Gautam Adani Calls For India’s 'Second Freedom Struggle' At Green Talks 2025
The event also saw the launch of the Adani Green Talks Social Impact Awards, recognising transformative solutions from hundreds of applicants.
- Adani Green Talks convened social entrepreneurs for inclusive growth.
- Gautam Adani called for India's 'second freedom struggle'.
- Adani announced platform expansion to identify Tier-2/3 innovators.
The fourth edition of Adani Green Talks unfolded in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, bringing together social entrepreneurs, innovators, and changemakers driving sustainability and inclusive growth across India.
The event, now recognised as one of the country’s premier platforms for social innovation, opened with a keynote by Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, who called for India’s “second freedom struggle”, a fight not against foreign rule, but for technological independence and social innovation that uplifts communities and strengthens democracy.
Reflecting on the platform’s impact since its inception four years ago, Adani highlighted past success stories such as GenRobotics, whose robots have relieved thousands from manual scavenging; Navalt, operating solar-electric ferries at just four paisa per passenger per kilometre; and Marut Drones’ “Drone Didis of Kashi”, which have empowered women as agri-entrepreneurs through the Namo Drone Didi programme. “Each of these journeys proves that vision backed by perseverance can bend the mathematics of probability,” he said.
The 2025 edition showcased five pioneering entrepreneurs:
Abhishek Chhazed (Recyclex) – promoting greener construction materials to decarbonise the sector.
Akshita Sachdeva and Bonny Dave (Trestle Labs) – expanding Kibo, an assistive technology platform for the visually impaired.
Manoj Sanker (Nemocare Wellness) – developing affordable neonatal and maternal healthcare devices.
Jenil Gandhi and Manan Vyas (Avinya Leather) – creating plant-based, cruelty-free vegan leather.
Sowmya Balendiran (Sea6 Energy) – advancing seaweed farming for biofuels, bioplastics, and fertilisers.
The event also saw the launch of the Adani Green Talks Social Impact Awards, recognising transformative solutions from hundreds of applicants. The inaugural Lok Kalyan Award was presented to Dr Krishna Ella, Founder and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech, for his contribution to global public health, particularly through indigenous vaccines such as Covaxin.
In his acceptance, Dr Ella dedicated the award to India’s scientific community and emphasised the inspiration platforms like Green Talks provide for the next generation.
Actor Vikrant Massey, National Award winner for Best Actor for his film 12th Fail, was also felicitated. Adani described Massey’s journey as emblematic of resilience, paralleling the young innovators celebrated on stage.
Looking ahead, Adani announced an expansion in partnership with NDTV to identify innovators in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, with the ambition of building a global collaborative platform connecting ideas from villages in Odisha or Ladakh with innovators in São Paulo or Nairobi.
“Green Talks is about possibility — the green shoots that break through the hardest soil to announce a new chapter of freedom and hope,” he said.
By championing initiatives aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Adani Green Talks continues to bridge young aspirations, policy, and global communities, transforming vision into action and ideas into tangible social impact.
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