India has always had a complicated relationship with its roads and railways. The two networks run side by side across the country, but where they cross each other — those unmanned or poorly managed level crossings — things get dangerous, fast. Accidents at railway level crossings have claimed thousands of lives over the decades, and for the longest time, this was simply accepted as a bitter reality of India’s road infrastructure. The Setu Bharatam Yojana was the government’s answer to this long-standing problem.
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What is Setu Bharatam Yojana?
Setu Bharatam Yojana or Setu Bharatam Pariyojana is a part of the infrastructure initiative launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4th March 2016. The main aim of the scheme is to eliminate all the railway level crossings from all the National Highway roads in India by building Railway Over Bridges (ROBs) and Railway Under Bridges (RUBs). The total budget of the project is estimated to be approximately ₹50,000 crore, with the aim of enhancing road safety, reducing travel times, and improving the overall connectivity of the country. It encompasses the building of 208 new bridges and repairing, widening or replacement of 1500 bridges on National Highway, and is being carried out by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
To put it simply, the concept was to construct structures over and under railway tracks, eliminating the necessity for vehicles on national highways to stop at a railway crossovers, or risk collision with a train.
If readers wish to know in detail about the history, and progress of this scheme, they can refer to bharatstories.com, which has detailed coverage on the scheme.
Why is this Scheme needed?
As per estimates, Indian Railways have 31846 level crossings on its network. Most of these crossings lack a gate operator, signal, and sometimes warning system. A car makes crossing fingers motion. This is not infrastructure, this is a wagering of lives.
The genesis of Setu Bharatam Yojana lies in the objective of enhancing the safety of road travel and its efficiency, since level crossings have been a significant contributor to road accidents in India, resulting from the crashes between vehicles and trains.
There was an economic aspect to this too as well as a safety aspect. Each time cars aren’t moving through a train crossing – often waiting 20 to 30 minutes – fuel is being burned, time is being wasted and goods are being left idle. This type of delay can add up to significant dollars for a nation that is so dependent on road transportation for moving goods from state to state.
Key Objectives of the Scheme
When the government put together the Setu Bharatam Yojana, it wasn’t working with a vague vision. There were specific, measurable targets attached to the scheme.
The objectives include constructing over 208 bridges or underbridges on national highways across the country to remove railway crossings, mapping bridges under the Bridge Management System as per PM Modi’s vision to map 1,50,000 bridges across the country, revamping or rehabilitating 1,500 existing bridges, improving the quality of bridges to reduce the number of accidents caused by faulty construction, setting up a team assigned to check and determine the quality of bridges with more focus on those with poor quality, and ensuring ease of travel for commuters through new bridge construction, which also results in reduced traffic.
One thing that stands out here is the quality audit component. It wasn’t just about building new structures — it was equally about identifying which old bridges were actually safe to use and which ones were quietly falling apart.
The Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS)
This is one part of the scheme that often gets overlooked in casual discussions, but it’s actually quite significant for road infrastructure in India.
An Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS) was established by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways at the Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida. The primary aim of this project is to conduct surveys and inventory 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, and this project has been successful in inventorying 50,000 bridges, with the first cycle of this survey completed in June 2016.
Before IBMS, India didn’t even have a proper national map of all its bridges. PM Modi himself pointed this out at the launch, expressing that public utility work was being done without basic information about what infrastructure existed in the first place. IBMS changed that — it created a living, updatable record of bridges across national highways, which is the kind of foundation that serious government transport schemes need.
States That Benefited
The scheme wasn’t limited to a handful of states. A total of 19 states have been included as beneficiaries under the Setu Bharatam Pariyojana, and 208 new ROBs have been proposed for construction as part of the scheme.
The distribution of bridges was done based on the density of level crossings and the volume of traffic in each state. States with busier railway networks and higher highway traffic naturally had more crossings to address.
What Changed on the Ground?
The proof of any scheme lies in what actually happened after it was launched. On this front, the results have been largely positive.
Since its inauguration in 2019, over 50% of road accidents have been prevented by March 2020. That’s a substantial reduction in a short period of time.
The roads were revamped by replacing raw materials, widening and reinforcing them gradually. It has made travelling safer and more comfortable for commuters by improving the quality of the bridges. The overbridges have improved connectivity with cities, helping save more time during the commute.
Beyond safety, highway development like this has a ripple effect on the economy. When trucks move faster, cold chains work better, perishables reach markets on time, and businesses along highway corridors see more activity.
The Bigger Picture: Road Infrastructure in India
The Setu Bharatam Yojana didn’t exist in isolation. It was part of a broader push by the government to take highway development seriously as a national priority.
The Setu Bharatam Project promises to increase India’s ranking in the field of the Logistics Performance Index and Ease of Doing Business Index. These are not just bureaucratic scores — they directly affect whether companies choose to invest in India and whether Indian manufacturers can compete with their regional peers on delivery timelines.
The improved logistical efficiency will benefit industries in the affected states, reducing costs through enhanced fuel efficiency and reduced travel time. The project is also expected to increase the average speed on national highways by alleviating long traffic congestions and enhancing the efficiency of railway routes by enabling safe, high-speed crossings.
There’s also the employment angle. The project creates direct and indirect employment opportunities through infrastructure projects and stimulates economic activity in industries like construction, iron, and steel. Large-scale bridge development projects India of this kind pull in raw material suppliers, contractors, engineers, and daily labourers from surrounding regions.
FAQs About Setu Bharatam Yojana
When was the Setu Bharatam Yojana launched?
The scheme was launched on 4th March 2016 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
What is the total budget of the Setu Bharatam Yojana?
The total budget for the scheme is approximately ₹50,000 crore, covering both new bridge construction and rehabilitation of old bridges.
How many bridges were planned under the scheme?
208 new Railway Over Bridges and Railway Under Bridges were planned, along with repair or replacement of 1,500 existing dilapidated bridges.
Which ministry is responsible for implementing the scheme?
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is responsible for implementing Setu Bharatam Yojana.
What is the Indian Bridge Management System (IBMS)?
IBMS is a digital system set up under MoRTH to map and monitor all bridges on national highways in India. It was established at the Indian Academy for Highway Engineer in Noida and aimed to cover 1,50,000 bridges across the country.
How many states benefited from this scheme?
A total of 19 states across India were included as beneficiaries under the Setu Bharatam Yojana.
Did the scheme meet its 2019 deadline?
The scheme largely progressed within its timeline, though some bridges saw delays due to environmental clearances and coordination challenges between different government departments.