Mobility & Intelligent Transportation (MInT) Collaborative, Wadhwani School of Data Science & AI, IIT Madras, is the implementing partner for the UK-Tamil Nadu partnership for accelerating carbon-neutral urban transitions

The UK Government in partnership with Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company (TNGCC) and Government of Tamil Nadu, hosted a State-level inception workshop today (22nd August 2025) in Chennai.

The workshop brought together senior state and city government officials, academics, policymakers, industry leaders, and international partners to advance the mission of accelerating carbon-neutral urban transitions with a spotlight on two UK-PACT (United Kingdom-Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) projects, in Erode and Thoothukudi.

This workshop is part of the larger piece of work proposed to be delivered through UK PACT on urban planning and mobility through implementing Partners – CEEW, ITDP India, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) , CENEX and TERI.

The inaugural session featured distinguished leaders including Tmt. Shalini Medepalli (Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, Thiru. VP Jayaseelan, Joint Commissioner (Heath), Greater Chennai Corporation, Govt. Of Tamil Nadu— underlining the strong commitment of both the Government of Tamil Nadu and the UK Government towards building a sustainable, resilient urban future.

Tmt. Shalini Medepalli (Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai), emphasized the strong partnership between UK and TN government towards achieving climate-neutral transition.

A significant milestone was the exchange of letters between TNGCC and UK Government, symbolizing a transformative partnership to decarbonize the urban planning & mobility sector through innovation and joint action.

Addressing the event Tmt. Supriya Sahu, IAS (Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Climate Change, Environment and Forests, Government of Tamil Nadu), highlighted the importance of funding for green mobility and the need to look at innovative options. She highlighted the example of extended producer responsibility where revenue can be shared with local bodies.

The inaugural session concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Owain Roberts (Head of Climate Policy, British High Commission, Delhi).

The inaugural was followed by two technical sessions on:

1. Leveraging Data & Technology for Climate & Transport Planning — moderated by Thiru. Prof. Gitakrishnan Ramadurai, Faculty-in-Charge, MInT and Faculty, Department of Data Science & AI, IIT Madras

2. Accelerating Climate Finance: Challenges & Opportunities for ULBs — moderated by Tmt. Aswathy Dilip (Managing Director, ITDP India)

In the technical panel discussion on Leveraging data and technology for climate and transport planning, Ms. Poonam Sabikhi, Senior Transport Planner, CUMTA, presented the multiple data driven projects in Chennai towards developing inclusive transport alternatives. Thiru. Sachin Kumar, India Group Leader, Arup, showcased the successful examples in Singapore and UK and the importance of having pilots that win the people's trust through lived experiences. Thiru. Manish Srivastava, CTO, eGov Foundation spoke about the need for integrating data and finance if we have to make data platforms sustainable.

Thiru. Prof. Gitakrishnan Ramadurai, Faculty-in-Charge, MInT and Faculty, Department of Data Science & AI, IIT Madras (leading IP for the Thoothukudi project- PACT-Digi-PULSE) said, “Tier 2 cities will play a vital role in the growth of Indian economy in the next 25 years. If we can ensure they adopt sustainable growth models, they will avoid the current problems we face in tier 1 cities. IIT Madras in partnership with ITDP, TERI, and CENEX is developing a sustainable Thoothukudi Roadmap under the UK-Partnership for Accelerating Climate Transitions program. The digital twin technology to be developed would provide the city with data-driven and digital tools for sustainable mobility.”

Project initiatives in Thoothukudi (led by IIT Madras, with TERI, ITDP India, CENEX) and in Erode (led by CEEW, with ITDP India) will serve as models of climate-responsive planning, using cutting-edge data, technology, and finance to deliver sustainable mobility and infrastructure solutions.

This roundtable fostered alignment among key stakeholders, reinforcing Tamil Nadu’s ambitious climate vision while building institutional capacity and unlocking pathways for impactful climate action.

Esteemed panelists included senior officials and industry leaders

O Tmt. R. Anamika, IAS (Joint Commissioner of Municipal Administration)

O Thiru. Raja Gopal Sunkara, IAS (Joint Secretary, Finance Department)

O Tmt. Paromita Roy (Cities, Planning & Design Lead, ARUP)

O Thiru. Senthil Baskar, (City Planner, ECMC, Erode)

O Tmt. Poonam Sabikhi (Senior Transport Specialist, CUMTA)

O Thiru. Krishna Chaitanya (CEO, TNIFMC)

O Thiru. Sachin Kumar (India Group Leader, Arup)

O Thiru. Manish Srivastava (CTO, eGov Foundation)