Key Points

The event, which has grown into one of India's most distinctive platforms for social innovation, was inaugurated with a keynote address by Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, on the role of young entrepreneurs in shaping what he called India's "second freedom struggle" - a fight not for independence from foreign rule but for independence in technology and social innovation that uplifts every community, bridges divides and strengthens the fabric of democracy.

In his address, Adani reflected on how Green Talks, launched just four years ago, has already become a crucible for ideas with the potential to alter the course of society.

He recalled the journeys of past participants such as GenRobotics, whose robots have liberated thousands from the indignity of manual scavenging; Navalt, which has redefined the economics of marine transport with solar-electric ferries operating at just four paisa per passenger per kilometre; and Marut Drones, whose "Drone Didis of Kashi" have transformed women into confident agri-entrepreneurs under the national Namo Drone Didi program. Each of these success stories, he noted, is proof that vision backed by perseverance can bend the mathematics of probability.

The 2025 edition presented five pioneering entrepreneurs who shared their journeys of grit, innovation and social purpose - Abhishek Chhazed of Recyclex is decarbonising construction with greener building materials; Akshita Sachdeva and Bonny Dave of Trestle Labs are expanding Kibo, an assistive technology platform that empowers the visually impaired; Manoj Sanker of Nemocare Wellness is developing affordable neonatal and maternal healthcare devices; Jenil Gandhi and Manan Vyas of Avinya Leather are pioneering plant-based, cruelty-free vegan leather; Sowmya Balendiran of Sea6 Energy is advancing ocean-based seaweed farming for biofuels, bioplastics and fertilisers.

Together, they represent the breadth of India's innovation and its capacity to address urgent global challenges, a release said.

This year also marked the introduction of the Adani Green Talks Social Impact Awards, chosen from hundreds of applications for their transformative solutions, and the inaugural Lok Kalyan Award, which was presented to Krishna Ella, Founder and Executive Chairman of Bharat Biotech.

Adani conferred the honour, recognising Ella's contribution to global public health through indigenous vaccines, including Covaxin, which safeguarded millions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In his acceptance, Ella dedicated the award to the countless scientists and innovators of India who pursue science with a social purpose, noting that platforms like Green Talks inspire the next generation to dream with courage.

Actor Vikrant Massey, whose film '12th Fail' has won him the National Award for Best Actor, also attended the event. Adani described Massey's story as symbolic of resilience and perseverance, breaking through every barrier, much like the young entrepreneurs celebrated on the Green Talks stage.

Adani announced that in partnership with NDTV, Green Talks will now expand its search for changemakers into India's Tier-II and Tier-III cities, recognising that brilliance often emerges from the most unexpected corners of the country.

He expressed the ambition to eventually build Green Talks into a living platform of global collaboration, where sparks from a village in Odisha or Ladakh could connect with innovators in São Paulo or Nairobi, creating a network united not by transactions but by a shared mission to grow with goodness and leave behind a brighter, more sustainable world.

Green Talks, Adani emphasised, is about possibility - the green shoots that break through the hardest soil to announce a new chapter of freedom and hope. It is an invitation to dream boldly and participate in India's second freedom struggle, for a society free from inequality, inertia, and indifference.

The release said that by nurturing ideas that accelerate progress towards the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, Adani Green Talks continues to strengthen its role as a bridge between young aspirations, policy and global communities, turning vision into reality and ideas into action.

- ANI