The Government is taking several steps to reduce carbon emissions and make the National Highways more eco-friendly in the country. Over 4.78 crore trees have been planted and 70 thousand trees have been transplanted along National Highways so far across the country. This was stated by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari while addressing a gathering during the plantation drive under Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0 along the Faridabad-Noida International Airport Corridor today. He added that the target for the year 2024-25 was 60 lakh trees, while 112 per cent of the target has been achieved by planting 67 lakh saplings along National Highways.  The Minister highlighted that the Transport Department bears greater responsibility towards ecology and the environment, as 40 percent of the pollution in the country can be directly attributed to the transport sector.

Mr. Gadkari also advocated for the use of bamboo, describing it as a multipurpose which can be used to manufacture a variety of products.  He added that India’s automobile industry has surpassed Japan to become the third largest in the world.