Describe the growth of roadways in India and the classification of the Indian road network?

Roads play an important role in a thickly populated country like India. After independence, during the planning period, roads have developed considerably. India presently has a total road length of 46.9 lakh km. Our rural road network connects nearly 70 percent of villages. Indian roads have been classified as:

1. National highways: These are the main roads of the country which connect the state capital, ports, cities, etc. Construction and maintenance of these roads is the responsibility of the central government. The National Highway Authority of India is responsible for the development of these roads. Although National Highways constitute barely 1.7 percent of the total length of roads, yet they bear 40 percent of the total road transport.
2. State highways: These roads are the main roads of the states. These connect the capital of the state and the cities of the states with the National Highway. State governments are responsible for their construction and maintenance. Their total length is 163900 km.
3. District roads: These roads connect district mandis and production areas with the state highways and railway stations. These are constructed and maintained by district boards.
4. Village roads: These roads connect the villages with district roads. Panchayats construct and maintain these roads.