Budget 2021 Highlights: Infrastructure

• 03 Feb 2021

Why in News

Recently, the Minister of Finance presented the Union Budget 2021-22. This was the first digital budget.

• This section deals with proposals related to Infrastructure.

Key Points

• Production Linked Incentive scheme (PLI):
  
  • Rs. 1.97 lakh crore in next 5 years for PLI schemes in 13 Sectors to create and nurture manufacturing global champions for an AatmaNirbhar Bharat.
• Textiles:
  
  • Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA) scheme to be introduced.
• Infrastructure:
  
  • National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) expanded to 7,400 projects.
  • Measures in three thrust areas to increase funding for NIP:
    
    • Creation of institutional structures:
      
      • Set up and capitalise a Development Financial Institution (DFI).
    • Big thrust on monetizing assets.
    • Enhancing the share of capital expenditure.
• Roads and Highways Infrastructure:
  
  • Rs. 1,18,101 lakh crore, highest ever outlay, for Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
  • New Economic corridors and Expressways being planned.
  • Advanced Traffic management system in all new 4 and 6-lane highways.
• Railway Infrastructure:
  
  • National Rail Plan for India (2030) to create a “future ready‟ Railway system by 2030.
  • 100% electrification of Broad-Gauge routes to be completed by December, 2023.
  • Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) and Eastern DFC to be commissioned by June 2022.
  • Measures for passenger convenience and safety:
    
    • Aesthetically designed Vista Dome Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coach on tourist routes for better travel.
    • High density network and highly utilized network routes to have an indigenously developed automatic train protection system, eliminating train collision due to human error.
• Urban Infrastructure:
  
  • Expansion of metro rail network and augmentation of city bus service.
  • ‘MetroLite’ and ‘MetroNeo’ technologies will be used to provide metro rail systems at much lesser cost with similar experience.
• Power Infrastructure:
  
  • A comprehensive National Hydrogen Energy Mission 2021-22 to be launched.
  • Rs. 3,05,984 crore over 5 years for a revamped, reforms-based and result-linked new power distribution sector scheme.
• Ports, Shipping, Waterways:
  
  • Rs. 2,000 crore worth 7 projects to be offered in Public Private Partnership (PPP)-mode in Financial Year (FY) 2021-22 for operation of major ports.
• Petroleum & Natural Gas:
  
  • Extension of Ujjwala Scheme to cover 1 crore more beneficiaries.
  • A new gas pipeline project in Jammu & Kashmir.
  • An independent Gas Transport System Operator to be set up for facilitation and coordination of booking of common carrier capacity in all-natural gas pipelines on a non-discriminatory open access basis.

Source:PIB