Bharat Mala Project

What is it?

• It is a road infratructure project which will garland whole of India

Nomenclature

• The name Bharat Mala has been picked as this idea reflects an illustration of garland throughout the regions belongs to this ultramodern project.

Area covered

• The graphic that you see above shows only rough number and only the main states. Not all states and not the exact numbers.
• A road built along India's vast west-to-east land border, from Gujarat to Mizoram, at a cost of around Rs 14,000 crore, and linking that to a road network in coastal states, from Maharashtra to Bengal.
• Construction of roads all along the borders
• Plans to develop 2,300 km of roads connecting religious centres, around 1,500 km of roads connecting tourist centres such as Gulmarg and Hampi and an additional 2,000-odd km of roads in backward and remote areas. 

Benefits

• Strategic component. 
• India's answer to improve reach and connectivity in border areas, right across a large part of which lies China's impressive road infrastructure.
• Supplies to India's troops as well as military transport
• Economic component
• Borders will open up and border trade will start,
• Economic multiplier effect of better roads on many poorer border states is expected to be high. 
• Much of the new road construction will happen in mountain states where connectivity and economic activity is low.
• Connect other projects
• Bharat Mala will eventually connect with another signature project, Sagar Mala, which aims to connect ports and coastal regions with the hinterland through both rail and road links, besides developing inland waterways.

Problems

• Land acquisition
• Environmental clearances
• Capital