New Delhi: As the World Bank ranks India among the top 5 countries globally in terms of private investment in infrastructure among low- and middle-income economies, infrastructure continues to be central to India’s growth strategy, with public capital expenditure following a sustained upward trajectory since FY15, the Economic Survey 2025-26 stated on Thursday.
According to the Survey, this has been made possible by the institutionalisation of multimodal planning through PM GatiShakti, complemented by the National Logistics Policy and digital platforms that are reducing transaction costs and execution risks.
Moreover, the capital expenditure has increased nearly 4.2 times, from Rs 2.63 lakh crore in FY18 to Rs 11.21 lakh crore in FY26 (BE), while effective capital expenditure in FY26 (BE) is Rs 15.48 lakh crore, positioning infrastructure as a key growth driver, recognising the strong multiplier effects that infrastructure generates on the economy, it said.
The Survey further stated that India’s infrastructure financing landscape is undergoing a change and is increasingly diversifying beyond bank credit, with NBFC credit to the commercial sector growing at a CAGR of 43.3 per cent during FY20–FY25.
The National Highway network grew by about 60 per cent from 91,287 kms in FY14 to 1,46,572 kms in FY26 (up to December).
Operational High-Speed Corridors increased nearly 10-fold — from 550 kms (FY14) to 5,364 km (FY26, up to December).
The Survey further stated the rail network reached 69,439 route km (as of March 2025), a targeted addition of 3,500 km in FY26, and 99.1 per cent electrification has been achieved by October 2025.
The key initiatives include Economic Railway Corridors, Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail, Dedicated Freight Corridors, Station Redevelopment and track upgradation, among others.
When it comes to aviation, the number of airports rose from 74 in 2014 to 164 in 2025.
The domestic airports handled 412 million passengers last fiscal, and the same is projected to increase to 665 million by FY31.
Further, air cargo volume grew from 2.53 MMT in FY15 to 3.72 MMT in FY25, the Survey noted.
Thanks to initiatives like ‘Maritime India Vision 2030’ and ‘Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, the Indian ports have achieved near-global standards in average container vessel turnaround time, with seven ports now featuring among the top 100 in the World Bank’s Container Port Performance Index 2024.
As of November 2025, 32 National Waterways are operational, spanning 5,155 kms, with cargo operations on 29 NWs, cruise operations on 15 NWs and passenger services on 23 NWs. In the shipbuilding sector, Rs 69,725 crore was approved in September 2025 to revitalise the country’s shipbuilding and maritime ecosystem.
Notably, the power sector recorded sustained capacity expansion, with installed capacity rising 11.6 per cent (YoY) to 509.74 GW as of November 2025. Renewable energy now constitutes around 49.83 per cent of total power generation capacity as of November 2025, with India ranking third globally in overall RE and installed solar capacity and fourth in installed wind capacity.
The Survey noted that the total renewable energy capacity witnessed more than a threefold increase over the last decade, surging from 76.38 GW in March 2014 to 253.96 GW by November 2025.
(IANS)
