Page 8 - TT - Jan - Feb 2025 - pdf for Digital

UPDATE

Infrastructure Investment Engine

he ‘Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman, in her Budget
T2025 speech, termed this
journey of development to being
based on four powerful engines:
Agriculture, MSME, Investment
and Exports. Investment in the
economy focused on initiatives
such as Public Private Partnership
and Support to States for
Infrastructure, Asset Monetization
Plan 2025-30, Urban Challenge
Fund, Shipbuilding, Maritime
Development Fund, UDAN -
Regional Connectivity Scheme,
Greenfield Airport in Bihar,
Western Koshi Canal Project in Inland Water Transport Authority of Shipbuilding Financial
Mithilanchal and Tourism for India (IWAI) in FY2025-26. Assistance Policy will be
employment-led growth. revamped to address cost
The projects identified under
Budget 2025-26, core to the Sagarmala are expected to disadvantages. This will also
vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, mobilise over `5 lakh crore of include Credit Notes for
allocates INR11.21 lakh crore for infrastructure investment, double shipbreaking in Indian yards to
the infrastructure sector. Each share of domestic waterways promote the circular economy.
infrastructure-related Ministry will (inland and coastal) in the modal Large ships above a specified
come up with a 3-year pipeline of mix, generate logistic cost saving, size will be included in the
projects that can be implemented boost merchandise export and infrastructure harmonized master
in PPP mode. An outlay of `1.5 lakh create new jobs. This also includes list (HML) and shipbuilding
crore is proposed for the 50-year projects for development of minor clusters will be facilitated to
interest free loans to states for ports, the summary said. increase the range, categories
capital expenditure and incentives and capacity of ships. This will
for reforms. The second Asset
Monetization Plan 2025-30 will be Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has presented
launched to plough back capital of a historic budget of the country. This budget is
`10 lakh crore in new projects and characterised to accelerate our economy. Just like
regulatory and fiscal measures will always, this time also, she has given the infrastructure
be finetuned to support the Plan. sector priority – the budget for the sector has increased
There is a hike for roads by 2.4%. and it will help infra and roads…
Nearly 60% of the total allocation is
set aside for the National Highways When it comes to the transport sector, we import crude
Authority of India at `1.7 lakh crore. oil worth `22 lakh crores. This is challenging for the
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana economy. This budget focuses on alternative fuels and
has been allocated `19,000 crore, biofuel. Lithium-ion batteries will get cheaper now.
31% higher than the revised estimate Scooter, electric scooter, electric car, bus, truck, all will
for 2024-25. become cheaper…

To boost the inland waterways – Shri. Nitin Gadkari
in the country, a budget of `1,944 Honourable Minister of Road Transport and Highways
crore has been provided for the

8 TRAFFICINFRATECH / Jan. - Feb. 2025 / www.trafficinfratech.com