NHAI starts Asset Monetisation Programme, 17 Highwys Identified
New Delhi, June 11: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has launched asset monetisation programme for the current Financial Year 2026-27.
It has opened bids for two operational highway stretches in Tamil Nadu under the Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) model as it seeks to unlock value from mature road assets and fund future infrastructure expansion.
The two highway stretches, with a combined length of around 170 km, mark the first assets to be offered under NHAI’s monetisation programme for the current financial year.
Under the TOT framework, private investors acquire the right to operate and collect tolls from completed highway projects for a specified concession period in return for an upfront payment.
Highway Assets Identified
The move comes weeks after NHAI identified 17 operational highway assets covering 1,692.5 km across nine states for monetisation through a combination of TOT and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) routes during FY27.
According to NHAI, the proposed monetisation pipeline includes highway projects spread across Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.
The identified corridors are considered key economic and logistics routes with established traffic potential and strategic connectivity significance.
The authority has stated that the monetisation exercise will be carried out through transparent and structured mechanisms under the TOT and InvIT frameworks.
Assets earmarked for monetisation through the Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT) have been excluded from the current list.
Broader Programme
NHAI’s monetisation strategy forms part of the government’s broader asset recycling programme, which aims to raise capital from operational infrastructure assets and redeploy proceeds into new road construction and network expansion projects.
The authority has increasingly relied on TOT bundles and InvIT structures to attract long-term institutional capital into the highway sector while reducing dependence on conventional budgetary support and borrowings.
In FY26, NHAI raised Rs 28,307 crore through various monetisation initiatives, including highway assets transferred through InvIT and TOT structures, narrowly missing its annual target of Rs 30,000 crore.
The monetisation push comes as NHAI expands the use of InvITs, including efforts to broaden investor participation through public infrastructure trusts such as Raajmarg Infra InvIT.
With the first FY27 bids now underway, the road authority is expected to accelerate its monetisation programme over the coming months as it seeks to mobilise funds for India’s ambitious highway development agenda. (BVI)
