India’s infrastructure sector continued to expand across roads, aviation, telecommunications, ports, power and railways, according to the latest quarterly update of the PAIMANA Performance Monitoring Dashboard released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The dashboard records progress across key infrastructure indicators, offering a consolidated picture of capacity expansion, utilisation, connectivity and service delivery. Among the major developments, National Highway projects awarded during the first six months of the current financial year increased sharply, while air cargo volumes and electronic toll collection also registered growth.
The latest update expands the dashboard to 184 indicators, including 21 newly added indicators. Quarterly data has been updated for 41 indicators covering power, civil aviation, ports, shipping and waterways, and road transport and highways.
Launched on April 16, 2026, the PAIMANA dashboard provides a unified digital platform to monitor infrastructure performance and support evidence-based policymaking. MoSPI said the platform would continue to be updated quarterly to improve transparency and make official infrastructure statistics more accessible.
Highway project awards Rise 62.9 percent
The road transport and highways sector recorded one of the strongest increases in the latest dashboard update. A total of 2,236.3 kilometres of National Highway projects were awarded during April-September 2026-27, marking a year-on-year increase of 62.9 percent.
The rise in project awards indicates an expansion in the pipeline of highway infrastructure projects. However, the length of projects awarded should be distinguished from the length of highways completed or opened to traffic. The dashboard figure relates to projects awarded during the period.
Electronic toll collection also recorded substantial growth. Transactions reached 225.2 crore during April-September, an increase of 24.1 percent compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
The value of electronic toll collection stood at Rs 36,994.5 crore, registering year-on-year growth of 11.7 percent.
The increase in toll transactions reflects greater use of electronic payment systems across the highway network. The difference between transaction growth and the increase in collection value also indicates that the two indicators are moving at different rates, although the figures alone do not establish the reasons for this difference.
Together, the highway and toll data provide an indication of activity across road infrastructure and its associated payment systems.
Optical fibre network expands across India
Telecommunications connectivity also registered progress, with the cumulative optical fibre cable network reaching 7,52,113 kilometres by August 2026.
An additional 29,256 kilometres of optical fibre cable were added between April and August, strengthening the physical network that supports broadband and other digital communication services.
The expansion of optical fibre infrastructure is important for extending connectivity beyond major urban centres. Fibre networks provide the backbone for high-capacity data transmission and can support broadband access, public services and digital infrastructure in rural and remote areas.
The dashboard also recorded growth in broadband subscriptions during 2025-26. Wired broadband subscribers increased by 12.4 percent, while wireless broadband subscribers grew by 12.9 percent.
The number of connected Gram Panchayats reached 2,23,814 by August 2026. A total of 5,352 Gram Panchayats were added during the first five months of the current financial year.
These indicators capture different aspects of digital connectivity: the expansion of physical infrastructure, growth in broadband subscriptions and the reach of connectivity at the local governance level.
The figures point to continued expansion of India’s telecommunications network, although they do not independently establish the quality, affordability or consistency of services available to individual users.
Air cargo traffic grows 12 percent
India’s civil aviation sector also recorded an increase in freight movement. Airports handled 18.6 lakh tonnes of air cargo during April-August 2026-27, representing year-on-year growth of 12 percent.
Delhi airport handled the highest volume, accounting for 5.3 lakh tonnes during the period.
Air cargo is an important component of logistics infrastructure, supporting the movement of time-sensitive goods, high-value products and other shipments that require faster transportation. Growth in cargo volumes can reflect increased activity across supply chains, trade and distribution networks, although the dashboard figures do not identify the specific factors behind the rise.
Foreign tourist arrivals also increased during the period. India recorded 30.49 lakh foreign tourist arrivals up to August in the current financial year, marking a 2 percent increase compared with the corresponding period a year earlier.
The growth in air cargo and foreign tourist arrivals presents two separate indicators of activity in the aviation and travel ecosystem. While cargo volumes increased at a faster rate, tourist arrivals recorded more modest growth.
The data provides a snapshot of sectoral activity during the first five months of the financial year rather than a full-year assessment.
Major ports handle 390.4 million tonnes of cargo
Port infrastructure recorded growth in cargo handling during April-August 2026-27. Major ports handled 390.4 million tonnes of cargo, registering a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent.
Non-major ports handled 313.4 million tonnes during the same period, marking growth of 1.8 percent.
The figures show that cargo volumes increased across both categories, although the growth rate at major ports was higher. Ports remain important to India’s trade and logistics network, facilitating the movement of fuel, industrial inputs, raw materials and other commodities.
Petroleum and crude products remained the largest commodity category at major ports, accounting for approximately 29.2 percent of total cargo handled. Cargo movement in this category grew by 3.1 percent year-on-year.
The commodity mix highlights the continued importance of petroleum-related shipments in port activity. At the same time, overall cargo handling depends on demand across multiple sectors and commodity groups.
The latest figures offer an indication of port utilisation and cargo movement during the period, but do not by themselves establish changes in port efficiency, turnaround times or the cost of transporting goods.
Installed power capacity crosses 532 GW
India’s installed power capacity reached 5,32,739.7 megawatts in 2025-26, recording year-on-year growth of 12.1 percent, according to the dashboard.
Renewable energy capacity increased by 29.5 percent to 2,23,273 megawatts, accounting for approximately 42 percent of the country’s total installed power capacity.
The growth in renewable capacity outpaced the increase in overall installed capacity, highlighting the expanding contribution of renewable energy sources to India’s electricity infrastructure.
Installed capacity represents the maximum electricity generation capacity available under specified conditions. It is different from the actual amount of electricity generated, which depends on factors including weather, fuel availability, plant performance and demand.
The figures therefore indicate an expansion in the country’s electricity generation infrastructure, particularly in renewable energy, rather than measuring the actual share of renewables in electricity generation during the year.
The increase in capacity is an important indicator of infrastructure development, while the broader performance of the power sector also depends on transmission networks, distribution systems, reliability and affordability.
Railways add to infrastructure capacity
Indian Railways also recorded growth in its infrastructure and rolling stock during 2024-25.
The number of railway coaches increased by 4.5 percent, while the locomotive fleet grew by 6.4 percent. The length of electrified railway tracks rose by 4.8 percent, and the number of railway wagons increased by 5.4 percent.
These indicators cover different components of railway capacity. Coaches support passenger services, locomotives provide traction, electrified tracks enable electric train operations on covered routes, and wagons are used to transport freight.
Growth across these categories points to an expansion of railway assets and supporting infrastructure. However, the number of coaches, locomotives and wagons does not by itself measure service quality or operational performance. Factors such as network congestion, utilisation, punctuality and freight movement also affect the overall effectiveness of the railway system.
The figures nevertheless provide a snapshot of additions to the physical resources available to the national rail network.
PAIMANA dashboard expands to 184 indicators
The latest quarterly update has expanded the PAIMANA dashboard to 184 indicators, with 21 new indicators added to the platform. Quarterly data for 41 indicators has also been updated across selected infrastructure sectors.
The dashboard tracks six infrastructure sub-sectors: civil aviation; road transport and highways; power; ports, shipping and waterways; telecommunications; and railways.
Its indicators are organised around five dimensions: access, quality, fiscal cost and revenue, utilisation, and affordability. This structure allows infrastructure performance to be examined through more than just the amount of physical capacity created.
For instance, the length of a road network reflects infrastructure availability, while toll transactions provide an indication of usage. Similarly, installed power capacity measures generation potential, whereas broadband subscriptions provide information about connectivity uptake.
By bringing these indicators together, the platform aims to provide a consolidated resource for policymakers, researchers and the public.
MoSPI said the dashboard would continue to receive quarterly updates to improve transparency, support access to official statistics and inform decision-making. The next quarterly update is scheduled for January 15, 2027.
The dashboard is available at paimana-perf.mospi.gov.in.
Infrastructure growth across multiple sectors
The latest PAIMANA figures show expansion across several parts of India’s infrastructure network. National Highway project awards rose 62.9 percent, air cargo traffic increased 12 percent, major-port cargo handling grew 7.2 percent, and renewable energy capacity recorded growth of 29.5 percent.
Telecommunications data also points to additions in optical fibre infrastructure and connected Gram Panchayats, while railway figures show increases in coaches, locomotives, electrified tracks and wagons.
These indicators measure different stages of infrastructure development, ranging from project awards and network expansion to asset capacity and utilisation. They should therefore be read separately rather than treated as interchangeable measures of performance.
Taken together, the dashboard provides a broad overview of infrastructure activity across roads, aviation, digital connectivity, ports, power and railways. Its quarterly updates are intended to make these developments easier to track and provide a common statistical reference for assessing progress over time.
