Ram Madhav is a proponent of market-driven education in renewable energy and investment in R&D.
Speaking at the 2025 Bharat Climate Forum, BJP leader Ram Madhav has also advocated for a change in India’s attitude towards educating and researching renewables. Slamming the subsidy-driven model, Madhav, who heads India Foundation, said government-funded education is not producing “averagely” graduated students and should allow free market forces to spearhead innovation in skills in this field.
According to Madhav, the more attention that is paid on subsidizing education, the more engineers came out who were not fully prepared to handle the realities of a practical world in renewable energy. He further explained that most engineers learn about renewable energy technologies based on experience gained in the field rather than in the classroom. He also suggested that there should be the permission of allowing these companies of the renewable energy sectors to open up training institutions in order to supply engineers who will drive the industry further.
Maybe let the market forces, let these companies have their own educational infrastructure to develop renewable energy engineering as a discipline to teach students, Madhav added. His words highlighted the urgent need for an approach to teaching that is practical and hands-on while keeping abreast of industry change.
According to Madhav, a much more fundamental issue has been identified with India’s R&D strategy. He claimed that India invests less in absolute and even as a percent of GDP as compared to world leaders like China and the US. The latter, Madhav felt, has been the only reason India lagged behind in most of the innovative technologies related to renewable energy when compared with other parts of the world.
Renewable Energy Workforce Development
Madhav feels that the specialisation in Indian engineering colleges is not proper. He says, “Most of the engineering graduates are not exposed to basic renewable energy technologies like solar panels.” The practical exposure gap in this field is humongous due to the very ambitious renewable energy targets set by India. He advocated for a total revamping of the education system to produce engineers who would be abreast of the latest renewable energy technologies.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw concurred with the vision of Madhav when he said innovation will power the renewable energy future of India. Aatmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India, Vaishnaw said is India’s push for technological leadership and economic sovereignty and innovation and cooperation will take it there. The 4G and 5G telecom stacks were the model he said and what was required here was a similar public-private partnership to propel advancement in clean technologies.
Put briefly, Vaishnaw’s views reflect that an effort in a way to bring forth such technology must be taken wherein India stands independent on energy. His view was that, if international cooperation could make India lead in telecommunication services, the same would do wonders to assure the international cooperation of the cleantech space by making India take the lead of the renewable energy space too.
Policy Framework in Place
Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, who also addressed the gathering, felt that the scope that the cleantech manufacturing sector of India carries is very large. Mahajan said it was very important that a good policy framework was put in place so economic growth would sustain itself in consonance with the goals of sustainability. He also cited the improvement of solar and wind technology and electric cars, which are developing better energy security by reducing the percentage of the country’s energy resources which are imported.
Mahajan’s call for a strong policy framework is apt because India is pushing to expand its renewable energy capacity and reduce its carbon emissions in line with its international commitments. He argues that India can create millions of jobs focusing on local manufacturing and innovation, even as it reduces its import dependency and stabilizes the energy transition.
New Funding Mechanisms
According to Dalberg Advisors Jagjeet Singh Sareen, innovative financing mechanisms will form the key accelerators in the transformation of India in renewable energy. Green bonds and impact bonds will help in raising money for the renewable energy project by directly linking climate benefits with funding solutions, he further added. This reflects the understanding that financial innovation is key to meeting the ambitions of the ambitious targets in renewable energy.
He suggested that India localize its renewable energy supply chain in a way that reduces its dependence on fossil fuel sources and foreign technology imports. Sareen estimates that the saving close to USD 2 trillion by near the end of 2047 could reduce carbon footprints considerably and improve its energy security further.
Conclusion:Discussions at the Bharat Climate Forum 2025 emphasize a critical need for seeing India tilt more on the market-friendly and practical side of education and R&D pertaining to renewable energy. In this, the concerns framed by Ram Madhav and Ashwini Vaishnaw resonate towards innovation, co-innovation, and well-crafted policy architecture so as to prepare India for global center-stage deployment of clean energy technologies. And thus will help a decision take strides toward the fulfillment of its own renewable energy future and indeed of economic development that the country’s harmony in sustainability goes without saying.