From Roads, Pipelines To Telecom Towers And Stations: Eight Ministries Finalize Assets For Govt’s Monetisation Plan

Eight ministries of the central government have shortlisted assets such as roads, oil and gas pipelines, sports stadia, telecom towers along with electricity transmission, and others to raise Rs 2.5 lakh crore through asset monetization.

Moreover, there are plans in place to let private companies operate 150 trains, divest the Airport Authority of India’s equity stakes in joint ventures running the Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Delhi airports, and also lease out stadiums like the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi to generate further funds.

Ministries have been asked to include assets that can be included in the National Monetization Pipeline for FY21-24 that the Niti Aayog is currently preparing. Last month, a core group of secretaries had met and deliberated upon assets that could be monetized in FY 2021-22.

Overall, the Ministry of Railways has planned to pocket Rs 90,000 crore via asset monetization and is also set to issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and Requests for Qualification (RFQs) to redevelop 50 railway stations by the end of this month.

Similarly, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will monetize 7,200 km of roads by employing different means such as the infrastructure investment trust (InvIT), securitization, and Toll-Operate Transfer (TOT).

Rs 7000 crore will be raised in 2021-22 by monetizing the transmission assets of the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) in two lots. Similar plans have been devised for the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), and Bharatnet, Indian Express reports.

Additionally, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports will kick off an exercise to recognize its assets as it targets to gain Rs 20,000 crore through this process. It will lease out stadiums on an operational and maintenance contract to the private sector.

The Ministry of Shipping Ports and Waterways has also set its eyes on 30 berths that can be monetized through a public-private partnership (PPP) model as other ministries are set to join this mega exercise in the coming times.