In a major push to the slowing economy, the Centre on Tuesday lined up infrastructure projects worth Rs 102 lakh crore across 18 states and union territories (UTs) in various sectors such as railways, urban development, health, water and education.

Unveiling the first report of the Task Force tasked to identify the projects, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Centre and the states would share 39 per cent each of the total cost with the private sector investing the balance 22 per cent.

The Minister said that infrastructure has been a focus of the government in the last six years with projects worth Rs 51 lakh crore (5 per cent-6 per cent of GDP) taken up.

"We are now committing 102 lakh crore rupees for the next 5 years," Sitharaman said, adding another Rs 3 lakh crore worth of projects would be added shortly.

It may be noted that out of the total expected capital expenditure of Rs 102 lakh crore, projects worth Rs 42.7 lakh crore (42 per cent) are already under implementation while projects worth Rs 32.7 lakh crore (32 per cent) are in the conceptualisation stage.

The remaining projects are under the development stage.

The ambitious plan has been launched even as the private sector's response, so far, has been tepid and the once popular PPP model failing to take off.

Most projects in the highways sector have been taken up with the government providing bulk of the funds. But the Centre remains optimistic.

Sitharaman said that the private sector share in the overall infrastructure is expected to reach 30 per cent by 2025.

Among many measures to boost the economy, the government considers building infrastructure as key and has laid emphasis on it. It has stepped up its spending on infrastructure so that it does not become a constraint on the growth of the economy.

Prime Minister in his Independence Day-2019 speech highlighted that Rs.100 lakh crore would be invested on infrastructure over the next five years including social and economic infrastructure projects.

To achieve this objective, a Task Force was constituted to draw up the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for each of the years from FY 2019-20 to FY 2024-25 with the approval of the Finance Minister. The Task Force is chaired by Secretary, DEA with CEO (NITI Aayog), Secretary (Expenditure), Secretary of the Administrative Ministries, and Additional Secretary (Investments), DEA as members and Joint Secretary (IPF), DEA as Member Secretary.

The first meeting of the Task Force was held in September 2019. Subsequently, several meetings were held with various Departments/Ministries engaged in infrastructure development, Corporates engaged in infrastructure development & construction, Banks/Financial Institutions, Private Equity funds, and Industry Associations, including CII, FICCI & ASSOCHAM, to seek information as well as suggestions on reforms required in infrastructure sectors.

This exercise, the first of its kind, is expected to be followed up by a periodical review process. NIP will enable a forward outlook on infrastructure projects which will create jobs, improve ease of living, and provide equitable access to infrastructure for all, thereby making growth more inclusive. NIP includes economic and social infrastructure projects.

On the basis of the information compiled as on date, total project capital expenditure in infrastructure sectors in India during the fiscals 2020 to 2025 is projected at over Rs 102 lakh crore.