National Highways Excellence Awards 2020 | UPSC

HEADLINES:

Applications invited for the National Highway Excellence Awards 2019

WHY IN NEWS:

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has invited proposals for the National Highways Excellence Awards for the year 2020.

MINISTRY? :- Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH)

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3: Transport

LEARNING:

For PRELIMS go through the categories once and take a note of it . It is very easy to remember !

For MAINS what are the difference between National Highways vs State Highways vs District Roads ?

ISSUE:

Applications can be submitted on the dedicated portal by the 19^th of this month.

NATIONAL HIGHWAY EXCELLENCE AWARDS

AIM

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways initiated Excellence Awards in 2018 to incentivize stakeholders in the highway construction and maintenance process.

The Ministry intends to recognize and award companies for the best performing road assets and toll plazas across the country.

This is part of the larger objective of strengthening and augmenting the road infrastructure in the country, which is a top priority of our government.

TIMELINE

The awards are given every year in the above mentioned seven categories.

Winners will be announced in December this year.

FOR 2020 AWARDS THE CATEGORIES ARE

EXCELLENCE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT : Acknowledges the efficient use of resources with adherence to the highest quality standards, smooth and cost-effective execution of the project, and timely achievement of all project milestones.
EXCELLENCE IN OPERATION & MAINTENANCE : Recognizes projects with swift and smooth execution of maintenance works, inspections and unparalleled quality in riding experience.

EXCELLENCE IN TOLL MANAGEMENT : Focuses on the management of the toll- including maximizing automation of tolling operations, provision of services & smooth passage of traffic of all kinds.

EXCELLENCE IN HIGHWAY SAFETY : Acknowledges commendable work done to reduce road casualties and establish preventative safety measures, safety signages, road markings and emergency response services.
INNOVATION : Focuses on significant achievement in devising or adapting a new construction technology or structural and geometric design.
GREEN HIGHWAY : highlights innovative practices adopted to protect or enhance the natural environment and/or minimize the effect of project development & operation on the environment.
OUTSTANDING WORK IN CHALLENGING CONDITION : Focuses on the measures undertaken to develop highway infrastructure in a challenging environment such as difficult terrain, conflict zones, urban congested areas.

SALIENT FEATURES

The best performers are selected after multiple rounds of rigorous assessment.

Detailed, category-specific evaluation frameworks have been developed for this purpose.

The companies nominate themselves on an online portal by uploading the project information and documents specific to the award category.
In the first round, the validity and propriety of the submitted data is verified and evaluated by trained officials.
This is followed by the second field round, which involves an on-site inspection of the shortlisted projects.
In the third round, an expert jury panel reviews the finalists and selects the winners.

SIGNIFICANCE

Acknowledging companies who are performing exceptionally will foster healthy competition.
Checks and competition ; delivering finest quality services during construction will improve the quality of service.
Analysis of operations and maintenance stages of the highway project, would encourage all companies in the sector to perform better.

The Awards are designed across multiple categories to identify players who have adhered to construction and operational guidelines.

This will uphold high quality and safety standards, and employed innovation and sustainable practices in their work.

2019 AWARDS

Last year, in the 2019 cycle, 104 nominations were received across 7 categories .
The final 12 winners were facilitated by Hon’ble Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari on 14th January, 2020.

IASbhai WINDUP:

In the first cycle of awards in 2018, 107 nominations were received across 5 categories.
The final 11 winners were facilitated by Hon’ble Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari on 8th January, 2019.

SUGGESTED READING : https://bhoomirashi.gov.in/awards

SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB | National Highways Excellence Awards 2020 | UPSC

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