Context: Recently, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel has said that the National Infrastructure Pipeline will not only revolutionize the creation of infrastructure in the country but also would pull India out of the economic impact of COVID-19. 

About the project

• The Coastal Highway project will link Gopalpur in Odisha and Digha of West Bengal.
• Digha-Gopalpur coastal highway would act as an economic corridor between the two major ports of Paradip and Dhamra.
• The coastal highway project, announced by Union Road Transport and Highways in April 2015, spreads over 415 kilometres from Gopalpur to Digha.
• As per the proposal, this 451-km-long coastal highway will be named as 516-A.
• Besides facilitating transportation of agri goods and fishery products, the coastal highway would play a crucial role in the supply chain during natural calamities like cyclones and floods.