SCMHRD organizes Infrablaze 2015

The Infrastructure Club successfully delivered the knock out event of the year. We had the privilege of having Shri Nitin Gadkari (Union Minister, MoRTH and Shipping) to preside over the event as the Chief Guest and Shri Anil Swarup (Secretary, Ministry of Coal) as the keynote speaker; and a notable number of eminent speakers from Indian government organizations and other private industry stalwarts, thought leaders and industry experts to deliberate on Global best practices and policy updates as solutions to key issues through intensive panel discussions on Smart City Initiative and Changing face of Energy in India.

Shri Nitin Gadkari stressed on integration of ethics, economy and ecology which needs to be kept in mind to make the Smart City concept successful. He also announced his intentions to make Pune a part of Nagpur-Mumbai e-way plan during his address. He harped on the need to recycle waste. Shri Gadkari emphasized that the conversion of waste into wealth should be the aim while implementing the Smart Cities concept. He also spoke about the need for innovation in recycling of waste into energy which will help in bringing down the cost of construction. Shri Nitin Gadkari also highlighted the benefits of using Lithium Ion batteries and making transport Green Power driven. India as a growing economy with a steep demand growth rate and current scenario, the trend is expected to continue in the upward direction, which needs to be combatted.

Our keynote speaker Shri Anil Swarup, known as the Only man who can clean the Coal-mess, stressed on the upliftment of the poor. Shri Anil Swarup spoke about his experiences as the Director General for Labour Welfare. He also introduced the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) which transformed the life of over 65 million people in the unorganized sector. He was instrumental in bringing about the transparency and reforms in Coal India Limited, post all the scams that soiled the sector.

With this background, there was a knowledge enhancing panel discussion on Changing Face Of Energy in India. The panel consisted of think tanks from the industry Mr. Arvind Mahajan (Partner and National Head - Infrastructure & Govt. Services, KPMG India) as the moderator, Mr. Gaurav Sood (Managing Director, Solairedirect Energy India Pvt. Ltd.), Mr. T.S. Venkateswaran (Director Audit & Assurance Services, Deloitte), Mr. Viney Kumar (Executive Director, IDBI) and Dr. Ajit Patwardhan (Trainer & Consultant in Contracts & Infrastructure). The panel discussion highlighted some key issues prevailing in the energy sector and proposed solutions.

The panel on Smart Cities Initiative held post the Energy Panel included Mr. N.S.N. Murty (Director & Leader, Smart Cities, PwC India) as the panel moderator, Mr. Dilip Karmarkar (PPP Expert Advisor & Independent Consultant, Asian Development Bank), Mr. Rajesh Phadke (Chief Architect & Planner, Urban Planning & Architecture, GIFT City), Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh (Consulting Director, IoE & Smart Cities, Cisco Consulting Services Ltd.), Mr. Vidyadhar Deshpande (Former Director, Town Planning, Maharashtra State).

The event witnessed a large turnout of people from different industries and MBA colleges. It received a tremendous response and coverage from media. We hope to upkeep the repute of the event and reach for greater heights.