A large number of stakeholders from the construction equipment community gathered at the Commission Hall of FICCI Delhi to celebrate, in letter and spirit, the awards on March 16, 2016. The prestigious 3rd Annual Equipment India Awards hosted by ASAPP Info Global Group was sponsored by HPCL; the event associate was Hire My Machine; VDMA-Indo German Federation was the supporting partner and the associate partners were Construction Federation of India, National Highway Building Federation, Off Highway Research, and the magzines CONSTRUCTION WORLD and INFRASTRUCTURE TODAY. Initially, the participants networked and discussed matters of mutual interest. Thereafter, they assembled at the impressive FICCI Commission Hall Auditorium. Pratap Padode, Managing Director, ASAPP Info Global Group, kicked off the proceedings for the evening. Delivering his welcome address to the gathering of over 100 dignitaries of industry professionals, he recounted the journey of EQUIPMENT INDIA, over the past nine years and the spirit of the publication to celebrate and felicitate the best performers of the construction equipment industry even under trying times. ¨These moments are to be treasured because they pave the way for future victories,¨ he said. He went on to talk about the smart cities initiative, which in turn will grow India in the future. While addressing the US delegation, he mentioned that India is a country of innovative ¨Jugad¨ where users deploy simple equipment like backhoe loaders beyond the imagination of the manufacturers and achieve the desired objectives. He then paved the way for the CEO FORUM to discuss what´s next after the initial melodious sounds of some instruments being heard, and what is required is to complete the orchestra to play in harmony. Recounting the positive financial indicators for India, he brought into focus three key drivers: First, Seventh Pay Commission will put money in the hands of people and have a multiplier effect; Second, public spending envisaged in the budget; and third, probability of a better monsoon this year, which make the scenario optimistic. He closed with a poetic note: ¨The year has begun on a promise and a prayer. Victory shall be for those who are fearless and those who dare.¨ CEO-FORUM: Make in India - Fuel Infra An interactive discussion, moderated by Vijay Sharma, Director, McKinsey, the CEO- FORM panelists, Anand Sundaresan, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Schwing Stetter India Pvt Ltd and President, iCEMA; VB Gadgil, CEO and Managing Director, L&T Metro Hyderabad; Rajesh Nath, Managing Director, VDMA and Raman Aggarwal, Sr Vice President, SREI Equipment Finance, deliberated on the theme: Make in India- Fuel Infra. Raghav Chandra, Chairman, NHAI, the guest of honor for the event, unveiled the Anniversary Issue of EQUIPMENT INDIA in presence of the jury members, Sameer Malhotra, CEO, Shriram Automall and Samir Bansal, General Manager, Off-Highway Research. The 'Equipment India Best Seller Awards' were presented in 12 equipment categories: Sunil Sapru, Head Marketing, Ammann Apollo for Pavers; Jasmeet Singh, Head Marketing, JCB, for Backhoe Loaders; Abhijit Gupta, Managing Director, CNH Equipments for Compactors; DR Vishwanatha, Director, BEML, for Dozers and Rigid Dump Trucks; A Krishnakumar, Vice President-Sales & Marketing, Tata Hitachi for Hydraulic and Mini Excavators; Nitin Lall, General Manager, Atlas Copco, for Compressors; Sorab Aggarwal, Executive Director, ACE, for Cranes; Amit Bansal, Head Sales & Marketing, Caterpillar, for Loaders and Motor Graders and S Manjunath, Head Sales & Marketing, Doosan Bobcat for Skid Steer. And, stealing the show was Ramesh Palagiri, Managing Director, Wirtgen India, as he walked up the stage to receive the 'Man of The Year' award. In their acceptance speech, each proud winner dedicated their award to their customers. While addressing the gathering, Raghav Chandra said, ¨Infrastructure cannot succeed without suitable equipment. Just as one requires manpower, one needs technology, you also require appropriate equipment to make this sector roll. Often the equipment and mechanised technology sector is ignored but I am perfectly sensitive to the fact that this is a critical component to move infrastructure forward.¨ Now as Chairman of NHAI, he is committed to move road construction at a fast pace by using the PPP model, behind which, the seminal thought has been to use the private sector innovations, technologies and life-cycle cost efficiencies. He said that roads and development is a priority for the government, and in India, the highways story will remain relevant for the next 15 years. Despite several complexities involved, he is committed to invest Rs 15 to 20 lakh crore in roads over the next 15 years. He concluded saying that the roads sector in India is booming, and urged the industry to encourage new entrants and create in India. Shankar Srivastava, Managing Editor, EQUIPMENT INDIA proposed the vote of thanks to all sponsors, participants and the guest of honour, to close the impressive show.