New Delhi: India has assumed the Chairmanship of BRICS for the year 2016 and a major political cum business engagement will be held in October 2016. As a lead-up to this Summit, India has initiated a number of events within the spirit of the BRICS, one of which being the Seminar on ‘Best Practices in PPPs and Long-term Infrastructure Financing of BRICS Countries’ on 22nd September, 2016 in the national capital. The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley will inaugurate the Seminar.
The Seminar is being organized by the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).
First Session of the Seminar would be on’ Regulatory Issues and Financing of Infrastructure’. Infrastructure development involves long gestation periods, and faces many challenges including in regulatory matters. Emerging economies are in the process of creating an effective regulatory framework across Infrastructure Sectors. Considering the enormity of investment requirements coupled with the public sector fiscal constraints, the private sector is required to play a much greater role. Since, the issues impacting infrastructure development are both financial and non-financial which need to be addressed in totality, this Session looks at this from the point of view of a cross section of stakeholders.
Second Session will be on ’Innovative Investment Vehicles for Long Term Infrastructure Investment’. While public infrastructure expenditure cannot be replaced or substituted in the provision of public infrastructure, the scale of required financing cannot be met through government budgets alone, given limited fiscal space. Leveraging of such public finance by crowding in private investment is essential. Private participation also draws in private sector managerial and execution skill in implementation of projects. Apart from public private partnership (PPP) structures, investment vehicles that attract long term investors while ensuring all prudential safeguards are key to this. Given the critical role infrastructure plays in overall economic growth, such vehicles should be judiciously used to balance the prudential requirements of risk-averse regulators and fund-trustees with the need to allow returns that attract long term investors to this asset class.
Final Session will be on ‘PPP Project Delivery and Post Award Contract Management’. The use of PPPs as an instrument of procurement for creation of infrastructure assets and delivery of public services has been recognized globally. PPP contracts are often complex where both parties are expected to manage the uncertainties and complexities that arise over the long-term concession period of 15-30 years. Managing changing contexts over the concession period, dealing with uncertainties and effectively handling disputes are critical for the overall success of the PPP projects.
All these issues and areas of concern will be debated and deliberated in three different Technical Sessions during the Seminar, viz.
- Regulatory Issues and Financing of Infrastructure
- Innovative Investment Vehicles for Long Term Infrastructure Investment
- PPP Project Delivery and Post Award Contract management
Outcomes of this Seminar could go a long way in better understanding and optimally utilizing the Best Practices in PPPs and Long-term Infrastructure Financing involving BRICS member States.
The Seminar will be attended among others by Mr. Shaktikanta Das, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Mr Ajay Tyagi, Additional Secretary (Investments), Department of Economic Affairs, Mr Raghav Chandra, Chairman, National Highways Authority of India, Government of India.Mr Diogenes E C Alvares, Head of Business Structuring Unit, Empresa de Planejamento e Logística, Brazil, Mr Marc Partridge, Managing Director, GAZPROM Bank, Russia, Mr Suvek Nambiar, Managing Director and CEO, India Infradebt Limited, Ms Elena Stratyeva, Director, Russian Microfinance Center& Vice-president for Infrastructure Development, National Association of Microfinance Market Stakeholders, Russia, Ms Navita Yadav, Managing Director and CEO, Vistra ITCL (India) Ltd, Mr Richard Lowe, Managing Director, Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Estate Assets, India Mr William Dachs, Chief Operating Officer, Gautrain Management Agency, South Africa and Mr. Shiva Rajaraman, Chief Executive, L&T Infra Debt Fund.
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