New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched the Centre’s 6 lakh crore National Monetization Pipeline (NMP). A four-year pipeline dedicated to infrastructure assets that the government plans to monetize to generate funds.
During the launch, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said,” We are fully committed to the NMP. We feel it is very important to bring in the private sector for better operation and maintenance; therefore we are committed to strong delivery on grounds.”
In response to the privatization concern raised by a local reporter, Ms Nirmala asserted that the ownership of the assets would remain with the Govt.
She also informed that the National Monetization Pipeline would be implemented on assets where investment is already initiated. Additionally, the centre would also consider Brownfield assets that are either languishing or not fully monetized or underutilized. The money obtained through the monetization exercise will be channelized into infrastructure building from roads to railways and airports to power transmission and gas pipelines.
In the Union Budget 2021-22, the Finance Minister had made several announcements regarding asset monetization and asserted that the government was dedicated to bringing in innovative ways to raise finances.