HUDCO launches ‘UiWIN’ to boost urban infra investments
NEW DELHI: In a significant push toward strengthening urban infrastructure financing, Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO), guided by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has launched the Urban Invest Window (UiWIN), a one-stop investment facilitation platform for Indian cities.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs unveiled the initiative during the National Urban Conclave. India is experiencing one of the most rapid urban transitions in the world: by 2036, more than 60 crore Indians are expected to reside in cities. This rapid pace of urbanisation requires massive investments in infrastructure, even as Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) continue to grapple with capacity constraints, inadequate preparation of projects, limited access to finance, and challenges in mobilising funds. The Urban Invest Window has been conceptualised as a response to these critical gaps, allowing ULBs to open up new opportunities for investment.
UiWIN will act as a catalyst to channelise funds from various sources, such as private investors, public-private partnerships, and multilateral agencies, including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB), with long-term, concessional, and competitive financing. It is expected to facilitate faster and more sustainable investments on better financial terms for enhancing the financial and operational health of Indian cities.
HUDCO will repurpose its 20 regional offices across the country as Urban Invest Windows under a hub-and-spoke model for end-to-end support to cities throughout the project cycle, right from project identification and technical-financial structuring to capital mobilisation and implementation. In close cooperation with state governments and ULBs, HUDCO will build a strong pipeline of bankable, investment-ready projects and connect them with domestic and global investors.
The initiative is thus envisioned as a transformative reform, targeting a doubling of urban investments within the next five years. It is proposed to do so through better governance, financial management, and enhancement of municipal competencies, together with simultaneous strengthening of HUDCO’s own urban lending portfolio.
UiWIN will also facilitate structuring of PPP projects and promotion of municipal and pooled bond issuance, encourage land value capture and monetisation, and leverage convergence with Central and State schemes to achieve additional funding. Building the capacity of municipal officials will also be a major thrust area for ensuring better project delivery and long-term sustainability.
