The first edition of the InfraPandit Awards, instituted by New Delhi‑based InfraVision Foundation and backed by $30.7 billion EPC and technology conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T), honoured doctoral research in clean energy and urban sanitation innovations.
India’s next big leap in infrastructure creation will be propelled by emerging technologies and sustainability, supported by a strong partnership between industry and academia, according to Sthaladipti Saha, Senior Vice President & Head of Buildings & Factories, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Construction.
Speaking at the first edition of the InfraPandit Awards 2025—instituted by New Delhi‑based think tank Infravision Foundation—Saha remarked, “If infrastructure is the language in which the nation expresses its ambition, science is its grammar.”
He emphasised that the next leap would not only be through scale but also digitalisation, sustainability and climate resilience. “That’s why doctoral research is essential to this journey. India’s future is not only in concrete and steel but also in its intellect, insight and imagination,” he added.
The awards ceremony, held in New Delhi on Saturday, recognised two doctoral research contributions addressing India’s pressing infrastructure priorities of clean energy access and urban sanitation, both central to the nation’s path towards sustainability and resilience.
Recognising Breakthrough Research
This year’s winners were Subham Jain and Paresh Jawarilal Chhajed. Jain received the Uttam Award, carrying a cash prize of ₹500,000, for developing a versatile cascade latent heat storage system for solar cooking applications. His work includes a patented solar‑powered thermal battery capable of multi‑temperature indoor cooking. The breakthrough offers a practical, affordable, and scalable clean‑energy solution at a time when India is advancing towards low‑carbon domestic and industrial systems.
Large‑scale deployment of the technology is already planned in Ladakh, where it will support solar cooking, drying, and community‑level space heating. Jain completed his PhD at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.
The Mahaan Award, accompanied by ₹300,000, was presented to Chhajed, who earned his PhD from IIT Bombay for seminal work on scaling Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) in India’s small cities. His research provides a governance and policy framework for non‑conventional sanitation systems where conventional sewerage remains financially and spatially unviable. The work addresses a critical gap in urban infrastructure and public health, supporting national cleanliness programmes.
His findings have already informed practice, including contributions to the integrated wastewater and septage management guidelines for Kerala under the Smart Cities Project.
Both winners continue to actively contribute to applied research. Jain is a Research Associate at the Ashoka Centre for a People‑Centric Energy Transition (ACPET), New Delhi, focusing on clean technology innovation, industrial decarbonisation, and sustainable energy systems. Chhajed serves as Project Manager at the Ashank Desai Centre for Policy Studies at IIT Bombay, engaged in governance and policy design projects for infrastructure systems.
Strong National Interest
The InfraPandit Awards drew applications from 16 prestigious institutions across India, including IITs, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) New Delhi, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, among others.
Nearly 33 per cent of applicants were women, demonstrating increasing gender balance and female leadership in India’s research ecosystem. Submissions showcased the depth and diversity of India’s emerging research landscape, spanning technology and innovation; agriculture, land and food systems; social sciences and human development; energy and environment; urban transport infrastructure and governance; and civil and infrastructure engineering.
Awardees were selected through a rigorous two‑stage evaluation process led by a distinguished jury comprising G Raghuram, Chairman of the Jury and former Director of IIM Bangalore; Ms. Savita Mahajan, senior management professional with decades of leadership in industry and education; KP Krishnan, retired civil servant with extensive government and international experience; Soumya Kanti Ghosh, Group Chief Economic Advisor at State Bank of India and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council; and Janmejaya Sinha, Chairman of Boston Consulting Group India.
The InfraPandit Awards have been instituted by the Infravision Foundation in collaboration with the $30.7 billion engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and technology conglomerate L&T to celebrate outstanding doctoral research that bridges academic excellence with practical relevance. By recognising contributions across engineering, technology, management, finance, and policy, the awards aim to nurture emerging leaders who will significantly contribute to India’s vision of Viksit Bharat (developed India) by 2047, the centenary of independence.