Vice-President Urges Industry To Partner With Tech Institute, Researchers To Achieve Net Zero Carbon Emission

Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Thursday urged the industry to partner closely with universities, technical institutions and researchers to test promising ideas to make India achieve the net-zero emissions target by 2070.

Speaking at the Bharat Renewable Energy Summit 2026, he also urged the next generation to ensure that the country's rising electricity demand must be met with clean, reliable and affordable power, in a manner that leaves the environment better than we found it.

That is the responsibility of this generation, he added.

He noted that our electricity use could rise nearly seven-fold by 2070 as we electrify transport, industry, farms, homes and kitchens.

A country of nearly one and a half billion people, with rising aspirations, cannot meet that need by looking back, he stated.

He said, "Industry should partner closely with our universities and technical institutions, and our researchers should have the chance to test promising ideas under real conditions. The decade ahead will decide whether the world keeps its climate goals within reach. The technologies of 2040 will come from the laboratories and start-ups of today.

India's vision is a Viksit Bharat by 2047, when we complete one hundred years of independence and net- zero emissions by 2070, he noted.

He is of the view that a movement is not created by the government alone, and it needs teachers who teach, students who learn, entrepreneurs who build and citizens who change their habits.

In the spirit of Mission LiFE, efficient appliances, careful consumption and responsible disposal complement the work of our institutions, and a billion small decisions can matter as much as a new power plant, he stated.

Under PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, more than sixty-five lakh families are now generating their own electricity, he noted.

It is empowering households to upgrade their lifestyles and access the benefits of affordable, clean energy, he pointed out.

The scheme is also generating employment for electricians, technicians and vendors across the country, making the clean energy transition a driver of both economic opportunity and household prosperity, he noted.

From farmers to households, from youth to women, everyone is now motivated to adopt clean energy in their profession, business, and lives, he noted.

"Our non-fossil capacity has crossed 300 GW. We reached 50 per cent non-fossil capacity in 2025, five years ahead of our commitment. Solar capacity has grown from under 3 GW to more than 170 GW in about a decade. Solar power, once many times costlier than coal, is now among the cheapest electricity sources in India," he stated.