GAIL Increases Clean Energy Startup Fund to Rs 5 Bn

05 Feb 2025 CW Team

GAIL (India) has increased its startup investment fund from Rs 1 billion to Rs 5 billion. The expanded fund will be directed towards supporting startups focused on clean energy, renewables, energy storage, electric mobility, and digital transformation.

Launched in July 2017, GAIL’s initiative ‘Pankh’ aims to support and nurture startups. Since its inception, the program has invested in 36 startups spanning various sectors, including compressed biogas (CBG), electric mobility, and environmental solutions.

The company’s renewable energy portfolio currently stands at 132 MW, consisting of 118 MW of wind energy and 14 MW of solar energy. GAIL is also exploring opportunities in CBG production from organic waste and is venturing into sectors like ethanol and hydrogen. Additionally, the company is establishing 20 MW solar projects to meet the energy needs of its electrolyzer project in Vijaipur, Madhya Pradesh.

In October 2024, GAIL invited bids for the design, procurement, construction, and operation of a 7.75 MW grid-connected floating solar project at Vijaipur. Furthermore, a rooftop solar system installed at GAIL’s Pata plant in Uttar Pradesh reduced GHG emissions by 199 tCO2e in FY 2023-24.

The company’s electricity consumption from renewable sources grew from 92,182 gigajoules in 2022-23 to 1,16,872 gigajoules in 2023-24. GAIL aims for a 100 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2035 and a 35 per cent reduction in Scope 3 emissions by 2040.

In January, GAIL and TruAlt Bioenergy invested $72 million in a joint venture to establish CBG projects, with GAIL joining TruAlt’s company, Leafiniti Bioenergy, to operate one of India’s largest CBG plants.

News source: Mercom India

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..