Public Sector Undertakings invest Rs 502 bn in April's capex
During the first month of the 2024-25 fiscal year, the capital expenditure was primarily driven by the railways, road, and oil and gas sectors. It was reported that the Indian Railways and sector PSUs collectively spent Rs 266.41 billion in April, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) spending Rs 66.45 billion. Among the oil and gas sector PSUs, ONGC incurred a capital expenditure of Rs 23.18 billion, while Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) spent Rs 24.23 billion during the same period.
Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Petroleum reported expenditures of Rs 11.55 billion and Rs 4.17 billion, respectively, for April. Additionally, the power sector PSU NTPC spent Rs 20.83 billion.
The finance ministry monitors the capital expenditure of public sector undertakings (PSUs) with an annual investment target exceeding Rs 1 billion. The Interim Budget for 2024-25 set a cumulative capital expenditure target of over Rs 9 trillon for all public sector undertakings. Of this amount, approximately Rs 7.8 trillion is earmarked for PSUs with an annual capital expenditure target exceeding Rs 1 billion. In the fiscal year 2023-24, large PSUs surpassed the Budget target by spending around Rs 8.1 trillion on capital expenditure.