[1][2] It is a systematic numbering scheme based on the orientation and the geographic location of the highway.
This was adopted to ensure more flexibility and consistency in the numbering of existing and new national highways.
The longest National Highway under the old numbering scheme was the NH 7 which was from Varanasi to Kanyakumari passing through Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu covering a distance of 4,572 km (2,841 mi), as of Sep 2011 as per National Highways Authority of India.
India has the distinction of having the world's highest drivable highway connecting Manali to Leh in Ladakh, Kashmir.
The table below shows the list of National Highways, prior to their renumbering in 2010–11 and their newly assigned numbers.