Ashok Lavasa

VP Ashok Lavasa delivered a welcome speech at the G20 Just Energy Transition Dialogue in New Delhi on 23 March 2023. He emphasized the importance of working on a just energy transition that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable for everyone concerned, creating decent opportunities for all and leaving no one behind. He highlighted ADB initiatives including the Just Transition Support Platform, Energy Transition Mechanism, and Just Transition Worker Support Facility in India which will accelerate the transition to low-carbon and resilient energy systems and economies. He noted that collaborative work on energy transition provides an opportunity to realize social goals such as decent work for all, poverty eradication, and gender equity. VP Lavasa observed that collaborative work not only helps address physical climate risks, but also makes a strong business sense.

VP Ashok Lavasa led a signing ceremony with SAEL Industries Limited on 23 March 2023 in New Delhi. The loan, which is ADB’s first private sector financing of a biomass energy project in India, will be used to construct and operate five biomass energy plants in Rajasthan, with total generation capacity of 74.5 megawatts. The project aims to reduce the burning of agricultural waste, provide additional income to farmers through the procurement of agricultural residues, and diversify the country's energy mix. Read the news release.

VP Ashok Lavasa met with the State Bank of Viet Nam Governor and ADB Governor Nguyen Thi Hong, the Government Office Vice Chair Nguyen Xuan Thanh, the Vice Minister of Finance Vo Thanh Hung, and other senior government officials, business leaders, and development partners during a visit to Ha Noi on 7–10 March 2023. They discussed ADB's partnership in Viet Nam’s green, inclusive, and private sector-led growth, particularly through capital markets and sustainable infrastructure development. VP Lavasa joined the signing of the public-private partnerships memorandum of understanding with Viet Nam National University, the International Women’s Day celebration at ADB's Viet Nam Resident Mission, and visited an ADB project supporting sustainable mobility. 

VP Ashok Lavasa on 8 February 2023 shared online his insights on enabling a just energy transition in Asia and the Pacific at the Stanford Law School-led Environmental Law and Policy Colloquium. The VP identified a robust knowledge base, institutional capacity, meaningful partnerships with diverse stakeholders, innovative financing approaches, and private sector participation as key to the transition to low-carbon and resilient energy systems and economies. He said that while most conversations center on decarbonizing the energy supply, improving energy efficiency and promoting energy conservation are also important low-cost options.

VP Ashok Lavasa participated in a signing ceremony between ADB and Nhava Sheva Freeport Terminal Private Limited on 20 January 2023 in New Delhi, making ADB’s first private sector financing of container terminal operations in India. The $131 million loan, including $69.6 million of cofinancing from LEAP, will be used to sustainably upgrade existing berths and yards and install additional energy-efficient equipment such as electric quay cranes in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal in Navi Mumbai Maharashtra. The project, aligned with the National Trade Facilitation Plan, National Monetization Pipeline, and Maritime India Vision 2030, will result in more efficient terminal operations and enhance international trade through efficient, transparent, and state-of-the-art logistics infrastructure at India's second largest port. ADB Infrastructure Finance Division 1 Director Shantanu Chakraborty signed the loan agreement during the ceremony. Read the news release.