New Delhi, June 5 -- Private equity firms, pension funds and sovereign wealth funds may get to invest across a range of infrastructure projects at the earliest stage as part of a new public-private partnership (PPP) model, two people aware of the plans said.

The new framework aims to expand financial investors' early access beyond the highway sector to greenfield projects in power, railways, airports, ports, urban infrastructure and water supply. The goal is to expand the pool of long-term capital available for infrastructure creation, in a departure from the current model where financial investors enter after the projects start operating.

"The department of economic affairs in the finance ministry has discussed the plan for changes in ...