GAIL, Petronet LNG host MC Plus Hyderabad Connect

GAIL (India) Limited, India’s integrated energy major, Petronet LNG Limited, and MC² Foundation, in association with iTIC Incubator of IIT Hyderabad, organised ‘MC² Plus IGNITE Hyderabad Connect’ at IIT Hyderabad. Anil K Khandelwal, former CMD, Bank of Baroda, delivered the keynote address.

The event was graced by Deepak Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, GAIL (India) Limited, Akshay Kumar Singh, MD & CEO, Petronet LNG Limited, Professor BS Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad and Ayush Gupta, Director (HR), GAIL.

Speaking on the occasion, keynote speaker Anil K Khandelwal said that innovation dies quietly in fearful organisations. True transformation is never driven by a single initiative; it is built through a culture of customer-centricity, technology, experimentation and continuous learning.

Addressing the gathering at the MC² IGNITE event, Deepak Gupta, CMD, GAIL, said that India is at a “remarkable inflexion point”, with rapidly growing energy requirements alongside its ambition to become a developed economy, ensure affordable and reliable energy, build globally competitive industries and meet its climate commitments.

Speaking on the occasion, Akshay Kumar Singh, MD & CEO, Petronet LNG Limited, said, “MC²+ Ignite in connecting India’s energy industry with the startup and innovation ecosystem, with a focus on leveraging digital technologies such as AI, advanced sensors, robotics and digital twins to make LNG infrastructure smarter, safer, more reliable and efficient.”

Speaking in the program, Professor BS Murty, Director, IIT Hyderabad shared, “IIT Hyderabad has always placed innovation at the forefront of its academic and research ecosystem, with a strong focus on translating ideas into solutions that create meaningful impact for society and the nation.”

Addressing students and start-ups, Ayush Gupta, Director (HR), GAIL, said, “MC²+ Ignite would not only fund innovative ideas but would empower innovators to shape India’s energy future.

The event also featured an engaging panel discussion on innovation and the startup ecosystem, moderated by Murali Talasila, Ground Game Health, with participation from Vaibhav Kaushik, Nawgati, G Prasad Babu, GCRS, Milesh Dongre, EyeROV, Varun Kumar, Detect Technologies, Bhuvanesh Kumar Sharma, VDT Pipeline Integrity Solutions Pvt Ltd and Vishwas Chandra Khan, Vasitars. 

Speaking at the event, Sandeep Maheshwari, CEO, MC² Foundation, said that MC² Plus is India’s flagship energy innovation accelerator, envisioned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) in collaboration with leading energy-sector organisations.