The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is an institution of the Government of India, serving as the apex body for formulating and administering rules, regulations, and laws related to road transport, national highways, and road safety. The Ministry's origin traces back to the bifurcation of the erstwhile Ministry of Surface Transport into two separate ministries—MoRTH and the Ministry of Shipping—on November 17, 2000. This separation was necessary to focus on the development, maintenance, and management of India's extensive national highway network, which is critical for economic growth and connectivity.
The Ministry works through two main divisions: the Roads Wing and the Transport Wing. The Roads Wing is responsible for the planning, development, and maintenance of the National Highways, which spanned over 1,36,440 km as of March 2021. The Transport Wing administers motor vehicle legislation, including the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, and formulates policies for road safety. MoRTH connects to and collaborates with key institutions like the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) for project execution.
Recently, MoRTH has introduced significant changes, such as the National Highways Fee (Determination of Rates and Collection) Fourth Amendment Rules, 2026, effective from April 15, 2026, which rationalized the fee structure for overloaded vehicles to enhance road safety and infrastructure protection. The Ministry also continues to implement the FASTag system for digital toll collection and is driving major initiatives like the Bharatmala Pariyojana. Furthermore, MoRTH has proposed draft amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to potentially mandate Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication systems for specified vehicles.