Speaking at the gathering, CEO Shri Ashok Kumar Sehgal highlighted PVUNL’s goal of achieving 100% ash utilization and outlined how converting ash into a productive resource can generate employment, boost entrepreneurship, and spur inclusive economic development in the region. To facilitate ease of doing business, PVUNL committed to making ash directly available from the ash mound to eligible local users in accordance with applicable guidelines. Key industry leaders, including Shri Shivam Singh, Secretary of the Jharkhand Small Industries Association, further emphasized the vast potential ash-based products hold for empowering MSMEs and expanding local livelihoods.

The session featured technical presentations from Shri C. Pandey, AGM (NI), NTPC Raipur, and Shri N. Kalidas, Director of INSWAREB, who shared domain expertise on innovative applications for fly ash and bottom ash. With over 70 local stakeholders attending, the meet established a strong foundation for future collaboration between PVUNL and the surrounding community to build a sustainable, eco-friendly industrial ecosystem.

Shri Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairperson, CEA, attended the event alongside Shri Hitendra Malhotra, Member (Operations & Business Development), Ministry of Railways, Shri Gurdeep Singh, CMD, NTPC, and Shri Piyush Singh, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Power. The conference featured deliberations from multiple ministries (MoP, MoC, MoEFCC, MoM, MoRTH) and focused on policy, innovations in railway-based transport, wagon designs, and advanced handling systems.

India generated over 340 million tonnes of fly ash in 2024-25, with 97% successfully utilized. Of this, 32% went into roads and flyovers, 27% into cement, and 14% into bricks and tiles. Organized with TERI as Knowledge Partner, the conference highlighted railways’ green transport initiatives and freight concessions, paving the way for eco-friendly fly ash management.