The construction industry in India is a key sector driving economic development of the country. Contributing around 8% to the country’s GDP, Indian construction industry has been witnessing a significant growth over the past few years. Construction industry in India is broadly comprised of various sub-sectors, including commercial, institutional, residential, infrastructure, and industrial construction. With its vast potential, diverse projects, and a rapidly increasing economy, the sector holds immense potential for both national and international collaboration.
This blog provides an overview of the Indian construction industry - giving insights into its growth drivers, challenges, future prospects, as well as potentials for ConTech.
Growth Drivers of Indian Construction Industry
The following are the various factors that have worked as catalyst for growth in Indian construction industry:
Infrastructure Development: One of the major drivers of Indian construction industry have been infrastructure development. The government has been emphasizing on diverse initiatives and projects, like development of highways, power infrastructure, metro rails networks, airports, smart cities and ports. These projects have been undertaken with the aim to improve connectivity, boost urban living and augment economic growth. According to a report by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), Indian infrastructure sector is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.89% between 2021-2026.
Real Estate Sector: The real estate sector plays a crucial role in the construction industry. Factors like population growth, urbanization and growing proportion of middle class, have significantly increased the demand for residential and commercial properties in India.
Affordable Housing: The Government of India (GOI) has been promoting affordable housing initiatives in order to meet the ever-increasing needs of the growing population. The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) – an initiative by the GOI – aimed at providing affordable housing to all by 2022. This led to significant increase in construction activities in the residential sector, especially in affordable housing segment. According to a report by Knight Frank India, it is expected that affordable housing segment will grow at a CAGR of 16% between 2021-2025.
Green & Sustainable Construction: In India, the concern towards green & sustainable construction practices has been on a rise lately. A number of government initiatives have been undertaken in this regard, like the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) and the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification with the aim to promote sustainable building design and energy-efficient construction.
Technological Advancements: Indian construction industry is adopting advanced technologies to improve its productivity, quality, and efficiency. In this regard, modular construction techniques, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and prefabrication are gaining popularity. In addition to this, automation and digitization for project management, design and construction processes have also witnessed a hike in recent times.
Challenges Faced by Indian Construction Industry
Despite having immense potential for growth & development, Indian construction industry is grappled with plethora of challenges, including:
Delays in Project Execution: Delays in project execution has been one of the major hurdles faced by construction industry in India. Factors like red tape, inadequate funding, and land acquisition issues have been prime reasons behind such delays.
Shortage of Skilled Labor: Indian construction industry faces major shortage of skilled labour impacting project timelines and quality.
Regulatory Challenges: Construction industry in India is heavily regulated – imposing severe challenges to the companies. Obtaining permits and approvals often becomes very complex and time-consuming process, leading to delays and cost overruns.
Land Acquisition Issues: Another challenge faced by the Indian construction companies is land acquisition issues. The process of acquiring land in India for construction can be very complicated, time-consuming as well as expensive.
Inadequate Funding: Indian construction industry requires significant amount of capital. Access to funding is often limited, especially for the small and medium sized enterprises.
ConTech in India: Unlocking the Potential of Technology in Construction
The construction industry in India is witnessing a transformative shift with the integration of technology, giving rise to ConTech. This emerging trend is transforming the way construction projects in India are planned, designed and executed. Being one of the largest contributors to the country’s GDP, construction industry in India is now a fertile ground for ConTech. Following are the factors that make Indian construction industry an ideal ground for ConTech innovations:
Infrastructural Growth: With massive investments in sectors like roadways, railways, airports and smart cities, India is witnessing a rapid infrastructural boom. The increasing focus of government on infrastructure development has opened up vast market for construction companies in India, that has in turn led to increased demand for efficient and sustainable construction practices. In this regard, ConTech solutions, like construction management software, can provide the necessary tool to streamline project management, augment productivity, as well as optimize resource allocation – making them an invaluable asset in this era of rapid growth.
Quality Control & Safety: Quality control & safety are two of the important aspects of any construction project. With ConTech solutions, like automated construction monitoring, companies can undergo real-time monitoring, data analysis, and predictive modeling to comply with quality and safety standards. Furthermore, IoT sensors can help them track conditions of construction jobsite and workplace safety software using AI algorithms can monitor workforce safety and identify potential hazards. Thus, by implementing ConTech solutions, construction companies can significantly reduce accidents, mitigate risks, and improve overall project quality.
Rising Labor Costs & Labor Shortages: Shortage of skilled labor coupled with rising labor costs are grappling the construction industry in India. In this regard, ConTech solutions leveraging advanced technologies like AI, robotics and automation can boost labor-intensive tasks, minimizing the dependence on human labor as well as reducing costs.
Sustainable Construction: The entire world is prioritizing sustainability, and so is India. Indian construction industry is heading towards adopting eco-friendly practices, and thus, there is a huge ground for ConTech solutions promoting green construction. ConTech solutions that optimize material usage, promote energy efficiency and waste management can play a critical role here. Smart sensors and energy management systems can optimize resource consumption; while prefabrication techniques can reduce construction wastes. Thus, with ConTech, India can adopt sustainable construction practices, in turn contributing to the country’s overall environmental goals.
Cost Optimization: Last but not the least, cost overruns and delays are a matter of concern of all involved with the Indian construction industry. Using ConTech solutions can help companies improve project costs by boosting efficiency, minimizing wastage, and reducing errors. Further, with BIM, companies can undergo collaborative planning and enhance coordination among stakeholders, minimizing conflicts and rework. Also, advanced project management software, like viAct, can enable real-time project progress tracking, enabling proactive decision-making to prevent costly delays. Thus, by leveraging ConTech tools, construction companies can achieve greater cost predictability and project profitability.
Thus, it can be concluded that, the construction industry in India is ripe for disruption, and the ConTech solutions can play a transformative role in shaping the future. The merging of technology and construction can revolutionize traditional construction practices – leading to efficiency, improved safety and sustainability. As the industry continues to grow and evolve, adoption of ConTech will become highly crucial if companies wish to stay in the game and address the challenges of labour shortages, cost and quality. Thus, by embracing ConTech innovations, construction industry in India can unlatch massive growth opportunities, paving way to a more efficient, sustainable, and technologically advanced landscape for future.
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Additional Information:
How can viAct smart site safety system mitigate the various safety risks prevailing in construction industry?
How viAct Digital Works Supervision System (DWSS) facilitate collaboration & coordination amongst different levels of project stakeholders?
How can viAct ensure Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) safety?
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