BackIndia may miss infrastructure goal; sees $20 bn debt funds
India may miss infrastructure goal; sees $20 bn debt funds
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New Delhi: India may miss a $500 billion target for infrastructure investment for the five years through 2012, but will likely create at least two $10 billion debt funds for the sector in the next few months, a senior government adviser said on Thursday.
Creaky infrastructure has been blamed as one of the drags on the growth prospects of Asia’s third-largest economy, which policymakers expect to grow between 8% and 8.5% for the current fiscal that ends in March.
“We think our investment will probably be little short of the $500 billion target," Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of Planning Commission said on Thursday at a conference about meeting fast-growing India’s needs for roads, ports, power and railways.
“I would not be surprised if it is 10% or even 12% short," he said.
Ahluwalia also stressed the need for more infrastructure debt funds, the guidelines for which will be released soon.
“We need several $10 billion funds. I expect at least two ($10 billion funds) to start off (in the current fiscal year)," Ahluwalia said.
Over the next five years ending March 2017, India plans to invest $1 trillion in building infrastructure.
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