MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

THE NDA IS EXPECTED TO GO FULL THROTTLE ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN ITS THIRD TERM. CONTINUITY IN THE KEY MINISTRIES SHOWS THAT IT WANTS TO BUILD ON ITS EFFORTS OF THE LAST 10 YEARS

- RICHA SHARMA

THE PORTFOLIOS ALLOCATED to the ministers of the NDA government, which returned for a third term after the General Elections, was proof, if proof was needed, that there wouldn't be much change.

Many of the top ministers retained their posts, despite the BJP falling short of the majority mark in Parliament. This was especially true for the transport infrastructure space, but for a change in the aviation ministry.

Industry players and rating agencies are relieved. The infrastructure sector had been the crown jewel of the Narendra Modi-led government's last two terms-it had pressed the accelerator on a slew of road, rail, and aviation projects. And it's clear that the government intends to pick up from where it left off before the General Elections were called.

World-class infrastructure development is a core component of the Modi government's 'Viksit Bharat 2047' (Developed India) vision. And the next five years, it is believed, will get the ball rolling on decisions related to capex allotment, fine-tuning of the blueprint, and incorporating technology to modernise the road, rail, and aviation sectors.

Of course, there may be a reassessment here or a tweak there because of the compulsions of a coalition government.

But industry stakeholders feel there will be more continuity than departures. The reason: Nitin Gadkari and Ashwini Vaishnaw have retained the ministries they headed in the last term-road transport and railways, respectively. There is, of course, a change in the civil aviation ministry, which has been allocated to the 36-year-old Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Member of Parliament K. Rammohan Naidu, the youngest in the current Council of Ministers.

There could be further emphasis on multi-modal connectivity through PM Gati Shakti and the National Infrastructure Pipeline.