The Foundations of Indian Construction Sector

The 3 Pillars of SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and infrastructure

In 2015, the UN brought out 17 goals on global development to be achieved by 2030, which work as a blueprint towards a better, sustainable future and known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ninth in this list  seeks to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

The Indian way

India is among the world’s fastest growing economies and has infrastructure as its major growth engine. This has contributed to significant impact on India’s overall development and serves as catalyst for the country’s economic expansion. 

Indian construction sector attracts the largest FDI inflow (US$ 1,488.80 million, 2021-22) and global investors increasingly view India as a top destination for infrastructure projects. India offers a higher rate of return on infrastructure investments due to its young demographic, growing urbanization and increasing domestic market.  A dynamic infrastructure sector has been transformed with technology and digitization changing the way the sector functions and a growing emphasis on innovating the status quo, automation, security, and sustainability.  

Adopting latest trends

India has adopted the latest trends infrastructure viz. cloud computing and micro services architecture with movement to edge computing and the Internet of Things (IoT) to handle data generated by connected devices. It also uses containers and orchestration tools such as Kubernetes to manage the deployment, scaling, and management of applications.  

Sustainability 

Sustainability is a major focus in the field of infrastructure in recent years and encompasses various initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of infrastructure – viz. reducing energy consumption, using renewable energy sources, and implementing more efficient cooling and ventilation systems. 

Cloud computing

In Cloud computing, companies are investing in renewable energy sources and adopting sustainable practices such as using reusable materials, reducing waste, and optimizing their data centres for energy efficiency. 

There is also a growing demand for green infrastructure, such as smart cities, which incorporate sustainable technologies and practices in their urban planning and design. 

The journey to sustainability in infrastructure has been driven by two catalyst- the need to address environmental challenges and the desire to reduce costs and improve efficiency. 

Inclusiveness

This refers to the design and implementation of infrastructure keeping needs and perspectives of diverse range of users and communities, including marginalized or disadvantaged groups, ensuring t everyone benefits from essential infrastructure services viz. transportation, energy, water, and communication systems.  

It addresses social and economic inequalities and promotes equitable outcomes for all by taking into account the needs of diverse communities and helps build more resilient and sustainable communities and foster greater social cohesion. 

In keeping with creating accessible, affordable, responsive suited to needs of diverse communities there are more plans and features which are being integrated to the above. These include: 

·         Universal access to digital infrastructure

·         Age-friendly infrastructure

·         Sustainable infrastructure  

·         Community-led infrastructure

·         Infrastructure financing

The bottom line of these initiatives is a wanting of togetherness that has driven by the need to address social and economic inequalities and create infrastructure for all members of society. By prioritizing accessibility, affordability, and sustainability, inclusive infrastructure can help to build more resilient and equitable communities.