Infra to be vital component for India to become developed nation: Puri

Infrastructure will be a vital component for India to become a developed country by 2047, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday and asserted that the country will be the third-largest construction market globally by next year.

Highlighting the vitality of the construction industry for the Indian economy, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said the construction industry is among the fastest growing industries in the country.

Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the National Workshop on 'Recent Development with recycling and use of construction and demolition waste in the construction sector here, he said solid waste processing in India has witnessed a significant rise from mere a 17 per cent in 2014 to more than 77 per cent in 2024.

Norwegian Ambassador to India May-Elin Stener also attended the event.

"Now, we are transferring these capabilities in other forms of waste management, including construction and demolition waste, plastic waste, e-waste and bio-hazardous waste," the minister said, adding that the government has released elaborate guidelines on these issues

Puri, who also holds the charge of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, said the National Capital Region (NCR) region alone generates 6,303 TPD (tonnes per day) of construction and demolition waste out of which almost 78 per is processed per day.

According to him, the government is constructing a built environment at a great speed.

Quoting the statistics about the country's urbanisation demands, Puri said, "India needs to add about 700 to 900 million sq. metres of commercial and residential space every year by 2030. If India is going to be a developed country by 2047, infrastructure will be a vital component in our ambition."

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said the workshop, organised by CPWD in collaboration with SINTEF (research organisation) Norway, allowed the participants engaged in the construction sector to deliberate on various aspects of promoting the use of construction and demolition recycled items in the construction industry.

Experts in the field of construction and demolition recycle products and items are participating in the workshop for the dissemination of their views and apprising the advantages of the usage of these products in sustainable development, it said.