The concept of sustainable development is increasingly becoming the guiding principle of development planning. Currently, the preservation of the environment is taken as the basis for actions aimed at long-term development. It has also been recognized and accepted that sustainable development requires protection of the environment on all fronts, especially irreplaceable natural resources and fragile ecosystems. As a result, the world was confronted with restructuring harmful pathways in harmony with nature and the environment. India has dynamically met this challenge and, as a developing country, pushed for greater integration of economic plans and programmes for natural resource and environment management.

This month’s cover story ‘Green and Growth Hand-in-Hand’ highlights that India has shown the rest of the world that it is possible to improve human development and the environment on a global scale while helping millions of marginalized people through development efforts. India has proven this time and again by providing the largest and safest habitats for its wildlife while developing next-generation facilities at a rapid pace. India’s green growth techniques are evident in the increase in forest cover from 6778 sq. km in 2019 compared to 2015 estimates, protected areas from 692 to 860 in 2019, and community reserves from 43 in 2014 to more than 100 currently. A total of 15 states and territories have a forest cover of more than 33 per cent. India has the lowest deforestation rate per capita in the world.

Due to India’s long history and culture of peaceful coexistence between man and nature, balanced growth is conceivable from both economic and environmental perspectives. The country’s inherent philosophy includes a strong emphasis on environmental awareness. India is one of the few ancient civilizations and cultures with uninterrupted yet dynamic roots in many dimensions. Nature has shown us all how circular ecological processes have endured over time. India’s development experience to date has shown that growth can be ecologically sound and need not come at the expense of green values. We must ensure that our values of environmental protection are incorporated into our development methods as our economy continues to grow and pressures on natural ecosystems increase.  To achieve this, environmental and social tools with a variety of potential and undiscovered prospects should be used to enhance research and development projects.