How Ready Mix Concrete Strengthens Climate Resilient Cities

Aparna Reddy, Executive Director of Aparna Enterprises Ltd, drives the company’s growth through strategic diversification and operational excellence. Under her leadership, the firm has expanded into high-quality building materials, including VITERO tiles and OKOTECH uPVC profiles. With expertise spanning finance, marketing, and IT, Aparna combines engineering insight and business acumen from ISB to position Aparna Enterprises as an innovation-led industry leader.

Below are her excerpts highlighting insights on sustainable construction, quality-first RMC, and its role in shaping India’s resilient infrastructure future.

India stands at a pivotal crossroads. As the fourth-largest economy, with a $10 trillion ambition on the horizon, the nation’s development trajectory is increasingly defined by infrastructure-led growth. While technology, digitisation, and policy reforms often take centre stage, it is time we draw equal attention to the materials shaping the very foundations of our cities, materials like Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC), which, when prioritised with a quality-first lens, can be transformative in building future-ready, climate-resilient urban ecosystems.

Infrastructure As The Strategic Driver Of Industrial Growth

India’s manufacturing journey has come a long way since liberalisation. We have shifted from rudimentary production models to advanced, automated, and sustainable systems. Initiatives such as Make in India, Production-Linked Incentives (PLI), and Atmanirbhar Bharat have spurred industrial upgrades and helped position India as a reliable manufacturing alternative in global supply chains. In this evolving industrial narrative, infrastructure is not merely an enabler, it is a strategic driver. With over ₹11 lakh crore allocated toward capital expenditure in the Union Budget 2025–26, the Government of India is signalling continued momentum through mega projects like PM Gati Shakti, Bharatmala, and the National Infrastructure Pipeline. The scale and pace of development now demand construction materials that offer consistency, durability, and speed - making RMC indispensable.

Also Read: Leveraging Modular Construction to Transform Housing in India

Building Climate Resilient Cities With Quality First RMC

Unlike conventional site-mixed concrete, RMC is manufactured in controlled environments using calibrated materials, precision batching, and stringent quality control. This ensures superior strength, minimal waste, and faster project execution, all vital in an era where construction timelines are tightening and performance benchmarks are rising. However, RMC adoption in India remains relatively low, only about 35 percent compared to over 70 percent in developed countries such as the US, South Korea, and China. Bridging this gap offers a tangible opportunity. Even a 15–20 percent increase in usage could reduce construction timelines by up to 20 percent, cut material wastage by 30 percent, and improve long-term structural reliability, especially crucial in high-density urban environments.

India’s cities today are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, be it flooding, extreme heat, or resource stress. Quality-first RMC plays a critical role in building urban infrastructure that is not only strong but adaptive. Advances in green RMC production, including the use of low-clinker cement, recycled water, fly ash, slag, and admixtures, significantly reduce the carbon footprint. Cutting-edge variants such as carbon-cured and self-healing concrete are also entering the mainstream, directly supporting India’s net-zero commitments by 2070. Importantly, quality-controlled RMC ensures long-term durability, reducing the frequency of repair and reconstruction, and thereby lowering the lifecycle emissions of infrastructure projects. It is a critical lever in delivering infrastructure that is resilient, low-impact, and aligned with global climate goals.

While the benefits of quality-first RMC are clear, challenges persist. Fragmented supply chains, inconsistent quality control, limited awareness among smaller contractors, and skilled manpower shortages have slowed widespread adoption, particularly in Tier 2 and 3 cities where growth is accelerating. The solution lies in a coordinated approach. Policy standardisation, mandatory quality certifications, and digital traceability tools can greatly improve accountability. Institutions like the Construction Skill Development Council of India (CSDCI) are already enabling knowledge transfer and upskilling for workers across the construction value chain. Such efforts must be scaled and integrated with both government and private sector infrastructure mandates. Moreover, incentives and tax benefits for sustainable construction materials, much like those seen in renewable energy can further drive adoption. A unified push across public infrastructure tenders, smart city initiatives, and private real estate can mainstream quality-first RMC as the industry norm.

Also Read: The Role of Indian Cement Industry in Achieving India's Climate Goals

From Innovation To Industry Imperative

By 2030, India’s urban population will cross 500 million. Our cities will demand infrastructure that delivers on all fronts - speed, strength, sustainability, and scale. RMC, with its inherent advantages, must be seen not merely as a material, but as a critical enabler of India’s developmental goals.This is not just about concrete. It is about the mindset of quality over expediency. It is about making choices that enhance structural safety, optimise resources, and future-proof our cities. The adoption of quality-first RMC should no longer be seen as an innovation, it must become an industry-wide imperative.

As India builds its next-generation logistics corridors, manufacturing zones, and climate-smart cities, Ready-Mix Concrete stands at the heart of this transformation. With a renewed focus on standards, sustainability, and scale, RMC will help define a resilient, competitive, and globally respected India.