Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said that the government can raise Rs 1.5 lakh crore by monetizing 100 national highways, the Economic Times reported.

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The minister, in his interview given to The Economic Times also added that talks are being held with firms such as Samsung for the establishment of ship building facility in the country.

“We can easily get around Rs 1.5 lakh crore by monetizing NHAI-owned 100 highways. This recycling of assets will help us create more assets,” he said in the interview.

He also said that 9 highway projects had been auctioned for around Rs 10,000 crore to a major Australian fund.

Gadkari said in the interview that when the government took power back in 2014, the entire highways sector was in shambles. No company wanted to bid and there were several stuck projects. However, once the authorities decided to take projects on their own the sector experienced a turn around and the pace of construction was doubled.

And despite any major private financing, the total investment in the highways sector has seen almost a four-fold increase since 2014, he said in the interview.

When asked during the interview about government’s electric mobility plan, he said that the standards for electric vehicles have already been set and the standards for charging stations have been finalized.

“The GST on electric vehicles is less than other vehicles and state governments are offering other incentives. So, the ecosystem is already in place and demand will soon pick up,” he was quoted saying in the report.

Speaking about the cleaning of Ganga, he said in the interview that Rs 20,000 crore has been earmarked for the purpose. He also added, when asked about water shortage that the government sees water shortage as a major issue in the future given the rising population.

Gadkari also hoped, as per the report that the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2017, that has been stuck in the parliament will be cleared soon.