NHAI finalises 1,692.5km highway list for ₹30,000 cr FY27 monetisation push

These 17 projects identified for FY26-27 exclude assets proposed for monetisation through the newly self-sponsored Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT), which will be a separate monetisation vehicle

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has finalised a tentative list of 17 highway projects spanning 1,692.5km across nine states (Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra) for monetisation under Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) and Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT) modes in FY2026-27.

Over the past three financial years (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26), NHAI has monetised approximately ₹85,749 cr. (Shutterstock representative photo)

These 17 projects identified for FY2026-27 exclude assets proposed for monetisation through the newly self-sponsored Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust (RIIT), which will be a separate monetisation vehicle.

In this context, asset monetisation means handing over the operation and toll collection rights of existing, running highways to private investors for a fixed period (typically 20-30 years) in exchange for a large upfront payment, without selling the actual ownership of the land or assets.

The initiative aligns with the country’s National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP), currently in its second edition, through which the government has set a ₹16.72 lakh crore monetisation target across sectors for FY 2026-2030. The target for the road sector alone is at ₹4.42 lakh crore. Under NMP 1.0, NHAI achieved 71% of ₹1.60 lakh crore targeted for the road sector from FY2021-22 to FY2024-25.

Over the past three financial years (FY2023-24 to FY2025-26), NHAI has monetised approximately ₹85,749 crore through identified highway assets, building on cumulative totals of ₹1.42 lakh crore raised across 6,100+ km since the programme began. NHAI had missed the target of ₹29,000 crore for FY26 by a margin of around ₹1,000 crore.