Road to sustainable infrastructure was tough, but Adani group kept moving forward: Pranav Adani at Infrashakti Awards

New Delhi:

Pranab Adani, Director of Adani Enterprises, the flagship company of the Adani Group, has said that infrastructure development is a very ambitious project and whoever undertakes it has to be prepared for all kinds of challenges. He said that any major infrastructure project has complexities and problems and perhaps that is why very few entrepreneurs can muster the courage to face these challenges.

Pranav Adani (Managing Director (MD) of Agro, Oil & Gas and Director (Director) of Adani Enterprises said in his keynote address during the NDTV Infrashakti Awards 2024 organized to celebrate the progress of infrastructure in the country that we are celebrating the transformation of India. The power of infrastructure in development. , Pranav said, “Your presence here will be remembered for many generations for your great work and contribution to the development of the country…”

He said, “Human history, whether ancient or modern, clearly tells us that infrastructure is the foundation of all development… It is the foundation on which any developed or developing society is built, and it is the foundation that It paves the way for economic development. Growth, improves living standards and ensures sustainable development…”

“Infrastructure is the real engine of progress of any country…”

Pranab Adani said, “As our Prime Minister Narendra Modi often says, fast-growing infrastructure is the real engine of progress for any developing country… India’s progress is directly linked to the fact that India has good infrastructure. How strong And the infrastructure is developing rapidly… The thing to understand here is that the development of infrastructure in any country is related to how the government approaches this important sector… The focus of the government on infrastructure development in India is very clear and evident. With the decision to increase infra funding by 16% to over Rs 11 lakh crore this financial year…”

“The infrastructure journey is full of challenges…”

He further added, “What is also significant is that the annual expenditure on national infrastructure has tripled in the last 5 years… However, building infrastructure is not an easy task and as a member of the Adani Group, which has infrastructure building at its core, I Let me tell you that building sustainable infrastructure is extremely difficult… Even at the grassroots level, whether in India or abroad, the journey of infrastructure is full of challenges…”

Pranav Adani also gave two examples elaborating on his point. He said, “I would like to illustrate my point with two examples… One, the most famous example in India is the USBRL, i.e. the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla rail project in Jammu and Kashmir, started by the then Prime Minister P. Te V. Narasimha Rao. was started… Years have passed, but very little has been done and here I want to give full credit to the present central government, as 60% of this incredibly challenging project has been completed in less than a decade, covering over 100,000 acres The work has been completed and the rest is progressing rapidly… This is an amazing achievement in every sense, as it is one of the most difficult railway projects globally… Challenges in building infrastructure Another example is San Francisco and Los Angeles. There is a high-speed train line in between… It was first proposed in the year 2008… Sixteen years later, the Americans have spent almost 10 billion dollars, that is 80,000 crore rupees or more, but not a single track has been laid. Couldn’t…”

“The road was hard, yet we marched on…”

An Adani Enterprises director said, “Infrastructure development is ambitious by its very nature… one has to be prepared for unexpected shocks ranging from rising costs to all kinds of interventions… complexities and unexpected legacies in mega infrastructure projects… perhaps that’s why very few Entrepreneurs had the courage to face the challenges of infrastructure development… Once upon a time our chairman Gautam Adani suddenly remembered how far behind the rest of the world India was after seeing this during one of his foreign trips. In sustainable high-quality infrastructure, infrastructure development was accepted as a responsibility…”

Pranab Adani further said, “Though he knew the task would not be easy, he was determined to stay on the same path… In the late 1990s, when he planned to build ports, terminals and power plants, The decision was made. , they already knew what was going to happen next… yet we went ahead, because we knew who we were up against and we were ready… At the Adani Group we learned our lessons quickly… our three decades. The infrastructure trip taught us a lot..”

“These are the three most important lessons learned by the Adani Group…”

Mentioning the three most important lessons learned by the Adani Group, he said, “Let me summarize the three most important lessons… First of all, it is important to align with national policies and priorities… A perfect example of this is the PM Gati. There will be a Shakti Yojana, a national integrated master plan, which lays the foundation for India’s overall infrastructure development…”

Pranab Adani further said, “It broadly prioritizes India’s needs across seven sectors such as roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transit systems, waterways and logistics infrastructure… Going forward for us, this means connecting the national Priorities… If we build what India needs, we will be better able to deal with complexities and consequently build faster, build bigger and build more efficiently…”

He said, “Secondly, we must have a strong talent bench with technical expertise and competencies to manage and implement large and complex projects… The third lesson is that both local and global trends must be anticipated for infrastructure building… Our vision Case in point, Gautam Adani saw very early on that the world would need thermal power as part of the energy transition and that’s why we decided to get into renewable energy…”

“We are the largest private operator, transmitter and distributor of electricity…”

Pranab Adani further said, “Along with thermal generation, we are also the largest private operator and transmitter and distributor of electricity… We are the largest private producer in electricity transmission distribution as well as green energy generation and we are working towards becoming number one in this. . A world in renewable energy… One of the projects we are implementing at our renewable energy site is in Kauda… The Kauda Renewable Energy Park will generate over 30 GW of clean energy from solar to wind… The unit is spread over several hundred square kilometers. and the world’s largest renewable energy project and we are overwhelmed by the opportunity and proud to build this huge symbol of national pride and sustainable infrastructure…”

“Dharavi is the world’s largest urban regeneration project…”

Referring to the redevelopment of the world’s largest slum in Mumbai, the country’s financial capital, Pranab Adani said, “Another big challenge we have taken up is the redevelopment of Dharavi… This is the largest urban regeneration project in the world. It’s not about building new houses…for us this project is about restoring the dignity of life…it’s about fulfilling the aspirations of millions and delivering vastly improved quality of life. Life… Our vision in Dharavi reflects our dedication to inclusive growth and our belief that infrastructure needs to be sustainable for immediate and long-term benefit to society…”

“The NDTV Infrashakti Awards recognize multiple aspects of sustainable infrastructure development…”

Subsequently, Pranab Adani termed NDTV’s Infrashakti Awards as a positive step in this direction, saying, “These awards recognize multiple aspects of sustainable infrastructure development… By honoring these pioneers, we not only acknowledge their diverse contributions, but also inspire future generations. Resilient and To be able change makers for building prosperous nations… I congratulate NDTV and Infravision Foundation for institutionalizing the InfraShakti Awards and organizing this national programme… I see this as an important platform in taking India forward.. Infrastructure.. .Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today… We will make the country more and look forward to continue my humble contribution to help us achieve greater heights…Thank you…Jai Hind …”

The Infrashakti Awards aim to celebrate outstanding infrastructure practices across India. The event is a key part of the Infrashakti campaign, which aims to go beyond steel and concrete to tell the story of India’s infra development through its people. The Infrashakti Awards aim to inspire innovation and excellence across India by celebrating exceptional individual and organizational initiatives. The awards celebrate everything from engineering achievements to sustainable urban planning.