Why in the News?
- India’s Green Highways approach is promoting sustainable road infrastructure through plantation, climate-resilient design and resource-efficient construction.
- More than 3.61 crore saplings have been planted across approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways over the last five years.
Key Highlights
- National Highway network increased by nearly 61%:
- 2014: 91,287 km
- March 2026: 1,46,572 km
- More than 3.61 crore saplings planted across approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways as of July 2026.
- Green highway practices include:
- Plantation and afforestation
- Miyawaki plantations
- Tree transplantation and compensatory afforestation
- Recycled and waste-derived materials
- Bio-bitumen
- Drone and satellite-based monitoring
Green Highways Policy, 2015
- Official name: Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy, 2015.
- Key objectives:
- Framework for plantation along National Highways.
- Reduce air pollution and dust.
- Arrest soil erosion on embankment slopes.
- Moderate wind and incoming radiation.
- Generate employment for local communities.
- Implementation involves Self Help Groups, private agencies, State Forest Departments, Forest Corporations and contractors.
- A Plantation Cell monitors implementation through NHAI regional offices and other agencies.
Miyawaki Plantation
- Miyawaki technique creates dense forests in limited spaces.
- Also known as the “pot plantation method”.
- Trees and shrubs are planted close together to promote rapid growth.
- Plants can grow up to 10 times faster under this method.
- Useful particularly for expanding green cover in space-constrained urban areas.
National Highways Green Cover Index
- National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI) 2025-26 is the first Annual Report on the index.
- Prepared in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) of ISRO.
- Provides the first scientific and quantitative assessment of green cover within the Right of Way (RoW) along National Highways.
- Covers nearly 30,000 km of National Highways under the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) phase across 24 states.
- Uses space-based technologies for monitoring.
- Provides a baseline for comparison, ranking and targeted interventions.
Sustainable Highway Materials
- Bio-bitumen technology was transferred in January 2026.
- Developed jointly by:
- CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi
- CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP), Dehradun
- Uses post-harvest rice straw as feedstock.
- Rice straw undergoes pyrolysis to produce bio-oil, which is blended with conventional bitumen.
- A 100-metre trial stretch was laid on the Jorabat-Shillong Expressway (NH-40), Meghalaya.
- India meets nearly 50% of its bitumen requirement through imports.
- Other materials include fly ash, pond ash, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, recycled aggregates, plastic waste, slag and crumb rubber.
Green Highway Compliance
- NHAI’s September 2026 guidelines require:
- At least 80% of available Right of Way (RoW) earmarked for plantation to be covered for provisional completion certification.
- Minimum 90% survival rate of planted saplings at inspection.
- The same 90% survival benchmark applies during the Operations and Maintenance period.
- Green Highways Excellence Awards were instituted by NHAI in 2025.
- The 2026 awards gave highest weightage to plantation survival.
Prelims Quick Revision
- Green Highways Policy launched in 2015.
- National Highway network: 91,287 km in 2014 → 1,46,572 km in March 2026.
- 3.61 crore+ saplings planted across approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways.
- NH-GCI 2025-26 provides scientific assessment of highway green cover.
- NH-GCI assessment covers nearly 30,000 km across 24 states.
- NH-GCI prepared with NRSC, ISRO.
- Bio-bitumen uses rice straw pyrolysis and has been trialled on NH-40 in Meghalaya.
- NHAI plantation compliance requires 80% RoW coverage and 90% sapling survival.
UPSC Prelims Trap
- Green Highways Policy, 2015 is not limited to plantation; it also covers transplantation, beautification and maintenance.
- NH-GCI measures green cover scientifically using space-based technologies; it is not simply a count of saplings planted.
- Miyawaki plantation is associated with dense plantation in limited spaces, not conventional large-scale forest plantation.
- Bio-bitumen in the article is produced using post-harvest rice straw through pyrolysis, not directly by mixing raw agricultural residue with conventional bitumen.
