Review of Infrastructure Development and Its Financing in India

Infrastructure is one of the most crucial pillars of productivity in any economy. Pushing infrastructure development and particularly organizing funds for infrastructure projects have been the biggest challenge in developing nations. The present study was taken up to review the infrastructure development and its financing in India. The study intended to (1) study the infrastructure development in India in the 11th and 12th Five Year Plan, (2) examine the sources used for infrastructure financing in India, (3) assess the actions taken by government to facilitate infrastructure financing and (4) propose measures to augment infrastructure financing to overcome infrastructure deficit in the country. It was found that though Government of India and Reserve Bank of India have taken several initiatives to facilitate infrastructure financing, there still exists a vast gap between supply side and the demand side. Some of the recommendations given in the paper include the need to evolve innovative business models and mitigate administrative glitches to ensure larger private participation; exploit the untapped potential of diaspora; revisit the statutory liquidity ratio norms for banks; evolve the municipal bond market; boost regional integration and improved connectivity through creation of corridors between sub-continental regions, which would not only bridge the finance gap but also the knowledge gap, etc.