Harmonised master list of infrastructure
Also called: HML · Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Harmonised Master List of Infrastructure is the official list of sub-sectors that count as "infrastructure" in India. It was issued in 2012 and is updated from time to time. It has five categories: transport and logistics, energy, water and sanitation, communication, and social and commercial infrastructure. It matters because lenders and regulators use it. A sector on the list can get infrastructure-style loans: cheaper, longer-term credit (long-tenor loans, repaid over many years).
Example
A bank financing a port project first checks the list. Ports fall under "transport and logistics", so the project qualifies for infrastructure lending terms. In 2022, data centres were added to the list.
Don't confuse with
- Infrastructure status: the list is the whole catalogue of sub-sectors. Infrastructure status is what one sector gets when it is added to that list.
- National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP): NIP is a list of actual projects to be built (about ₹111 lakh crore over FY20–25). It does not define which sectors count as infrastructure.
Related concepts
- Infrastructure
- Physical infrastructure
- Social infrastructure
- Transportation infrastructure
- Infrastructure status