India Towards Sustainable Development: Concept and Approach

Abstract

The escalating apprehensions in recent years regarding environmental and climatic alterations, along with challenges related to poverty, the widening chasm between social strata, and the strife engendered by social inequities, have positioned sustainable development at the forefront of scholarly discourse. In reaction to these pressing issues, a diverse array of ‘sustainability rhetoric’ is surfacing within organizational mission statements, internal regulatory frameworks, and external accountability mechanisms. This paper discusses the concept, dimensions, principles, challenges and strategies of sustainable development in Indian context as well as enumerating the government initiatives to achieve sustainability. The paper also throws light on recent developments in the field of sustainability like National Action Plan On Climate Change (NAPCC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)rolled out under Agenda 2030 in 2015.The paper discusses the SDG Index of India prepared by NITI Aayog demonstrating achievements of Indian States along with policy suggestions to achieve the sustainability targets.