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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

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 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA1
Introduction
Throughout the history of the human race, human beings have been shaping and reshaping
nature to meet their needs. Growing anthropological evidence suggests that extinct human
species, like the Neanderthal men (Homo neanderthalensis), were the first to shape nature in
accordance with their needs. Recent discoveries from a lignite quarry in Halle, Germany, show
that the Neanderthals cleared a forest by fire, 125, 000 years ago. Places where Neanderthals
lived experienced a decrease in tree cover. (Puiu, 2021). Overexploitation of nature may have
led to decline of ancient civilizations. The Indus Valley Civilization was a very advanced 7000-
8000year-old urban civilization that predated many contemporary civilizations like the
Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. Ecological factors led to the fall of this civilization.
(Das.B., 2018) (Mukherjee, 2016) Destruction of forests to make way for towns may have been
one of the precipitating factors behind climate change and desertification of the Indus valley .
(Down to Earth , 1993). (Wuqui, 1998). But ancient Aryans were mindful of the environment.
Ecological thoughts are found in the Vedas. (Dwivedi, 2008, pp. 3-16)
India is now celebrating the 75th Anniversary of her freedom from British rule. The
achievement of Independence on 15th August, 1947, was a watershed in the nation’s history.
Our national leaders had conceptualized the need for planned development of our nation when
Indians were still struggling for freedom from British rule. The five-year plans, which started
in independent India in 1951, were an attempt to develop our nation in a planned manner. Since
then, India has developed to a great extent. India has achieved self-sufficiency in many fields,
including food. There have been massive river valley projects, like Bhakra Nangal, Farakka,
Damodar Valley Project, etc. (TNAU AGRITECH PORTAL )There have also emerged
industrial townships. With the onset of globalization, privately sponsored Special Economic
Zones, like the Electronics City in Bengaluru, are on the rise (Idiculla, 2016). But forest cover
has deteriorated. India’s forest cover is now barely 25% of the country’s land area which is far
below the international requirement of 33%. (Agarwal, 2020) The onset of destructive natural
forces like cyclones have increased. In 2021, six cyclonic storms hit India causing widespread
damage and destruction. (Kumar, 2021) In light of these hard facts, it is necessary to rethink
the concept of development.
The Concept of Sustainable Development
The concept of ‘Sustainable Development’ was formulated in 1987 by the World Commission
on Environment and Development, popularly known as the Brundtland Commission. It was
established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983. In the eighties of the 20th century,
world leaders became acutely aware that the environment was fast deteriorating due to over
exploitation of nature by human beings. In his ‘Chairman’s Foreword’ Gro Harlem Brundtland
observed:

1
This paper is a revised version of the lecture, entitled ‘Sustainable Development in India’, delivered on the
occasion of 13th Statistics Day organized at the Bardhaman Science Centre, 29th June, 2019, by the National
Statistics Office. The theme of the programme was ‘Sustainable Development’.
 The present decade [the eighties] has been marked by a retreat from social concerns.
Scientists bring to our attention urgent and compelling problems of survival: a warming
globe, threats to the Earth’s ozone layer, deserts consuming agricultural land.
***
Environmental degradation …has become a survival issue for developing nations.
(Brundtland, 1987)

The report entitled Our Common Future (United Nations , 1987) makes a scathing criticism of
our social and political practices which had negatively impacted on planet Earth. Some of these
are as follows:
• Infant mortality is declining. Human life expectancy is increasing. But the number of
hungry people in the world is increasing. (Art 5&6).
• Increase in desertification, widespread destruction of forests, acid rain, burning of fossil
fuel causing global warming (Art.7).
• A major cause and effect of global environmental problems is poverty (Art.8).
• The arms race has led to a rise in global military expenditures (Art.20).
The Brundtland report concluded that there was growing realization among national
governments and multilateral institutions that ‘it is impossible to separate economic
developmental issues from environmental issues; many forms of development erode the
environmental resources upon which they must be based, and environmental degradation can
undermine economic development’ (Art.8).
The Brundtland Commission had three objectives: 1) to re-examine the environment and
development issues and formulate a ‘realistic proposal’ to solve these issues ;2) propose new
forms and co-operation on these issues; 3) to ‘raise the level of understanding and commitment
of a wide spectrum of people, businesses, governments voluntary organizations, and institutes.
The concept of ‘Sustainable Development’ emerged from the deliberations of the Brundtland
Commission. The Commission defined ‘Sustainable Development’ as to ‘meet the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Art
27).Among the recommendations made by the Commission are a) limit population growth)
ensure food security ; c) ensure safe energy; d) control export of hazardous industrial
chemicals; good city management ;(Art 40-74) e) there is the grave threat of nuclear war ; to
achieve peace and security , there is need to improve relations among major powers (Art.88).

Sustainable Development Goals

Based on the recommendations of the Brundtland Commission, the United Nations adopted 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in 2015(Fig. 1). Among these goals, the first twelve
and the last two (16 and 17) may be regarded as human development goals. Goals no.13, 14
and 15 may be regarded as environment protection goals. The United Nations observed that
these goals are a call for action by all countries ‘to promote prosperity while protecting the
environment’. (United Nations )

Fig.1.Sustainable Development Goals

Source : https://www.facebook.com/unsustainabledevelopmentgoals/

Objective of the Study

This study seeks to examine how far the Sustainable Development Goals have been achieved
in India. We will focus on some selected human development and environment protection goals
with special reference to West Bengal.
Methodology
This study employs Marxian dialectics. (Marx, 1977)Marx distinguished between the method
of enquiry and the method of presentation. My method of enquiry is extensive study of
materials available mainly in the Internet. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, I was unable to do
library work and so had to depend on the Internet. The Internet, however, has its limitations.
With growing commercialization of knowledge, many original studies remain beyond the reach
of the ordinary researcher. However, there are some open access journals and some websites
like Google Scholar, Academia. Edu and Research Gate. They provide free access to works of
authors.
My method of presentation is a descriptive and analytical study of Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). As it is not possible to analyze all the SDGs in this short paper, I had to be
selective. I selected those SDGs which are very much relevant to the environment and society.
I have divided the SDGs into two parts. Part A relates to Human Development. The following
SDGs were selected: 1) Reduction of poverty. 2) Reduction of hunger.3) Good health and
well-being 4). Quality Education 5) Gender Equality, 6) Water and Sanitation and 7) Decent
Work and Economic Growth. Part B relates to Protection of the Environment. Here we
analysed SDGs 13(climate action), 14 (life in water) and 15 (life on land).

Sustainable Development in India: A Review of the Literature

Let us first examine the literature on Sustainable Development in India. Here we will examine
the major trends in research as well as government policies related to SDGs. A Google search
on the topic ‘Sustainable Development in India’ on 25-01-2022 at 9.03 am found 30,20,000
results.
Part A. Human Development.
Poverty Alleviation
The first SDG is No poverty. The ‘2020 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index’ presents a
grim picture of poverty across the world. Among 107 developing countries, 1.3 billion or 22
percent live in multidimensional poverty. About 84.3% of the multidimensionally poor people
live in sub-Saharan Africa (558 million) and South Asia (530 million). Of them, 1.3 billion
suffer simultaneous deprivation in at least 5 SDG indicators simultaneously. (United Nations
Development Programme, 2020). Niti Ayog published a baseline report on poverty. (Niti Ayog
, 2015)According to Niti Ayog’s Poverty Index, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh are the
poorest states in India. By contrast, Kerala, Goa and Sikkim are least poor and so they are
placed at the bottom of the index. (Press Trust of India , 2021). The Government of India’s
Economic Survey (2017) admitted that rural poverty is high. (OECD , 2017)
A ‘Google Scholar’ search on ‘Poverty alleviation and Sustainable Development in India’ in
the afternoon of 8th February, 2022, unearthed 1,89,000 results. A summary of the researches
reveal some significant trends .1) Poverty has been reduced thanks to pro poor policies of the
government . (Datt, 2016)2) Unsustainability and poverty are interlinked. (Asadi, 2008)3)
Projects such as Clean Development Mechanisms have not contributed to the alleviation of
rural poverty. (Sirohi, 2007) From these studies we may conclude that poverty is still a grim
social fact in India. Alleviation of poverty must go hand in hand with sustainable development.
But researchers focused on rural poverty. What about urban poverty?
Food security
The second SDG is Zero Hunger. The 2021 Global Hunger Index ranks India at 101st among
116 countries (Global Hunger Index , 2021).This indicates that Food Security has still not been
achieved in India. A ‘Google Scholar’ search on the topic ‘Food Security and Sustainable
Development in India’ on 30.01.22 found about 13,50,000 results. Here are certain significant
trends in research .1) Agricultural production is declining and may lead to social unrest if not
checked. (Swaminathan, 2001) (Ritchie, 2018)2) There is the need to recognize the role of
gender equity in agriculture. (Agarwal B. , 2018)3) Proper water management is needed .
(Kumar.M.D., 2003). To conclude, to achieve food security we need to properly manage
natural resources and also overcome the social constraints, like gender inequality which are
hampering agriculture.

Good Health
The third Sustainable Development Goal is Good Health and Well Being. India ranked 66 out
of 195 countries in the Global Health Security Index (GHS I). (Global Health Security Index,
2021).Thus we find that India ranks in the middle as far as health is concerned. A ‘Google
Scholar’ search on the topic ‘Good health and well-being in India’ on 7-02-2022 found about
1,30,000 results Here are some significant findings. 1) There are gross inequalities in mental
health care among the women and elderly. (Alam) (Patel A. Banerjee, 2020)2) Physical
disability increases with age and with decreasing level of education, childless women being
very vulnerable (Hirve, 2010) 3) Early marriage not only leads to poor reproductive health of
mothers, their children also suffer from poor reproductive health. (Prakash, n.d.)4) While
India’s mental health policy was praised as being in line with sustainable development goals,
(Grover, 2019), India’s ambitious ‘Ayushman Bharat’ health scheme was criticized , for
excluding primary health care and lacking acceptance by states. (Mukherjee R. A., 2018)
To conclude, the studies cited above highlighted certain serious issues in physical and mental
health which we must resolve if we are to accomplish SDG 3. There is also the need for change
of government policy. Primary physical and mental health care must be given top priority if we
are to build a healthy society in India.

Quality Education
The fourth SDG is Quality Education. India has ranked 32 on Education in the ‘World
Population Review Educational Rankings by Country 2022’ (World Population Review ,
2022).A ‘Google Scholar’ search on the topic ‘Education and Sustainable Development in
India’ in the morning of 8th February ,2022, found about 15,90,000 items. Here are some
significant findings .1) The Indian education system suffers from major inequalities in
education, employment and income. (Desai, 2008)2) a. The mean years of schooling in India
are lower than other emerging economies like China, Brazil and significantly lower than other
developing countries. Steep drop out rates in primary, middle school impede education. The
dropout rates of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are higher than the national average
c) Low enrolment in the Higher Secondary level impedes the development of higher secondary
education. (Mohanty, 2018) 3) Innovative teaching methods improve the learning capabilities
of students. (Alexandar, 2014).4) Emphasis should be laid on basic education and adult literacy.
(Nazar, 2018) 5) Finally, Covid 19 dealt a body blow to India’s efforts to attain SDG 4.
(Banerjee, 2021)
.
Gender Equality
SDG 5 is concerned with Gender Equality. A ‘Google Scholar’ search on ‘Gender Equality
and Sustainable Development + India’ yielded 1,16,000 results in the evening of 09-02-2022.
Sudarshan Kumar Pathania rightly argued that women’s empowerment could be realized only
through sustainable development. Sustainable development depends on equitable distribution
of resources and it is here that gender equality is needed. The objective of his paper was to
examine the contribution of women to sustainable development ‘as partner and beneficiaries’.
(Pathania, 2017)Here are some significant findings and recommendations from various
studies.1) Gender equality was not possible without reproductive rights. (Bhatt, 2018)2) Lack
of data on adolescent girls could jeopardise the country’s agenda of achieving gender equality
and sustainable development. (Patel A. Banerjee, 2020).By including women in Panchayati Raj
Institutions(PRI), India had empowered women and contributed to gender equality. But women
in PRIs face problems which, we hope will be overcome. (Joshi, 2021) (Billava, 2016) (Hazra,
2017) (Kudva, 2003)
Why has India slipped 41 places in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report
2021, becoming the third worst performer? The report indicated that India had been able to
able to close only 62.5 per cent of its gender gap. (Press Trust of India, 2021).The report noted
that India’s gender gap increased by 3 per cent and attributed the gap to among other things, to
economic participation and opportunity sub index. Only Afghanistan (156) and Pakistan (153)
ranked lower than India in south Asia. Table 1.1 of Global Gender Gap Report 2021showed
that India scored 0.625 and achieved a rank of 140, dropping 28 places. (World Economic
Forum , 2021)Thus The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021indicated
that gender equality was still a far cry in India. The Covid 19 pandemic had a negative impact
on gender equality. It severely impacted women’s employment. (Madgavkar, 2020) (Alon,
2020)And this pandemic may have been one of the reasons behind India’s slippage in gender
equality. To achieve gender equality, we recommend that India formulate and implement a
rights-based policy of promoting gender equality.
Clean Water and Sanitation
SDG 6 is concerned with clean water and sanitation. From the 17,900 results on the topic,
‘Water, Sanitation and sustainable development in India’, on 13-02-2022, we find that
scientists are seriously concerned with water and sanitation. Niti Ayog developed a water index
(Niti Ayog, Government of India, n.d.) .The World Bank developed a cost estimate of water
and sanitation for 140 countries with special emphasis on developing countries. (Hutton,
2016). Researches indicate: 1) Inequality between cities regarding availability, accessibility of
water and sanitation facilities. (Saroja, 2020)2) Increase in GDP improves sanitation level
indicators and reduces disease. (Roy A. P., 2019)3) Swatch Bharat and Jal Jeevan missions led
to overall development. (Sarkar, 2021).These studies indicate that India has progressed in
fulfilling SDG6.
Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG 8 concerns decent work and economic growth. India is yet to provide full employment
to her population. Unemployment is a major problem. (Krishna, 1973) (Mahendra Dev &
Venkatanarayana, 2012) (Visaria, 1981).Marx predicted that capitalist mode of production
leads to a growing industrial reserve army (Furth, 1978) but was he aware of the role of
pandemics in the loss of livelihoods? 122 million Indians lost their livelihoods after Covid 19
lockdown was announced (Banerjee, 2020).

Part B Protecting the Environment

SDGs 13(Climate Action) 14(Life on Water )15(Life on Land) deal with environmental
protection. A Google Scholar search on ‘Environmental protection in India’ found 22,50,000
results. The following are some significant findings and recommendations from various
studies.1) India is constitutionally committed to protect the environment. Among the measures
taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to protect the ecosystem are the following
laws: 1) Wildlife Protection Act (1972) 2) Water Prevention and Control Act (1974), 3)
Environment Protection Act (1986), the National Green Tribunal Act (2010) etc. (Vaish,
2017)But is legislation enough? What about implementation? Agarwal (Agarwal V. ,
2005)criticized the enforcement of environmental laws. He recommended setting up of an
adjudicatory body to oversee their proper implementation. 2) Education plays an important
role in environmental awareness But Iyengar and Bajaj, who studied the contribution of
Environmental Education and Sustainable Development in India with special reference to
Bhopal, found the syllabus to be unsatisfactory. They rightly criticized the syllabi for
Environmental Education for emphasizing only the natural science aspects, neglecting the
social science approaches with no contextual links to the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984. (Iyengar,
2011) 3) Women played an important role in environmental protection. (Jewitt, 2008)
How far has India achieved SDGs 13? During the recent United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP26), which was held at Glasgow, Scotland, (2021) Narendra Modi, Prime
Minister of India, announced that India would meet 50% of her energy needs from renewable
energy sources. He also pledged to reduce carbon emissions and projected that India will
achieve zero emissions by 2070. (Kwatra, 2021)But several factors hinder India’s efforts to
attain SDG 13. These are: 1) definite national indicators against SDG targets are absent; 2)
budgetary support is inadequate; 3) data deficiencies. (Priya, 2019)
SDG 14 and 15 deal with life on water and land. How successful has India been in attaining
these goals? Let us first look at India’s efforts attain SDG 14. India is a signatory to the Ramsar
convention on protecting wetlands. Though India a rich variety of wetlands, human
interference and conversion of wetlands to agricultural lands was leading to permanent habitat
loss for many species (Ragavan, 2020). Ragavan et .al rightly called for proper scientific
management and preservation of wetlands. (Ragavan, 2020)
Now let us examine India’s progress on SDG15. The Government of India took several steps
to protect wildlife. Among these are Project Tiger, Project Elephant, Crocodile Conservation
Project, UNDP Sea Turtle Project. Among other initiatives, the government also set up Wildlife
Crime Control Bureau to tackle the illegal wildlife trade and banned the veterinary drug,
diclofenac, to save the Gyp vulture. (Ranthambore National Park , 2017)Studies of wildlife
conservation and management point out that protecting living space holds the key to protecting
bio diversity. India achieved afforestation and reduced deforestation (Shah, 2020). But threats
like poaching remain. They must be successfully encountered. Captive breeding of endangered
wildlife also must play an important role in rejuvenation of endangered species. (Hundal,
2004)Preventing man -wildlife conflict is another essential element in preserving wildlife.
Favourable attitude of people to wildlife helps in their conservation. (Rais, 2015) (Udaya
Sekhar, 2003).But, the government’s policy of destruction of forests in the name of
‘development’, has been severely criticized. For example, Goa’s Mollen National Park was set
to lose 60,000 trees for a national highway! (Nagendra, 2021)Another point of concern is
frequent train accidents involving wildlife. (Roy, 2017)It is high time that our government took
steps to check wanton destruction of our forest wealth.
From these researches we find that India’s progress towards achieving SDGs have varied
according to the goals. All studies cited above are pan Indian studies. Rarely did they focus on
individual states or Union Territories. For example, I have not come across any study on West
Bengal. I have, therefore, decided to make a case study of how West Bengal is contributing
towards achieving the above SDGs in the national context.

Sustainable Development in India: The Case of West Bengal

Now we will examine how West Bengal fared on Sustainable Development.
Part A. Human Development
Poverty Alleviation
The first goal is No poverty. According to Niti Ayog, 21.43 % of the total population of West
Bengal suffers from multidimensional poverty. (Niti Ayog , 2015) This makes West Bengal
the twelfth poorest state in India. Researches indicates that West Bengal achieved remarkable
success in its efforts at poverty alleviation in the recent past (Bardhan, 2004) (Dasgupta,
1995).What about the present?
‘Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005’(MNREGA) makes it the duty
of the government to provide one hundred days’ work to every able-bodied villager who is willing
to do unskilled manual work or unemployment allowance in case of failure to do so. The place of
work will be within 5 kms of the residence of the applicant. All facilities, like drinking water, creche
etc., have to be provided at the workplace. The Central Government provides 100% of the cost of
wages and 75% of the cost of materials, administrative and other expenditure. The states provide
25% of the wages of unskilled manual workers and cost of the material and administrative expenses.
(Ministry of Rural Development :Government of India ) Now let us examine how far this scheme
succeeded in ameliorating poverty in West Bengal.
The Government of West Bengal intended to use MNREGA for : 1) asset creation,2)
increasing fertility of soil, 3) ensuring availability of ground water, 4) afforestation, and 5)
generation of livelihood. (Department of Panchayats and Rural Development , Government of
West Bengal , n.d.) A strategic communication plan was developed which included
informational, educational and communication components . (Government of West Bengal ,
Panchayat and Rural Development Department, 2014).
Dr.Bipul De and Dr.Sevak Jana examined the implementation of MNREGA in Sonamukhi
block of Bankura district, West Bengal. Unlike Bhagirathi Panda’s study (Panda, 2015)which
claims that the implementation of MNREGA was successful in Bankura district, De and Jana’s
study highlighted several issues.1) In Hamirhati and Kochdi, all residents were employed
without application, violating MNREGA guidelines.2) Inadequate facilities, like water, were
provided to the workers. 3) Only 26 % of respondents agreed that MNREGA increases food
security. 48% believed that it cannot protect them against poverty. They concluded that the
functioning of MNREGA in Sonamukhi was not very satisfactory. (De, 2013) .More studies
are needed to properly assess the social impact of MNREGA.
Food security
SDG 2 aims to eliminate hunger. The passage of National Food Security Act (2013) was
interpreted by the government as a paradigm shift from a welfare approach to rights-based
approach, because the law given the right to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban
population to receive subsidized food grains under the Targeted Public Distribution System.
(Department of Food and Public Distribution, Government of India , n.d.) Despite this India
has fared poorly in the Global Hunger Index (Global Hunger Index , 2021).
The distribution of food in contemporary West Bengal is a big issue. In 2020, villagers in
various districts protested against the irregular distribution of food amidst the lockdown (IANS
, 2020). In 2021, ration dealers protested against the government’s ‘Duare Ration’ policy,
claiming that they do not have the requisite infrastructure. (Chakrabarty, 2021) One study
revealed the abnormally high number of ration card holders per ration shop (2968) in West
Bengal. But the question remains, how many of the ration card holders genuinely need the
rations? In West Bengal, ration cards are as also used as Identity Cards. Soumya Bhowmick
claims that the above figure indicates there is a mismatch between the demand and supply in
the food market. He claims that digitization will reduce inequality in access to food
(Bhowmick, 2019).We find that West Bengal has made uneven progress in achieving SDG 2.

Good Health
The goal of SDG 3 is good health. The Central government has come up with a health scheme
known as ‘Ayushman Bharat’, which is based on ‘cooperative federalism and flexibility to
states’ (india.gov.in , n.d.).The West Bengal Government came out with ‘Swasthya Sathi’ on
30th December, 2016.Like Ayushman Bharat’, it provides secondary and tertiary health care
up to Rs.5 lakh per annum per family . (Pascimbanga Sarkar , n.d.)
The health care system in West Bengal has been critically reviewed in some studies. Satarupa
Dey and Shuvra Chattopadhyay found district wise variations in primary health care.
Moreover, there is a huge gap between the availability of health care and their use in public
health centres. (Dey, 2018).Another study found that though the rate of hospitalization is high,
it is the well to do who mostly enjoy subsidized facilities in hospitals. (Bose, 2015).From these
studies we may conclude that West Bengal needs equity in the availability and use of health
care facilities to achieve SDG 3.
Quality Education
SDG 4 aims to provide quality education to all. Let us now examine the case of West Bengal.
To enable students of poor and backward sections to avail the benefit of education, the
Government of West Bengal took a number of steps like. Among them are the bicycle
distribution initiative, ‘Sabooj Sathi’. (Sabooj Sathi, Government of West Bengal , 2015-16),
distribution of free text books, exercise books, school uniform, shoes, school bags and mid-day
meal scheme. (School Education Department , Government of West Bengal , n.d.) These
initiatives were successful in bringing children to school. During the pre-Covid 19 era in
undivided Burdwan district, a study concluded that education had a positive impact on
Sustainable Development among households. (Paul, 2016) Like the rest of India, the education
system of West Bengal suffered greatly due to the Covid 19 induced lockdown. Covid 19 had
a negative impact on students. Undergraduate students suffered greatly from depression,
anxiety, poor Internet connectivity and unfavourable environment at home. (Kapasia,
2020).Annual Status of Education Report (ASER, West Bengal) showed that the basic learning
and numerical abilities of 11000 children across 17 districts of West Bengal has been reduced.
Nobel Laureate Abhijit Banerjee recommended that teaching should be focused on existing
learning abilities of children. (Express News Service , 2022).As educational institutions in
West Bengal reopen, we should realize that we have miles to go before we achieve SDG4.
Gender Equality
How far has West Bengal been able to fulfil the requirements of SDG 5(Gender Equality)?
Empowerment is an important indicator of gender equality. I have selected three indicators:
economic empowerment, political empowerment and educational empowerment. With regard
to economic empowerment, we find that the data are contradictory. Some researchers hold
participation of women in self-help groups (SHG) have resulted in their empowerment. (Garai,
2012)Others contest this assumption and claim that patriarchy exercises power through SHGs.
(Dulhunty, 2021).With regard to political empowerment studies support the idea that rural
women have become empowered through Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRI) , though they face
some problems . (Billava, 2016) (Joshi, 2021).In West Bengal , also, participation in PRIs have
empowered women though they face some problems. (Ghosh, 2014) (Hazra, 2017). With
regard to educational empowerment, we find that the Government of West Bengal’s much
awarded Kanyashree scheme (Kanyashree Online , n.d.) enhanced the ‘social power and social
esteem of girls’. (Mir, 2018) (Saha, 2015) Kanyashree scheme is a scheme of cash transfer to
girls pursuing education at school. The objective of the scheme is to prevent poor girls from
dropping out from school and to prevent child marriages. ( Kanyashree Online,, n.d.).Thus, we
find that West Bengal had progressed a lot in fulfilling SDG5.But Covid 19 pandemic led to
challenges regarding educating girls (Kapasiaa, 2020) and increase in child marriages (PTI ,
2020)negating West Bengal’s achievements.
Clean Water and Sanitation
We will now examine West Bengal achievements regarding SDG 6, namely, clean water and
sanitation? In ‘Vision 2020’the Public Health Engineering Department outlined a road map to
achieve water security. Apart from rejuvenating ponds and dams, rainwater harvesting, use of
ground water, etc., the department also points out the need for public support. (Public Health
Engineering Department, n.d.) But clean drinking water became an election issue in 2021
because 91 out of 100 households in rural Bengal do not have tap water connections. (Sharma,
2021) The success of West Bengal’s ‘Mission Nirmal Bangla (Pure Bengal)’ (2013) in
achieving 95% rural sanitation coverage earned the state laurels from UNESCO. (Datta S. ,
2018).So, while we applaud Bengal’s progress in sanitation , we have miles to go to achieve
clean water security.
 Decent Work and Economic Growth
Unemployment and underemployment are major socio-economic problems in West Bengal,
which lacks industry and suffered slowdown in construction following Modi’s decision on
demonetization in November 2016. Jobs became a major election issue in the 2021 Assembly
elections. Mamata Banerjee’ s assertion of job creation was questioned by her rivals. With 3.5
million job seekers were registered with employment exchanges till March 2021 (Datta, 2021),
how can West Bengal achieve SDG 8?

Part B. Protecting the Environment

We will now examine West Bengal’s progress towards achieving two SDGs- 14(Life on
Water) and 15(Life on Land). The Greater Kolkata Wetlands is a Ramsar site and an
important production centre for fish, providing employment to many people. Studies of
Goaltola Fisheries Project and Nalban Fisheries Project show that they are facing the problems
of reduction of organic sewage -an important component of fish production. (Chakraborty,
2019, pp. 13-15). Public awareness holds the key to the conservation of any eco system. Dube
found that people were conscious of the existence of tigers and their value to the conservation
of the environment of the Sunderbans. (Dube, 2021)But problems like increasing train speed
in the Dooars (Bhraman , 2019)hinder West Bengal’s attempt to achieve SDG15.
Concluding remarks
To conclude, we examined some selected Sustainable Development Goals in two parts -a)
Human Development and b) Protecting the Environment. We discussed the major trends in
research on the SDGs and made a case study of Sustainable Development in West Bengal. We
found that India’s and West Bengal’s record of progress towards achieving Sustainable
Development Goals varied with the SDGs. We need people-oriented policies to achieve human
development goals of poverty reduction, attaining food security, good health, gender equality,
decent livelihood, clean water and sanitation and eco-friendly policies to achieve environment
protection goals. With the onset of globalization and the demise of the welfare state after 1991,
attaining these SDGs has become difficult, since the bourgeois democratic state in India has
given priority to the profit based private sector than people’s needs and aspirations. A rights-
based policy on development is the need of the hour.

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