The Adani Group on Tuesday announced two major industry-academia initiatives at the centenary celebrations of IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, including 50 paid internships every year for students and the establishment of a 3S Mining Excellence Centre on the campus.
Under the internship programme, a minimum of 25 per cent of selected interns will be offered pre-placement employment. The proposed centre will focus on sustainable, smart and safe mining, with emphasis on applied research, innovation, industry collaboration and deployment of new technologies.
Selected student innovations emerging through campus-wide hackathons will receive funding, mentorship and access to live mining operations for testing and validation.
Addressing students and faculty members, the Chairman of the Adani Group, Gautam Adani, described India’s present development phase as a “second freedom struggle” centred on energy and resource independence. He said the era of stable global trade and supply chains was weakening, with nations increasingly prioritising self-preservation and strategic control over critical resources.
He said control over minerals and energy now determines a nation’s sovereignty, economic stability and global standing.
Referring to the institute’s 100-year legacy, he said IIT ISM occupies a crucial position in shaping India’s mining, metallurgy, earth sciences and energy future. He told students that their role would extend beyond professional careers and into national development, strategic security and sustainable growth.
Highlighting India’s clean energy progress, the speaker referred to the renewable energy park being developed in Gujarat over 520 square kilometres.
On completion by 2030, the project is expected to generate 30 gigawatts of power, sufficient to provide electricity to nearly 60 million households. He said India had already achieved nearly 50 per cent of its installed power generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources, well ahead of global targets under the Paris Agreement.
Drawing a direct link between mining and advanced technology, he said lithium is essential for batteries, rare earth elements power wind turbines and electric motors, copper remains vital for power transmission, silicon enables solar power generation and uranium supports base-load electricity for net-zero ambitions.
He said every artificial intelligence system, data centre and digital network ultimately depends on minerals extracted from the earth.
The speaker also questioned what he described as a biased global climate narrative that places disproportionate pressure on developing nations.
While India is the world’s third-largest electricity consumer in absolute terms, he pointed out that its per capita consumption remains far below that of developed countries.
He added that India’s historical contribution to cumulative global carbon emissions stands at about four per cent, compared to significantly higher shares by the United States, Europe and China.
Referring to the Carmichael coal mine project in Australia, he said it had faced sustained protests, legal challenges and international financial pressure but was pursued to secure high-grade coal supply for India’s industrial growth.
The project, he said, now supports cleaner energy production in India and provides livelihoods in Australia.
Invoking India’s ancient knowledge traditions, the speaker referred to Nalanda as a symbol of the country’s civilisational intellectual strength.
He said colonial-era education had weakened indigenous knowledge systems and reclaiming technological and intellectual leadership was essential for true national independence.
In his concluding remarks, students were urged to view their future roles as part of a national mission.
Mining, he said, was not merely about resource extraction but about strengthening national dignity, sovereignty and self-reliance.
He called upon the students to contribute towards building a strong, independent and technologically advanced India.