Oil and mining are likely to attract huge private investment: Rajiv Kumar

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar is confident that the panel on liberalising mines, which he chairs, will ensure that the sector becomes attractive to private bidders. In a freewheeling interview to Shantanu Nandan Sharma, Kumar says banks will now start lending as the government and the private sector are going to be equal partners in public-private partnership (PPP) projects. Edited excerpts

The finance minister in her budget mentioned the government’s intention of investing Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure in the next five years. That won’t be possible without huge private investment. How do you see the journey of PPP from now on?