NHAI faces hurdles: Project delays, funding shifts, policy changes complicate highway initiatives, demanding strategic solutions for national infrastructure development.

NHAI has been mandated to develop, maintain and manage national highways on behalf of Government of India. Funds for development of highways are provided by the Government through budgetary allocation and approval to NHAI for borrowing under Internal and Extra Budgetary Resources (IEBR). Additionally, NHAI mobilizes resources through asset monetization. Further, IEBR has been discontinued from FY 2023-24.

Year wise breakup of borrowing in last 5 years is Annexed, NHAI has a road map in place for re-payment of its debt.

About 167 projects are delayed due to various issues such as delay in land acquisition, tree cutting, utility shifting, unseasonal rainfall, local agitation, forest clearance and subsequently Pandemic COVID—19 etc. The increase in the cost of these projects due to delay in project completion is subject to site/local/project specific factors including price escalation during the project time cycle and the actual cost increase can be ascertained only on final completion of the project.

NHAI has been constituted under NHAI Act 1988 to develop, maintain and manage national highways on behalf of Government of India. As an executing agency of Government of India, NHAI collects user fee on behalf of Government of India and all receipts of NHAI are also deposited in consolidated fund of India (CFI).