With this issue, we celebrate our nineteenth anniversary. As always we take this opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the mission of the magazine: to be the most trustworthy source of information and analysis for the Indian infrastructure sector. We would also like to thank our readers, editorial contributors and advertisers for their continued support.
I would like to use this occasion, and this special issue, to inform you about our latest and perhaps most ambitious initiative – the India Infrastructure Forum.
The mission of this Forum, which is partially inspired by the World Economic Forum, is to provide a collaborative mechanism for key stakeholders – policymakers, developers, EPC contractors, regulators, investors, etc. India Infrastructure Forum will offer a platform to:
- highlight key government initiatives and investment opportunities,
- discuss key issues faced by developers and investors, and
- facilitate partnerships and improve understanding among different stakeholders.
The Forum will have year-round engagement and activities. There will be a flagship annual meeting in New Delhi, tentatively scheduled for February 2018. There will be at least eight other meetings over the year, across the country, each focused on a particular issue – financing, regulation, MCAs, PPPs, user fees, etc. We will also host additional meetings and interactions on an ad hoc basis on “urgent” issues.
We hope that with our singular focus on infrastructure and with a neutral, multi-stakeholder platform, we will be able to make a difference and facilitate progress on issues that hamper infrastructure development. The Forum is open to all stakeholders, including industry associations and chambers.
The initial response to Forum has been very positive and encouraging. Early supporters include NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Urban Development, the Ministry of Shipping, NHIDCL, the Airports Authority of India, the Inland Waterways Authority of India, the Asian Development Bank, Adani Ports, Bharti Infratel, CESC, DIMTS, Essel Infraprojects, IFCI Limited, IIFCL, India Infradebt, IL&FS Transportation Networks, J.M. Baxi, JSW Infrastructure, L&T Infrastructure Finance, MEP Infrastructure, NTPC, Power Grid Corporation of India, SBI Capital Markets, Simplex Infrastructure, SREI Infrastructure Finance, Tata Power and Vishvaraj Infrastructure. Over two dozen other organisations, both government and private, have in principle confirmed their participation and support as well.
A bit of information about our own organisation. India Infrastructure Publishing is the leading provider of information, analysis and insight on infrastructure sectors in India. We publish six magazines – Power Line, Indian Infrastructure, Renewable Watch, tele.net, Gujarat Infrastructure and Smart Utilities. We conduct over 50 conferences and produce 35 research reports a year. We have an online tracker and database of infrastructure projects, India Infra Monitor. We also have three global publications – Global Mass Transit, Global Transmission and Southeast Asia Infrastructure. Our products are recognised for their high quality and objectivity.
After over 20 years of experience, we believe that we are ready for this attempt to make a contribution to infrastructure development in India. We hope you will join us and support this endeavour.