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In order to recognise key players in the equipment segment, Equipment India introduced India?s first-ever awards event, Equipment India Awards 2013, as part of the second India Construction Festival. The aim of the Awards is to bring together top manufacturers, as also CASH (Components, Accessories, Spares, Hardware) companies, dealers, buyers, users and financiers. The first Equipment India awards were given away for the best CEO, and the best-selling products across four categories of equipment. Off-Highway Research India was the research partner for the Awards.

CEO of the Year
The accolade of CEO of the Year went to Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director & CEO, JCB India. Sondhi has been chosen as the CEO of the Year taking into consideration his contributions to the company and to JCB customers, by way of introducing widest range of equipment, setting up new plants and an extensive service network across the country. The majority of jury members found that JCB India has overwhelmingly improved on its performance in recent past. JCB has invested in plant and service facilities, and has done well in terms of sales and services. JCB has also made significant inroads into non-core segments; they have also seen to engine and product transformation consistently and at regular intervals. Overall, JCB has been the largest contributor to the Indian construction equipment industry.

Bestsellers in products category
Awards have been given away in four categories of products for their best- selling performance. Ammann Apollo India was adjudged the Bestseller in the Asphalt Finishers category, while BEML bagged the award for the Bestseller in the Rigid Dump Trucks category. The Bestseller in the Motor Graders category went to Caterpillar India, while JCB India bagged the Bestseller award in the Backhoe Loaders category.

The Jury Meet
A Jury Meet of the Equipment India Awards 2013 was held in Mumbai on 12 September 2013. Pratap Vijay Padode, MD and Editor-in-Chief, ASAPP Media, Agith Antony, Executive Editor, Equipment India, and Deepak Israni, President - Sales, ASAPP Media were present during the meet, along with the nine jury members.

The Jury Meet started with a short film on ASAPP Media Information Group. Pratap Padode, in his welcome address, gave an insight into the first-ever Equipment India Awards. He also gave a presentation on the India Construction Festival 2013. Agith Antony gave a brief overview of the personalities shortlisted for the CEO of the Year Award.

The selection process for the best CEO was based on the contributions of the CEOs to the industry and the company, judged on various parameters. The jury members discussed and debated the contributions of the CEOs and based on the majority vote, selected the best CEO.

2nd India Construction Festival
The first Equipment India Awards was being conducted concurrently with the 11th CONSTRUCTION WORLD AWARDS, under the common platform of the India Construction Festival 2013 held in New Delhi on 14 November 2013.

It is time to get your priorities in order to build the nation. That was the clear message from the second India Construction Festival. And the timing couldn?t have been better with the Prime Minister?s Project Monitoring Group (PMG) just clearing 128 projects worth Rs 4 lakh crore.

In his welcome address, Pratap Vijay Padode, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director of ASAPP Media Information Group, described the latest trends in the construction sector and offered a perspective on what should be done to spur growth, even while applauding the growing accountability quotient in the country.

Dr Lalit Bhasin, President, Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, emphasised the need to accord infrastructure status to the construction sector, and dwelt upon an integrated approach to aid growth.

In his keynote address, Chief Guest Anil Swarup, Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, and Head, PMG, shared the figures on the projects cleared, saying,?All clearances have been obtained including environmental and fuel supply agreements (FSAs). Going forward, the government and private sector need to play their respective roles and be realistic with a positive approach.?

Based on the theme of ?Global Learnings and Glocalisation for the Indian Construction and Infrastructure Industry,? the summit was spread over six sessions and witnessed the participation of top government officials, policymakers and regulators, captains of construction companies, analysts and finance bigwigs, as well as business delegations from foreign consulates. While bringing to the fore the techno-legal and financial challenges facing the sector, parti-?cipants offered many practical remedies. Speakers emphasised that given the sound fundamentals and high demand for infrastructure, there will be heightened action in the near future.

In a special address, Gajendra
Haldea, Advisor (Infra) to the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India, stated that the target of $1 trillion investment in infrastructure is likely to be missed in the 12th Five Year Plan. In his view, systemic flows need to be addressed to achieve an appropriate and even distribution of projects among developers by size. He called upon all the stakeholders to work on the basis of consensus, for instance while framing model concession agreements (MCAs). The Planning Commission plans to revise the MCA for roads, often considered a benchmark, in the coming months based on current industry experience.

The summit culminated in a glittering function to mark the first Annual Equipment India Awards and the 11th Construction World Annual Awards.

?Nothing is achieved individually. I accept this award on behalf of the organisation and thank ASAPP Media and the jury. I thank all the customers who have been with us over the years and, most of all, our employees. Thank you very much. I am humbled. It is always the organisation that leads the way.?

The awards were given away by Dharmendra, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, and Anoop Kumar Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, NBCC.