Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said all new highway projects supported by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will use cement concrete. In a recent meeting with media persons, Gadkari said that the current rate of cement per bag is about Rs 350, but his Ministry has zeroed in on a supplier who can sell a bag at Rs 120 per (excluding taxes and transport). The Maharashtra Government and local municipal bodies have also been advised to use the cheaper cement, he said. The minister added that the planned target of increasing the speed of highway construction to 30 km per day will be achieved within 18 months as work on 95 per cent of 190 road projects, which were stuck for some reasons, have now restarted. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has fast-tracked 71 road projects since taking over the Ministry, he said.