PPP, ASSET MONETIZATION: CONCEPTS FOR SRI LANKA TO LOOK AT

In the development of economies in the world, the countries adopt various methods and techniques to combine private sector efficiency with government oversight for better delivery of services to people. Public Private Partners (PPP) and asset monetization are two concepts that have delivered. Recently, the Indian High Commission, in collaboration with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Indo-Lanka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organised an event on Public Private Partnerships, titled "PPP: Partnership & Prosperity for People" on November 04, 2025. Kushal Kumar Singh, a partner in Deloitte India, who attended the event, shared Indian experience in achieving success. After the session, he took questions from Daily Mirror regarding the PPP model and asset monetization. He is a specialist in the infrastructure sector and Public Private Partnerships (PPP). He also leads the Consumer and Industrial Products sector for Deloitte in India. Excerpts from the interview.

- By Kelum Bandara

The PPP model is misconstrued as privatization. How do you define the model and its validity in the modern world?

PPP is nowhere near privatization. What is ensured is better development, better operations, and maintenance of infrastructure with people being outrightly responsible for doing that. It is always the government that is the owner of that asset. Very few cases of PPP have been converted to privatization. But, as I mentioned, close to 98 percent of the projects that have happened through PPPs are actually PPPs. They have nothing to do with privatization.

What are the ideal sectors where we can use this model for developmental targets?

The government has its own obligations, social development, poverty alleviation, and providing better amenities to the people. The private sector does not have these requirements. The private sector is looking for a return on investment. So, in any sector where these two requirements align the government's requirement of poverty alleviation, better infrastructure, better facilities, and better user amenities along with returns to the investor, it is possible to go for PPP.

How unique is the PPP model?

We'll take an example of a road. We see what happens in three models. Under model one, the road is developed by the government. We have so many roads in India that are developed by the state Public Works Department, which is the government. The quality of development is not good. Operations and maintenance are weak. There are a lot of potholes, and people suffer because of that. That is when a road is developed by the government.