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“India @ Work Summit 2007” examined why India’s infrastructure story succeeds in some sectors and stalls in others—and what governance design can do about it. The summit argued that infrastructure is not one-size-fits-all: telecom’s incentives and regulation cannot be copy-pasted to power, urban services, or transport. It stressed the layered jurisdiction of Centre, States, and local bodies, and that the citizen–state interface is overwhelmingly municipal and panchayat-level, where delivery either works or breaks.

Discussions pushed from blueprint to operating architecture: sector-specific regulation, credible project preparation, and transparent procurement; city finances that can actually service assets; and digital record-keeping so contracts, payments, and performance are auditable. The through-line was pragmatic—governance is the infrastructure behind infrastructure, and without capable local institutions the best-laid national plans underperform.

By treating infrastructure as a system—assets plus rules, finances, and accountability—the summit reframed “capacity creation” as much more than capex. It proposed that sustainable infrastructure is built where jurisdictions align, incentives are right, and citizens can see and trust the service—from reliable power to responsive urban utilities.