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To kick start the project investment in the infrastructure sector in India, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, recently met secretaries of infrastructure ministries to set targets for 2014-15 and to identify key projects.
Targets were set for core sectors like Power, Road, Shipping, Civil Aviation, Coal, and Renewal Energy. Key projects under review by the panel were high-speed rail freight corridors, a gas pipeline grid and clean energy. A presentation was also made by the Planning Commission on the performance of core infrastructure ministries in 2013-14 and on the targets suggested by the concerned ministries for the current fiscal.
Power
In 2014-15, the proposed target for power capacity addition from non nuclear sources i.e. from thermal and hydro power sources is 15,800 MW, while that for nuclear power addition is 2,000 MW. Last fiscal, the target was 18,432 MW, including 2,000 MW from nuclear sources. Although nuclear target was not met at all in the last fiscal, capacity addition was 17,825 MW which was over 108 per cent of the set target.
The government has also set a target of electrifying 15,000 villages against around 1,200 villages achieved.
Renewable Energy
It was proposed that the budget of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy was likely to be increased from the present Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 2,500 crore. About 25 new solar parks totalling 500 MW have been planned to be set up across the country.
The power ministry expects capacity additions of 3,350 MW during FY15. Of this, 2,000 MW will come from wind energy, 1,100 MW from solar energy, and 250 MW from small hydro power projects.
Roadways
The government is determined not to lose the target of awarding road projects this fiscal. It has set a steep target of awarding 8,500 km of roadways. Awarding of road project was very poor during the previous fiscal when the road ministry managed to award just 3,169 km i.e. only 33 per cent of the targeted 9,638 km.
Of the 8,500 km of highways, 3,500 km will be PPP projects and the remaining will be implemented under the engineering procurement construction (EPC) model, where the government provides 100 per cent funding.
In terms of actual construction, the target is 6,300 km which is 48 per cent more than the previous fiscal target of 4,260 km.
Aviation
For the civil aviation sector, the panel has proposed to lower the investment target from Rs 1,008 crore in the previous fiscal, to Rs 934 crore in the current fiscal. This was because investment realisation in the last fiscal was just about 55 per cent.
It has also been decided to declare Bhopal and Indore airports in Madhya Pradesh, and Raipur airport in Chhattisgarh, as international airports. This will take the tally of international airports to 24. Last fiscal, Imphal and Bhuwaneshwar were declared international airports.
Railways
The Plan panel has proposed laying of 300 km of new railway track during the current fiscal. In 2013-14, Indian railways laid 450 km of new track which was short of the targeted 500 km. Similarly, the panel has proposed to set a target of 700 km for doubling of rail tracks in the current fiscal. In the preceding fiscal, the railway ministry managed doubling of railway tracks of 700 km as against the target of 900 km.
Coal
Coal production target for FY15 has been set at 630.25 million tonne. Out of this, 562 million tonne will be from Coal India, 68.25 million tonne from captive coal mines allocated to various companies, including SAIL, JSPL and Sasan Power. The remaining 94 million tonne will be imported.
Shipping
For the shipping infrastructure, the target for the current fiscal is to award 16 new projects having a combined cargo handling capacity of 93 million tonne.
The plan is to double the capacity of major ports from the present 800 million tonne to 1,600 million tonne over the next five years. The major ports have drawn up action plans for capacity addition of 500 million tonne per annum of which 350 million tonne capacity is expected to materialise during the current fiscal.
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