Govt to conduct private capex survey; results likely by early 2025

In order to assess the investment intents of the private sector in the coming years, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation is conducting a capex survey. The first ever such exercise, is understood to be fully online, and the results are also expected to be much faster -- by end of the year or early 2025.

"The capex survey being conducted by NSO was launched in October. It is expected that the findings will come by December or early January," said a source familiar with the development. The results are likely to be made public by February or March 2025.

The survey will gauge the intent of private sector companies to undertake capital expenditure in the next two years as well as the spending in the previous three years. A list of about 7,000 companies have been compiled from the database of the ministry of corporate affairs to participate in the survey. Sources explained that they have to simply log on to a web portal and respond to a questionnaire on their capex plans.

The move to assess private capex plans comes at a time when the government is hoping for a revival in India Inc's investment sentiments that would in turn help support and boost economic growth. Most of the heavy lifting on capex is being done by the public sector and the government in the last few years since the pandemic. 

The findings of the survey are expected to help policymakers work out the capex spending plans for the public sector and the government for 2025-26.

Meanwhile, the ministry has also begun preparatory work for launching the Economic Census, which is expected to start early next year.

It is in the midst of appointing an agency to provide end to end digital solutions for the Census, that will help in undertaking the Census and compiling the data faster.