Ministry of Road Transport & Highways Concludes Chintan Shivir 2026
The two-day 'Chintan Shivir 2026 – A National Conclave on Highway Infrastructure' concluded at the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, with a focus on strengthening Centre-State collaboration and sharing field-level experiences for delivering quality road infrastructure. Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Shri V. Umashankar, emphasized in his valedictory address that the vision of Viksit Bharat requires high-quality roads across urban and rural areas, State Highways, National Highways, and Expressways.
A key outcome was the opportunity for States to leverage national technology platforms and institutional capabilities, including PM GatiShakti, Data Lake, eDAR, contractor rating systems, and Bhoomi Rashi, with technical handholding and capacity-building support. The AI-enabled eDAR platform, currently used for the National Highway network, was highlighted as capable of supporting States in analyzing accident patterns on State and local roads to develop evidence-based interventions for improving road safety, subject to data availability.
The deliberations emphasized strengthening the construction ecosystem through professionalization, skill development, and improved supervision. Shri Umashankar stressed the importance of focused skill development and capacity building among construction workers to enhance practices and ensure better quality outcomes. There was also emphasis on quality-based selection and performance assessment of DPR consultants, Authority Engineers, and Independent Engineers, with greater weightage to technical capability and past performance to address supervision gaps.
The conclave discussed the scope for States to adopt innovative contracting and financing mechanisms, including Model Concession Agreements, BOT, and Annuity-based models, particularly for developing State Highways and State Expressways, utilizing national-level experience and expertise through structured handholding. States were invited to organize their own Chintan Shivirs and workshops with domain experts and officers to facilitate knowledge exchange.
Thematic sessions over the two days covered PM GatiShakti and integrated infrastructure planning, Land Acquisition and Bhoomi Rashi, Model Concession Agreements and Ratings, Designing Safe Highways, Green Highways, Road Safety and Toll Reform, and Quality Assurance and Project Monitoring. These sessions facilitated Centre-State dialogue, exchange of best practices, and identification of practical solutions to implementation challenges.