Celebrating excellence in India’s Infrastructure: Winners for Build India Infra Awards 2025 announced

“India will be the number one aviation market by 2047. The UDAAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme has benefited 1 crore and 50 lakh people, connected 88 airports across the country, and helped us to start 619 new routes which was not possible before. In the next 10 years, we plan to include four crore more passengers into the UDAAN Network and create 120 new destinations,” said Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, as he delivered a keynote address at the second edition of Build India Infra Awards 2025.

Over the past five years, the Union Government’s capital expenditure on major infrastructure has grown at an impressive rate of 38.8% from FY20 to FY24. “I don’t think any other country in the world would have spent so much on the infrastructure front. But, we all understand that the foundation for the real growth of this country depends on how you will create capital expenditure,” he further said, adding that in the plan for aviation, the Government has spent capital expenditure of almost ₹91,000 crore in the last 5 years - of which over 95 per cent has been utilised. In addition, the Airports Authority of India has earmarked a capex of ₹23,000 crore for the next 5 years towards building more airports and improved airport infrastructure. This aviation growth story is just a part of the big picture.

India's Economic Growth

“India is today a $4 trillion economy. Last year, we grew at about 8.2%. The challenge is that the vision which the Prime Minister has said that for India to be a ‘Viksit Bharat’ means that we have to become a $30 trillion plus economy by 2047. This means that our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has to grow nine times, our per capita income has to grow eight times and our manufacturing has to grow 16 times. Today, we are the fifth largest economy in the world and in another two and a half years, we will be the third largest economy in the world, overtaking Japan and Germany. But, this vision requires us to create world-class infrastructure,” said Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa and Former CEO of Niti Aayog, in his welcome note at the awards evening.

Powering this growth is India’s infrastructure sector, which is witnessing unprecedented transformation. The country is adding 38 kilometres to its network of highways daily, and aims to have operational airports in 220 cities by 2025 - in a bid to become the third-largest aviation network in the world by 2030, and is also expanding its metro rail network across 20 plus cities.

Harsh Malhotra, Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways and Corporate Affairs, who was joined on stage for a special session titled ‘Highway Chat’ moderator by Subhash Narayan, Senior Editor at Mint, emphasised on the need for quality and safety on the Highways, highlighting the New GPS tolling system which the Government is planning to implement.

Creating Jobs

Meanwhile, the awards event also saw Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister of Power and Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, and Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, joining in virtually, besides several senior industry leaders.

In his address, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways said that water, power, transport and communication are the four most important sectors that define infrastructure development for a country. “Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, our Government has given highest priority for development of infrastructure in the country and that is the reason that the growth rate is continuously increasing. Good infrastructure is going to attract capital investment in industry, trade and business, which is going to increase our exports and, at the same time, it is going to create more jobs. Ultimately, by creating jobs we are going to eradicate poverty,” he said.

To facilitate mass movement of people and goods, the maritime sector has seen cargo handling capacity increase to 2,600 MTPA while Indian railways is also implementing transformative projects like dedicated freight corridors and High-Speed Rail (HSR) corridors.

“India has achieved significant milestones in infrastructure development with the construction of the world’s longest highway tunnel, the Atal Tunnel and the world’s highest railway bridge, the Chenab bridge. The ₹76,000 crore mega project port at Badnawar and the ₹44,000 crore International Container Terminal at Glacier Bay would propel India to regain global maritime supremacy very soon,” Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said in his address at the awards evening.

This infrastructure revolution is marked by several globally significant achievements and the modern marvels of engineering in India showcases our technical prowess. The second edition of the Build India Infra Awards 2025, held on February 25, serves as a platform to recognise the remarkable achievements of infra projects in the country and promote excellence in infrastructure development.

“Today, we honour not just projects but perseverance that is transforming India’s infra and shaping our nation’s future. From highways that redefine connectivity to railways driving economic growth, world-class ports boosting trade efficiency to modern airports strengthening regional and global connectivity, every milestone reflects our nation’s bold vision and commitment to progress. Under the leadership of prime minister Narendra Modi,PM Gati Shaktiis an initiative which has ensured integrated and multimodal infra development, making transport seamless, reducing logistics costs and boosting our economic potential,” said Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, in a virtual address.

The Government has allocated a sum of ₹11,21,000 crore for the infrastructure sector alone in this year’s budget. “This growth is not just about roads and railways. It is about people – crores of jobs created, businesses thriving and citizens experiencing better mobility and convenience. With smart cities and green highways, we are building an infrastructure, an ecosystem that is sustainable, resilient and future-ready,” he further said.

The first edition of the Build India Infra Awards recognised excellence across four sectors – road, railways, metros, ports and aviation. This year, three more sectors have been added to the award categories, namely water infrastructure, power transmission, and urban transport. In total, about 83 nominations were received across categories, including 38 for roads and highways, 11 for urban transport, 9 for water infrastructure, 8 for ports, 4 for railways, 4 for aviation, 2 for power transmission and 7 under trailblazing projects.

Vaibhav Dange, founder and curator of Build India Awards, started off the event with a welcome address, wherein he set the context for the awards and congratulated each of the projects that made it to the nominations. “The Build India Infra Awards 2025 are more than just accolades—they are a reflection of India’s rapid transformation into a global infrastructure leader. In just two years, they have spotlighted 100+ ground breaking projects, recognizing engineering excellence, sustainability, and innovation,” he said.

The event also saw two panel discussions – the panel for the first discussion, ‘India’s Water and Power Sector Transformation Fuelled by Technology and Sustainability’, included Vishwas Pathak, Director, Maha Discom, UP Singh, Former Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, and RP Singh, Former CMD, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. The discussion, moderated by Rituraj Baruah, Special Correspondent, Mint, focused on renewable energy, efficient water management, and grid modernisation.

The second panel, ‘Towards Viksit Bharat@2047: Infrastructure as an Enabler for Economic Acceleration,’ featured Ekta Ghosh, CDO, Adani Airports Holding Ltd, Prakash Gaud, CEO, National Highway Logistics Management Company, and Senthil Kumar Subramaniam, CEO, Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal Pvt. Ltd. Moderated by Utpal Bhaskar, Assistant Managing Editor, Mint, this panel explored how strategic infrastructure investments are driving economic growth in India.

The Winning Entries

• The award for Civil Aviation – Impact was given to the Airports Authority of India for addressing the issue of growing passenger traffic at Pune, by connecting 35 domestic destinations and three international destinations and elevating passenger experience.
• The award for Civil Aviation – Sustainability was given to GMR Group for Goa airport. This IGBC platinum certified carbon neutral airport showcases best practices such as rainwater harvesting, aircraft noise management, solar power utilisation, etc.
• The award for Railways – Impact was given to Northern Railway KRCL and IRCON for ensuring national security by providing critical connectivity to a strategically sensitive region of Manal and Kashmir Valley via the Chenab Bridge.
• The award for Railways – Innovation was given to The University of New South Wales for their model offering data-driven insights to policy makers. This project has been recognised by the dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India for its contribution towards cutting-edge technology-driven nation building.
• The award for Ports – Innovation was given to Adani Ports and SEZ Ltd in recognition of their simple yet impactful innovation which will, going forward, improve operational efficiency, turnaround time and safety by leveraging technology.
• The award for Ports – Impact was given to Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal Pvt Limited, which was pivotal in reducing the traffic at the Chennai Port byreduction of logistics costs through efficient yard and vessel management techniques, increased crane productivity and use of electric powered equipment.
• The award for Ports – Sustainability was given to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, which deployed innovative approaches to resource management, eco-friendly infrastructure, shore power implementation, renewable energy adoption and smart logistics system. With these green initiatives JNPA has been successful in increasing its carbon savings from 10,000 to 53,723 tonnes annually.
• The award for Water Infra – Impact was given to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for their transformative impact by catering to drinking water needs of a population of around 30 lakh people in the western sub region.
• The award for Water Infra – Innovation was given to Medha Servo Drives Pvt Ltd while the award forWater Infra – Sustainability was given to Visjwaraj Environment Private Limited. Two special Water Infra – Jury Awards were given to Larsen and Toubro Pvt Ltd and SPML Infra Limited.
• The award for Urban Transport – Impact was given to Mumbai Metro for transforming urban transit for the people of the millennial city with the construction of lines 2A and 7 with driverless trains.
• The award for Urban Transport – Sustainability was given to Maha Metro for developing an innovative 3-layer transport system which demonstrated innovative approaches to resource management and eco-friendly infrastructure.
• The Special Jury Award in Urban Transport was given to Medulla Soft Technologies Pvt Ltd for developing an innovative pedestrian evacuation model.
• The awards for Urban Transport – Innovation were given to Larsen and Toubro Pvt Ltd for its innovations on the Delhi – Meerut corridor, Maha Metro for Pune Metro and J Kumar Infra for work on Asia’s longest station at BKC.
• The Trailblazing Special Infra Awards were given to Maccaffri Environmental Solutions Pvt Ltd for landslide mitigation measures in the Badrinath area, to NICDC for developing India’s largest integrated exhibition cum convention centres, to APCO Shri Amarnathji Tunnelway Private Limited for offering all-weather tunnel connectivity between Sonamarg and Kangan in Kashmir, and to Larsen and Toubro for a range of innovations in infra development.
• The award for Roads and Highways – Impact was given to Ashoka Buildcon Limited for their transformative impact in reducing travel time to the MOPA airport.
• The award for Roads and Highways – Impact was also given to Border Roads Organisation for creating a high-altitude road project comprising two tunnels and offering connectivity to remote areas.
• The award for Roads and Highways – Sustainability was given jointly to Larsen and Toubro and Cube Highways for use of advanced recycling technologies in road construction.
• The award for Roads and Highways – Innovation was given to Larsen and Toubro for designing a coastal road which enhances connectivity between Marine Drive, Amarson Garden or Haji Ali Dargah reducing travel time from 45 mins to just 8 mins, and to SPS construction for Signature Bridge - Sudarshan Setu at Beyt Dwarka.
• Special Jury Award – Innovative Technology was given to Amnex Infotechnologies Pvt Ltd, University of New South Wales, Bitchem Asphalt Technologies, and CSIR.
• Special Jury Award - Road Sector was given to Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon for Munabao Tanot Project for their outstanding contribution towards the longest desert highway on India's international border with Pakistan providing strategic advantages for the country & reducing travel time.
• The awards for both Power Transmission – Innovation and Power Transmission – Impact categories were given to Larsen and Toubro for their contribution to projects of national importance.

Jury and Selection

The jury for the awards was led by Amitabh Kant and prominent names from the decision-making space including Vijay Chhibber (Former Secretary, MoRTH), Sanjay Bhatia (Former Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, UP Singh (Former Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti), NN Sinha (Former Chairman, NHAI), Ashwani Lohani (Former Chairman, Railway Board), Arvind Singh (Former Secretary, Tourism & Former Chairman, AAI), Dakshita Das (Former Additional Member Finance, Railways), Rajiv Mishra (Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga), Sanjay Bandopadhyay (Former Chairman, IWAI), RP Singh (Former CMD, Power Grid), PR Jaishankar (MD, IIFCL), Vinay Kumar Singh (Former MD, NCRTC), Brijesh Dixit (MD, Maharashtra Metro), Arun Lakhani (Former MD, Nagpur Municipal Corporation), Sharad Sabnis (Former Senior VP, Tata Realty), Vishwas Pathak (Director MahaDiscom), Atul Kulkarni (Management Consultant - Infrastructure), Poul V Jensen (MD, European Business and Technology Centre), Davinder Sandhu (Co-Founder & Chairperson, Primus Partners), Nilaya Varma (Co-Founder & CEO, Primus Partners) and Vaibhav Dange (Public Policy Expert).

The selection of winners follows a comprehensive multi-stage evaluation process. The jury meticulously evaluated each project with over 60 hours of rigorous assessment, at the end of which projects that set new benchmarks in quality, impact and sustainability were selected. Only the most innovative and inspiring initiatives make it to the shortlist.

While delivering the vote of thanks, Davinder Sandhu, Co-Founder and Chairperson of Primus Partners, said: “This year, I have seen some remarkable new elements in these awards, reflecting the sector’s transformation. With the government’s capital expenditure (capex) allocation taking shape, we are witnessing a shift in how projects are being executed. I congratulate all the captains of industry for their contributions to nation-building.”

Disclaimer: Mint is a media partner for the Build India Infra Awards 2025.