Government Mandates YouTube Channels for NHAI and Developers to Gather Public Feedback on Highway Projects

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is pushing for greater transparency and public engagement in infrastructure development. In a significant move, it has instructed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and private highway developers to create and maintain their own YouTube channels. The primary purpose is to regularly upload videos showcasing progress and challenges related to various highway projects. This aims to gather valuable feedback directly from the public, acknowledging that independent YouTubers often provide crucial insights into project issues. The ministry intends to make the uploading of these project videos a mandatory part of future construction contracts. Developers already generate drone footage during construction, making this an achievable step. Complementing this, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced plans to install hoardings with QR codes along national highways. Scanning these QR codes will allow commuters to access detailed information about the contractors and officials overseeing specific road sections, including their contact details, thereby increasing accountability. Minister Gadkari emphasized the need to take social media complaints about road conditions seriously and stressed the importance of ownership, sincerity, and a positive approach to ensure roads are built well and maintained effectively.

Impact: This initiative is expected to foster greater accountability and transparency in the execution of highway projects. By encouraging public feedback and providing clear points of contact, it could lead to faster resolution of issues, improved project quality, and more efficient project management. For investors, this could translate to more predictable project timelines and potentially reduced cost overruns for companies involved in highway development. Rating: 6/10.

Difficult Terms: * **NHAI**: National Highways Authority of India. A statutory body responsible for the development, maintenance, and management of National Highways in India. * **YouTubers**: Individuals who create and upload videos on the YouTube platform. * **CII**: Confederation of Indian Industry. A non-governmental, industry-led, proactive business association in India. * **QR codes**: Quick Response codes. A type of matrix barcode that can be scanned by a smartphone to display information such as a website URL, text, or contact details. * **Drone-shot videos**: Videos captured using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).