Book excerpt: The National Transport Development Policy Committee (NTDPC) was constituted by the Government of India to formulate a long-term transport blueprint for the country. The NTDPC Report -- designed as a five-volume set, of which this is Volume I -- comprehensively examines all aspects of the Indian transport sector and recommends appropriate policies for governments in developing this crucial sector to enable an average annual growth rate of 8-9 per cent for the Indian economy over the next two decades. The horizon is year 2032, two decades from the beginning of the country's 12th Five Year Plan to the end of its 15th. It will be of interest to researchers and students of development studies; transportation and infrastructure studies; governance and public policy; and economics as well as policymakers, economists, public and private sector companies concerned with Indian infrastructure sectors, banks and financial institutions.