India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways intends to award road projects worth Rs1,000bn ($14.9bn) in the north-east over the next five years.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the parliamentary consultative committee of the road transport and highways ministry held in New Delhi.

The meeting was conducted under the Chairmanship of Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari, as well as discussed the functioning of National Highways and Infrastructure Development (NHIDCL) and the issue of road safety.

The investment on road projects in the north-east is an attempt to increase connectivity in the region, which has always remained a serious concern.

As stated by Gadkari, an improved surface connectivity, along with electricity and enhanced mobile connection, will attract industries and business to the region, reported The Financial Express.

"The investment on road projects in the north-east is an attempt to increase connectivity in the region."

According to Gadkari, plans have already been made to build a 1,100km all-weather road in Uttarakhand worth Rs120bn ($1.7bn).

NHIDCL currently has to carry out 109 projects in 13 states, spanning a total length of 7,148km.

The states include Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Uttarakhand.

The projects are at various stages of development.

Apart from road projects, the department of road transport and highways in India has also adopted several measures to reduce road accidents by 50% by 2020, reported PTI.

A National Road Safety Policy has also been approved, while the government has established the National Road Safety Council as the apex body to make road safety-related policy decisions.