National Monetisation Pipeline: What is it and how will it benefit the country?

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched the National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), through which the government aims to raise $81 billion by leasing out state-owned infrastructure assets over the next four years.

This will help fund new capital expenditure without pressuring government finances.

The proposal involves handing assets including roads, railways, airports, sports stadiums, power transmission lines and gas pipelines to private operators, Sitharaman said.

Here is everything you need to know about the NMP scheme:

According to the government vision, NMP is envisaged to serve as a medium-term roadmap for identifying potential monetisation-ready projects, across various infrastructure sectors.