InfraShakti Awards

The InfraShakti Awards, a flagship initiative of The Infravision Foundation (TIF) in partnership with NDTV, celebrate outstanding contributions to India’s infrastructure development. In the inaugural edition, seven trailblazers were honoured, including a water conservationist, an institution builder, and two cutting-edge start-ups, all of whom have significantly enhanced connectivity, liveability, or sustainability across the nation.

Presented by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Hardeep Singh Puri, the event highlighted the remarkable achievements of individuals and institutions driving positive change. Winners were chosen by an eminent jury including economist Bibek Debroy, senior banker Renu Sud Karnad, image consultant Dilip Cherian, former IIM Bangalore director G. Raghuram, and actor and environmental activist Gul Panag. The jury used the CRISS matrix—collaboration, replicability, impact, scalability, and sustainability—to evaluate the nominees. Additionally, a People’s Choice Award for Inclusive Infrastructure was decided through a popular vote, honouring projects that advance accessibility and empower people with disabilities.

Award Categories:

1. Water Saviour Award: Recognises pioneering efforts in water conservation and management that inspire community involvement and create                  scalable, sustainable solutions.

2.Urban Infra Hero Award: Honours significant contributions to urban infrastructure development, highlighting innovative and sustainable practices         that improve urban environments.

3.Rural Infra Pioneer Award: Celebrates impactful advancements in rural infrastructure, focusing on innovative approaches that elevate rural living           standards.

4.Transport Trailblazer Award: Acknowledges transformative achievements in transportation infrastructure, improving urban mobility and                          connectivity through innovation and sustainability.

5.Renewable Energy Star Award: Recognises groundbreaking contributions to the renewable energy sector, driving sustainability and innovation.

6.Infravisionary Award: Pays tribute to visionary contributions across various fields, particularly in infrastructure, sustainability, and community                 development.

7.People’s Choice Award for Inclusive Infrastructure: Highlights initiatives that make infrastructure more accessible and inclusive, empowering               people with disabilities and promoting independence.

Arun Krishnamurthy (WATER SAVIOUR AWARD) for cleaning and restoring more than 460 lakes and water bodies in 18 states across India, by energizing local volunteers.
Sandeep Patel (URBAN INFRA HERO AWARD), founder, NEPRA, for operating on a PPP model across India and building an organized dry waste supply chain that connects waste generators and collectors to recyclers, with five Material Recovery Facilities and an operating capacity of 560 Metric Tonnes Per Day.
Shashank Kumar (RURAL INFRA PIONEER AWARD), DeHaat, for creating a digital marketplace for two million farmers and 12,000 plus rural entrepreneurs, for a one-stop solution to all their agricultural needs.
Afcons Infrastructure (TRANSPORT TRAILBLAZER AWARD) for constructing the Chenab bridge, the world’s tallest railway bridge, in one of the most isolated, complicated, and terrorist prone areas of the country, with the 345 km section between the Jammu and Baramulla regions providing a critical connect to the Kashmir Valley.
Pankaj Kumar and Siddhant Agarwal (RENEWABLE ENERGY STAR AWARD), Quant Solar, for creating floating solar plants, installed on water bodies such as dams and reservoirs, where they can restrict evaporation loss up to 70 per cent, while also generating electricity.
Sudhanshu Mani (INFRAVISIONARY AWARD), former general manager, ICF, for battling naysayers and beating all odds to create Vande Bharat Express, a high speed train made entirely in India within 18 months, a symbol of domestic engineering prowess.
The seventh winner for Inclusive Infrastructure was Swarnalatha J, Swarga Foundation For increasing accessibility for more than 10 crore people throughout the country.

Talking About Infrastructure

The first edition of the InfraShakti Awards saw a series of informed debates and keynote addresses which shed light on the critical area of growth. There were two key panels, on future-proofing India with resilient infrastructure, and on ensuring sustainable infrastructure. Three-time Grammy winner and composer Ricky Kej; Adani Green Energy CEO Amit Singh; former IIM Bangalore director G Raghuram and Centre for Science and Environment Executive Director Anumita Roychowdhury and TIF Founder Vinayak Chatterjee spoke on future-proofing, while  Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd CEO Ashwani Gupta; Head, Corporate Strategy & Special Initiatives, L&T, Anup Sahay; Provident Housing CEO Mallanna Sasalu; and TIF Co-founder Rumjhum Chatterjee talked about scaling up sustainable infrastructure.

Rumjhum Chatterjee said the country has made significant progress in core infrastructure sectors in the last few years. “There is a lot of effort, however, that we now need to put into looking at how we can galvanise social sectors as well,” she said. Vinayak Chatterjee, referring to India’s Sustainability Index, had two suggestions for policy makers. “India is burdened with large historical installations of infrastructure from the colonial times – be it railway bridges or dams or tunnels. We should have strong inspection teams so that railway bridges and dams don’t collapse, and cracks don’t appear in hill towns such as Joshimath,” he said. He added: “India doesn’t have a sustainable index. We at TIF have developed a 102-point sustainability index. Policy makers should now use this index.”

 

Among many other announcements, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said there would be GPS-based tolls on 5,000 km of roads within the next three months. He also said pollution is a significant issue and the government would be promoting the use of non-polluting energy sources to power public and private transport, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri explained that biofuel and ethanol would be the focus for the government. “If you look at green energy, the transition, biofuels, we have done a 15 per cent biofuel blending. And we are solving the problem in agriculture.“

 

While delivering the keynote address at the first edition of the InfraShakti Awards, Pranav Adani, Managing Director (Agro, Oil and Gas) and Director, Adani Enterprises, said: “Human history, whether ancient or modern, shows us that infrastructure is the fundamental key to all the progress.” Amit Singh added that there is a need to discover innovators across the country to tap into their brand new ideas.

 

This was the first year of the InfraShakti Awards and the event promises to bigger and better in the next few years. TIF and NDTV look forward to it.

Scroll to Top