The good news is here! India notched the 77th rank in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business, jumping 23 places up from last year. The report also recognises India as one of the top 10 reformers among 190 countries. Introduction of GST and other various reformatory measures taken by the government in construction, infrastructure, logistics and other such sectors have lead to the success. This is expected to further improve the morale of the infrastructure construction industry in the country. Another news that attracts global attention is the unveiling of the Statue of Unity, constructed in the memory of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The tallest in the world, with a height of 182 m, the Statue of Unity is almost double the size of the Statue of Liberty in the US. Built by Larsen & Toubro at a cost of Rs 29.89 billion, the statue was completed in a record time of 33 months.

Interestingly, Ease of Doing Business and the Statue of Unity were a part of the discussion of our global event India Construction Festival, which was held in New Delhi, during October 24 and 25, 2018.

The sixth Annual EQUIPMENT INDIA Awards was held as part of the global platform of India Construction Festival. The Awards recognised and rewarded the top performers in the construction equipment industry. There were 12 awards in the Bestseller product category. Deepak Garg, Director and CEO, SANY Heavy Industry India won the EQUIPMENT INDIA Person of the Year Award, who received the trophy from the last year's winner Sandeep Singh, Managing Director of Tata Hitachi Construction Machinery Company. We congratulate all the winners for their achievements. The two-day India Construction Festival 2018 was packed with a set of events, which included India Roads Conference 2018, Construction World/ENR Global Awards 2018, Global Leadership Summit, and the EQUIPMENT INDIA Awards.

Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, graced the occasion with his presence. Read the Cover Story section for a detailed report on the event.

Compactors are the key equipment used in roads and highway construction. As the construction pace is set to increase, it is imperative to use more advanced technologies and features in these equipment. The Feature elaborates on the development in new technologies and solutions in compactors and the importance of using these technologies in the upcoming projects. A few more Features on Motor Graders, Equipment Rental and Auction, Trenchless Technology and IIOT in Lubricants will be highlighting the scenario in these sectors. Also, read the regular sections of industry updates and technology articles for exhaustive information on the construction equipment industry.