The second edition of the ‘Ideas of India’ Summit concluded on a high note, with the presence of Nitin Gadkari, India’s Minister of Road Transport and Highways.

“Hydrogen is our future fuel,” Gadkari said, emphasizing the importance of reducing carbon footprints. “India’s future vehicles will run on hydrogen and green fuels.”

Over 40 sessions, the two-day summit saw discussions on a wide range of ideas and highlighted the country’s current issues such as geopolitical tension, inflation, culture, mobility, and young entrepreneurs shaping India’s role in the future world.

The second edition of ‘Ideas of India’ Summit celebrated the theme of ‘Naya India: Looking Inward, Reaching Out’ with notable politicians, celebrities, industrialists and entertainers, eminent leaders including Liz Truss, the former Prime Minister of the UK, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann; Poet Javed Akhtar to tech and business innovation icon N.R. Narayana Murthy, founder Infosys.

As per a press release, the list extended to superstars such as Ayushman Khurrana, Sara Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Rishi Singh, vocalists and sports players such as Jawala Gutta, Ashwini Nachappa, Joshna Chinappa, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam and Vinesh Phogat, Mahmood Mamdani; Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Ola Cabs social activist Nandita Das and Mira Nair, young acting and social media sensations Kriti Sanon, Yami Gautam, Saloni Gaur, RJ Karishma, and Meethika Dwivedi.

On Day-1 of the session, Truss stressed India’s greater role in the UN Security Council and said, “India and UK need to back each other more closely on trade, and investment and need to make sure both the countries work together on critical supply chains. We are investing more in renewable energy, such as solar panels. These economic decisions will have long-term consequences for liberty and democracy. We are eager for the India-UK trade agreement to be completed as soon as possible.”

Speaking on EV targets by 2030, Gadkari said, “In the coming years India will certainly shift to electric vehicles. “We import Rs. 16 lakh crore worth of fossil fuel every year but pretty soon our farmers will produce green fuel and green hydrogen,” he said adding that Lithium-ion batteries will lead the shift from petrol and diesel-driven cars.

Vaishnaw laid down the roadmap for the future of the Indian Railway with tech integration and new projects of railways including Bullet Train and Vande Bharat.  He said, “PM Modi wants seamless integration of every mode of transport at railway stations and creation of urban spaces. Stations should be designed like city centers. So, we took around 50 designs and made a 2.5-hour presentation for PM Modi. But he was not happy. He said these designs are good for today. But I want a design that would be relevant even 50 years later. That’s PM Modi’s vision.”

At the end, Avinash Pandey, CEO of ABP Network concluded the event and thanked all the speakers, guests, and dignitaries. He said, “The summit will be back next year and promised it will be “even bigger and better.”