Setu Bharatam Project [UPSC Notes GS-III]

The Setu Bharatam Project was launched on 4th March 2016 by PM Narendra Modi. This project was started as an initiative to make all the national highways free of railway crossings by the year 2019. According to PM Narendra Modi, the total budget of this project was Rs. 102 billion with an aim to construct around 208 rail over and under bridges. This article briefly shares important details on the Setu Bharatam Project, its objectives, and the number of projects/Over bridges in different states across the country.

Aspirants would find this article very helpful while preparing for the IAS Exam.

Setu Bharatam Project – Important Highlights

Some of the highlights of the Setu Bharatam Project have been discussed in the table below:

What is Setu Bharatam?

The Government of India launched the Setu Bharatam project considering the importance of road safety. Setu Bharatam aims in developing a strong infrastructure that will contribute towards the growth of the country through proper planning and implementation of this project.

A total of Rs. 102 billion was sanctioned by PM Narendra Modi for the completion of this project.

The Setu Bharatam focuses on the construction of new bridges along with the renovation of old ones.

An Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) was also established by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways at the Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida. The primary aim of this project is to conduct surveys and inventions of all the bridges on the national highways through mobile inspection units. There are around 11 firms that have been set up for this purpose. This project has been successful in inventing 50,000 bridges till now and the first cycle of this survey was completed in June 2016.

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Setu Bharatam Project – Objectives

The Setu Bharatam launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed to make all the national highways free from railway crossing by the year 2019. Some of the major objectives of the Setu Bharatam Project were:

1. Construction of bridges in the national highways across the country.
2. Construction of around 280 under and over railway tracks bridges by the Government with an expense of around Rs. 100 Crore.
3. Around 64 bridges would get the green signal at the end of the year 2016.
4. Use of scientific techniques such as measurement of distance, longitude, latitude, material, designs etc. during the construction of bridges.

The Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said certain species of trees could be identified and graded on the basis of their abilities to provide oxygen and to bind the soil, even for the infrastructure project. The CJI had suggested framing a new protocol by which road and highway projects ought to be cleared only after checking the feasibility of other modes of transport.

The loss of 300 trees in West Bengal would be much more than the ₹500 crores sanctioned for the five rail overbridge. The five proposed bridges are part of a mega project Setu Bharatam, financed by the Centre to construct 208 rail over and under bridges across 19 States in the country.

To know about the 208 over bridges constructed across the country, refer to the table given below:

The Sethu Bharatam project laid emphasis on the construction and repairing of the old bridges and also reduced the overall cost of the project. The project was implemented quickly and was completed by the year 2019.

Setu Bharatam Project – UPSC Notes:– Download PDF Here

The above details would help candidates prepare for UPSC 2022.

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