Program

While adequate stock of economic and social infrastructure is critical for growth and development, the emphasis on resilient and quality infrastructure is desirable for improving the socio-economic outcomes of infrastructure projects and sustaining these outcomes. From this perspective, three factors i.e. efficiency, safety and sustainability determine the success of infrastructure projects in the development process. This paradigm also underscores the importance of resilience against disaster risk and quality, thereby mainstreaming maintenance of infrastructure assets.

With the aim of boosting quality infrastructure in cities, the Government of India has launched the ‘Smart City Mission’, which aims to cover 100 cities in the country. India, like the world, recognizes urban areas to be engines of growth. The principal objectives of this mission are to provide core infrastructure, give a decent quality of life and a clean and sustainable environment to city dwellers, using ‘Smart’ Solutions that are technology driven. Total investment of Rs. 191,155 crore (US$ 30 billion) has been proposed by the 90 selected cities so far¹. With the aim of revamping and overhauling the urban ecosystem and making it inclusive, the Government of India has also launched new flagship missions like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (or Affordable Housing Mission), Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), and Swachh Bharat Mission (or Clean India Mission) which incorporate features of resilient and quality infrastructure.

Another pertinent issue which necessitates immediate attention is the impact of climate change on different sectors like agriculture, water resources, cities and coastal ecosystems. Increase in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and consequent rise in temperature have potential adverse effect on developing countries, making poor and marginalized sections more vulnerable. In that perspective, focus should be on building green and resilient infrastructure to address climate change risk. It is worth mentioning that India has committed to have renewable energy capacity of 175 GW by 2022². However, renewables face critical challenges like scalability, intermittency and the associated need for storage. These characteristics pose a formidable roadblock for integration of renewable sources into energy systems of countries. For developing countries to adopt and expand renewable energy infrastructure and effectively address associated risks, finance and technology need to be leveraged from the developed world. International Solar Alliance (ISA) initiated by India and France is a platform for like-minded countries for effective coordination in realizing this goal.

Distribution aspects are equally important in conception, planning and formulation of infrastructure development policies in developing countries. Inaccessibility and unequal distribution of infrastructure often result in regional imbalances. For instance, the coastal states in India have experienced higher growth relative to the land-locked states. Similarly, eastern and north-eastern parts have demonstrated less impressive performance compared to western India. For infrastructure-deficient regions, the Government of India has invested in various developmental projects including power transmission, building of railways, roadways and inland waterways. To drive balanced growth in the country, various infrastructure programs have been launched including Sagarmala, Bharatmala, Setu Bharatam, and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

Mr. Amitabh Kant-CEO, NITI Aayog, Government of India

Mr Amitabh Kant is presently posted as CEO, NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India). He was till recently Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

Amitabh Kant is a member of the Indian Administrative Service, IAS (Kerala Cadre: 1980 Batch). He is the author of "Branding India–An Incredible Story" and has been a key driver of "Make in India", Startup India, "Incredible India" and "God’s Own Country" campaigns which positioned and branded India and Kerala State as leading tourism destinations. These campaigns have won several international awards and embraced a host of activities–infrastructure development, product enhancement, private-public partnership and positioning and branding.

Amitabh Kant has worked as Chairman & CEO, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corporation, CMD–ITDC, Joint Secretary–Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Secretary–Tourism, Government of Kerala, Managing Director, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, District Collector, Kozikhode and Managing Director, Matsyafed.

Amitabh Kant did his schooling from Modern School, Delhi, Graduation in Economics (Hons) from St. Stephens, Delhi University and M.A from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He is a Chevening Scholar.

Host country: Building Resilient and Quality Infrastructure (June 26, 1500-1630), Tata Theatre, NCPA

Objectives

Background:

Speakers