Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday launched the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)-sponsored Raajmarg Infrastructure Investment Trust (InvIT), marking its listing on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
The maiden public issue of the InvIT witnessed a robust response from investors, with officials confirming it was oversubscribed nearly 14 times. The strong debut is being seen as a key milestone in mobilising long-term capital for India’s highway infrastructure sector.
Speaking at the listing ceremony, Gadkari outlined an ambitious roadmap for the platform, stating that the next target is to monetise 1,500 km of national highways over the next three years through the Raajmarg InvIT. He emphasised that the initiative enables direct public participation in infrastructure development, aligning with the vision of Narendra Modi to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Describing the InvIT as transformative, Gadkari said it effectively turns highway users into stakeholders, offering them an opportunity to benefit from the country’s infrastructure growth story.
Meanwhile, domestic equity markets opened on a strong note, recovering from recent selling pressure. The Nifty 50 rose 365.80 points, or 1.62 per cent, to open at 22,878.45, while the BSE Sensex surged 1,516.08 points, or 2.09 per cent, to 74,212.47.
Despite the rally, analysts cautioned that volatility remains elevated amid geopolitical uncertainty linked to the Strait of Hormuz. Sectoral indices reflected broad-based buying, with gains led by auto, metal, PSU banks, and IT stocks.
Across Asia, markets also traded higher. Japan’s Nikkei 225 advanced 0.75 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 1.75 per cent, and South Korea’s KOSPI climbed over 2 per cent. US markets had ended firmly in the green overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq Composite all posting solid gains.
Market participants noted that while sentiment has improved, global uncertainties continue to influence investor behaviour in the near term.
