A Report on National Conference on Infrastructure Sector in India

In the past few years, the pace of constructing infrastructure projects has increased manifold through national programs including smart cities mission, Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, ports, freight corridors, airports, logistics hubs among others and integrating various infrastructure schemes through National Infrastructure Pipeline and PM Gati Shakti Mission to improve connectivity and integrate these infrastructure projects. International Financial Institutions have estimated that the country may require US $4.5 trillion to develop its infrastructure by 2040.

The Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) organised a national conference titled “National Conference on Infrastructure Sector in India: Relooking at National Flagship Infrastructure Programs” on 29th & 30th August, 2022 at India International Centre, New Delhi to build on discussions on the infrastructure development in India, and the increasing importance and speed in the implementation of infrastructure projects with regard to the economic growth and national development. The conference brought together onboard participants and speakers from civil society organisations, social movements, academics, researchers, subject experts, people’s representatives and media persons for critical discussions and engagement in the deliberations.

The conference delved into building the interlinkages between the macro and the micro factors in this aspect, including the launch of national programs to construct infrastructure projects and the formation of new institutions to finance these projects. The conference also deep-dived into specific thematic sectors and develop an understanding of the recent legal, regulatory, financing and other mechanisms to increase the pace of implementation of these projects. The sessions included discussions on governance issues, privatisation and public-private partnerships, climate crisis, environmental jurisprudence and new mechanisms of land grabbing.

An attempt was also made to critically analyse these in the context of the looming ecological, climate and financial crisis and its implications for the national economy. The conference also looked into building solidarities among various actors working on issues related to infrastructure projects in the country. 

The proceedings of the national conference are being shared in this report, which would help the reader gain an understanding of the learnings and insights shared by various speakers throughout the conference. The presentations used in the conference are also being made available for perusal.

Read and download the report here: A Report on National Conference on Infrastructure Sector in India: Relooking at National Flagship Infrastructure Programs.

See the Session Plan for the conference here. 

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