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The Green Economy How Sustainable Practices Can Boost India's Economic Growth

Gangaram, Suryavanshi Ravikumar

Abstract

The shift of the Indian economy towards a green economy is a serious chance to reach sustainable, inclusive and innovation opportunity-driven development. With the increasing environmental demands experienced in the country due to the emerging global changes, energy insecurity, and the changes in the global market, there is an urgent need to integrate sustainable practices into the major economic system. This paper will focus on discussing the role played by green sectors, including renewable energy, electric mobility, models of a bio-circular economy, sustainable agriculture and low-carbon manufacturing to boost the economic performance of India in the long run. The use of secondary data, policy analysis, and case studies of various sectors in the country illustrates that green practices create jobs, boost competitiveness and industrial growth, advance technological innovation, develop resource efficiency, and establish economic resilience through fossil-fuel reduction. The discussion also puts the sustainability of the green-growth trajectory in India in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the national education policy (NEP 2020) and the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. The results suggest that green economy approaches can both enhance environmental sustainability and productivity in the economy, which is the basis of the future development of India. The paper will end by defining what can be done in terms of a policy to transform the economy of India into one that is sustainable.

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Journal of Research and Development A Multidisciplinary International Level Referred and Double Blind Peer Reviewed, Open Access ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-11(I)| November 2025 175 The Green Economy How Sustainable Practices Can Boost India’s Economic Growth Dr. Suryavanshi Ravikumar Gangaram Suman Madhav Mahila Mahavidyalay, Zari, Nanded Manuscript ID: JRD -2025-171136 ISSN: 2230-9578 Volume 17 Issue 11 (I) Pp. 175-178 Nov. 2025 Submitted:15 Oct. 2025 Revised: 25 Oct. 2025 Accepted: 10 Nov. 2025 Published: 30 Nov. 2025 Abstract The shift of the Indian economy towards a green economy is a serious chance to reach sustainable, inclusive and innovation opportunity-driven development. With the increasing environmental demands experienced in the country due to the emerging global changes, energy insecurity, and the changes in the global market, there is an urgent need to integrate sustainable practices into the major economic system. This paper will focus on discussing the role played by green sectors, including renewable energy, electric mobility, models of a bio-circular economy, sustainable agriculture and lowcarbon manufacturing to boost the economic performance of India in the long run. The use of secondary data, policy analysis, and case studies of various sectors in the country illustrates that green practices create jobs, boost competitiveness and industrial growth, advance technological innovation, develop resource efficiency, and establish economic resilience through fossil-fuel reduction. The discussion also puts the sustainability of the green-growth trajectory in India in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the national education policy (NEP 2020) and the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. The results suggest that green economy approaches can both enhance environmental sustainability and productivity in the economy, which is the basis of the future development of India. The paper will end by defining what can be done in terms of a policy to transform the economy of India into one that is sustainable. Keywords: Green economy, Sustainable development, Renewable energy, Circular economy, India’s economic growth. Introduction: The move toward a green economy, a type of economy with low-carbon growth, resource efficiency and sustainable livelihoods in focus, in India has taken centre stage in the world quest to decouple development and environmental degradation (IEA, 2021). With recent macroeconomic strength and high growth rates, India encounters an increasing environmental pressure journey in terms of high energy consumption, air and water pollution, and climate vulnerability, which pose a threat to long-term prosperity (World Bank, 2024). The obligation of the country as a signatory to the Paris Agreement and the renewed Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) is an indication that the country is on a quick transition to renewable sources of energy, lowering its emission levels, and adjusting up to the year 2030. At the same time, national monitoring of SDGs in India demonstrates an improvement but mentions ongoing gaps in both environmental and social goals that a green transformation might allow resolving (NITI Aayog, 2024). Figure 1: India’s Shift to a Green Economy Quick Response Code: Website: https://jrdrvb.org/ DOI: Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work noncommercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations ae licensed under the idential terms. Address for correspondence: Dr. Suryavanshi Ravikumar Gangaram, Suman Madhav Mahila Mahavidyalay, Zari, Nanded. How to cite this article: Suryavanshi Ravikumar Gangaram.(2025). The Green Economy How Sustainable Practices Can Boost India’s Economic Growth. Journal of Research & Development, 17(11(I)), 175-178. Original Article Journal of Research and Development A Multidisciplinary International Level Referred and Double Blind Peer Reviewed, Open Access ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-11(I)| November 2025 176 Source: (Agarwal, 2023) The question addressed in this paper is as follows: how can sustainable practices increase the economic growth of India in a material way and comply with the climate and development policies of the globe? It applies policy analysis and secondary data sources to explore the opportunities in the sectors (energy, transport, agriculture, circular economy), quantitative co-benefits (jobs, productivity, trade), and implementation limitations. Placed in the multidisciplinary context of the conference, the analysis connects the policy on the economy, strategies on sustainability, and educational/research priorities to provide the treatment of the actionable directions of the green development of India. Conceptual Background The green economy is a widely-conceived notion, referring to a low-carbon, resource-saving and sociallyinclusive economy, which involves improved human well-being and minimised ecological risks (Unitar, 2025). Similarly, closely interrelated terms are the more current ones: the term circular economy (where resources are reused, and the amount of waste is minimal) and the term resource efficiency (to create more value with less resource input). As an illustration, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) notes that transitioning to the resource-efficient and circular economy is essential in order to achieve a sustainable, competitive economy (OECD, 2020). The concept of decarbonisation (cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions), sustainable production (cutting down the harm that the goods/services have on the environment) and green finance (investment in low-carbon, resource-efficient activities) are also components of the green economics vocabulary. The policy frameworks in the context of India, including the provisions of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s circular economy regulations and recent reports on green finance, indicate opportunities in the sector and a newer development in industries and sustainable industries. The empirical evidence has indicated that green sectors are capable of stimulating productivity, employment and technological advancement. However, in India, the practice is still patchy, as in the case of green investment by the private sector, adoption is widespread across the regions and industry, with many areas widely varying in their so-called adoption. It is clear that research gaps exist in policy consistency, business model scale-up, and outcome measurement (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2016). Methodology The research is purely based on secondary data as it uses the reports by the government, international databases and analyses of sustainable development and economic transition in India compiled by various scholars. Indicatively, a technical note on the green economy framework in India processes low-carbon pathways using timeseries data and policy input to model their paths (Golechha et al., 2022). It looks at the alignment of policies by the framework of policies, including the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) and national missions from a policyanalysis perspective (Ministry of Education, 2025). India’s Green Economy Landscape The green economy in India is fast emerging in the relevant sectors concerning sustainability. It is starting with the renewable energy sector (solar, wind and now with green hydrogen): based on the National Green Hydrogen Mission, India aims to produce 5 MMTPA of green hydrogen in 2030 using plentiful renewables and a ₹19,744 crores budget (Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, 2025). The electric mobility ecosystem is also fast gaining pace: the India Electric Mobility Index 2024 reveals that India is ready to experience swift EV adoption and investment inflows (NITI Aayog, 2025). More popular extensions of the model to the circular economy and waste-to-energy are underway, but with fewer nationally aggregated measures, and sustainable agriculture (with water-efficient irrigation) is being facilitated under models such as Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM). These developments are guided by key policy frameworks, including the National Solar Mission, the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), AMRUT 2.0, PM-KUSUM and the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), which has its environmental-literacy aspect. As an example, the report of the Green Economy Model of India states that through the implementation of the promises to the Paris Agreement and the orientation to SDGs, the economy can enjoy growth in terms of investment and employment (Golechha et al., 2022). How Sustainable Practices Boost India’s Economic Growth The renewable energy development in India is already creating mass employment. A 2024 government report released on the topic indicates that by 2023, the energy sector compensated nearly 1.02 million jobs under the renewable sector (Government of India, 2024). In the meantime, an evaluation of the green jobs and just transition readiness initiatives of India that achieves the 500 GW renewables target that would employ up to one million in the process, only of sun and wind by 2030 (PAGE, 2023). Cleaner technologies reduce the long-term operational expenses due to a reduction in energy and lessening of wastes, a factor enhancing the competitiveness of industries. As an illustration, the resource-efficient production processes that Indian manufacturing companies are embracing are more suited to the global supply chains Journal of Research and Development A Multidisciplinary International Level Referred and Double Blind Peer Reviewed, Open Access ISSN : 2230-9578 | Website: https://jrdrvb.org Volume-17, Issue-11(I)| November 2025 177 that are primarily instigated by the sustainability standards. Strategic technology implementation in the manufacturing sector is relevant to supporting the growth of exports to more sensitive markets in the value chain, according to an innovation report that was specially oriented to critical technologies in India (FICCI, 2025). India is undergoing the build of an accelerated green start-up ecosystem in the sectors of climate-tech, sustainable packaging, battery-tech and resource-recovery. A 2024 report on start-ecosystem in India indicates that 140 billion USD in the Indian economy were contributed by tech start-ups that are more and more concentrated on deeptech and sustainability discourses (KPMG, 2024). Circular economy models and industrial symbiosis offer sustainable approaches, like using less raw material and less energy. A skills-landscape report indicated that the transition to resource-efficient jobs, which are green, has become associated with both the greater material-use efficiency and second-value salvage in India (SCGJ, 2023). Table 1: Summary of Economic Benefits from Sustainable Practices in India Area Key Developments Economic Benefits Renewable Energy & Green Jobs Growth in solar, wind, recycling, EV manufacturing, and organic farming. Large-scale job creation and inclusive rural–urban livelihood opportunities. Industrial Sustainability Adoption of cleaner technologies and resource-efficient manufacturing. Lower operational costs and enhanced competitiveness in global value chains. Green Innovation Ecosystem Rise of climate-tech, battery-tech, and sustainable packaging start-ups. Increased GDP contribution, entrepreneurship, and scalable green solutions. Resource Efficiency & Circular Economy Reduced material and energy intensity; expanded recovery and reuse. Higher firm profitability and longterm industrial sustainability. Economic Resilience Reduced fossil-fuel dependency and investment in climate-resilient systems. Improved energy security and reduced losses from climate-related disruptions. Alignment with SDGs, NEP 2020, and Viksit Bharat @ 2047 The shift towards the green economy is closely associated with such big frameworks as SDGs, National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020), and Viksit Bharat @ 2047. Indicatively, the green energy projects facilitate SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). NEP 2020 incorporates sustainability learning and acquisition of green-skills into learning curricula, using research and interdisciplinary studies to create future-proof citizens. The Viksit Bharat @ 2047 vision, in its turn, aims at an economy of a resilient, knowledge-based, clean and competitive India by its centenary of independence (Ministry of Education, 2020). Policy Recommendations In order to hasten green transformation in India, the public strategy should increase green financing through green bonds, sovereign green funds and the carbon market to marshal high-scale investment. The use of clean technologies should be incentivised by the use of selected subsidies, relief in taxation and research and development grants and improve complementary capabilities of ensuring control of pollution and sustainability reporting mandatory by the industry. At the same time, the focus on green-skills development through curricula is relevant to the National Education Policy 2020 that guarantees the number of sustainable sector prepared workforce. Lastly, encourage shared initiatives on renewable energy and waste-management initiatives by both the public and the private sector and invest more in climate-resilient infrastructure to strengthen economic stability (Reddy et al., 2024). Conclusion The green economy of India is one way of giving a sustainable, resilient and inclusive development. India can become more competitive and achieve climate targets by introducing clean energy, innovation, circularity and human capital. The agenda of long-term prosperity as an end goal and the coordinated investments will necessarily be accelerated and timed in order to make the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision a reality. References 1. Agarwal, P. (2023, February). India’s “green growth”: is the green skin-deep? – Vinod Kothari Consultants. Vinodkothari.com. https://vinodkothari.com/2023/02/indias-green-growth-is-the-green-skin-deep/ 2. Ellen MacArthur Foundation. (2016). Circular Economy in India: Rethinking Growth for Long-Term Prosperity • 1 Circular Economy in India: Rethinking Growth for Long-Term Prosperity. 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