Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Nitin Gadkari Saturday said he would work with full strength to increase job opportunities in the sector.

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Gadkari, who has also been given charge of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, said that he has set a new target of laying 40 km of road every day over the next one-and-a-half years.

The minister was speaking to reporters at his residence here.

On his new responsibility of the MSME Ministry, he said, "This portfolio is associated with the most important issue - the country's growth rate and employment potential. And it is the PM's expectation that employment should increase from this sector, which is very low now and there should be creation of employment".

"I will work with my full strength on this factor," he added.

The minister also said that he has decided to create roadside amenities across the country.

"I got an opportunity to work on road transport...this time, I have decided to plant 125 crore trees, as much as the country's population, along the roads in the next five years.

"I am thinking to work on creating roadside amenities in a big way and 2,000 such amenities would be set up. Work has started on the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway and 12 other expressway projects will be completed in next three months," he said.

First Published:Jun 3, 2019 10:59 AM IST