India is among the fastest growing construction markets globally, driven primarily by infrastructure development across key sectors such as roads and bridges, railways, water, airports, and ports. In recent years, these sectors have witnessed substantial progress backed by the government’s large-scale development programmes. Mega programmes such as Bharatmala and the Sagarmala Pariyojana, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), dedicated freight corridors (DFCs), highspeed rail systems, station redevelopment and development of greenfield ports and airports have led to rapid infrastructure expansion and upgradation. Since their launch, some of these programmes have achieved significant milestones, while a few of them fell short of the desired targets. Nevertheless, the government’s overall push to accelerate infrastructure development has made the economy stronger.
Strengthening road connectivity
India has one of the world’s largest road networks, spanning over 6.3 million km. This vast network highlights the government’s continuous efforts to improve road infrastructure through flagship schemes such as the Bharatmala Pariyojana and the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Approved in 2017, under the Bharatmala programme, 34,800 km of roads were planned to be constructed to improve connectivity in the country. While the programme has achieved notable milestones, no new projects are currently being awarded under it due to cost escalations. As of March 2025, 26,425 km of roads have been awarded and 19,826 km of roads constructed, achieving 76 per cent and 57 per cent of the targeted length respectively. The programme also includes the construction of 27 greenfield corridors spanning over 9,860 km. Major projects such as the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway and the Chennai-Salam Expressway are already underway. As of February 2025, 6,669 km length of highspeed greenfield corridors has been awarded, with the construction of 4,610 km completed. The timeline for the programme has now been extended to 2027-28.
Furthermore, the development of rural roads has further unlocked significant potential for economic growth. As of February 2025, under PMGSY-I, 624,794 km of roads have been constructed, connecting 156,711 habitations out of 157,178 identified under the programme. Building upon this, PMGSY-II, launched in 2013 with the aim of upgrading existing roads spanning over 50,000 km, has recorded the completion of 49,052 km of roads. Phases I and II of the programme were initially planned for completion in March 2025; however, states have requested for an extension. Currently, Phase III of the programme is ongoing, with a target of constructing 125,000 km of roads. Of this, around 92,280 km has been completed and 122,064 km has been sanctioned. In addition to this, the scope of the programme has been expanded with the approval of Phase IV in September 2024, focusing on further improving rural road infrastructure with the construction of 62,500 km of roads by 2028-29. It will provide all-weather connectivity to 25,000 unconnected rural habitations.
Riding the maritime wave
The Sagarmala Pariyojana, launched in 2015, aims to promote port-led development in the country through harnessing India’s 7,500 km long coastline and 14,500 km of potentially navigable waterways. Projects under Sagarmala are categorised into five pillars – port modernisation, port connectivity, port-led industrialisation, coastal community development, and coastal shipping and inland water transport. By leveraging coastal and inland waterways, it seeks to reduce logistics costs and boost economic growth and coastal community development. Under the programme, about 839 projects, worth more than Rs 5.79 trillion, are planned to be implemented by 2035. These projects are being implemented by various central ministries, state governments and major ports.
As of March 2025, 272 projects have been completed with an investment of about Rs 1.41 trillion. Of this, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoSPW) has undertaken 119 projects with partial funding support at a total cost of Rs 94.07 billion. Of these, 72 have already been completed. As per the government, the Sagarmala programme has delivered desirable outcomes, including 118 per cent growth in coastal shipping, a 700 per cent surge in inland waterway cargo movement, and nine Indian ports ranking among the world’s top 100, including Vizag in top 20 container ports globally.
Further, the government is planning for the Sagarmala 2.0 initiative, which will be a strategic upgrade, focusing on ship building, repair, breaking and recycling. Backed by Rs 400 billion in budgetary support, it aims to drive investments worth Rs 12 trillion over the next decade.
Railway wheels in motion
One of India’s long-standing goals is to reduce logistics costs, and a key initiative driving this effort is the development of DFCs by Indian Railways (IR). The objective of the DFCs is to help IR increase its share in freight transport from the current 27 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030. Additionally, the development of multimodal logistics parks under the ambit of the Gati Shakti Master Plan aims to offer complete transport solutions to customers.
The 1,337 km long eastern DFC was commissioned in 2023, while 93.2 per cent of the 1,506 km long western DFC has been completed, with the remaining stretch expected to be operational by December 2025. With a network length of around 4 per cent of the total length of IR, the DFCs account for around 14 per cent of the total freight traffic on IR. Moreover, the time taken by freight trains on the DFCs averages 2.44 hours per 100 km for container trains, compared to 5.25 hours per 100 km on the IR network.
To expand the scope of this initiative, the government has proposed three new DFCs, including East Coast corridor, East-West corridor and North-South sub-corridor. Furthermore, the preparation of detailed project reports (DPRs) for these projects has commenced.
The government’s efforts to enhance railway infrastructure extend beyond commercial operations. To improve the overall passenger experience, the Ministry of Railways has launched the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for the continuous redevelopment of railway stations. As of March 2025, under the scheme, 1,337 stations have been identified for redevelopment. Of these, tenders have been awarded and work has commenced at 1,202 stations, while redevelopment has already been completed at six stations.
Towards a water-positive future
In the water sector, the government is undertaking large-scale infrastructure development to ensure piped water supply, while also addressing the growing challenges of water pollution and deterioration of freshwater resources. Key initiatives such as the JJM and AMRUT are at the forefront of these efforts.
The government launched the JJM in 2019, aiming to provide functional household tap connections to rural households in the country. The programme has made significant progress since the launch. As of May 7, 2025, under the programme, 156.12 million rural households out of a total 193.65 million households, have been provided with tap water supply, which is 80.62 per cent of the target. Furthermore, 11 states/union territories have achieved 100 per cent water supply and six states have achieved more than 90 per cent tap water supply.
Under the AMRUT initiative, launched in 2015 with the aim of providing access to tap water supply, sewerage connections and related services in 500 select cities, has made swift progress. As of April 2025, under the scheme, 64,463 km of water supply network and 19,598 km of sewer network have been constructed. Further, water treatment capacity of 4,734 million litres per day (mld) and sewerage capacity of 4,447 mld have been developed, of which 1,437 mld of sewerage treatment capacity has been developed for recycle and reuse. Building on the progress, AMRUT 2.0 was launched in 2021, with a major focus on providing universal coverage of sewerage and septage management in 500 AMRUT cities. Under the initiative, 18.1 million new tap connections and 6.71 million new sewer connections have been approved. Additionally, 10,647 mld water treatment plant capacity and 6,739 mld sewage treatment plant capacity have also been approved.
The road ahead
As India advances towards its vision of “Viksit Bharat by 2047”, the timely implementation of these mega infrastructure programmes will be crucial. However, persistent challenges, such as cost overruns and delays in execution (as seen in Bharatmala and DFCs), must be addressed proactively. Strategic measures and stronger project execution are essential to overcome these issues. Specific hurdles, including delays in land acquisition and poor-quality DPRs, also need urgent attention. With infrastructure at the core of India’s development agenda, sustained investment and continuous policy focus will be key drivers of long-term economic growth. w
Bhavya Bhandari
