Nitin Gadkari, an Indian politician and the current Minister of Road Transport and Highways, was born on May 27, 1957, in Nagpur, Bombay State. And, in 2023, this date marks his birthday. On this day, take a moment to know more about him, also known as the ‘Highwayman of India’, and his contributions to the development of India and its infrastructure.

All you need to know about Nitin Gadkari:

Born into a Marathi family, he worked for the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha and the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishan during his teenage years and completed his M.Com and LLB at Nagpur University.

Served as the state president of BJP in Maharashtra and was the Minister of Public Works Department in the Maharashtra Government from 1995 to 1999 where he completely overhauled the department and was instrumental in fast-tracking the construction of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

A great supporter of privatisation, he frequently engaged with private firms for investments in infrastructure and privatised many projects, including the construction of all-weather roads in Maharashtra and connected thousands of villages which helped alleviate malnutrition and provide medical services to several districts in the state.

Heralded for the construction of over 55 flyovers in Mumbai which eased the city’s traffic congestion issues.

Appointed as the President of BJP in 2009 where he was tasked with revamping the party’s fortunes after 2 successive losses in the Lok Sabha elections.

Co-authored a book, India Aspires, where he outlines his development ideas for the country in detail, including support for alternate fuels, green energy, and waste management

As Minister of Road Transport and Highways, he greatly increased the pace of India’s road construction from 2km/day to over 68km/day and promoted the development of hydrogen fuel cells for clean mobility.