Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari addressed the Prawaas 5.0 conference and the Bharat Prawaas Awards, organised by BOCI, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on Thursday, 9 July 2026. Speaking at the event, the minister underlined that safe, smart and sustainable mobility is the foundation of a developed India.

Context

Addressing the gathering, Gadkari stated that 'through innovation, clean mobility, policy reforms and integrated transport systems, we are building a future-ready ecosystem that enhances connectivity, improves logistics efficiency and drives inclusive economic growth.' The remarks came at a national-level transport and mobility conclave held in Gandhinagar, the Gujarat capital that has emerged as a regular venue for infrastructure and mobility conferences.

The Bharat Prawaas Awards, presented at the event, recognised stakeholders across the mobility and transport sector. The minister's presence signalled the Centre's continued emphasis on elevating the policy conversation around passenger and freight movement.

Policy Backdrop

The minister's address fits within a broader Central government push that spans three major policy pillars. The Bharatmala Pariyojana, launched in 2015, has been the backbone of national highway expansion, targeting economic corridors across the country. The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, announced in 2021, introduced multimodal integrated transport planning to break siloes between road, rail, ports and aviation.

The National Logistics Policy, released in 2022, set explicit targets for reducing India's logistics costs as a share of GDP and improving supply-chain efficiency. Together, these frameworks form the architecture Gadkari referenced when speaking of an 'integrated transport system' and 'logistics efficiency.'

Clean mobility has also become a central thread in the ministry's agenda, with incentives for electric vehicles and alternative fuels woven into successive policy announcements. Gadkari has consistently championed green fuels — including ethanol, methanol and hydrogen — as part of the transport sector's decarbonisation pathway.

Stakeholders and Impact

The audience at Prawaas 5.0 included bus operators, logistics companies and highway developers — segments directly affected by the ministry's regulatory and investment decisions. For the logistics industry, policy clarity on multimodal hubs and dedicated freight corridors translates into measurable reductions in transit time and cost.

Bus operators and public transport agencies stand to benefit from any forthcoming push on clean mobility incentives, particularly as state transport undertakings across India grapple with fleet electrification timelines. Highway developers, meanwhile, watch closely for signals on project pipelines and tolling policy under Bharatmala's subsequent phases.

What's Next

Attention will now turn to the rollout of state-level integrated transport projects under the PM Gati Shakti framework, where convergence between Central ministries and state governments remains a work in progress. Any new electric-vehicle or logistics incentives in the next Union Budget will be read against the vision Gadkari articulated in Gandhinagar.

The minister's framing of mobility as 'the foundation of a developed India' aligns with the government's broader Viksit Bharat narrative, suggesting that transport infrastructure will remain a headline priority in policy communication through the remainder of the current term.