Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The World Bank ranks India among the Top 5 countries globally in terms of private investment infrastructure among low- and middle-income economies. The 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 January 29.
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).