 in urban affairs, Sridhur Gashankar Mishra, and all other distinguished invitees and all these stakeholders. To our foreign delegates, welcome to the land of vibrant, colorful, and incredible India. India is on the move to realize the vision of Honorable Prime Minister, Srinarendra Modiji, for building a strong new India. We are the true followers of our rich ethos of Sanskrit Subhashitani, Charayvaiti, Charayvaiti, Charayvaiti, Nirantharam. May I now request Secretary-Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Sridhur Gashankar Mishra, to kindly give welcome address. Most respected on your behalf. May I now request Secretary-Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Sridhur Gashankar Mishra, to kindly give welcome address. Most respected Honorable Prime Minister, sir. Honorable Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, the dear delegates, ladies and gentlemen. It's my proud privilege to welcome here, our Honorable Prime Minister, with whose inspiration and vision, this conference construction technology India, and the whole ecosystem of global housing technology, challenge has been conceived and is being now executed. It was Honorable Prime Minister's vision that by 2022, every Indian will get a house, and for that, how technology will take shape with his direction, we have been able to come here, which will lead to very resource-efficient, cost-effective, very rapidly construction technology in India. It will be a transition, it will be a kind of a pole vaulting into the new generation of the construction technology. Sir, it's a privilege to welcome you here and listen to you, sir, your vision. I welcome our Honorable Minister, who has been a constant source of guidance to us, whatever the whole urban landscape is getting transformed under his stewardship, under his leadership. Sir, all the time we get your full cooperation and your direction. Thank you and welcome here, sir, in this conference. I welcome our construction industry, Naradko and Kredai, and all their members, who are present here in a big number. Ultimately, all this is being done in transforming the construction industry. They are going to the direct beneficiary, and thanks for agreeing to taking this construction technology in India by and only from now on. I welcome all the delegates, large number of delegates, more than 100 have come from abroad, and large number of delegates who have come from different parts of the country, who are here, and for the next two days, you are going to discuss how the construction industry is going to take shape in future. At the end, again, I would like to thank Honorable Prime Minister for giving his precious time here. And, sir, with your vision, the new India is in making, and this construction technology is going to take us to the new India of your vision. Thank you. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat. Thank you so much. We now request Honorable Minister of State Independent Charge for housing and urban affairs, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, to kindly address us with remarks on urban transformation of India. Mahananya Pradhan Mantri ji, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the urban transformation that was initiated by the Honorable Prime Minister through his seven flagship programs and the programmatic interventions through these schemes, as I submit to you, ladies and gentlemen, heralded the most ambitious and comprehensive program of urban transformation undertaken anywhere in the world. Because we live in times where change is introduced, both through human endeavour and government policies, we are perhaps not in a position to fully comprehend the extent and comprehensive coverage of the change that is taking place. I submit to you that pre-May 2014, we subjected the urban space to neglect. I have even gone to the extent of saying the neglect was criminal. Post-2014, thanks to the Prime Minister personally embracing urbanization as a win-win proposition, there has become a sea change. So schemes like the Swachh Bharat Mission, Amrut, Hriday, Pradhan Mantri, Avash Yojana, the Smart Cities Mission, taken collectively are introducing a change which individually we are sometimes not in a position to comprehend. And apart from the changes brought about through the introduction of a regulator, I mean it is a comment in and of itself that for 70 years of our existence as an independent country, we did not have a regulator in the construction sector which is so important both for employment and economic activity. Not only RERA, but the other incentives given through fiscal and other means and design of a new ecosystem, we are today in the happy situation of seeing that change. Technology is the game changer. And, sir, may I thank you personally for sparing the time today and ensuring that this global technology challenge, a process which will go on, which will take place by annually, et cetera, by annually, this is a process which will bring change not only in the housing sector, in the Pradhan Mantri, Avash Yojana, but I submit to all the urban economic activity that we see. The change will result from technology and from a new embracing of that technology by our economic entities. Sir, all these missions bear the imprint of your personal guidance and design. In fact, many of these programmatic interventions today are at a stage where the India of 2030, 70% of which has not even been built, is likely to be one in which we will take up urbanization in a green and a resilient manager. So I thank you very much, Honourable Prime Minister, for the time that you have spared and for the attention that you give in terms of guiding us to take these programmatic interventions to a logical conclusion, which is that the India of 2030, by which time we will be a $10 trillion economy, the election after the next one will be in 2024, by which time we will be a $5 trillion economy, and by 2029 a $10 trillion economy, and by that time our capita incomes would have quadrupled, but the urban space and the transformation taking place will provide not only ease of living, but a certain quality of life which every Indian aspires to and which you, Mr. Prime Minister, are now providing a decisive leadership for. I thank you very much. Thank you, Sir. Under Pradhan Menzhi Awas Yojna, India is committed to provide housing for all by 2022. GHTC is like a gold mine. Global Housing Technology Challenge India aims to herald a paradigm shift in the construction sector. We now present before you a film on GHTC India. India is undergoing rapid urbanization. There is an opportunity for enormous prospect of growth and transformation. The 400 million plus current urban population of India will rise to around 600 million in 2030 and to over 800 million by 2050. Urban India will contribute 80% to countries GDP by 2050. Under the Pradhan Menzhi Awas Yojna, the government of India is on a mission to provide housing for all by 2022. Against a validated demand of about 10 million houses in urban areas, so far more than 7.9 million houses have been sanctioned and more than 4.1 million grounded for construction. 1.6 million have been completed and delivered to beneficiaries. 1.2 million houses have used alternate innovative technologies. A paradigm shift is envisaged in technology to fast-track the housing construction process. Sustainable development and innovative technology are the key to the discussion. Green or clean energy, energy efficiency, water conservation, construction material reuse and providing the best management system in the apartment is your practice. The Global Housing Technology Challenge India will enable us to deliver maximum number of houses in minimum time and cost. It will create an enabling ecosystem to facilitate technology transition in housing sector which is green innovative, sustainable, resource efficient. The challenge has three components. Construction Technology India, a biennial expo-com conference to connect with all stakeholders. Identification of proven demonstrable technologies to construct six lighthouse projects through challenge process which will be used as live laboratories for awareness. Supporting potential future technologies under ASHA, India. These technologies will get acceleration and incubation support. GHTC India is fully aligned with the various flagship missions. Come, let's use technology and innovation to build a new India together. Let's work together and make a change forever. As a part of disaster management strategy for urban planners and architects, Vulnerability Atlas of India has been developed which provides digitized state and union territory-wise hazard maps along with district-wise housing vulnerability risk tables. May I request the Honourable Prime Minister to kind of release Vulnerability Atlas of India by pressing the remote button? The third edition of Vulnerability Atlas of India is glation of the existing hazard scenario for the entire country and presents the digitized state and UT-wise hazard maps with respect to earthquakes, winds and floods for district-wise identification of vulnerable areas. This edition contains additional digitized maps for thunderstorms, cyclones and landslides. The Atlas also presents the district-wise housing vulnerability risk tables based on wall types and roof types as per 2011's census housing data. The Atlas is a useful tool not only for public but also for urban managers, state and national authorities dealing with disaster mitigation and management. Thank you, sir. It is not only helpful in planning disaster management but also in making proactive strategies but it can also be considered as a risk in existing house talks. Now, just one interactive platform for all the stakeholders for facilitating exchange of knowledge on innovative and alternative housing technologies will be within your easy access. Yes, on your mobile phones. May I request the Honourable Prime Minister to kindly launch the mobile app CTI 2019 by pressing the button. GHTC India mobile application has been developed as an interactive platform that will showcase information related to all events posed to construction technology India 2019. This app will serve as a gateway to view the real-time progress of lighthouse projects. A unique gaming feature of different levels has been incorporated to develop expertise and skills in new technologies. It also contains a discussion forum where stakeholders can participate for knowledge exchange and learning. This mobile app would be useful for all stakeholders, public and private, academia and industry. And this mobile app is also available for Janita. Honourable Prime Minister Shrinarendra Modi Ji has inspired Indians to work together as Team India to make a faster, higher, stronger and promising India. Driven by his vision, GHTC ecosystem has been laid down leading to the world's best disruptive technological changes for building New India. Honourable Prime Minister Shrinarendra Modi Ji has never given the new Indian home for every Indian. Sathya Thalkotra, in my country's housing sector in Sweden, I told you earlier that housing sector should be based on the energy of New India. For this, in the country and in the world, use the latest technology related to construction and housing. For your help, our government is ready to be with you on every step. They are ready to walk with you. They are ready to go two steps ahead. And the biggest product of this is the construction technology related to this conference. This is the second time I am interacting with those associated with the housing sector. This shows the desire of the government to keep engaging with you all. Know more about your good work, understand your suggestions and work towards a vibrant housing sector. It also shows your passion and commitment towards a strong housing sector that benefits the poorest of the poor in our country. I understand that members participating in this conference will either showcase innovative housing technologies or will learn from the new innovations that are being shown. These two are very valuable. Today's conference and global housing technology talent are needed. That is why we feel that cities are growing rapidly in the country. India is in the countries where urbanization is very fast. As the city grows rapidly, new homes are also needed. Our government has worked on seven flagship missions to change the face of the housing sector. The national urban livelihood mission has been launched by Prime Minister Abhyan, Prime Minister Abhyan, Nindayal Antiyoja, National Urban Liability Mission, and the important work of Amrit and Ridaayi. The city's transport has also been on the rise in the change and smart city. Today, according to the geographical conditions, we have to make homes. Our government has worked with a holistic approach for the construction sector. We have decided to take care of the problems both of us are facing. We have given the most effort on affordable housing. Second, we have cured the laws related to the real estate sector. Third, we have worked on skilled development. And fourth, along with all of these, we have also focused on improving the technology in the housing sector. Today's work is also one of that. And I am convinced that in a meeting of nature, you might know what is the meeting of nature. That is why I do not go to its department. And in a meeting of nature, I gave my mantra to you. The Global Challenge process was the advice of our people. Today, I am happy that you are all here today through the Global Housing Technology Challenge in India. Friends, a house is not only for walls. It is that place where the power to dream comes and expressions are fulfilled. A home is much about dignity and security as it is about shelter. It always shocked and saddened me that in a nation like ours, several people do not have their own home. We have been working to solve this situation in the form of the Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojana. It is my dream that every Indian has a pakka house by 2022. And we are walking the talk in this regard. During our tenure, our 1.3 crore houses have been made already. To give you an idea of the scale, the previous government made only 25 like houses. The numbers speak for themselves. Our work does not stop at making four walls. We are ensuring the houses have water connection, power connection, ujwala connection and other such facilities. The quality of house and the space per home has also improved in the last 4.5 years. But there is more to be done and for that I seek the support of the private sector. And what better way to do it than be Global Housing Challenge? Let us work together and enhance our capacities and do something that helps the poorest of the poor. Friends, in our country, the way poor and poor people were getting away from their homes, the situation was not right. To change the situation, we worked together in many ways. We tried to solve the problems of poor and poor people. Today, our government is trying to reduce the unemployment rate on the home loan. Under Prime Minister Awas Yodhra, the government is giving as much support as possible. After that, it is a rule to save people from 5 to 6 lakh rupees. If someone has spent 19-20 lakh rupees for 20 years, then the government has saved 5-6 lakh rupees. Our government has also changed the rules related to income tax and indirect tax. This is because the poor and middle class have more money to buy a house and the house prices are low. Recently, two very important decisions were taken by the government and the GST Council. If we talk about income tax, the tax on taxable income has been zeroed by 5 lakh rupees. Apart from this, there will be no income tax on two houses. In the same way, there will be two houses to buy a house from GST. All these efforts are going to help the middle class to buy a new house. GST has also made it very easy for the developers and customers of the real estate sector. GST has also reduced the construction sector. GST has been reduced from 8% to 1% on affordable housing. GST has also reduced the construction sector from 12% to 5%. GST has also reduced the funding for the middle class. Friends, we understand that in order to make more homes and better homes, we also have to be sensitive to the suggestions of those in the housing sector. And we are doing that. We have been working to strengthen and reform the housing sector from the RERA Act which improved consumers' confidence in developers and brought transparency in the real estate sector. To our significant improvement in the World Bank's age of doing business index, driven by improvement in construction permits, where India climbed from 181 rank to 52nd place. We have been consistently focusing on systematic reforms. You will get help from the government because of its policies. Especially in rural areas, there is a huge pool of human resources which is known as a train. Our government has also run a campaign for women's training in this sector. After this campaign, thousands of women... The first women who worked in the village used to be called the Raj Mistry. The first time it has changed, thousands of women are working as the RANI Mistry. We are trying to increase the technical skills of young people in this sector and make them ready for the market. So that young people like you can be more comfortable and have more employment opportunities for young people. In addition, our engineering and technology at the base of the technology is also changing in this sector. This sector is also working in this direction. In addition, this sector is becoming a new development for startups and young people. We have also changed the approach of construction in India. Whether it is roads, residential apartments or commercial buildings, it is also providing eco-friendly, disaster-resilient and energy efficient facilities. For this, we need local innovation in which our young people are together. You will be happy to know that ASHA India, i.e. affordable, sustainable, housing, accelerator, has started investing this type of innovation in the market. ASHA is part of GHTC India. It is working in Mumbai, Madras, Kharagpur and Ruti in IIT. It is working on four incubation centres, and the idea of a startup ecosystem is working rapidly according to the market. I am glad to know that such innovation, technology and engineering are working here as well. The discussion that is going to take place here will be put at the end of the National Knowledge Network, so that it can benefit the country's education system. The challenges that will be discussed here will be given to educational institutions through this network to solve them. You are all part of this amazing experiment in India with housing technology. For this, the Lighthouse Project is being started. Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Tripura. And Uttar Pradesh. These projects are being started in these countries. They can present new construction techniques. This is a live laboratory for you. You can interact with the youth professionals through webcast demo technology. G.H.T.C. India is a platform through which India's construction sector can become an international level ecosystem. Through this, we will be able to find global solutions to our challenges. Looking at your efforts, I can say that construction is the beginning of revolution and we are going to make our city's construction sector as a global standard. With this conference, India will benefit as well as builders, architects, global civil engineering firms who will benefit from this. We will learn a lot from each other. In the new India's business environment, there is a lot of opportunity for your sector. New middle class is rapidly spreading in the country. India is one of the most popular countries in the world where the demand for homes is increasing rapidly. We will be able to fulfill this demand. We will be able to use more and more technologies to achieve this. For this, I would like to take this opportunity from April 2019 to the year of March 2020 to discuss construction technology as a year. I also had the opportunity to establish an atlas here. How do circumstances change? You will see that in our country, disaster-related issues used to happen in the first agriculture department. For many years, it was a part of the agriculture department because the meaning of our disaster was that it was dry and dry. That is why the people of the agriculture sector handled it. In Gujarat in 2001, after the earthquake, we noticed that this was a big challenge for the Home Ministry to get rid of that important disaster. It was a big partnership with the Italian government. After that, in Gujarat in 2001, we knew that we will do something after the disaster. We will have to prepare the country for that. At a strategic level, in this way, the areas of disaster-related issues such as chemical problems, G5 zones, I was trying to make it district-wide and village-wide. I am happy that today, the Indian government will expand that issue in every area of India. I would like that any of you not only in the building, but even in the pipeline of the gas pipeline, keep this atlas in mind and think about yourself. I will also say to the government that even in your tender system, you should get a reference that you have studied this atlas. Where you are working, the things mentioned in this atlas and how you are going to address it, in any department of India, even the government, will go there and institute it. In the same way, based on this atlas, the universities in those areas, whether it be planning, engineering, architecture, or structural, the syllabus of those areas should be kept in mind in that area. So that the human resource will develop there, if it is going to work in that area, then it will come to know that these are the challenges that I have here, so my construction work will be done in the same way. And that is why I would like that all of you in your own company, with your own experts, should work on an atlas to understand what are their related things because we have to take these things forward. And see what is the strength of India. There are many things that reduce the attention of our country. All of you, the construction workers, India, for a long time, how to do good construction, it is your greatness. But those who have seen will know that the makeshift arrangement can be made so well that it can be made so technologically driven, it has been shown by this country. On the brink of Ganga, in 40 days, 22 crores of people are gathered. Every day on the brink of Ganga, a country of Europe is gathered in one way or another. The cleanliness there can be so good, it has been shown. Not only this, the concept of smart city, through smart city, through technology, through central command system, how can we work? In the whole of Kumbh, our new generation has shown it. That is, our country keeps that balance. But if we look at it, see how well our people can make progress. If the makeshift arrangement can be so good, if it is permanent, it can be a model in the form of the world. And I am sure that this two-day movement will bring those things which will improve the condition of your company. I am happy. But this sector's condition will also improve. It will bring new power, new language, new culture. This is very important. And now listen, whatever India will do, the world will look at it with pride. The power of this country changes the meaning of dictionary words. Sometimes the English of Abhinandan used to be there. Now the meaning of Abhinandan will change. This power is in this country. It must move towards a more organized state. And to fulfill dreams, step by step. The Government is with you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Prime Minister, for your prayer. As you rightly said, India will live as one. India will work as one. India will grow as one. as one and of course India will win as one. Thank you so much, sir. We all have witnessed unprecedented pace of urban transformation, which India has experienced with its glorious journey since last four and a half years. Mani Pradhan Mandri ji jaapte hain, andhera mitane ke liye, suraj ki roshni har ghar tak bahujane ke liye. Thank you very much, Mani Pradhan Mandri ji. Thank you all. Cities are engines for sustainable development. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the Construction Technology Expo Come Conference, reiterating the nation's commitment to encouraging and supporting housing for all through sustainable, holistic, and affordable methodologies. Namaskar.