The National Highways Authority of India NHAI is optimistic about meeting the asset monetisation target of Rs 20,000 crore in the current fiscal, amid ongoing economic uncertainties and geopolitical instability, a top official said. The national road infrastructure building entity will raise the amount through the NHAI Infrastructure Investment Trust or InVIT and Toll-Operate Transfer or TOT routes. In the previous fiscal, NHAI had raised Rs 8,000 crore for five projects accounting for 400 km through the first tranche of InVIT. InvITs are collective investment vehicles similar to a mutual fund, which allows for direct monetary investment from individual and institutional investors in infrastructure projects that earn them a small portion of the income as a result. As appetite remains robust for investors, NHAI chairperson Alka Upadhyayaya told PTI in an interview that they are optimistic about the asset monetisation plan of Rs 20,000 crore in the current fiscal. She said, We wanted to maximise return but now we will have to repackage it as it is not a major issue about lack of demand for the sixth and eighth bundles of its asset monetisation plan via the toll-operate TOT mechanism. The ToT mechanism started a few years ago and NHAI has successfully monetised 21 stretches with an aggregate length of 1,540 km for a total of 23,000 crore from domestic and international investors. The public-funded highway stretches are given a long-term lease against upfront payment. The operator is recouping investment through the collection of user fee on the stretches that follow the prescribed rates by the NHAI, but the operator has to operate and maintain the stretches during the entire concession period. Upadhyaya said Bharatmala Pariyojana is India's largest highway infrastructure programme, with the development of 34,800 km of National Highway corridors at an investment of Rs 5.35 lakh crore. NHAI will be able to award contracts for 30,000 -- 31,000 km by the year 2025, she said. The proposed 22 greenfield expressways and access-controlled corridors developed as part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana with a length of 8,300 km and a capital cost of Rs 3.6 lakh crore are expected to be the next lifeline of growth for the country and are expected to reduce emissions and generate annual fuel savings of over 10,000 crore, officials said. Upadhyaya said she will focus on road maintenance and accident free roads. The NHAI is interested in building accident-free national highways not only constructing roads of world-class standard, but also building roads of world-class standard. This is our main focus and we are undertaking third party road safety audits. The chairperson said that stretches have been identified as a zero fatality corridor to minimise the number of accidents on highways.