Page 2 - Sustainable Development

UP launches initiative to curb stubble burning, promote sustainable farming

Uttar Pradesh government has launched a unique initiative, "Parali Ke Badle Govansh Khaad" (cow manure in exchange for stubble) aimed at curbing stubble burning and promoting sustainable farming practices, officials said on Saturday. The initiative, launched on October 28, 2024, seeks to address environmental pollution caused by stubble burning while benefiting farmers through the distribution of cow manure for organic farming, a statement said. Under the campaign 2,90,208.16 quintals of straw were collected across the state and 1,55, 280.25 quintals of cow manure were distributed to farmers. The manure is being used to enhance soil fertility and encourage sustainable agricultural practices, it said. Several districts including Varanasi, Banda, Budaun, Jalaun, Bareilly, Amethi, Siddharthnagar, and Bahraich performed notably well during the campaign with large-scale collection of straw and distribution of manure, the statement added. The campaign not only reduces environmental hazar

Circular economy may create over 10 mn jobs by 2050: Amitabh Kant

India's circular economy could generate a market value of over USD 2 trillion and create 10 million jobs by 2050, the country's G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said Monday. Addressing an event here, Kant further said the circular economy can be a driver of growth, and this transition not only promises cost savings but also positions India to capitalise on the global circular economy market. "This is a huge opportunity because, by 2050, India's circular economy could generate a market value of over USD 2 trillion and create close to 10 million jobs," he said. Currently, the size of the Indian economy is USD 3.7 trillion. Noting that industrialisation and urbanisation are creating an unsustainable India, Kant said, "We need circular economy as a beacon of hope". The country's natural resources are depleted at an unsustainable pace, generating massive amounts of waste. While pointing out that India is generating about close to 1.6 lakh tonnes of municipal solid waste per day, he said this .

Contribution of India's youth vital to achieving SDGs: Ambassador P Harish

The dynamism and contribution of India's vast youth is vital towards the country's development, green energy transition and achieving the sustainable development goals (SDG), Delhi's envoy to the United Nations said. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish was addressing the 8th Annual 1M1B Activate Impact Summit, organised by the UN Department of Global Communications associated NGO 1M1B' (One Million for One Billion) with the support of the Civil Society Unit, DGC Thursday. You, young people, are the future. You have to be closely working together not only to be part of the governance of the country, but also as part of our development pathways and enabling a green energy transition, meeting of Sustainable Development Goals, meeting the 2030 targets. In each one of these activities, your dynamism, your contribution is vital, Harish said. In his keynote address at the summit, attended by Indian youth leaders from various fields as well as UN ...

EVs, ancillary industries may see Rs 3.4 trn investment by 2030: Colliers

Domestic and foreign firms have announced a whopping Rs 3.4 lakh crore investment in India's electrical vehicles (EVs) and ancillary industries over the next six years, Colliers India on Wednesday said while expressing concern over "tardy progress" towards achieving the goal of 30 per cent electric mobility by 2030 Real estate consultant Colliers India on Wednesday released a report 'EVs in India: Renewed Vigour in Electric Mobility', highlighting that an overall EV penetration rate in India stood at 8 per cent. It estimated sales of around 2 million (20 lakh) EVs in 2024. "Although the pace of EV adoption in the country has been commendable, it has not been as brisk as anticipated," the consultant pointed out. The report mentioned that individual companies across the EV landscape have announced plans to invest USD 40 billion (Rs 3,40,000 crore) in a phased manner till 2030. Out of this, USD 27 billion is planned for lithium-ion battery manufacturing and USD 9 billion for OE (Origin

No Opposition in state, but Sikkim CM Tamang faces environmental challenges

CM Prem Singh Tamang leads a state without Opposition in the Assembly, but faces dual challenges of ecological crises and sustainable development

90 infra projects worth Rs 3,417 cr sanctioned for North East over 4 yrs

The responsibility to sanction the infrastructure development projects in the North Eastern Region lie with the respective state governments, while the ministry maintains oversight

Over 90% Indian businesses raised sustainability funds over last yr: Report

There has been a notable rise in investment in sustainability over the last one year with 91 per cent CXOs interviewed reporting an increase, indicating that climate action drives value creation and is central to the company's overall business strategy, according to a report released on Wednesday. Indian CXOs have significantly ramped up sustainability investments, with 91 per cent reporting an increase over the last year despite challenges such as a lack of sustainable solutions, senior leadership buy-in and difficulty measuring environmental impact, according to the Deloitte CXO Sustainability Report. This increase is driven by growing concerns over climate change, with 87 per cent of Indian CXOs feeling concerned about it most of the time, it added. Deloitte's 2024 CXO Sustainability Report (India) surveyed over 157 executives nationwide on their views and strategies related to sustainability and climate change. The report further revealed that climate change is the top priority

Goyal asks real estate developers to adopt environment-friendly techniques

Amid concerns over high pollution levels in the national capital, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday asked real estate developers to adopt environment-friendly construction techniques and suggested CREDAI to set up a team to study the adverse impact of construction activities on air quality of 20 major cities. Addressing realtors' apex body CREDAI's 25th foundation day, the Union Commerce and Industry Minister also asked developers to build affordable rental housing projects to prevent the proliferation of slums in urban centres. Goyal also suggested CREDAI members to consider venturing into overseas markets to tap opportunities in real estate development and redevelopment. "I had asked CREDAI to consider setting up a team to study whether, at least in the metropolitan cities or the 20 top towns of the country, where we can see the impact of construction leading to pollution, leading to air quality deteriorating." He stressed the need to adopt better construction techniques usin

Greening AI for sustainable computing: A call for tech firms, policymakers

AI is helping reduce energy wastage and improve business process efficiencies. However, its energy use may be neutralising the overall benefits from digitisation

At G20 summit, PM Modi calls for efforts towards more sustainable future

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged the G20 grouping to accelerate efforts to ensure a cleaner and more sustainable future for all. In an address at a session on sustainable development and energy transition at the G20 summit, Modi said it is essential for developed countries to fulfil their commitments to provide technology and finance in a timely manner to the developing nations. India is sharing its successful experiences wit all friendly countries, particularly with Global South, he said. On challenge of climate change, the prime minister said India is the first G20 country to have fulfilled the commitments made under the Paris agreement ahead of time. Our efforts are based on traditional Indian thought which is both progressive and balanced, he said. The summary of Modi remarks were posted on 'X' by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. During the New Delhi G20 summit, we had adopted the Varanasi Action plan to accelerate achievements of the SDGs

India meets 72% of G20 2023 goals, slips below bloc average and 2022 levels

This theme underscored the importance of a united global approach to tackling challenges like climate change, sustainable development, and financial stability

G20 ministers agree global trade may help sustainable growth, women's role

Proposals agreed by G20 trade ministers meeting in Brasilia will be proposed to group's leaders at the annual summit hosted by Brazil in November in Rio de Janeiro

Driving towards net zero: India's strategic push for sustainable trucking

India's net-zero carbon strategy has focused intensely on sectors such as automotive, power, steel, aviation, cement, and agriculture, which collectively contribute significantly to carbon emissions

Place culture at the heart of global development: India at Brics meet

A top official of India's culture ministry has emphasised the need to place culture at the heart of global development strategies and use it as a tool for empowerment, inclusion and mutual understanding. Union Culture Secretary Arunish Chawla said this during the 9th BRICS Culture Ministers' Meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, the ministry said on Saturday. In his statement, the culture secretary reiterated India's commitment to harnessing the power of culture for sustainable development and global cooperation. This aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of convergence between cultural creativity, commerce and collaboration for building an equal, sustainable and inclusive world, the ministry said in a statement. During the key meeting in St Petersburg, Chawla "emphasised the need to place culture at the heart of global development strategies, to use it as a tool for empowerment, inclusion and mutual understanding". Continuing with its stance in G20 while chairing the ...

India needs urgent, actionable plan to meet climate goals as time runs out

Climate change poses a major vulnerability that demands a comprehensive, quantifiable medium- and long-term plan, along with close monitoring to ensure timely corrective actions

Sustainable development key to tackling climate threats: V-P Dhankhar

Sustainable development is the only way to deal with the challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and resource depletion, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Saturday. Addressing scientists, faculty and students of CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dhankhar said collaborative solutions were needed to address the challenges that threatened "our very existence". "The challenges of today demand bold action and an institution like CSIR-IIP can serve as an effective platform for researching effective technologies that can help grapple with the challenges," Dhankhar said. The vice-president criticised people who were at one time in positions of authority and governance for "subserving partisan interests and floating anti-national narratives". Dhankhar also condemned the observation that what was happening in the neighbouring country (Bangladesh) could happen in India as well. "How can anyone who has faith in the vibrant and robust democracy of the country subscribe to

Conceptualising Start-ups in the Sustainability Space

Explore the business and start-up opportunities in the sustainability sector of India with Market Research expert, Mr. K C Mani and get interesting insights on the skills required to build and manage

Global Real Estate Transparency Index 2024: India ranks 31; UK leads list

India's tier-I real estate markets have entered into the 'transparent' zone for the first time, driven by institutionalisation of commercial assets and improvement in access to diverse real estate dat

Union Budget 2024: On prudent path, towards long-term sustainability

For the first time, the government has rolled out a package to raise the long-term employability of the country's youth and incentivise their hiring by corporates

India an important contributor to progress across SDGs: NITI Vice Chair

India, through its efforts, has been an important contributor to progress across the Sustainable Development Goals, Vice Chair of the NITI Aayog Suman Bery said. These remarks by Bery were made on Monday. He is representing India at the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), taking place at the UN headquarters from July 8 to July 17, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council. The theme is Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions'. Through its efforts, India has been an important contributor to progress across these SDGs and it has succeeded through successful delivery of physical and digital infrastructure at scale, targeted social national safety net programmes with digital delivery to minimise fraud, improved women's agency, attention to program delivery in the least developed administrative jurisdictions, and strengthened local and .