Cabinet nod to Rs 6000 cr capital infusion into NIIF Infrastructure Debt Financing Platform

New Delhi, Nov 25 (Bureau) The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the equity infusion of Rs 6,000 crore by the Centre in the NIIF Debt Platform, sponsored by the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund. This was one of the 12 key measures made by Union Minister for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman, as part of the Union Government’s stimulus to the economy, under the AatmaNirbhar Bharat 3.0 on November 12, 2020.

Announcing this, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that the capital infusion in the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) was “for creating rapid infrastructure”. NIIF will mobilise Rs one lakh crore for infrastructure, he said. The NIIF Debt Platform comprises Aseem Infrastructure Finance Ltd and NIIF Infrastructure Finance Ltd. The NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund has set up a debt platform, comprising an NBFC Infra Debt Fund and an NBFC Infra Finance Company.

NIIF, through its Strategic Opportunities Fund (NIIF SOF), has already invested Rs 1,899 crore across the platform. The current proposal seeks GOI investment directly, to further scale the potential and impact of the two entities in the infrastructure debt financing space and help to raise international equity.