Highways minister Nitin Gadkari says would like to retain current portfolio if BJP wins in 2019

Nitin Gadkari, roads and highways minister, said he would like to continue in his current portfolio if the BJP returns to power in 2019, in an interview with Moneycontrol. 

Speaking about jobs he told the news website on Wednesday that an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, directly and indirectly creates temporary jobs for about one lakh people.

Gadkari also said he was confident his department would create at least one crore jobs.

Talking about the government's push for electric vehicles he said the focus would be on electric vehicles, and that the government would actively push for bio-fuels technologies to be developed.

He added there currently were between 100-125 biodigesters in the Ganga for methane production. He added the government would enter an agreement with Indian Oil to start producing bio-CNG.

The government did not have any difference with Niti Aayog regarding the policy on electric vehicles, Gadkari added.

The minister said the project to connect Delhi with the country's financial capital, Mumbai, was underway and that the government had identified a new alignment to cut land acquisition costs by Rs 16,000 crore.

He added the Vadodara to Mumbai phase of the project was expected to start within 15 days at a cost of Rs 45,000 crore.

“Alignment is now in the final stage, we will start the land acquisition, but for the other package, we will start the work. It is not my commitment, but my target is to complete this project within three years,” he said.