At any given point, we have 800+ ‘live’ projects across geographies, each one of them creating value across a wide range of critical sectors, prides SN SUBRAHMANYAN.Kevadia was an insignificant dot on the map, a small township on the banks of River Narmada, located some 200 km from Ahmedabad. Today, however, Kevadia is a buzzing tourist destination thanks to its one tall claim to fame: It is home to the Statue of Unity, the tallest in the world, and among the world’s 100 best places to visit. This radical transformation had begun right from the time construction began at the project site that lasted close to four years, with the influx of project-related personnel and thousands of workmen from across the country. After the statue was opened to the public, life changed dramatically for the local populace and with talks about a rail head and an airport, this area is witnessing an economic and social revolution. There are several such examples across cities and townships where life has changed due to infrastructure development because of metro-rail systems, road and rail networks, power and water infrastructure, residential complexes, and townships and more. Another good case in point is our national capital. Several parts of New Delhi have become throbbing hubs of economic activity because of the Delhi Metro.Infrastructure development transforms lives These examples illustrate how infrastructure development trigger big change. It creates jobs and opportunities for several related industries, MSMEs, SMEs, boosts travel, trade and commerce to trigger robust economic growth. In essence, the entire ecosystem benefits. Infrastructure development transforms lives too and Larsen & Toubro, for over eight decades, has been in the business of constructing defining infrastructure to build value for nations. In today’s world, the objective is to create shared value that benefits not only the company and the shareholders but all the key stakeholders in our ecosystem as well including the communities we work with and the environment we work in. At any given point, we have 800+ ‘live’ projects across geographies, each one of them creating value across a wide range of critical sectors. The power to fulfil dreams We connect peoples and places through the airports we have built in all the four major Indian metros of New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, and are in the process of building new or expanding existing facilities at all these four cities plus Chennai. By constructing some of the largest residential complexes and townships, both premium and mass housing, in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, we are building homes for people to realise their housing dreams and help fulfil the government’s mission of ‘Housing for All.’ The dreams of children to study at some of the remotest corners of our country are being ‘powered’ by our power transmission and distribution systems that are lighting up their lives by reaching power to hitherto ‘dark’ areas thanks to the transmission lines we string, the substations and switchyards we build in some of the most challenging of terrains in some of the most inhospitable climes.  Harnessing ‘green’ power With a green products and services portfolio worth Rs 277 billion, our increased focus on the Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) parameters and our concerted efforts to address various aspects of sustainability, including mitigating climate change, are yielding encouraging results. We are leaders in developing solar infrastructure to harness the limitless energy of the Sun having already commissioned 2.1 GW of utility scale solar projects thus far. Our Renewables business is driven by our expertise in different solar technologies to design and execute solar power plants and our comprehensive range of design and construction services includes grid connected PV (utility scale), concentrating solar power (csp), microgrids and mega rooftops. Through our various hydel projects, we have successfully tamed several rivers, some of them even in the mighty Himalayas, to create clean, hydroelectric power. Today, even as the world seeks more clean, green energy, we are leading the way with our path-breaking forays to capitalise the advantages of solar and green hydrogen.  Our efforts to go green is reflected in the metro, mass rapid and semi-rapid transit systems that we build, across geographies, to transport millions. We have built metro-rail systems in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Doha (Qatar) and are presently building metros in Mauritius and Bangladesh. In India, L&T-built metro systems can be found in most major cities. We are constructing a large portion of the High Speed Rail Corridor, one of the most significant technology leaps that the country has taken in recent times. The gift of water Even though 71 per cent of our planet is water, ironically only 2.5 per cent water is available for our consumption putting a huge responsibility on all of us to save water. Through our wide range of comprehensive water infrastructure solutions, we help provide water to a thirsting world, and at the same time, save, conserve, and even recycle it. Urban, rural and industrial water supply systems, water treatment plants, treatment plants for re-cycling and re-using water, wastewater treatment plants, sludge management, desalination plants, lift irrigation projects, we build them all. Towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat It is not without reason that we are known as ‘Builders of Nations,’ playing a lead role in helping our country to be self-reliant by building Defence systems and infrastructure and providing traction to India’s space programme both to the Moon and to Mars. For over eight decades, we have been making the things that make India proud. We aim to continue doing so going forward and, in the process, build lasting and sustainable value for all, the L&T way!About the author: SN Subrahmanyan, CEO & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro, serves on its Board of Directors and is also Vice Chairman on the boards of LTI, L&T Technology Services & Mindtree and Chairman of L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad). He leads this multi-billion-dollar conglomerate that executes a wide range of projects at speed and scale that are among the tallest, largest, longest, smartest and most complex.