Why Indians Feel Foreign Infrastructure Is Better: Hitachi India CEO Breaks It Down

Why does India's infrastructure still feel behind countries like Japan and China despite rapid digital transformation? Speaking at the Business Today Infrastructure Summit, Dr Bharat Kaushal, Executive Officer, Hitachi India, explained why comparing India with developed economies is not straightforward. He argued that large economies evolve over decades and that India embraced Digital India before completing its physical infrastructure transformation, creating a temporary mismatch between digital capability and on-ground infrastructure.

Dr Kaushal highlighted the government's push through initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti, geospatial mapping, the National Infrastructure Corridor, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, improved rail technology, semiconductors, critical minerals and hydrogen. He also spoke about the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, saying that while the first high-speed rail project faces unique engineering challenges, it represents a significant step towards modernising India's infrastructure and creating high-skilled engineering jobs. Watch the full discussion with Sakshi Batra to understand how India plans to bridge the infrastructure gap and what lies ahead for the country's growth story.