India's Environmental Policies for Viksit Bharat @2047

Abstract India's developmental trajectory inevitably encounters the dual challenge of balancing poverty alleviation for one of the world's largest populations while avoiding the environmental consequences that have beset many industrialised nations. This paper explores how India's environmental policy architecture — from early conservation statutes to the recent suite of climate missions, the Panchamrit commitments, and the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement — has evolved into an instrument of sustainable development rather than a constraint upon growth. The paper situates this policy architecture in India's long-term development blueprint, Viksit Bharat @2047, which envisions India as a fully developed nation by the hundredth anniversary of its independence. The paper argues that environmental sustainability is not a peripheral concern within Viksit Bharat 2047 but one of its structural pillars, since climate risk, resource security, and green industrial competitiveness will substantially determine whether India's growth is durable. The paper also identifies the principal obstacles — continued coal dependence, uneven state-level enforcement, financing gaps, and the need for a just transition for workers in carbon-intensive sectors — and closes with policy recommendations for aligning India's environmental governance more tightly with its 2047 ambitions.