The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has stated its desire to become the primary agency to manage the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF or the erstwhile Central Road Fund).
It wants to go back to the earlier system when the funds from CRIF or the erstwhile Central Road Fund was distributed by the Road Ministry, instead of the present system when the entire fund is distributed by the Finance Ministry, VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, said responding to a query in Parliament here. Allocation of the CRIF, collected from sale of petrol and diesel, is controlled by the Finance Ministry. CRIF, which till a year ago, was earmarked only for roads when it was named Central Road Fund or CRF, can now be used for over 40 types of infrastructure including electricity, oil pipelines, LNG, water, telecom, tourism infrastructure, hospitals and housing.
