Country indebted to Manmohan Singh for his economic reforms: Gadkari

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday (November 8) was all praises for former prime minister Manmohan Singh, and said the country is indebted to him for ushering in economic reforms.

Addressing TIOL Awards 2022 event, Gadkari said the economic reforms started by Manmohan Singh as finance minister in 1991 gave a new direction to India.

Gadkari, who helms the road transport and highways ministry said he could raise money to build roads in Maharashtra when he was a minister in Maharashtra in the mid-1990s due to economic reforms initiated by the former prime minister.

Gadkari asserted that liberal economic policy is for farmers and poor people. He said China is a good example of how liberal economic policy can help in the development of any country.

Talking about upcoming road projects, Gadkari said the ministry is constructing 26 green expressways which will be built with the help of revenue collected by NHAI. He said the toll revenue of NHAI is expected to rise from the current ₹40,000 crore to ₹1.40 lakh crore per annum.