What is the projected investment under National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP)?

Solution

The dedicated programs for road connectivity (Bharatmala), port infrastructure (Sagarmala), electrification, railways upgradation, and operationalising new airports/ air routes (UDAN) have significantly improved the physical infrastructure in the last few years. The NIP was launched with 6,835 infrastructure projects with a projected infrastructure investment of ₹111 lakh crore. This has expanded to over 9,000 projects across 35 sub-sectors and covers economic and social infrastructure projects jointly funded by the Central Government, State Governments, and the private sector. Based on the pillars of a digital identity Aadhar, linking bank accounts with PM-Jan Dhan Yojana, and the penetration of mobile phones (JAM Trinity), the country has witnessed significant progress in financial inclusion in recent years. The population covered with bank accounts increased from 53 per cent in 2015-16 to 78 per cent in 2019-21 (as per NFHS). International evidence shows that countries at the same level of development have taken almost