Economy
Modi needs rivals’ help to meet $3 trillion infra target
(Bloomberg) –Prime Minister Narendra Modi must invest trillions of dollars on roads and other critical infrastructure if he’s to pull India’s economy out of its slump, with at least half coming from provincial governments that are out of his control.
India will need to spend 235 trillion rupees ($3.3 trillion) on infrastructure over the coming decade to return economic growth rates to more than 7.5%, according to Crisil Infrastructure Advisor. That means Indian states will have to more than triple their contributions from the current decade, it said.
“With private investments tepid in recent years, and fiscal limitations on central spending,” states will need to step up contributions from about 41% now, Sameer Bhatia, president of the S&P Group company, said in the report published Tuesday. “Unless states contribute nearly 50% of infrastructure investments, India’s build-out momentum could taper sharply.”
Read: How UAE is likely to propel India’s $5-trillion economy target
That’s easier said than done. Indian states, too, have deteriorating public finances and some, like the richest state of Maharashtra, face political uncertainty after Modi’s party fared worse-than-expected in elections this month and no party won a clear majority.
Read more: Four-day-old BJP Government in India’s Richest State Falls
“As slowing growth and continued infrastructure spending are likely to keep state-level deficits elevated, we expect the central government will continue to face challenges in achieving its fiscal consolidation targets,” Gjorgji Josifov, an analyst at Moody’s Investors Service, wrote in a report published Wednesday.
Earlier this month the rating agency cut India’s credit rating outlook to negative, citing a litany of problems including a worsening shadow banking crisis and a prolonged economic slowdown.
Crisil recommends that frontrunner states such as Maharashtra and Gujarat must attract more private investments to counteract a probable slowdown at recent high spenders including Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Read: Modi’s Goal of a $5 Trillion Economy By 2025 Is at Risk
Power transmission and the highway sector remained the most attractive infrastructure assets for investors in 2019, while renewable energy was dragged down by tariff caps, according to Crisil’s report.
-
Dossier2 months agoDossier, 2026
-
OER Magazines2 months agoOER, February 26
-
Banking & Finance2 months agoSohar International and Sohar Islamic Supports Over 100 Families in Al Wusta Governorate Through Its ‘Sohar Al Attaa’ Initiative
-
Banking & Finance2 months agoNational Finance Unveils Exclusive Ramadan Offers on Auto Financing
-
Economy1 month agoMiddle East Tensions Heighten Risks to Strait of Hormuz, Raising Uncertainty for Global Oil Markets
-
Economy2 months agoAnalysis: Oman-India CEPA Opens Path to Deeper Trade Investment and Growth
-
Economy2 months agoANALYSIS: Oil Near Seven-Month Highs Amid US, Iran Tensions
-
Alamaliktistaad Magazines2 months agoAl-iktisaad, February 26
