Indian construction industry looks for $1.0 trillion funding for growth

The Indian construction industry registered a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.52% in nominal terms during the review period (2009–2013), driven by private and public investments in infrastructure, as well as institutional and commercial construction projects.

Industry growth is expected to remain strong over the forecast period (2014–2018), as a result of the government’s commitment to making infrastructural improvements and the implementation of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012–2017), under which the government expressed plans to invest INR56.3 trillion (US$ one trillion) in various long-term development plans. Consequently, industry output is expected to record a forecast-period nominal CAGR of 10.09%.

According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the construction industry’s value add at constant prices rose by 3 % in 2013 – up from 1.8% in 2012. The annual pace of growth has slowed, however, from an average of 8.5% in 2010-2011. The outlook for growth is positive, having been supported by government investment to improve the country’s infrastructure, education and healthcare, as well as spending on affordable homes to meet the country’s rising demand for housing. Large-scale investments in infrastructure development under the 12th Five-Year Plan will be an important driver of growth.

Infrastructure investment remains a key strategy for supporting economic growth. In its 2014–2015 budget, the Indian government increased its expenditure on the infrastructure sector and allocated INR1.8 trillion (US$27.3 billion); an increase of 8.6% over the 2013–2014 budget expenditure. This will contribute to the continued expansion of infrastructure construction over the forecast period.

With an aim to increase foreign exchange earnings from the tourism industry to INR1.5 trillion (US$26.0 billion) and attract eight million tourists by 2015, the government is focusing on the construction of new tourist destinations such as Tannirbhavi aquamarine park, the Bhaleydunga Skywalk in Gangtok and the construction of a film city at Hesaraghatta in Bangalore. This will help to support growth in the leisure and hospitality buildings category over the forecast period.

As a robust and modern transportation infrastructure is vital for the growth and competitiveness of the economy, the government is focusing more on infrastructure development. Accordingly, a total of INR56.3 trillion (US$1.0 trillion) is planned to be spent in the next planning period of 2012–2017; an increase in investment of 136.0% from the 11th Five-Year Plan. From this proposed investment, INR15.0 trillion (US$279.4 billion) will be spent on electricity, INR9.7 trillion (US$180.4 billion) on roads and bridges, and INR5.2 trillion (US$97.1 billion) on railways. The government plans to achieve these objectives through the PPP model, and attract half of the funding amount from the private sector.

The country’s rising population and urbanization trends will continue to provide some support for residential construction. According to the World Population Statistics, the country’s population grew by 17.7% from 2000 to 2011 – from 1.1 billion to 1.2 billion – and is expected to reach 1.4 billion and 1.6 billion by 2020 and 2040 respectively. As a proportion of the total, the country’s urban population increased from 27.8% in 2001 to 31.2% in 2011, and is expected to reach 33.0% by 2026. The country’s growing population and rapid urban development will create fresh demand for residential construction market over the forecast period.