WRI India

🚛⚡ At the recently held e-FAST Summit, Shri Sudhendu J. Sinha, Adviser at NITI Aayog, highlighted the need to turn ambition into action for freight electrification. He emphasized that all stakeholders—from manufacturers to financers, operators to policymakers—have a crucial role in driving this transition forward. "No model is ideal," he noted, "it must be bespoke and continuously evolving." Mr. Sinha also highlighted the importance of collaboration and the industry’s readiness to respond to the growing demand for sustainable solutions. The Electric Freight Accelerator for Sustainable Transport (e-FAST) India, led by NITI Aayog and supported by WRI India, is India’s first platform dedicated to advancing zero-emission freight transport. The e-FAST Summit marked two years of impactful action, made possible by the strength of its 85 industry and knowledge partners. The Summit focused on scaling the deployment of electric trucks through insightful discussions on policy solutions, smart infrastructure, and innovative financing strategies. It brought together industry leaders and policymakers who shared their expertise on key topics such as pilot projects for zero emission trucks, sustainable infrastructure, and scalable solutions, that can chart a path toward a cleaner, greener future for India.  Join us today and help drive the future of freight electrification in India: https://efastindia.org/     #eFASTIndia #FreightFridays #FreightElectrification #EVMatters #EVolution

Accelerating WRI India’s goals for building sustainable food and land use systems, we organized a plenary at #ConnectKaro2024 on 'Enabling Sustainable and Resilient Food and Land Use Systems in India.' The session saw expert speakers addressing key challenges faced in transitioning to sustainable food and land use systems in the country as well as financing opportunities and innovative models that can support this transition.  India is home to 18% of the global population but occupies just 2.4% of the world’s land and has access to only 4% of its water resources (Singh et al. 2023), resulting in a complex challenge with competing land demands, aggravated even further with increasing climate stresses. This impacts livelihoods and incomes of over 700 million people across India who depend on forests, common lands, and agriculture for their sustenance, including forest-dependent communities and small and marginal farmers, who are one of the most vulnerable groups affected (MoeF 2015, MoAFW 2019). With a diverse panel of experts joining for this dialogue, the session provided critical insights on how to bolster an inclusive stakeholder collaboration to tackle the complex issues of production, distribution, and consumption across the food systems. Swipe for key highlights from the session!  Dr. Dr. Ruchika Singh | National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) | Pritee Chaudhary | Food Safety and Standards Authority of India | SEWA Bharat | Takayuki Hagiwara | FAO | Dr Chandrashekhar Biradar | Sampriti Baruah | Srishti Kochhar | Ritoja Basu | Dr. Nitya Sharma | Nupur Kulkarni | Rajat Pandey | Seema Yadav | Siddharth Edake | Shweta P. | Anjali Rao Koppala | Meenakshi Kakar | Kritika Gadhvi #GenerationRestoration #Sustainability #ResilientFutures #CircularEconomy #IndiaAgriculture #FoodSystems #LandUseSystems #ClimateChange 

At WRI India’s annual flagship event Connect Karo 2024, the Eco-City Regions team convened a roundtable session that brought together government partners, policymakers, experts, peer organizations, and changemakers to discuss pathways of building more resilient and inclusive Eco City- regions. The panel featured Ms. Mandeep Kaur (IAS), Commissioner Secretary of the Housing and Urban Development Department, Government of Jammu and Kashmir; Mr. Akash Deep (IAS), Principal Secretary of the Bodoland Territorial Region; Ms. Sudha Ramen (IFS), Member Secretary of the State Planning Commission, Government of Tamil Nadu; and Rejeet Mathews, Program Director for Integrated Urban Development at WRI India.  The session began with a context setting presentation by Neha Lal, followed by a roundtable discussion exploring in detail the intersections between urbanization, blue-green infrastructure, agriculture, forests, economic development, and legal and governance frameworks. ➡️ Our distinguished expert panelists Rogier van den Berg, A. Nambi Appadurai, Dr. Poornima Dore, Dr. Ruchika Singh, Sanjay Sridhar (ಸಂಜಯ್ ಶ್ರೀಧರ್), Prof. Saswat Bandyopadhyay, Archana Tripathi, Mathew Idiculla, Sandeep Paul, Pooja Tendulkar, Kirat Brahma and Surabhi Rajagopal.The discussions emphasized the importance of involving communities and understanding the local history, identities, and beliefs. ➡️Indigenous knowledge and traditional practices can inform scientific studies and approaches, leading to more effective and culturally appropriate solutions especially in ecologically fragile regions. ➡️Many large cities encounter significant challenges, such as congestion, pollution, and social inequality. By understanding and analyzing these failures, smaller cities and regions can identify pitfalls and adapt innovative strategies that are tailored to their unique contexts. ➡️While highlighting the need for innovative solutions, it is essential to provide tangible proof of concept from implemented solutions. ➡️Addressing urban and regional issues requires a whole-of-government approach, engaging multiple sectors, breaking down silos, and employing participative processes rather than relying on isolated efforts. A highlight of the session was the participation of #EcoCityRegions changemaker Kirat Brahma, the founder of Zankla Studio, a social enterprise from Bodoland that produces sustainable, handmade soft toys inspired by the cultural heritage of the Bodo community.    #ClimateResilience #SustainableDevelopment  #regionalplanning   #ecosystems  #bluegreeninfrasturcture 

After successful launches in Jharkhand, Assam and Nagaland, WRI India launched Energy Access Explorer (EAE) for the state of Mizoram on September 25, 2024. EAE is a geospatial platform, which hosts data on electricity supply, renewable energy potential, health, education and livelihood indicators, among others.     It is the first ever tool to be officially registered as a Digital Public Good with a special focus on energy access and sustainable energy transitions.     Watch to see how EAE can support decision-making for resource planning activities in Mizoram 👉 https://lnkd.in/d4Gyb7G9     #Sustainability #SDG7 #OpenSource #RenewableEnergy  

📢MASTERCLASS | The India Forum for Nature-based Solutions We're hosting the third masterclass with Sukanya Narain (Founder of Sustainnovate; Strategy advisor and mentor at Self Employed Women's Association) and Dr. Manu Gupta (Co-Founder, SEEDS). Be part of this discussion where we will tackle key questions around the theme 'Financing and Integrating Community Engagement in Nature-based Solutions across Indian Cities.' 🗓️ Thursday, 10th October 2024 ⏲️ 3:00 to 4:15 PM 👉 Know more and register: bit.ly/3Y2hJKr   The Masterclass Series was launched earlier this month at the inaugural summit of the India Forum for Nature-based Solutions (NbS). These classes will cover planning, design, implementation, operations and maintenance, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), policy, stakeholder engagement and more across different typologies of urban NbS. Follow #NbS4India for updates! #NaturebasedSolutions #NbS4India #FinancingNbS #LiveableCities #UrbanNbS #ClimateResilience #Masterclass

India’s low-carbon transition will transform all economic sectors and the workforce. Sectors such as the automotive sector are already undergoing a significant shift from ICE toward Electric Vehicles (EVs), potentially risking existing auto component workers but also opening new opportunities for innovation, sustainability and inclusion.   Watch how some existing initiatives are upskilling women to join the EV workforce.       Join us at the India Just Transition Summit, to take this conversation forward with thought leaders, researchers, policymakers, industry and practitioners to collectively navigate India's just, equitable and inclusive transition journey!      Register now: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dSJcNZ6R  For more information, click 👉 https://bit.ly/4e9TMrk    #PeopleCenteredTransition 

WRI India, in partnership with the  Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI), hosted a capacity-building workshop titled 'Towards Net-Zero Energy Healthcare – Transitioning through Energy Efficiency and Renewables.'     The workshop brought together healthcare professionals and leaders from CHAI member hospitals across Assam and Meghalaya. Rishikesh Mishra from WRI India led the workshop, collaborating with CHAI partners and energy auditors.    The workshop focused on capacity building around:    🖊️ Energy auditing  📏 Measuring energy efficiency  🏥 Sustainable energy systems for #healthcare facilities    This workshop is part of a larger initiative that WRI India is undertaking, which aims to ensure reliable access to electricity and #sustainable energy practices in healthcare settings, especially in remote locations as we progress towards a #NetZero energy future. 

WRI India in collaboration with the Energy Management Centre Kerala (EMC-K) conducted a workshop on ‘Stakeholder Consultation: Drafting Kerala’s Cool Roof Policy’ on 25th September 2024 to gather inputs and feedback on the policy framework and its implementation in Thiruvananthapuram. The workshop brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, technology providers, and industry experts to ensure a comprehensive approach to develop a cool roof policy for the state. Bharath Jairaj | Dhilon Subramanian | Chandana Sasidharan | Ijas M A | Sumedha Malaviya | Deepak Tewari | Tirthankar Mandal #CoolRoof #EnergyManagement#Energy #CoolingSolutions #GreenBuildings #BuildingsDecarbonization

At #ConnectKaro 2024, the panel on ‘Reimagining Buses with Digital Public Infrastructure,’ brought together policymakers and industry leaders to explore the transformative power of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in reshaping the bus ecosystem.     India's experience demonstrates how flexible digital foundations for identity, payments, and data sharing can empower innovators to deliver sustainable and scalable solutions. Building on this success, the panelists discussed how a technology-driven bus network can facilitate financing, operations, and service delivery. The panel session, moderated by #WRIIndia’s Pawan Mulukutla, saw participation from Srikant Nagulapalli, Nitin Nair, Mahua Acharya, Vivek Ogra, Twesh Mishra, Bertram (Bert) Dsouza and Rathish Balakrishnan.    ➡️ Swipe the image below to see takeaways from the session. Aparna Vijaykumar | Avinash Dubedi | Chintan Daftardar | Rajit Bhat   #DigitalPublicInfrastructure #EBusMission #PublicTransport #EVMatters #CK2024

📢 Upcoming Event | India has achieved 100% energy access at the household level. Now, there is an opportunity to ensure affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy access, especially for rural and remote institutions.      📊 This requires an innovative, equity-driven, and data-informed approach to complement integrated planning strategies.     ⚡️ 💡WRI India is organizing an event on ‘Collaborative Approaches to Inclusive Energy Planning.’ The event will feature a keynote address and a presentation on Energy Access Explorer (EAE), the world’s first digital public good designed to advance climate-friendly energy access and support sustainable energy transitions.     👥 💻 There will also be a series of roundtables on data-driven energy planning, covering inclusive approaches, the importance of partnerships, and the role of open-source technologies.       🗓️ 17 October 2024   ⏲️ 10:00AM - 5:30PM   📍 Juniper Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi 👉 More information here: https://lnkd.in/gx7bA_kj