Indian Union Budget FY2015

As expected in FY2015 Union budget, the push on increase in infrastructure creation is evident. Banks have been permitted to raise long-term financing for infrastructure projects with minimal requirement of cash reserve ratio, statutory liquidity ratio and priority sector lending to improve availability of funds and reduce the cost of funds. A huge fillip is being given to the construction of highways. A big push is also being made to upgrade urban infrastructure, including the creation of smart cities. There are initiatives to stimulate low-cost housing, including rural housing.

For Power sector, to ensure 24×7 uninterrupted power supplies in rural areas, Budget has announced Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and allocated Rs. 5.00 billion for the scheme.The Budget has also extended 80-IA Tax exemption for power sector player sector till 2017, it means a 10 year tax holiday for power projects that starts power production by March 31, 2017. On the transmission and distribution front, budget allocation has nearly doubled to Rs. 80 billion

For Road sector, the Budget allocates Rs. 144 billion  for Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and Rs. 379 billion for national highways and state roads (up 20% and 12 % y-o-y, respectively and plan to build 8500 km of road in the current fiscal. Rs. 5 billion set aside to initiate work on expressways

For Port sector, Sixteen new port projects to be awarded this year, development of inland waterway project, and special economic zones at Kandla and JNPT ports

For Urban infrastructure, Budget has allocated Rs.71 billion for developing smart cities, 20-fold increase in allocation for water resources (including Rs. 36 billion under National Rural Drinking Water Programme, Rs. 10 billion for a new irrigation scheme, Rs. 20 billion for cleaning up of River Ganga), and Rs. 1 billion viability gap funding for metro rail projects in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Corpus for Pooled Municipal Debt Obligation Facility has been increased by 10 fold to fund urban infrastructure projects. Allocation for National Housing Bank has also been increased to Rs. 80.00 billion to support Rural housing and Mission on Low Cost Affordable Housing anchored in the National Housing Bank to be set up.