The 2025 edition of Construction World’s Wealth Creators lands at a time when India’s real-economy flywheel is spinning faster than ever. Record public capex—now above Rs 11.1 lakh crore—and an expanding roster of flagship schemes, from the National Infrastructure Pipeline and Gati Shakti to PMAY-Urban 2.0, have pushed construction sites, housing launches, and industrial capacity additions to multi-year highs. A virtuous loop of policy support, easier capital access, and resilient consumption has spread the benefits well beyond metro centres, giving fresh momentum to real estate, EPC contracting, cement, steel, paints, tiles and engineered-wood products.

Beneath the macro surge, the leaders of these sectors have deepened their moats. Developers with debt-light land banks, contractors carrying order books worth three-to-four years of revenue, and manufacturers rolling out greener, tech-enabled plants are translating demand into durable earnings. Their balance sheets are healthier, capex pipelines are clearer and ESG standards are rising—traits the equity market is rewarding through premium valuations and, in many cases, 25-75 per cent market-cap gains since April 2024...