New Delhi, Apr 24: Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said seamless, barrier‑free tolling will be implemented on several national highways across the country by December.
Speaking at the second Logistics Shakti Summit & Awards 2026, Gadkari said the new system will use integrated technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) with AI analytics and RFID‑based FASTag to enable vehicles to pass through toll plazas without stopping. Vehicles will be charged based on identification through high‑performance ANPR cameras and FASTag readers, while non‑compliance will attract e‑notices, suspension of FASTag, and other VAHAN‑linked penalties.
Gadkari emphasised that cutting logistics costs to single digits is vital if India is to become a global economic power, citing a recent report by IIT Chennai, IIT Kanpur and IIM Bangalore that shows logistics costs have fallen from 16 per cent to around 10 per cent thanks to expressway and economic‑corridor development. He added that logistics costs currently stand at about 12 per cent in the US and Europe and 8–10 per cent in China.
Highlighting energy security, Gadkari said India imports about 87 per cent of its oil and spends around ₹22 lakh crore on fossil fuels, which also contributes to pollution. He stressed the need to scale up alternative fuels and bio‑fuel, and called green hydrogen the “fuel of the future,” underlining the importance of reducing the cost of hydrogen fuel stations to make them financially viable.
Concluding, he said India is the world’s fastest‑growing major economy and realising the dream of a USD 5‑trillion economy remains a key goal under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.
