NITI to lend support in development of 10 big infra projects

NITI Aayog will prepare a list of 10 big infrastructure projects that can be developed under the public private partnership (PPP) mode.

The proposal to short list 10 big projects on priority basis was discussed during a meeting of NITI Aayog officials and representatives from various states on March 7, a senior government official said.

Infrastructure is a top priority for the government and various efforts are already on to attract more investments into the sector, especially from foreign players.

The official said NITI Aayog would identify "ten big infrastructure projects" across sectors which can be developed through the PPP mode.

The list would be prepared after taking into consideration the details of such big projects that would be provided by the states in the coming weeks, he added.

Further, he said that having a list of big projects would help in extending all possible "developmental support" to the states concerned on a priority basis.

According to the official, the specific sectors where such projects can be pursued would be decided after collating information from the states.

"NITI Aayog will provide its expertise in advising the states on developing infrastructure, especially big projects. This will also help in streamlining the process and ensure timely completion of big projects," the official said.

The government has allocated Rs 3.95 lakh crore for infrastructure development in the Union Budget 2017-18.

In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the magnitude of investment in the space is bound to spur growth.

Infrastructure is the thrust area of the government for efficiency, productivity and quality of life and approach was to spend more on infrastructure development, he had said in February.