KIIT School of Management (KSOM) in association with the School of Civil Engineering organized the 1st National Construction Management Konclave on 19th February 2022.

Prof S. K. Mahapatra, Director, KSOM set the context of the conclave. He highlighted the importance of construction management in global economic growth. He described how industry progressed from mechanical to the electrical and now to digital revolution. He emphasized that the key to industrial growth is now through digital transformation, digitalization, automation, and digital access.

Dr. Saranjit Singh, Pro-Vice Chancellor, KIIT DU in his address said that the construction industry is the second largest industry in the world. The driving force behind this, accelerated largely due to the pandemic, has been adoption of IT and analytical tools. He highlighted the importance of digital civilization, digitization and digital intervention in the industry today.

The keynote speaker of the conclave was Mr. Ganesh Jirkuntwar, Sr. Executive Director, Dalmia Bharat Group. He began his address by applauding Dr. Achyuta Samanta, Hon’ble Founder, KIIT & KISS. He said that the construction sector is currently pursuing resilience in order to create an environment for its stakeholders that is both sustainable and lucrative for them to invest. He went on to state that clean, green construction is economic and sustainable and is the way forward. He said that his company has been able to achieve 40% less carbon footprint than world average. Aside from being environmentally friendly, the company is also working on automation and digitization. He opined that the future of building would be smart construction and utilizing robotics in several domains.

Prof. Mohibullah, Convener of the 1^st National Construction Management Konclave, offered the vote of thanks to the dignitaries, organizers and participants.

The inaugural session was followed by four panel discussions. The panel discussions were on the topic – Digitization of the Construction Industry, Big Alignment – Digitization of the Construction Industry, Lean Construction for Industry 4.0, Big Alignment – Lean Construction for Industry 4.0 with more than 20 corporate stalwarts and academicians deliberating on the theme.

The conclave provided the students with an opportunity to interact with business leaders and policy makers from across the nation for holistic learning. The conclave was able to create a digital platform to connect industry professionals, academia and students.