Welcome to the second edition of iFOREST Quarterly!
It was heartening to see the overwhelming response to our first quarterly newsletter in April—thank you for your encouraging messages.
The second quarter of 2025 has been a period marked by rigorous research, collaboration, and momentum on multiple environmental policy fronts.
A major milestone was India’s first National Conclave on Greening Industrial Boilers in India, which we hosted in Lucknow. With over 45,000 industrial boilers contributing significantly to greenhouse gas and air pollution, this event catalysed national attention on decarbonising process steam. We launched two landmark reports— a national and UP state specific report— and brought together industry, policymakers and regulators to discuss clean alternatives and the future of boiler governance.
Just Transition remains a central focus at iFOREST. In Maharashtra, we launched the country’s first Regional Just Transition Investment Plan, outlining a ₹5.4 lakh crore green growth roadmap for the Chandrapur–Nagpur–Yavatmal energy belt. We also released Assam’s first rooftop solar roadmap, held critical stakeholder consultations on green steel, and developed a robust framework to strengthen State Action Plans on Climate Change.
We are proud of the partnerships we continue to forge at iFOREST. In Odisha, our new MoU expands work across energy and utility agencies to advance clean energy transitions.
Through thought leadership—via columns in national dailies, podcasts, and explainer videos—we’ve kept the public conversation on climate change and environmental protection urgent and accessible.
As we look ahead to our flagship Global Just Transition Dialogue and new toolkits to support low-carbon transitions, I thank you for your continued engagement and support.
Sincerely,
Chandra Bhushan
President & CEO
iFOREST
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OPINIONS, BLOGS AND
IN-DEPTH NEWS
FEATURES
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A missed opportunity for social justice in mining regions, writes Chandra Bhushan,
reflecting on the first 10 years of the District Mineral Foundation, in this
opinion piece published in the
Financial Express.
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Underfunded and generic Heat Action Plans are destined to fail amid increasingly
fatal heat waves across the country, writes Chandra Bhushan for the
Times of India
, calling for heatwaves to be declared as natural disasters with legally binding
consequences.
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In the wake of the US-Ukraine critical minerals deal, much remains to be done to
safeguard the interests of developing countries, writes Srestha Banerjee, Director
of Just Transition at iFOREST, in an article for the
Indian Express.
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AC temperature cap, while not a game-changer, opens the door to a much-needed
conversation on cooling becoming a survival necessity, writes Chandra Bhushan for
the Indian Express,
weighing in on the debate around a proposed bill seeking to cap AC temperatures.
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In his article titled 'The Material Question', published in the
Financial Express, Chandra
Bhushan outlines the scale of plastic pollution in India and the industrial
transformation needed to bring plastic alternatives to market.
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Suhail Mir, Programme Lead, Clean Energy, writes about solar rooftops emerging as
the perfect solution for Assam's clean energy needs in
- the Assam Tribune.
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iFOREST's Regional Just Transition Investment Plan aims to transform the crisis in
the coal economy into an opportunity for green growth, writes Milind Tambe in
Sakal
reporting live from the Just Transition Maharashtra conference in Mumbai.
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iFOREST's rooftop solar potential mapping report for Assam pegs potential at
13,000 MW. What is the state doing to bridge the gap? asks
The Print.
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India's boiler sector offers significant opportunities for industrial
decarbonization and pollution control, reports
Hindustan based on iFOREST's report on
'Greening Industrial Boilers', launched in Lucknow.
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Industrial boilers contribute to around 7% of India's Green House Gas emissions, reports The Economic Times, based on iFOREST's report on Greening Industrial Boilers in India.
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MOU WITH ODISHA ENERGY DEPARTMENT
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In continuation with iFOREST’s work engagements with the Energy Department of Odisha, we
signed a new MoU
that expands the scope of work from GRIDCO and OREDA to other energy and utility agencies.
Signed in April, the MoU focuses on accelerating green energy adoption and just energy transition in Odisha through the facilitation of knowledge exchange, capacity building and providing planning support.
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CONSULTATION WITH STEEL MANUFACTURERS ON GHG REPORTING AND GREEN STEEL CERTIFICATION
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In May, iFOREST brought together top steel manufacturers in Mumbai, to discuss GHG emissions reporting and Green Steel certification. With the sector key to India’s Carbon Credit Trading Scheme and the Ministry of Steel’s Green Steel initiative, stakeholders highlighted the need for a unified, practical MRV (Monitoring, Reporting & Verification) template to reduce reporting burdens. iFOREST presented draft templates and gathered industry feedback to refine a streamlined system that supports both compliance and decarbonisation goals.
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NATIONAL BOILER CONCLAVE
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iFOREST hosted India’s first National Conclave on Greening Industrial Boilers in
Lucknow, unveiling two major reports on decarbonising the country’s 45,000+ process
boilers—key polluters emitting over 25% of industrial GHGs. While one was the national report on greening industrial steam in India, the other was a UP state specific boiler report. The event, hosted in
May, spotlighted clean steam innovations like electric and biomass boilers and
called for stronger boiler governance. Organised with Dept. For Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and UP Government’s Labour Department, it marked
a big step towards cleaner, greener manufacturing in India.
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STRENGTHENING STATE CLIMATE ACTION FRAMEWORK
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iFOREST developed a state level framework for strengthening climate action at the
sub-national level. The document was prepared following a detailed review of State
Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs), evaluating the scientific parameters as
well as institutional and financial aspects. On June 13, we hosted a roundtable with
leading climate experts and organisations to explore strategies to strengthen SAPCCs
by aligning them with the state’s long-term climate and development goals, improve
design, clarify stakeholder roles, and mobilise finance.
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SUNRISE ASSAM: ROOFTOP SOLAR REPORT RELEASE AND STAKEHOLDER MEETING
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To power its clean energy future, Assam must look up—at its rooftops. iFOREST’s new
study finds Assam has over 13,000 MW of rooftop solar potential, enough to meet 100%
of its power needs. On June 20th, at a workshop in Guwahati, iFOREST released the
state’s first ward-wise RTS assessment and roadmap, with actionable strategies on
policy, finance, and logistics to scale installations—especially in rural areas.
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JUST TRANSITION TO
SUPPORT GREEN GROWTH AND INCLUSIVE CLIMATE ACTION IN MAHARASHTRA
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On June 25, iFOREST, in collaboration with Dept. Of Environment and Climate Change,
Govt. of Maharashtra, launched India’s first Regional Just Transition Investment
Plan for the state’s largest energy cluster Chandrapur–Nagpur–Yavatmal region. The
plan outlines a 10-year roadmap for the region to unlock investments worth ₹5.4 lakh
crore and generate 3.4 lakh jobs by primarily repurposing land that will become available due to resource exhaustion in old coal mines With the participation of the
Chief Secretary of Maharashtra Smt. Sujata Saunik, and Chief Economic Advisor to
Maharashtra CM, Shri. Praveen Pardeshi, and other top state officials and industry
leaders, the Mumbai conference charted Maharashtra’s green industrial growth path.
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We launched Heat Lexicon, a four-part short video series that breaks down the key
factors influencing how heat impacts people and cities. From surface albedo and
evapotranspiration to Wet Bulb Globe Temperatures (WBGT) and urban heat islands,
each episode unpacks complex concepts in a conversational, relatable tone. Whether
you're curious about heatwaves or concerned about heat stress, this series offers
valuable insights for everyone.
Find the series featured on our website and on our Instagram page.
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Steam powers India’s food, textile, chemical, and paper industries. But industrial steam is also a major emitter — nearly 25% of industrial emissions — and rarely talked about. In this video iFOREST launches its new report and charts a low-carbon future for process steam.
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₹100,000 Cr. Collected. 644 districts. 10 years. India’s biggest community
development fund — the District Mineral Foundation — was meant to transform
mining-affected regions. But has it? In this conversation with Dr. Chandra Bhushan
and Srestha Banerjee, we break down the wins, the gaps, and the road ahead.
Watch on YouTube and listen on Spotify.
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India is heating up — fast. Cities are sweltering, humidity is soaring, and
heatwaves are turning deadly. Are our Heat Action Plans enough? Or are we just
firefighting the crisis? Mitigation. Preparedness. Survival. Is it time to call
extreme heat a natural disaster?
iFOREST’s Dr. Chandra Bhushan joins Rajendra Ratnoo, IAS, former Executive Director of the National Institute of Disaster Management for a bilingual conversation. With this episode, we made our debut in Hindi podcasting! Watch on YouTube (Hindi | English) and listen on Spotify (Hindi | English).
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A PEEK INTO THE NEXT QUARTER
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Global Just
Transition Dialogue
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iFOREST's flagship event ‘The Global Just Transition Dialogue’ is in its third
edition this year. Scheduled to be organised in the next quarter it promises to host
experts from the global north and global south for robust discussions on just
transition pathways and how economies can build climate change resilience.
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Roundtable with Boiler and Heat Pump Manufacturers on Decarbonising
MSMEs
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In the coming quarter, iFOREST will host a closed-door roundtable in New Delhi, with
OEMs of industrial steam boilers and energy-efficient heat pumps. These technologies
are central to MSMEs, which rely heavily on outdated, polluting boilers and
contribute significantly to industrial GHG emissions. The meeting will bring
together boiler and heat pump manufacturers, SaaS providers, and pollution
monitoring experts to identify challenges and actions needed to green the sector.
Insights will help shape an actionable roadmap to support India’s low-carbon
industrial transition.
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Report release: Just Transition Odisha on Green Jobs and Skilling
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As part of our broader work on just transition and green industrial transformation,
an upcoming report maps the needs and opportunities for skilling and reskilling for
the uptake of green jobs in Odisha. The report estimates job potential and
identifies skill gap in industries such as green steel, hydrogen, renewable energy
and green construction.
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Mumbai Roundtable and Report
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iFOREST is pleased to contribute to the Maharashtra Vision Document 2047 — a roadmap
towards a clean and green Maharashtra. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) Clean
Air gap assessment report for six non-attainment cities will be presented to the
Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary, Dept. of Environment and Climate
Change, Govt. Maharashtra. In the report, iFOREST maps an opportunity to revise
clean air action strategies through techno economic assessment, making city action
plans more scientifically robust for implementation.
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Assam interdepartmental stakeholder meeting
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Under our ongoing MoU with Assam Pollution Control Board (PCB), iFOREST will
organise an interdepartmental stakeholder meeting to update the PCB on our air
pollution work mapped for the city of Guwahati and seek their inputs and cooperation
on our proposed workplan.
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Release of JT Repurposing Toolkit
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Typically, it is easier to find information on how to start, not how to close and dismantle ageing Thermal Power Plants. iFOREST's handy toolkit for authorities running a TPP that’s about to close, unpacks how to repurpose an end-of-life thermal power plant in India. This includes plans for decommissioning it, assessing repurposing opportunities, environmental and social impacts, components to be disposed off, how to finance it and how to reskill labour involved. The toolkit also acquaints you with regulatory policies and compliance requirements.
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Join the iFOREST canopy and green your career with us!
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For regular career updates follow us on
LinkedIn
and check out our
careers
page.
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Copyright © 2025 iFOREST, All rights reserved
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Our mailing address is: C-902, 9th floor, Urbtech Trade Centre, Noida Expressway, Sector - 132, Noida 201304.
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