Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday outlined a series of development initiatives undertaken in Nagpur over the past 12 years and reaffirmed his commitment to transform the city into a green urban centre through the plantation of 2.5 million trees.
Addressing a press conference in Nagpur to mark 12 years of the Central Government, Gadkari said the plantation drive would be carried out under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign, with saplings measuring 2 to 3 metres in height being distributed to schools, universities, voluntary organisations, political parties and other stakeholders for large-scale plantation and conservation efforts.
The minister said the Revenue and Forest Departments, along with the Remote Sensing Centre in Nagpur, would undertake mapping of all districts and talukas in Maharashtra. Districts carrying out extensive plantation activities would be documented and recognised for their contribution, he added.
Reviewing key welfare initiatives of the Central Government, Gadkari said more than 58 crore bank accounts had been opened under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, while Ayushman Bharat had benefited 60 crore citizens. He said 11 crore LPG connections had been provided under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and an equal number of farmers were receiving annual assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.
Highlighting employment generation efforts, Gadkari said loans worth around ₹35 lakh crore had been disbursed to 57 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. He added that the Startup India initiative had led to the emergence of 1.6 lakh startups and 118 unicorns, while nearly 5 crore youth had received skill training under the Skill India Mission.
Turning to Nagpur’s development, Gadkari said work was underway on the modernisation and redevelopment of several key commercial hubs, including the Cotton Market, Itwari Market, Dahi Market, Orange Market, Netaji Market, Kamal Chowk Commercial Complex, Budhwari Market, Mahal Redevelopment Project and the Sakkardara Budhwari Market Redevelopment Project.
He said other projects under implementation include the Agro Convention Centre at Dabha, Sokta Bhavan Redevelopment Project, Mor Bhavan Redevelopment Project and Ganeshpeth Bus Stand Redevelopment Project.
The minister said work on Phase II of the Nagpur Metro was progressing and the Detailed Project Report for Phase III had already been prepared.
Gadkari also highlighted major infrastructure and institutional projects in the city, including Oxygen Park, Bird Park, AIIMS Nagpur, IIM Nagpur, National Law University, IIIT Nagpur, the ESI Hospital at Butibori, the Buddhist Circuit Project, Deekshabhoomi Redevelopment Project, Sports Authority of India Centre and the Mother Dairy Project.
On employment generation, he said the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had launched a nationwide initiative to establish 1,600 Driving Training Centres. Of these, 24 centres are already operational and 112 are in the pipeline. Around 10 lakh people have been trained so far, and once all centres become operational, about 1.15 crore individuals are expected to receive training annually.
The minister also highlighted upcoming transport infrastructure projects, saying the proposed Nagpur-Hyderabad Expressway would reduce travel time between the two cities to about three-and-a-half hours. He added that the Indora-Dighori flyover project was in its final stage and would be opened to traffic on August 1, 2026.
