Former Rajya Sabha member Santosh to speak at IIM Bangalore Climate Innovation Summit

Former Rajya Sabha member J Santosh Kumar will address the Climate Innovation Summit 2026 at IIM Bangalore, where discussions will centre on India’s net-zero goals, climate governance, afforestation and community-led sustainability initiatives involving policymakers, scientists and environmental experts

Hyderabad: Former Rajya Sabha member J Santosh Kumar will address the Climate Innovation Summit 2026, scheduled to be held on May 28 and 29 at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore.

Organised by the institute’s Supply Chain Management Centre in collaboration with Net Zero Think, the summit will focus on the theme, “Accelerating India’s Pathways to Net Zero for Viksit Bharat 2047.” Policymakers, scientists, industry leaders, climate innovators and academicians from across the country are expected to attend the event.

---

Santosh Kumar, founder of the Green India Challenge and chairman of Igniting Minds Organisation, will address a session titled, “Rethinking Climate Federalism: Rewriting Policy, Practice and Innovation for Local Action.”

His presentation will focus on community-led climate governance, citizen-driven afforestation movements, ecological restoration models, nature-based climate resilience, and the role of local communities in achieving India’s climate goals.

The summit will also feature eminent personalities, including former DRDO chairman and National Security Advisory Board member G Satheesh Reddy, astronaut and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and former UNEP Executive Director Erik Solheim, along with Rajeev Tripathi, Manoj Kumar Singh, Krushna Chandra Panigrahy and Vibha Dhawan, among others.

A special “One Participant, One Tree” initiative will be launched during the summit to promote environmental sustainability.