No hike in Budget, but road and rail still among govt’s top capex drivers

The Budget besides allocated Rs 2.72 lakh crore to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for superior expenditure.

While some ministries got the aforesaid capex allocation arsenic successful past year’s Budget, they inactive relationship for astir 48 per cent of the full capex allocation crossed ministries.

According to the Budget document, the full estimated expenditure of the Central authorities for FY 2025-26 is Rs 50.65 lakh crore. Of this, the allocation for superior expenditure is Rs 11.21 lakh crore, oregon 22.13 per cent of full expenditure.

Capital expenditure goes towards gathering assets that person semipermanent benefits and tin perchance make revenue. Revenue expenditure, connected the different hand, refers to expenses incurred successful maintaining regular operations and includes salaries, wages, rent, bureau expenses, and truthful on.

The Road Transport Ministry and Railways got allocations of Rs 2.72 lakh crore and Rs 2.65 lakh crore respectively successful FY2024-25, too.

In FY2024, Railways incurred a full superior expenditure of Rs 2.42 lakh crore, up from Rs 1.59 lakh crore successful FY23 and Rs 1.17 lakh crore successful FY22.

As for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, its full superior expenditure successful FY24 was Rs 2.63 lakh crore, up from Rs 2.05 lakh crore successful FY23 and Rs 1.13 lakh crore successful FY22.

According to the economical survey, released a time earlier the Budget, until November 2024, Defence, Railways and Road Transport accounted for astir 75 per cent of superior expenditure, whereas important Year-on-Year maturation occurred successful Power and Food and Public Distribution sectors.

The survey besides noted that the gait of the Union government’s superior expenditure successful large infrastructure sectors was affected during the archetypal 4th of FY25, mostly owed to the Model Code of Conduct that had been successful spot for the wide elections.

However, superior expenditure saw an uptick successful July-November, 2024. On average, ministries linked to infrastructure sectors, including Railways and Roads, utilised astir 60 per cent of the budgeted capex during April-November, 2024.

The Railways Ministry said fixed the higher nationalist spending connected superior expenditure, the state tin expect 200 caller Vande Bharat trains, 100 Amrit Bharat trains, 50 Namo Bharat accelerated obstruction services and 17,500 wide non AC coaches successful the adjacent 2 to 3 years.

“Focusing connected safety, the Budget allocates `1,16,000 crore rupees for expenditure this twelvemonth to augment the information of Indian Railways done assorted projects,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways.

For the Road Transport Ministry, cardinal capex projects see the Bharatmala Pariyojana, Char Dham Mahamarg, National High-Speed Corridors, nationalist highways wider than 4 lanes, precocious postulation absorption systems, and multi-modal logistics parks. “This Budget volition person a large interaction connected roadworthy infrastructure… It emphasises reforms, younker leadership, inclusion and investment. It (also) emphasises assemblage participation, women empowerment and centre-state collaboration to thrust holistic development,” said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways.