NHAI-Sponsored NHIT (InvIT) Engages General Management Consultants to Professionalise Highway O&M

📌 Summary:

• The National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT), an InvIT sponsored by NHAI, has engaged General Management Consultants (GMCs) to institutionalise professional, technology-driven Operations and Maintenance (O&M) of national highway assets
• NHIT was registered with SEBI in October 2020 and manages national highway assets totalling 2,653 km; the first phase covers O&M of 908 km under GMCs
• NHIPMPL, a wholly owned NHAI subsidiary, acts as Project Manager under SEBI's InvIT Regulations, ensuring reporting, disclosure and certification
• GMCs will conduct daily, weekly and monthly inspections, identify maintenance, safety and capacity works, manage contractor procurement, improve toll and traffic management and ensure SEBI compliance
• The model aims to enhance asset performance, adopt global best practices, create a specialised O&M ecosystem and strengthen investor confidence to attract domestic and global investment (asset monetisation)

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 – infrastructure financing, asset monetisation and investment models (InvIT) in highways

📝 Prelims Facts:

• InvIT = Infrastructure Investment Trust, regulated by SEBI
• NHIT registered with SEBI in October 2020; manages 2,653 km of highways (908 km in phase 1)
• NHAI = National Highways Authority of India; NHIT is its sponsored InvIT

🔑 Key Term: InvIT – an Infrastructure Investment Trust that pools investor funds to own income-generating infrastructure, enabling the government to monetise operational assets