Sustainable Development in India: Need, Importance, Goals, Schemes, Case Studies & Challenges

A recent report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) highlights that up to 4.5% of the country's GDP could be at stake by 2030 due to lost labour hours caused by climate change issues, extreme heat and humidity. Surprisingly, 50% of India’s GDP comes from sectors that work in excess heat. Considering the impact of the annual cycle of pollution generated from such sectors, the drain of economic productivity would be much greater. 

Failure to not meet sustainable development goals extends beyond economic challenges. This article explores the importance of sustainable development while highlighting the challenges and how to move beyond them to reward sustainable development for India. 

What is sustainable development in India? 

Sustainable development can be regarded as a blueprint for a country to achieve economic development without compromising its environment and resources for future generations. India has been constantly working on balancing rapid economic growth with the need to protect its natural resources. The country has rolled out numerous schemes and policies to promote renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green infrastructure. There is a constant effort to reduce poverty and improve living standards to ensure that future generations inherit a healthy and thriving environment.

Importance of sustainable development in India 

Sustainable development is important to protect the environment we live in and save resources for future generations. India is a country with 1.4 billion population where there is a tough competition to meet basic needs of a healthy lifestyle. Keeping this in mind, sustainable development is important to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations. Besides, by working towards sustainable development, India is also evolving in the following dimensions. 

Sustainable Farming 

Nearly 50% of India’s population is employed in agriculture. Sustainable development is the key to learning how to improve our agricultural practices that meet the needs of future generations without depleting enough resources. India is now more keen towards crop rotation, organic farming, and efficient seeding techniques, more than ever. These practices are not only going to boost productivity but also protect soil and water resources. 

Climate Stabilisation 

India is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Sustainable development is the major driving force in combating climate change. India is extensively working on reducing its use of fossil fuels and growing its adoption of renewable energies. For instance, India has set a glorious ambition of achieving 450 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. This will help the country cut down on greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise the climate. 

Biodiversity Protection 

India is home to 7-8% of all recorded species around the globe. However, this wide biodiversity is constantly facing the threat of extinction due to rapid industrialisation and deforestation. Sustainable development in India case studies help in conserving these natural habitats by forcing the country to adopt practices, such as the National Action Plan on Biodiversity, to protect the ecosystem and preserve the unique species in the long term. 

Economic Stability 

By working towards sustainable development, India has been encouraging the use of renewable energy sources for a very long time. India’s renewable energy sector has been constantly growing in size to generate millions of jobs while reducing the country’s dependency on fossil fuels for future generations. This is a direct fusion towards India's financial stability and economic resilience. 

History and evolution of sustainable development in India 

The timeline of events surrounding the evolution of sustainable development in India is summarised in the below illustration-

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in India

As a part of the United Nations Members States, India has aimed to achieve the following 17 sustainable development goals by 2030:

1. No Poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and well-being 
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality 
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy 
8. Decent work and economic growth 
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 
10. Reduced inequalities 
11. Sustainable cities and communities 
12. Responsible consumption and production 
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on land
16. Peace, justice and strong institutions 
17. Partnership for goals 

Sustainable Development Schemes Implemented in India 

India has rolled out many policies and schemes to meet sustainable development goals long before joining the United Nations. Here is a list of some schemes that have created a massive impact on the country’s effort to meet its sustainable goals by 2030. 

1. New Pension Scheme
2. Water Supply Scheme
3. Start-up India Scheme
4. Employee Pension Scheme
5. Ayushman Bharat Yojana
6. National Clean Energy Fund
7. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana
8. Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana
9. Clean development mechanism projects 
10. Integrated Child Development Scheme
11. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
12. Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
13. Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana
14. Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana
15. State Action Plans on Climate Change
16. National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change
17. Integrated Child Development Scheme - ICDS
18. Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana
19. Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana - Saubhagya
20. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
21. Ocean Services, Modelling, Applications, Resources and Technology (O-SMART)

Challenges of sustainable development in India 

India is currently facing major challenges towards meeting its SDG goals by 2030. 

Large population 

India’s large and growing population constantly challenges its effort to combat the over-exploitation of natural resources and environmental degradation. 

Poverty and inequality

There is a significant level of difference present between different regions and communities in India. Even some rural areas still lack basic resources like clean water, sanitation, and basic healthcare facilities – putting India way back than other progressing countries. 

Environmental degradation 

As a growing country, India is still experiencing large-scale deforestation in agriculture, urban development and industrialisation. This is in direct opposition to India’s plan to protect the loss of biodiversity and avoid disruption of the ecosystem. 

How to achieve sustainable development in India 

The Indian government has been constantly working towards achieving sustainable development through various schemes and yojanas. But as a responsible citizen, we can aid in the process by working on the following dimensions:

Renewable energy 

People should invest more in solar and wind energies to meet their daily energy quota in the long term. This would require extensive use of solar panels and wind turbines in both urban and rural areas. 

Sustainable agriculture 

Organic farming should receive more promotion and adaptability amongst the farmers to reduce the use of toxic chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Farmers should focus more on water-efficient irrigation techniques like drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting to overcome water shortages in the future. 

Water conservation

Not only farmers but also people living in rural and urban areas should work towards water harvesting to replenish the groundwater level and provide safe and clean water to future generations. 

Waste management 

More people need to be aware of waste management techniques to minimise waste generation and convert waste into usable energy. 

Sustainable urban development 

The country needs more green buildings powered by energy-efficient materials and technologies to reduce the load on grids producing energy from non-renewable sources. 

India's rank in sustainable development index 

As per the SDG Index Rank report available on the official website, India is ranking at 109th position out of 166 countries.  

The SDG Index Score is 63.99%, which indicates the percentage of total SDG goals achieved by the country as of now. 

The overall SDG score for the country has improved from 66 in 2020-21 to 71 in 2023-24. 

The Spillover Score is 95.74%, which indicates that India’s actions towards achieving the SDG goals can have a positive impact on other countries’ ability to achieve their sustainable development goals. 

Out of all 17 goals, India has made commendable progress in the following goals: 

• Goals 1 (No Poverty)
• Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
• Goal 13 (Climate  Action)
• Goal 15 (Life  on  Land)

Goal 13 has recorded the highest increase in score in 2023-24 from 2020-21, followed by Goal 1.  

However, the country needs to gain its rank when it comes to achieving major challenges in the areas of climate action and sustainable cities and communities. 

Scores in five of the SDG goals stagnate or increase at less than 50% of the required rate, whereas eight of the SDG goals are moderately improve. 

State and UT Performance 

According to the state-wise performance report, twenty-four out of twenty-eight states and all eight union territories are performing exceptionally well in their SDG journey per the SDG India Index 2020-21 report. 

Between 2018 and 2023-24, the three fastest-moving states were Uttar Pradesh (increase in score by 25), followed by J&K (21), and Uttarakhand (19).