Akhilesh Srivastava's FASTag with GST May Boost GDP Rate

1. Akhilesh Srivastava's FASTag with GST May Boost GDP Rate Recent government reports suggest that concerned authorities are working to apply Goods & Service Tax on the FASTag Electronic Toll Collection system to increase the GDP rate of the economy. The application, according to official estimates, may boost the country’s GDP rate by 2 percent, which will add to India’s growth both in terms of finance and infrastructure. Taking a cue from the popularity of Digital India, various projects have been implemented with a focus on the integration of advanced technology with highway operations. One of the most popular ones is FASTag for the Electronic Toll Collection project. This initiative is being undertaken by Akhilesh Srivastava, Chief General Manager (IT & Highway Operations) of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). CGM Akhilesh Srivastava initiated and executed the ETC project, which paved the way for a quick, streamlined, and transparent toll tax collection. The Government of India has made it mandatory for every vehicle purchased after December 2017 to have FASTag stickers affixed. FASTag user accounts are linked to bank accounts or other mobile wallets of users. Srivastava is working to make sure that all toll plazas in the country have at least one dedicated ETC lane. The NHAI CGM was recently awarded the Vishwakarma Award for his contributions and achievements in the construction industry by the Construction Industry Development Council (CIDC), on their 10th Annual Vishwakarma Awards 2018. The event was held on March 7th, 2018 in the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. CGM Srivastava was presented with the recognition for his innovative strides in the sector of highway operations and maintenance. The primary projects that he was awarded for include the implementation of e-Tender, e-MB, Wayside Amenities, FASTag-enabled Electronic Toll Collection initiative and Incident Management System. The Highway Nest and Highway Nest (Mini), two of the Wayside Amenities projects, are already operational in 50+ toll plazas in India and the count is increasing every day. He was also part of the panellists in the 4thAnnual Roads & Highways forum where he addressed topics concerning India’s highway modernisation drive. Akhilesh Srivastava has been spearheading most of the techno-infrastructure projects in the highways sector. He is currently working on geospatial technologies and the implementation of drones for the real- time monitoring of the ongoing highway projects. He has also been encouraging the youth of India to take the training in the mentioned sector because of the possible employment options in the sector. #FASTag #ElectronicTollCollection #AkhileshSrivastava #ETC