Construction Federation of India (CFI) Hosts Flagship Conference 2025: “Redefining India’s Infrastructure Growth: Next-Gen Solutions for a Viksit Bharat”

Founded in 2000, CFI continues to play a pivotal role in enabling India’s infrastructure transformation through sustainable development, policy advocacy, and collaborative innovation.

Inaugural Address: Vision for a Future-Ready India

In his welcome address, Mr. Vinayak Pai, President of CFI, emphasized the significance of the sector in nation-building and urged for greater collaboration to address ongoing industry challenges such as project delivery predictability, financing hurdles, safety, and technology adoption and help in driving transformational changes in the sector. He emphasized that every stakeholder has a crucial role in bringing the industry up to speed with other sectors and making it more technologically advanced and sustainable, ultimately contributing to the vision of Viksit Bharat.

“India stands at the cusp of unprecedented infrastructure transformation. Our deliberations today will lay the groundwork for a resilient and future-ready infrastructure landscape — one that drives job creation, economic growth, and a better quality of life, in line with our national aspiration of Viksit Bharat by 2047,” Mr. Pai remarked.

Special Address by Dr. Surendra Kr Ahirwar

Dr. Surendra Kr Ahirwar, Executive Director (Traffic Commercial – Rates), Ministry of Railways, Government of India, commended CFI for curating a theme aligned with national priorities. He underscored the transformative role of the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, especially its geospatial platform for integrated infrastructure planning. Dr. Ahirwar advocated for infrastructure with a longer lifecycle and enhanced planning frameworks for sustainability and longevity. He emphasized on the critical role CFI has to play in the infrastructure development of the country.

Conference Highlights: Thought-Provoking Panel Sessions

Panel Session I – Emerging Trends in Infrastructure: The 4S Framework – Scale, Safety, Sustainability, Speed included deliberations from panelists – Mr. Rajiv Dhankher – Director (Project & Planning), DMRC, Mr. Rajan Sharma – Sr. Vice President, J Kumar Infraprojects, Mr. Vivek Agarwal – Partner & Public Infra Head, KPMG India, Mr. Saurabh Sood – Senior Transport Specialist, The World Bank and Moderated by Dr. Anil Kashyap, Director General, NICMAR

Key Insights: Mega-projects demand robust capacity building and integration of such challenges into academic curricula; Adoption of pre-cast technologies and sustainable materials will accelerate project execution and meet climate goals; Safety education must be institutionalized in construction training; Coordination and supply chain resilience are critical to effective delivery.

Panel Session II – Powering India’s Energy Transition: Towards Cleaner, Self-Reliant Energy included deliberations from panelists – Mr. Raj Kumar Chaudhary – CMD, NHPC Ltd., Mr. Venkat Muvvala – President & CBO, Jakson Infra, Mr. Ravichandra Reddy G – JGM & Head Operations East, L&T Renewable IC, Mr. Anindya Chowdhury – Former Country Head, Energy Transition, Shell India, Mr. Rohit Kumar – Partner, Deloitte and Moderated by Dr. Rajat Kathuria, Economist and former Director, ICRIER

Key Insights: India’s energy transition is central to achieving Paris Agreement goals and a Viksit Bharat; Urgent investment needed in storage solutions (battery & pumped hydro) to enable renewables; Transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure remains a critical bottleneck; Financial de-risking through blended finance and policy clarity essential for investor confidence; A self-reliant, indigenous approach to energy transition was emphasized involving upskilling of people, leveraging technology while raising awareness across the value chain.

Panel Session III – Industry 4.0: Digital Infrastructure, Semiconductors & Battery Manufacturing included deliberations from panelists – Mr. Makrand Dixit – Head Projects (Fab), Tata Electronics, Mr. John Sandeep – Sr. Chief Engineering Manager, L&T Construction, Mr. Anil Relan – Sr. VP, Jacobs Engineering India, Mr. Annurudha Kshatriya – GM, Invest UP, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, Ms. Sanna Arora – Vice President, Labotek Technologies and Moderated by Mr. PVG Menon, Former CEO, Electronics Sector Skills Council

Key Insights: India is witnessing a rapid rise in semiconductor demand, driven by AI, ML, and data sovereignty; States are offering customized incentives to complement central government’s semiconductor mission; The industry is embracing green energy and resource-efficient technologies to support sustainable operations; Skill development and global benchmarking are critical as plants being developed match international standards. Panel stressed on developing more prominent ecosystem of speciality chemicals and equipment in the country to enable quality and faster development of such mega facilities.

Closing Remarks by Ms. Preiti Patel, Treasurer, CFI

In her concluding address, Ms. Preiti Patel extended heartfelt thanks to all panellists, delegates, government officials, and partners for their contributions. She announced the upcoming launch of the CFI White Paper on “Policy Advocacy Issues Impacting the Infrastructure Construction Sector”, scheduled for September–October 2025.

“Our discussions today reflect the strength, unity, and vision of the infrastructure sector. With innovation, shared purpose, and continued policy support, we are poised to redefine India’s development trajectory,” Ms. Patel said.

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)