NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday took charge as the Minister of Road Transport and Highways.
In a post on X, Gadkari conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reassigning him this role in Modi 3.0 government and remarked that India will be equipped with world-class, modern infrastructure at an accelerated pace under PM's visionary leadership.
Gadkari, popularly referred to as the 'Highway Man of India', is credited with the construction of more than 54,858 km of national highways in the country in the last 10 years.
The 67-year-old leader from Nagpur in Maharashtra has been the longest-serving road transport & highways minister.
Under Gadkari's leadership, the road ministry aims to complete the construction of the 1,386-km Delhi-Mumbai Express by December this year.
The former BJP president -- closely associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh -- has won three consecutive terms from the Nagpur seat, which houses the RSS headquarters.
He was again inducted into the NDA government as a cabinet minister on Sunday.
Gadkari's foray into national politics happened in 2009, when he was appointed the BJP president. He served as a member of the Maharashtra legislative council from the Nagpur Graduates' constituency from 1989 to 2014.
Since 2014, when Gadkari made his debut in the Lok Sabha polls from Nagpur and became a minister at the Centre, he has handled several portfolios like the micro, small and medium enterprises, shipping, water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation, rural development and panchayati raj.