Private Partnership in Infrastructure Investment in India

INTRODUCTIONorder maintenance, international relations, world
Addressing to the Indian Economic Summit’speace, general governance, epidemics eradication,
session, on Tuesday, the 18th of Nov. 2008, thegeneral health, poverty alleviation, public welfare etc.
State Minister of Industry, Mr. Ashwini Kumarcomes under this type of autonomous investment.
declared that Rs 500 billion would be invested by theThe remaining portion of autonomous investment is
Central Government with public-private partnership inthat which can be (and is generally) given in private
infrastructure pertaining projects. According to himhands in a developed economy. In a developed
this investment would lure demand to boosteconomy sufficiently a high level of income is
economic growth. In the prevailing time when Indianachieved, the distribution of income is almost equal,
economy is under threat of the entrance of worldmarket is extended and developed, general poverty
depression 2008, such type of a big dose ofstands alleviated and cost of production is quite low
investment in infrastructure is desirable to barricadeon account of capital based modern technology.
against the entering depression. But, the privateHence, the producers can easily pay for external
partnership may hamper the way of receiving theeconomies and people can pay for many of the
desired results.general utility services. Therefore, in a developed
INDUCED INVESTMENTeconomy, the portion of autonomous investment to
When talking about investment, it is categorized asbe incurred in the projects like road transport,
the induced investment and the autonomousconstruction of highways, construction of bridges,
investment. Induced investment is that investmentpower and electricity, civil aviation, sea transport,
which is induced by profit motive in a free enterpriseeducation etc. can be (and generally is) given in
capitalist economy. It produces commodities andprivate hands. This portion of autonomous
thereby it can be termed as ‘directly productiveinvestment, being however similar to the previous
investment’. Establishment of a productive unitone (above said true autonomous investment) in a
which produces consumption or capital goods comesdeveloping economy, but thus becomes profit
under the category of the directly productivemotivated and is converted into induced investment
investment. It changes with a change in (national)in a developed economy. In other words, this portion
income that is why it is also called income elasticbehaves as autonomous investment in a developing
investment. Induced investment is incurred especiallyeconomy but is converted to and starts behaving as
to produce larger output.induced investment in a developed economy.
AUTONOMOUS INVESTMENTTherefore, this portion of autonomous investment
On the other hand, the autonomous investment iscan be regarded as the convertible investment or the
the investment which is not induced by profit motive.dual investment.
It is not sensitive to changes in income. It is alsoCONCLUSI ON
known as public investment and is incurred in direct            The above  concludes that
response to inventions and much of the long rangeinvestment can be categorized as the autonomous
investment which is only expected to pay for itselfinvestment, the dual investment and the induced
over a long period. Autonomous investment isinvestment. The autonomous investment should be
generally associated with such factors as introductionexclusively incurred by the government in both the
of new production techniques, new products,developed and the developing economies and,
development of new resources or growth ofsimilarly, the induced investment should be incurred by
population. Autonomous investment generatesprivate investors in both the economies. As regards
favorable environment for production. Anto the dual investment, it should be incurred by
autonomous investment is never profit motivatedgovernment in a developing economy and by private
and that is why it is always suggested to beinvestors in a developed economy. However, a
undertaken by government instead of privatepartnership of government and private investors may
investors. Autonomous investment does not directlybe desirable in case of the dual investment if the
produce goods. It creates external economieseconomy has entered into the stage nearest to the
whereby the cost of production sustained by thefull development. It is similar to the case of the
producing firms is lowered. Thus, their profit ispartnership of government and private investors in
increased whereby the firms are induced to produceinduced investment in early stages of development in
more. In this way the autonomous investmenta developing economy. The Indian economy seems
indirectly helps to increase production. Moreover,to have travelled though a long on the development
autonomous investment generates general utilitypath but it has not so far achieved such a high stage
services to the general public which they can’tof development which may allow private hands to
afford to purchase.participate in the dual investment. General poverty still
DUAL INVESTMENTpersists there, income distribution is highly unequal,
Autonomous investment is autonomous only to thetechnology is not fully capital based, cost of
extent it is free of profit. If this investment is madeproduction is high, and much more. Therefore, the
by private investors they can’t help earningdual investment in Indian economy still needs to be
profit. Therefore, the producers will have to pay forincurred exclusively by the government. Therefore,
the external economies and the general public willthe partnership of government and private investors
have either to go without the generated generalin case of the declared investment worth Rs 500
utility services or will be exploited for they will havebillion, referred to in the beginning hereof, is not
to pay high to avail the services. Thus, in adesirable. The loss to the producers and the poor
developing economy where cost of production isgeneral mass on account of so far brought about
high, general mass is poor and markets areprivatization of the past is not a latent fact. All the
undeveloped the autonomous investment will lose itssame, if the government somehow feels itself
importance if given in private hands. In this way,helpless to desist from accepting the partnership, it
autonomous investment is made of two differentmust not at all allow it beyond the dual investment. In
portions. One is that which can never be given inmore clear words, the Government of India must
private hands irrespective of the fact whether thekeep the (true) autonomous investment fully intact
economy is developed or developing. Therefore, thisfrom the private partnership and may allow the
portion of autonomous investment is a truepartnership in the dual investment but only to a
autonomous investment. The investment incurred inlimited extent if the partnership can not be fully
the projects pertaining to national security, law andabandoned.