The Second Edition of the Build India Infra Awards 2025 honored India’s most outstanding infrastructure projects, recognizing impact, innovation, and sustainability across key sectors. With significant participation, the awards highlighted engineering marvels that are shaping India's journey toward world-class infrastructure. Primus Partners, India’s largest home-grown consulting services firm, served as the Knowledge Partner, ensuring a rigorous selection process. The nominees presented their projects and this was followed by two rounds of deliberation among a distinguished jury comprising of IAS officers, MDs, and CEOs of leading companies to evaluate them. The awards were founded by Vaibhav Dange (Public Policy Expert on Infrastructure, Green Fuels & Sustainable Mobility), who welcomed the guests and celebrated the achievers.
Emphasising India's rapid growth, Shri Vaibhav Dange highlighted that the country now has the third-largest road network in the world, while its aviation sector is set to become the third-largest globally. The Build India Infra Awards 2025 recognize and celebrate excellence in infrastructure development, spotlighting 4 key sectors from Edition 1 2024 viz. roads and highways, railways, ports, airports and 3 new sectors introduced in this Edition 2 namely urban transport, water infrastructure, power transmission that have made significant contributions to India's growth story. In addition to these 7 sectors, Edition 2 of Build India Infra Awards has instituted a special category – “Trailblazing infrastructure” which aims to provide a platform to showcase projects which are the ”Pride of India”.
He noted that no one was better suited to present the aviation category awards than Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu - Minister of Civil Aviation, who is leading India's aviation transformation.
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, Minister of Civil Aviation, who attended the event highlighted India’s rapid aviation growth, stating: "Over the past five years, ?91,000 crore has been invested in aviation, expanding connectivity across India. The UDAAN scheme has added 88 new airports, enabling 4 crore more passengers to travel. By 2047, India will be the world’s No.1 aviation market. With 26 projects worth ?8,000 crore underway, we are transforming the sector, expanding into Tier-3 cities, and ensuring inclusive growth. The NDA government is not just the National Democratic Alliance, it is the National Development Alliance, committed to building a stronger, more connected India."
The event witnessed experts from diverse sectors of Indian infrastructure coming together to celebrate excellence and innovation. It brought together distinguished leaders, policymakers, and industry stalwarts who have played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s infrastructure landscape.
The award ceremony was also graced by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, who virtually addressed the audience, stating: "These awards celebrate excellence in infrastructure, recognizing not just projects but also the businesses driving India's growth. Every milestone we achieve reflects our nation’s bold aspirations. Through initiatives like ‘Gati Shakti’, we are making transportation seamless and cost-effective. With Rs 11.21 trillion allocated for capital expenditure (capex), in Union Budget 2025, India is laying the foundation for a stronger, more connected future. Let’s work together to create a better India for tomorrow. As we march towards Viksit Bharat 2047, our collective efforts will shape a nation that stands tall on the global stage."
In another virtual address, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar emphasized the impact of the PM Gati Shakti initiative, stating that it is driving the nation’s progress. He lauded the awards as a great initiative that promotes innovation and sustainability while congratulating all nominees for their contributions. Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari echoed similar sentiments, expressing his pleasure at being part of the event and highlighting India’s position as the world’s third-largest economy, urging continued efforts toward growth. Quoting John F. Kennedy, he reiterated that "America’s roads are not good because it is rich; America is rich because its roads are good." He emphasized the government’s strong commitment to infrastructure development, with increased budget allocations to generate jobs and boost economic progress. He also stressed the importance of aligning knowledge with international standards, reaffirming his dedication to advancing the sector.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, in his virtual address, stated:"The Build India Infra Awards 2025 celebrates the leaders and innovators shaping India’s infrastructure. Under Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s leadership, India is modernizing ports, inland waterways, and shipping through initiatives like Sagarmala, PM Gati Shakti, and Maritime Vision 2047."
Davinder Sandhu, Co-Founder & Chairperson of Primus Partners, delivered the vote of thanks to Shri Naidu and commended the awards for evolving with India's infrastructure landscape. He stated, "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."
Adding to the event’s prestige was an esteemed jury panel, led by Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, who stated, "For India to grow from a $4 trillion to a $30 trillion economy, we need world-class expressways, highways, and metros. With solar capacity scaled 31 times and 40 million houses built, India is executing projects at an unprecedented scale. Platforms like the Build India Infra Awards are key to driving this excellence."
The jury comprised top bureaucrats, industry leaders, and infrastructure experts. Their extensive expertise ensured a rigorous and transparent selection process, reinforcing the credibility of the awards. Davinder Sandhu, Co-Founder & Chairperson, Primus Partners and Vaibhav Dange, a Public Policy Expert on Infrastructure, Green Fuels & Sustainable Mobility, further strengthened the discourse on sustainable and futuristic infrastructure development.
The event was a landmark occasion that recognized and honored the efforts of individuals and organizations that have contributed to nation-building through pioneering infrastructure projects. With thought-provoking discussions, networking opportunities, and a shared vision for India’s growth, the evening reinforced the importance of collaboration between government, industry, and thought leaders to drive the country’s infrastructure forward.
As Knowledge Partners, Primus Partners spearheaded the conceptualization and execution of the nomination and jury process for the Build India Infra Awards 2025, ensuring a rigorous and transparent selection. Designed around the three core principles—People, Process, and Product—the jury was presented with a robust framework for holistic assessment, a crucial step in identifying India’s most iconic infrastructure projects.
Instituted as a prestigious initiative, the Build India Infra Awards 2025 serves as a cornerstone in recognizing and applauding groundbreaking projects that have left an indelible mark on the nation's infrastructure landscape. With a commitment to celebrating excellence, Primus Partners plays a pivotal role in honoring the visionaries and innovators who continue to shape and advance India’s infrastructure ecosystem.
