National Summit & ICLA 2025 organised on March 5: Powerful discussions on green solutions & strategies for advancing India's leadership in sustainability

The National Summit & Indian Climate Leader Awards 2025, a much-anticipated event organised in the national capital on March 5, is set to showcase ‘Green Finance and Investments: Achieving Net Zero by 2070’. Organised by the Association of Financial Advisors of India (AFAI) with Resurgent India as the presenting partner, the event aims to drive the country’s decarbonisation efforts.

A number of eminent diplomats, policymakers and industry stalwarts will be present at the event, engaging in groundbreaking discussions on crucial aspsects such as the role of financial institutions, investors and industries in driving India's green ambitions as part of its 'Viksit Bharat' (Developed India) vision.

The programme has been structured around the following themes:

• Achieving India’s targets for green transformation and the Net Zero goal by 2070
• The government's plans to boost adoption through initiatives like the Climate Panchamitra Goals and the CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage) Mission
• Financing challenges for solar, wind, biogas projects, cleantech innovations, and making EVs affordable for consumers
• Promote collaborations, innovations, and strategies for Green Finance and Investment
• Expert insights, presentations, and four panel discussions on green solutions and strategies for advancing India's leadership in sustainability

Here’s a brief schedule of the event, starting at 8:30 am to 5:00 pm:

The chief guest of the event, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) Joint Secretary Sanjay Chilwarwar will address the event during the inaugural session.

Sudhendu J Sinha, Adviser (Infrastructure Connectivity & Electric Mobility) at NITI Aayog, and Kenneth Felix Haczynski da Nobrega, Ambassador, Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil, will deliver special addresses between 10:45 am and 11 am.

Here's a brief description of the four special sessions organised at the event:

Session 1: Fueling green transition: Innovative financing for solar, wind, hydrogen & biofuels

Panelists:

• Nidhi Kumar Narang, Director Finance, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd
• Atul Chaturvedi, Executive Chairman, Shree Renuka Sugar
• Manikkan Sangameswaran, ED & CEO, Radiance Renewables Pvt Ltd
• Alok Kumar, Former Secretary, Ministry of Power & Director, The Lantau Group
• Paravastu Rambabu, CSO, Greenko Group & Advisor, World Bank
• Raman Bhatia, Founder & MD, Servotech Power Systems Ltd
• Geeta Taneja, Assistant General Manager, EXIM Bank

Moderator:

• KS Popli, Former CMD, IREDA

Session 2: The road ahead for EVs: How Financial Institutions and investors are engineering the future

Panelists:

• Abhay Bakre, Mission Director, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India
• Sunil Bhatnagar, CXO Lithium Project, IPLTECH Electric Pvt Ltd
• Nikhil Anand Khurana, Managing Director, Folks Motor Pvt Ltd
• Dr. RK Singh, CGM, SIDBI
• Vivek Jain, Co-Founder & CBO - Stride Green Capital

Moderator:

•  Yash pal Sachar, Vice President - Corporate Affairs, Ashok Leyland Ltd

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Session 3: Pathways for the next cleantech unicorns: Funding India's growing clean energy sector

Panelists:

• Sangita M. Kasture, Scientist G, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India
• Sabyasachi Majumdar, Senior Director, CareEdge Group (Care Ratings)
• Shantanu Chaturvedi, Vice President, Transition VC
• Starlene Sharma, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Green Artha
• Karan Mehta, Venture Principal, Green Frontier Capital
• Devesh Tripathi, Sr. Assistant Vice President- Global Partnerships, Invest India

Moderator:

 Rohit Kumar, Secretary General, CMAI (Carbon Markets Association of India)

Session 4: EV and solar rooftop adoption by retail consumers: Banks, NBFCs and other financial institutions are key enablers

Panelists:

• Govind Sankaranarayanan, Co-Founder, Whole Time Director & COO, ECOFY
• Dhiraj Agrawal, CBO, Mufin Green Finance
• Akhil Anil Kumar, Head of ESG, IDFC Bank
• Rahul Dubey, Investment Director, IFU
• Vivek Sen, India Director, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI)

Moderator:

•  Ashish Agrawal, Summit Chairman & Founder Member, AFAI

Indian Climate Leader Awards 2025

The awards are aimed at honouring and celebrating outstanding innovators and changemakers across financial institutions, cleantech enterprises, and industry players driving transformative progress in green finance and sustainable solutions.