Mumbai, July 11 (IANS). Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday appealed to the BRICS countries to increase mutual cooperation to develop a sustainable, strong, inclusive and future-ready transport system.
Addressing the 3rd BRICS Transport Ministers’ Meeting held under India’s BRICS Chairmanship, Gadkari said solutions to common challenges such as infrastructure financing, traffic congestion, carbon emissions, road safety and last-mile connectivity are possible only through collective efforts.
According to the official statement, Gadkari said India is fully prepared to enhance cooperation with BRICS countries through knowledge sharing, capacity building, technical cooperation and joint research in areas such as green hydrogen, electric mobility, alternative fuels, digital transport systems and sustainable multimodal infrastructure.
He said that the collective strength of BRICS countries provides a unique opportunity to give a new direction to the future of the global transportation system based on innovation, partnership and shared responsibility.
Welcoming the transport ministers, heads of delegations, senior officials and other representatives of the BRICS member countries to the meeting held in Nagpur, Gadkari said that this meeting is an important step towards strengthening transport cooperation among the emerging economies.
He said that India’s BRICS Chairmanship, based on the theme of “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Collaboration and Stability”, reflects the philosophy of “Humanity Paramount” inspired by the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
Highlighting India’s rapid transformation in the road, railway, maritime and aviation sectors, Gadkari said the country has the world’s second-largest road network and access-controlled expressways have been expanded rapidly.
Citing examples of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, Sonamarg Tunnel and more than 10,000 km of greenfield expressways, he said India is giving equal importance to environmental protection and technological innovation along with infrastructure development.
The Union Minister also described the hybrid annuity model as a successful model to attract private investment.
Gadkari said that unprecedented modernization has also taken place in Indian Railways. The broad gauge network has been almost completely electrified, Vande Bharat trains are being expanded, work on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor is progressing rapidly and engineering landmark projects like the new Pamban Bridge are being completed.
He described the ‘Maritime Amritkal Vision 2047’, digital initiatives like e-Navik, e-Samudra and green shipping initiatives as important steps towards strengthening maritime infrastructure and increasing efficiency of logistics.
–IANS
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