Road Infrastructure Generated 650 Cr mandays of employment and technologies 

India, which was once known as fragile in this sector, now holds the largest share in road infrastructure. It is playing a major role in making India the world’s 4th largest economy.
In India’s Vision 2047 for a developed India and the net zero target for 2070, bitumen emulsion will play an important role. It is an emerging field and can be effectively used in cold and rainy weather, It is also viable for quick fixes, said Harsh Malhotra, Minister of State Corporate Affairs and Minister of State Road Transport and Highways (MORTH), Govt. of India at International Conference on Bitumen Emulsion 2025 (ICBE 2025) organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with the Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) and Nouryon at  Le Méridien, New Delhi
He further informed that the road infrastructure contributes 3.2% to the country’s GDP, It has generated 650cr mandays of employment and has had a direct and indirect impact.
Out of the total bitumen used in India, 40% is imported, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Another major challenge is to improve cost-effectiveness. India has 6 million km of road infrastructure, In the last 10 years, we have built 60,000 km of highways. Out of the total, 7.5 million km are rural roads and 3.5 lakh km of rural roads have been built in the past 10 years.
This is a very important topic and if the deliberation of this conference finds Bitumen Emulsion, economically viable and sustainable we would definitely like to implement it.  Along with innovation, we must also adopt sustainability and economic viability more effectively. Through government efforts, we will be able to promote this more effectively, concluded the Minister.
V. K. Rajawat, Special Secretary and Director General Road Development, Ministry of Road Transport  and Highways (MORTH), Govt. of India said that India’s infrastructure development is entering a phase where development and sustainability go hand in hand. The next generation of Indian highways is going to enter the maintenance phase after 15 years, and this technology will be very helpful. He further hoped that the deliberation in today’s conference will be beneficial for the government and engineers.
Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, CEO and Secretary General, PHDCCI, while sharing the industry perspective, said that India is at the forefront of creating world-class infrastructure. We have ambitious plans of building 40 km of roads per day and projects like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, and PM Gram Sadak Yojana are examples. This conference is important because we cannot make tomorrow’s roads with yesterday’s methods. That is why we need technologies like bitumen emulsion to build roads that are faster, better, and sustainable. And this should also be used for the city roads.
He further said that as India aims to become net zero by 2070, road construction will play an important role. We need to adopt greener technologies to support this goal. With the intervention of the right kind of technology, we can develop faster. He added that PHDCCI is celebrating 120 years of its legacy and that this technology is very critical for the development of our infrastructure.
Joe Ferrara, Vice President, Paints  and Coatings, Nouryon deliberated upon the use of bitumen emulsion in infrastructure projects and its contribution to a sustainable future. He discussed that it is an opportunity for attendees to engage in meaningful discussions.
Prof. Manoranjan Parida, Director, CSIR-CRRI said that CSIR-CRRI has been very active in providing technology that fits the agenda of sustainable practices. He discussed that it is a collective moment in how we build and maintain our roads to create a climate-resilient planet.
He further added, Microsurfacing and surface dressing are no longer just lab practices; they are scalable. This event is an initiative towards developing a collaborative map to mainstream bitumen technology in India’s infrastructure projects. It aims to pave the way for infrastructure technology solutions that are technically sound.
The event also witnessed the release of a report titled, “Laboratory Study of Performance Bituminous Emulsion for Cold Recycling Technology for Low and High-traffic Pavement” prepared by CSIR- CRRI and sponsored by Nouryon.
Vote of Thanks was given by Manoj Shukla, Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-CRRI.
The event marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of sustainable infrastructure solutions, bringing together leaders from three distinguished organizations. It is a key event for road construction and sustainable practices in bitumen emulsion. Bitumen emulsion is a versatile product.
Together, the organisations are dedicated to pioneering innovations that meet the demands of modern infrastructure and contribute to a sustainable future. Bitumen emulsions, the focal point of this conference, offer versatile and environmentally friendly solutions for road construction and maintenance.