Sustainable Development in India: Balancing Economic Growth, Environmental Protection, and Social Equity

Abstract

India's development pathway since the early 1990s has been defined by a persistent tension between rapid economic expansion, mounting environmental pressure, and the imperative of inclusive social progress. This review synthesises recent evidence on India's sustainable development performance, drawing on the NITI Aayog SDG India Index, national poverty and energy statistics, and the evolving policy architecture that spans the National Action Plan on Climate Change, the renewable-energy programme, and flagship social-protection schemes. The composite SDG India Index rose from 57 in 2018 to 71 in 2023-24, multidimensional poverty fell from 29.17 per cent in 2013-14 to 11.28 per cent in 2022-23, and non-fossil power capacity crossed 50 per cent of total installed capacity in 2025, five years ahead of India's Paris Agreement target. Yet these aggregate gains coexist with severe air and water pollution, groundwater depletion, biodiversity loss, climate vulnerability, and uneven progress across states and social groups. The review examines the three pillars of sustainable development in the Indian context, evaluates the institutional and policy mechanisms that link them, identifies persistent trade-offs and governance gaps, and proposes a research and policy agenda for reconciling growth, ecology, and equity as India pursues its 'Viksit Bharat @2047' and net-zero-by-2070 commitments.