Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the ambitious Rs 6 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline that included unlocking value by involving private companies across infrastructure sectors, from passenger trains and railway stations to airports, roads and stadiums. As many as 25 Airports Authority of India (AAI) airports, including ones at Chennai, Bhopal, Varanasi and Vadodara, as well as 40 railway stations, 15 railway stadiums and an unidentified number of railway colonies have been identified for getting private investments. Under the plan, private companies can invest in projects for a fixed return using the InvIT route as well as operate and develop the assets for a certain period before transferring it back to the government agency. Some assets such as warehouses and stadiums can also be given on a long-term lease for operations. The asset monetisation pipeline takes the NIP (National Infrastructure Pipeline) to the next phase where you are looking at public-private partnership,” Sitharaman told a press conference. Stating that there is no transfer of ownership or land, she said, “The NMP talks about brownfield infra assets where investments have already been made, where there is a completed asset which is either languishing, or which is remaining not fully monetised or which is remaining under-utilised.
