NaBFID May Partner with Multilateral Banks for Concessional Funds

18 Feb 2025 CW Team

The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) is seeking to collaborate with multilateral funding agencies to promote blended finance for the development of urban infrastructure and the financing of sustainable projects by urban local bodies. Blended finance utilizes catalytic capital from public or philanthropic sources to attract private sector investment in sustainable development projects, thereby reducing the cost of funds and making financing more affordable for such projects compared to traditional funding options.

NaBFID, a state-owned institution established in 2021, is exploring new avenues for financing urban infrastructure, including the possibility of pool finance structures for municipal finances. These structures could help in raising resources for the development of urban infrastructure. The institution’s primary goal is to address gaps in long-term non-recourse financing for infrastructure projects, foster the growth of bonds and derivatives markets in India, and contribute to the country’s economic development in a sustainable manner.

In addition to its financing role, NaBFID is focused on facilitating public-private partnerships (PPP) by providing transaction advisory services. This would help design investable structures that attract both public and private sector participation in infrastructure development projects. Through these initiatives, NaBFID aims to support the financing of critical urban infrastructure and sustainable development projects across the country, contributing to the long-term growth and resilience of India's urban landscape.

News source: NDTV Profit

Infrastructure Transport

12 Dec 2025

Railways Boosts Cyber Security And Fairness In Ticket Bookings

Indian Railways has said its reservation ticketing system is a robust and highly secure IT platform equipped with state-of-the-art cyber security measures. The national transporter has introduced several initiatives to enhance system performance and improve access to regular and tatkal tickets. A key step has been the large-scale revalidation and verification of user accounts. Since January 2025, around 30.2 million suspicious user IDs have been deactivated. Anti-bot tools such as Akamai have been deployed to filter non-genuine users, ensuring smoother booking for legitimate passengers. To c..

Indian Railways Speeds Up Green Transition With Wider Electrification

Indian Railways is accelerating its modernisation drive by upgrading infrastructure and rolling stock with advanced technologies aimed at enhancing safety, punctuality, reliability and passenger comfort. A major focus of this effort is the transition to cleaner traction systems, with a significant reduction in the use of coal-based and diesel engines. Electrification has been taken up in mission mode. As of now, 99.2 per cent of the Broad Gauge (BG) network has been electrified, with the remaining routes under execution. During 2014–25, Railways electrified 46,900 route kilometres, compared..

Centre Strengthens Cybersecurity Framework Across India’s Power Sector

The POWERGRID Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Cybersecurity has been established at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru to advance research and development in cybersecurity for power grid operations and transmission systems. The initiative is part of India’s broader effort to build a resilient and secure power ecosystem. To strengthen cyber readiness across the sector, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) issued the Cyber Security in Power Sector Guidelines, 2021, creating a comprehensive cyber assurance framework and governance structure for all power entities. Further, the ..