The symbiotic relationship between the economy and the environment requires intensive policymaking that understands the fundamental constraint of our world and the meagre availability of these natural resources. To establish this symbiotic relationship, the concept sustainable development acts as a facilitator between the two disciplines. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), formally famous as Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a set of 17 inspirational "Global Goals" with 169 targets with them. For the world to achieve the goals outlined in the SDG, it is imperative for India to be participating in all the parameters. Following this we will analyse how certain sustainable development goals have elucidated the symbiotic relationship between the economy and environment in India.

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Clean water is critical for survival, the multifaceted use of clean water is undeniable. A sustainable supply of clean water lays foundation for reliable energy, economic growth, infrastructure, industrialisation, consumption, production and food security. Despite the abundance of sufficient water on the planet, the availability of clean water remains scanty. Water problem such as the dearth of access to water and sanitation has an antagonistic impact on economic growth. A World Bank study quotes that GDP impact of lack of sanitation has been 7%, which implies the huge bearing of economic cost through lack of sanitation.

Goal 6 of SDG suggests to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Several policies and guidelines under various Ministries  of the Indian government relate to Goal 6 and can play a major role in its achievement. Indian households have improved the access to water sources from 68% in 1992-93 to 89.9% in 2015-16. This improvement can be credited to certain flagship policies of the Indian government such as-

·     Swachh Bharat Abhiyan  - The 2030 Agenda that this policy facilitates to achieve in India is the access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations. 

·      National Rural Drinking Water Programme- This policy aims to support and strengthen the agenda of participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management. 

·     Namami Gange- which aims at the conservation of the River Ganga. This policy can be used to fulfil the  agenda that by 2030, there is improvement in the water quality by reducing pollution, there is eradication of dumping and disparaging release of perilous chemicals, there is a cut in the fraction of untreated wastewater and encouraging recycling and safe reuse. 

SOURCES:

http://ris.org.in/pdf/SDGs_Report_Chapter_6.pdf

https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-6/

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

In the words of Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, “Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, social equity, and environmental sustainability. With access to energy, people can study, go to university, get a job, start a business – and reach their full potential.” The gamut of utilising energy is nearly in every field. To name a few, sustainable energy is required highly for the progress of  mitigating climate change, food production, creating opportunities in economies through jobs or increasing incomes. The energy consumption has increased by 1.7 billion number of people in two decades from 1990 to 2010.  With a parallel increase in population, the quest for economically viable energy is something the world will look forward to in the near future. Energy access to a clean and sustainable energy source, that tackles emissions of greenhouse gases, is therefore a significant an indispensable component for the sustainable development globally. 

Sustainable Development Goal 7 guides a global economy such as India, that is supremely dependent on fossil fuels for energy acquisition, onto a universally accessible, efficient, clean, and reliable energy source.

India is anticipated to be a substantial contributor to the rise in global energy demand. More than 207 million people didn’t have access to energy as of 2016. Some of the Government’s initiatives to tackle this approaching upsurge of clean energy demand is- 

·     The Saubhagya scheme, with a goal of electricity reaching every household in India by December 2018. However, it is increasingly impossible to achieve this goal without a primary role for decentralised renewable energy. And hence, it will need more time for India to achieve this particular SDG goal.

·      The National Solar Mission is also playing an essential role in working towards solar renewable energy, and efforts in rural electrification and new mammoth power projects for India.

SOURCES:

https://medium.com/thebeammagazine/india-can-be-the-global-leader-for-sdg7-will-it-seize-the-chance-cab9223f35db

https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-7/

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate change is a supremely disruptive environmental menace, harming the national economies, changing the weather patterns, increasing the sea levels, exorbitant greenhouse gas emissions and other tumultuous weather events. Climate changes also exacerbate natural disasters which have serious loss incurred environmentally and economically. Efforts are being made globally to catapult to cleaner and sustainable economies through advancements in technology and mitigate climate change. 

India has formally committed through the Paris agreement to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25% by 2020. The Government of India has also adopted a National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Areas of India (CCA-RAI). 

·      The National Action Plan on Climate Change(NAPCC) consists of eight National Missions. Through these initiatives, the Government has been able to make noteworthy strides by installing 2,970 MW of grid-connected solar generation, an excellent alternative to combat toxic emissions through fossil fuel energy consumption.

·      The Climate Change Adaptation in Rural Areas of India (CCA-RAI), launched in 2009 has the purpose of incorporating adaptation to climate change in sector policy decisions of central and state governments and rural development programmes.

SOURCE:

https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-13/

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Oceans, that cover 97% of the earth’s water, are a profoundly central part of people’s livelihood. Almost 3 billion people depend on the marine life globally and in India, nearly 250 million depend on it. With a market value of USD 3 trillion per year (nearly 5% of global GDP), marine resources are an important standpoint for sustainability. 

The Goal 14 of SDG aims to proliferate the economic benefits through a sustainable use of marine resources, a sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. The benefits shall be endowed to small island developing states and least developed countries. 

India’s vast coastline definitely poses marine resources as a vital opportunity in India and thus, to attain the sustainability goal 14, the Indian government has devised the following projects-

·      Sagarmala Project or the Blue Revolution, is working to improve the state of India’s ports and coastlines. 

·     The National Plan for the Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems aims to conserve marine ecosystems alongside costal biodiversity, a key focus for India.

SOURCE:

https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-14/