Power Sector

When India became independent in 1947, the country had a power generating capacity of 1,362
megawatt (MW). Today, India is the sixth largest in terms of power generation and the per capita power
consumption in the country is 733.54 kilowatt-hours per year (kWh/yr). It is said that power or
electricity is the most critical component of infrastructure, which affects the economic growth and well-
being of a nation. Presently, about 65 per cent of the electricity consumed in India is generated by
thermal power plants, 22 per cent by hydroelectric power plants, three per cent by nuclear power plants
and the rest 10 percent come from other alternate sources like solar, wind, biomass, etc.
Road Infrastructure
India possesses the second largest road network in the world. The 4.7 million km network
transports over 60 per cent of all goods in India and 85 per cent of the country's total passenger
traffic. Road activity has progressively increased over the years as connectivity between cities,
towns and villages in the country has improved.
This growth in automobiles and freight movement requires a road network good enough to carry
the traffic. The Government of India, perhaps seeing this need, has set aside 20 per cent of the
total investment of US$ 1 trillion for infrastructure during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17), to
develop the country's roads.
Indian Telecom
Telecom services have been recognised the world over as an important tool for socio-economic
development of a nation. It is one of the prime support services needed for rapid growth and
modernisation of various sectors of the economy. India is currently the worlds second-largest
telecommunications market and has registered exceptional growth in the past few years. The
reasons for growth of the telecom sector in India are reform measures by the Government of
India, active participation of the private sector, and wireless technology.
The National Telecom Policy 2012 (NTP-2012) was announced with the objective to maximise
public good by facilitating reliable, secure and affordable telecommunication as well as
broadband services in India. This along with the deregulation of foreign direct investment (FDI)
norms have made the telecommunications sector one of the fastest growing and a top five
employment opportunity generator in the country. The telecommunications sector attracted FDI
to the tune of US$ 14,163.01 million in the period April 2000 March 2014.
Indian Railways
The Indian Railways is among the biggest in the world. It plays a major role in looking after the
transportation needs of the country, while also bringing together the diverse geographies and
helping promote national integration. The railway network is ideal for long-distance travel and
movement of bulk commodities, being an energy efficient and economic mode of transport.
With a total route network of about 64,600 km spread across 7,146 stations, with 19,000 trains
operating the routes every day, India's railway network is recognised as one of the largest railway
systems in the world under a single management.
Urbanization is driving passenger growth in the country. Consequently, the Government of India
has focused on investing on railway infrastructure by relaxing norms and making investor-
friendly policies. It is moving swiftly to facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) in railways to
improve infrastructure for freight and high-speed trains. Presently, private sector companies are
looking to invest in rail projects, a development which is helped largely by the government's
approval of a policy in 2012, which enabled private ownership of some railway lines.