuel use.
Key facts
- Projected annual government benefit
- ₹20,000–25,000 crore from full FASTag implementation
- Current toll income
- More than ₹82,000 crore, after an increase of about ₹7,000 crore
- Additional barrier-free revenue
- An estimated ₹7,000–8,000 crore
- Toll-booth operating costs
- Reduced to 2–3% from 12%, according to Gadkari
- Fuel savings
- More than ₹5,250 crore annually, according to studies cited by Gadkari
- Barrier-free rollout
- More than 70% of booths were stated to be targeted by December, with full rollout timelines reported as both March 2027 and the following March
- Other priorities
- Developing technology to detect overloaded trucks and improving freight-sector transparency
Quotes
Nitin Gadkari
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways
“When the system will go fully live, then our department alone would deliver a benefit of ₹20,000-25,000 crore per year to Government of India because of the use of FASags”
CNBC TV 18
Sources
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