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.
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.
