Green growth and inclusive development: Evaluating India’s progress towards a sustainable economy

Promotion of sustainable development has been given greater importance in recent years not only in the industrialized but also the developing countries, as high levels of economic growth need to be reconciled with preservation of environment and social equity. As one of the fastest-growing countries in the world, India has the formidable task of accomplishing inclusive development during the shift toward a low carbon, resource efficient economy. This paper offers a critical review of India’s efforts to incorporate green growth and inclusive development in its economic and policy agenda. We analyse policy, sectoral initiatives, environmental performance indicators and alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to highlight progress and areas where momentum is lagging in India’s sustainable development journey. Key achievement areas that include expanding renewable energy capacity, increasing access to clean cooking fuel and rolling out green urban infrastructure projects are placed against persistent challenges, including regional disparities, environmental degradation and weak institutional capacity for inclusive policy implementation. The study stresses the necessity for an integrated, nationally coordinated development strategy that links environmental objectives to social welfare programs to ensure fair distribution of green growth gains. The paper provides policy options for improving participatory governance in order to promote green employment opportunities and enhance financial instruments for sustainable, inclusive economic transformation. This study adds to the emerging discussion on sustainable development in developing countries and highlights the central importance of inclusive green growth in promoting sustained economic resilience and societal health.