Question

Which authority is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways in India?
A) National Highways Authority of India
B) Road Development Corporation
C) National Roads Authority
D) Public Works Department

Answer 1

Hint: National Highways are the backbone of India's road system, connecting every significant city in the country, including ports, state capitals, and so on. It has two, four, or more lanes made of charcoal and a few made of cement concrete. That is, National Highways in India are at-grade roadways. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways owns India's national highways, which comprise a network of trunk roads.

Complete answer:
The National Highways Authority of India is an autonomous government organisation that was established in 1988 and is in charge of managing a network of over 50,000 kilometres of National Highways out of a total of 1,32,499 kilometres across India. It is a Ministry of Road Transport and Highways nodal agency.

Now, let us look at the given options to choose the correct answer:
A) National Highways Authority of India: This is the correct answer. The National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988, was passed by Parliament and established the National Highways Authority of India. It is in charge of the development, maintenance, and management of National Highways assigned to it, as well as all things related to or incidental to those responsibilities. With the appointment of a full-time Chairman and other Members in February 1995, the Authority became active.
B) Road Development Corporation: This answer is incorrect because there is no such authority in India.
C) National Roads Authority: This answer is incorrect because the National Roads Authority was an Irish government agency in charge of the country's road network. The question asks for an Indian authority responsible for building national highways.
D) Public Works Department: This answer is incorrect because buildings, roads, irrigation, and trains were all under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department. It is not concerned with building national highways.

Thus, the correct answer is Option A) National Highways Authority of India.

Note: The headquarters of National Highways Authority of India are located in New Delhi.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for highway satellite mapping. Since October 28, 2019, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (IAS) has served as Chairman of the NHAI.