Basavaraj Bommai, the Chief Minister of Karnataka and General VK Singh, the Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways & Civil Aviation, Government of India, inaugurated CII Excon, which is South Asia’s largest construction equipment trade fair, at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru.

The inclusion of people at the bottom of the pyramid is critical since they are the real movers of the economy, said Basavaraj Bommai, Chief Minister, Karnataka.

Inaugurating Excon, the CM said, “Though our major focus should be growing exponentially in the country by advancing our technologies, the inclusion of people at the bottom of the pyramid is also critical since they are the movers of the economy.

He urged global captains of the CE sector gathered at the event to collaborate with communities at the bottom of the pyramid to further the growth of the CE sector in particular and the economy in general. The CE sector was expected to contribute greatly towards the country reaching its ambitious target of a $5 trillion economies by 2025, the CM said. “The infrastructure sector is receiving an intense push from the government, propelling India’s overall development and GDP. The policies announced by the Union government will ensure time-bound creation of world-class infrastructure in the country.’‘

Bommai said his State offered huge business opportunities for the construction industry, as it was embarking on major infrastructure development projects in roads, flyover, industrial infrastructure and power, even as the Union government has committed ?100 lakh crore for major infrastructure and industrial projects in the next five years.

Speaking at Excon, VK Singh said, India was an emerging hub for construction equipment, component outsourcing base and design base.

Participating in the event, Deepak Shetty, Chairman of CII Excon, said, “India must become less dependent on imports to build large scale infrastructure projects, roads and ports. Developing and embracing technologies is crucial for us to become an export hub globally. We will be able to fast-track if we identify new growth drivers, understand the significance of rural economy and curate a roadmap for alternate fuels.

Excon reflects on the theme elements at the exhibition and also set the pace for Atmanirbhar Bharat in infrastructure development in the country. With the presence of large OEMs and a strong supply chain supported by a vibrant components sector, India is all set to become the manufacturing and export hub of the world for construction equipment manufacturing” added Shetty.

The event was spread over 300,000 sq m of display area with a participation of over 800 exhibitors from India and abroad, including countries like Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, and Sri Lanka, UAE, UK and USA.

A Women Building India initiative – Equal Opportunity Awards was announced at the inaugural session of EXCON. The objective of the Award was to recognise the companies from the infrastructure sector who have taken proactive steps to enable women to participate in the workforce.

Anjali Pandey, Engines and Components Business Unit Leader at Cummins India has been awarded the Committed Leader Award at CII Excon for her efforts to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Commenting on receiving the CII’s Committed Leader Award, Pandey, said, “Diversity and inclusion is not just the right thing to do; it is the right way of running the business by fully capitalising on the value that diversity can bring. I believe that it is critical to our ability to innovate and win in the market”.

She added, “At Cummins, it is clearly a business imperative. We constantly encourage everyone to achieve their full potential by providing meaningful work opportunities and building inclusive and equitable teams to create better outcomes for our stakeholders”.

The Indian Construction Equipment Manufactures’ Association is the Sector Partner, and the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, National Highways Authority of India and the Builders Association of India were supporting Partners for Excon.