India's Sustainable Inclusive Economy of Scale

As India gets set to meet its Net Zero 2070 goals, much of the actual feet-on-field efforts have to come from Corporate India. Currently #ESG is a hashtag for stakeholders, excluding a few outliers. We need proactive policies that demand ESG positivity, and yet not ESG shame. The markets will reward those who adopt these in true spirit and measure. With a sixth of the world on its shores, India has no option, but to adopt ESG

- SRINATH SRIDHARAN

AS A GLOBAL CONSUMPTION-POWER, and a populous democracy, India is a fulcrum of a global inclusive development ideology. In this aspect, India’s commitment at COP26 for Net Zero 2070 is a well-structured plan. India has to catch up with the rest of the developed countries in infrastructure, as well as in creat ing a stable social security net for its population. Over the past few years, the Indian polity has displayed the urgency to lay the foundations for a stronger, resilient nation that can lead itself and the global dialogue towards inclusive development. No development can be inclusive, without acknowledging the primacy of nature, and our commitment and efforts are to reduce damages to natural resources, as well as our behaviour and value systems.

Despite being the third largest carbon emitter in the world, India’s emissions are low in per capita terms. India is committed to increasing its renewable non-fossil fuel energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030, meet 50 per cent of its energy demand from renewable energy sources and reduce the economy’s carbon emissions intensity by 45 per cent. It will also seek to reduce its total projected carbon emissions by a billion tonnes by 2030. In its COP26 commitments, India has clarified its stand that those responsible for historical emissions have to take ownership of reducing them. India’s stand is appropriate in not letting developed nations get away with the large financing that’s needed to clean up the growth-debris they have left.