“We are importers of energy. Our vision and dream is to become exporters of energy; Hydrogen is the fuel of the future”
“There is huge potential in public transport, particularly in making mass rapid transport electric”
Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Government of India
New Delhi, 27 August 2026: “Futuristic development, vision and planning are critical to sustainable development,” said Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, while addressing the Special Plenary on “Building a Sustainable, Connected and Competitive India” at the 21st CII Global Sustainability Summit in New Delhi.
Talking about India’s clean energy expansion, he shared, “presently, we are importers of energy but our vision and dream is to become exporters of energy”. Sharing his thoughts on clean energy solutions, Shri Gadkari said, “Hydrogen is the fuel of the future. We can use hydrogen as a fuel across boilers, power generation, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, replacing coal wherever possible”.
On public transport, he shared, “presently, our approach to road development is a green, safe, affordable, inclusive and technology-driven mobility system, and to develop a cost-effective public transport system with more comfort and no pollution.” The Minister further highlighted the potential of electric mass rapid transport as a cost-effective, pollution-free and indigenous alternative.
Shri Gadkari highlighted the progress in India’s logistics ecosystem, noting that logistics costs had declined from around 16 per cent to 10 per cent, supported by improved highways. “Our aim is to reduce logistics costs to 8%, bringing them to a single-digit level equivalent to China” he added. To make this happen, he suggested we first need to reduce our fuel cost and import dependence, notingthat India imports fossil fuels worth approximately ?23 lakh crore annually. “This creates dependency, it is also costly, and the prices are not fixed,” he remarked.
Talking about emerging areas for industry, he shared that every power project, chemical industry and distillery generates thousands and lakhs of tonnes of carbon dioxide. “Converting this carbon dioxide into value-added products is very important. This type of innovative research and experimentation is essential for sustainable development, he shared and asked industry to create a roadmap for this.
Mr Sanjiv Puri, Past President, CII, Chair, CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Chairman & Managing Director, ITC Limited, said India has a unique opportunity to embed sustainability into its next generation of infrastructure, manufacturing, cities and mobility systems. He highlighted the role of multimodal connectivity, PM GatiShakti, logistics infrastructure, alternative fuels, circularity and emerging technologies in building a more resilient and competitive economy.
In his concluding remarks, Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, thanked Shri Gadkari for his valuable insights and shared that public transport, critical minerals, tourism infrastructure, skilling and hydrogen are some of the areas CII would work on, while recognising that cost-related challenges would also need to be addressed.
The 21st CII Global Sustainability Summit, themed “Accelerating the Sustainability Transition: Speed, Scale, Systems” brought together policy makers, industry leaders and representatives from the fields of sustainability, finance and civil society to advance scalable solutions and strengthen partnerships and accelerate pathways for India’s sustainability transition with greater urgency and impact.