The infrastructure investment plan was initiated after PM’s Independence Day speech where he proposed Rs 100 lakh crore investments in infrastructure over the next five years. Proposals for infrastructure in the budget are as follows -
Investment: Rs. 100 lakh crore to be invested on infrastructure over the next 5 years.
National Infrastructure Pipeline: Rs. 103 lakh crore worth projects; launched on 31st December 2019. More than 6500 projects across sectors, to be classified as per their size and stage of development.
National Logistics Policy: A National Logistics Policy to be released soon to clarify roles of the Union Government, State Governments and key regulators.
National Skill Development Agency to give special thrust to infrastructure-focused skill development opportunities.
Highways: Accelerated development of highways to be undertaken, including: 2500 Km access control highways; 9000 Km of economic corridors; 2000 Km of coastal and land port roads; and 2000 Km of strategic highways. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and two other packages to be completed by 2023 and Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway to be started soon.
Indian Railways: Five important measures proposed are:
Large solar power capacity to be set up alongside rail tracks, on land owned by railways.
Four station re-development projects and operation of 150 passenger trains through PPP.
More Tejas type trains to connect iconic tourist destinations.
High speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to be actively pursued.
148 km long Bengaluru Suburban transport project at a cost of Rs 18600 crore, to have fares on metro model.
Ports & Water-ways: Governance framework keeping with global benchmarks needed for more efficient seaports. Economic activity along river banks to be energised as per Prime Minister’s Arth Ganga concept.
Airports: 100 more airports to be developed by 2024 to support Udaan scheme. Air fleet number expected to go up from present 600 to 1200.
Electricity: Smart metering to be promoted. It also pitches for more measures to reform DISCOMs.
Power: Rs. 22, 000 crore proposed for power and renewable energy sector in 2020-21. Budget has proposed for expansion of National Gas Grid from the present 16200 km to 27000 km. It also pitches for further reforms to facilitate transparent price discovery and ease of transactions in power sector.
New Economy: To take advantage of new technologies such as:
Policy to enable private sector to build Data Centre parks throughout the country to be brought out soon.
Fibre To The Home (FTTH) connections through Bharatnet to link 100,000 gram panchayats by 2020-21. In the same vein Rs. 6000 crore is proposed for Bharatnet programme in 2020-21.
Measures proposed to benefit Start-ups: Digital platform to facilitate seamless application and capture of IPRs; creation of Knowledge Translation Clusters across different technology sectors including new and emerging areas; further scaling up Technology Clusters and mapping of India’s genetic landscape with two new national level Science Schemes.
National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications with Rs.8000 crore allocated over five years.
