Editorial

The past few months have been challenging for the infrastructure sector as financiers have faced multiple issues. While inflation remained under control, banks suffering from a combination of toxic loans and poor liquidity remained very […]

Rapid urbanisation has been a driver of growth. But it has also stressed inadequate urban infrastructure to breaking point. Public transport is one of the many areas of concern. Poor public transport leads to more […]

The road sector was in deep trouble some five years ago. Bidders were highly optimistic during the 2010-12 period and made bids (including offering negative grants) that more or less guaranteed financial trouble. Indeed, many […]

The civil aviation sector has seen a lot of activity in the past year or so. There has been expansion in airport capacity and the new RCS has taken off in an encouraging fashion. A […]

With this issue, we celebrate our twentieth anniversary. We take this opportunity to reflect on the journey of infrastructure development in India. The issue provides a view of the past 20 years – progress, setbacks, […]

India is the world’s fastest growing large economy and energy demand is growing in tandem with fast macroeconomic growth. India is already the world’s largest importer of crude, and the fourth largest importer of natural […]

The maritime sector’s fortunes ebb and surge with trade activity. Global trade has been slow for the past several years and that has adversely affected growth. The Indian ports and shipping sector has seen slow […]

The power sector saw several interesting developments last year. For the first time ever, in 2017-18, capacity additions in the renewables category – mainly in solar – overtook conventional capacity additions.  Power lines reached every […]

The Indian Railways is cash-strapped, accident-prone and suffering from slow revenue growth. It is also the single most important element in the domestic transport infrastructure and it has ambitious plans. If all goes well, it […]

Mining is the backbone for multiple manufacturing sectors and it is also the source of various metals, limestone and coal and other minerals. India is fortunate in that it has an abundance of many key […]

Union Budget 2018-19 allocated Rs 5.97 trillion for infrastructure, which is a substantial increase of about Rs 1.03 trillion over the outlay for 2017-18. The finance minister estimated that the country needs about Rs 50 […]

Steel finds uses across multiple industries. The big-ticket consumption comes from general construction, and the railways, housing and road sectors. Demand for steel in various grades and alloys varies directly with activity in these areas. […]

Bank credit still remains the largest source of funding for the infrastructure sector, though it has declined in recent years due to the stressed position of bank balance sheets and the large number of NPAs […]

Given the speed of urbanisation in the country, there is an urgent need to develop mass public transit systems as quickly as possible. Indeed, a number of metro rail and bus rapid transit (BRT) projects […]

The road sector has seen increased activity in the past year both in terms of project award as well as work on the ground. The current construction rate is averaging about 18 km per day […]

The overall outlook for the civil aviation sector looks positive. Fuel prices remain at moderate levels; traffic growth rates have accelerated; airline financials have seen upticks. Several operators are looking to increase fleet size and […]

In the past 12 months, the oil and gas sector has seen the initiation of policy changes that could have useful outcomes a few years down the line. As of now, global crude and gas […]

The maritime sector has been under pressure for years, due to weak global demand, low shipping rates and contraction in imports and exports. However, there has been progress on the policy front and that should […]

The power sector has seen a key shift in the mix of capacity addition in the past year. Capacity additions in renewables exceeded that in conventional power. At the same time, the coal supply chain […]

The political establishment has consistently sent out mixed signals regarding the multiple roles played by Indian Railways. On the one hand, IR has to be a key transporter, moving goods and people across the country […]