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This book turns critical feminist scrutiny on national climate policies in India and examines what transition might really mean for marginalized groups in the country.A vision of “just transitions” is increasingly being used by activists and groups to ensure that pathways towards sustainable futures are equitable and inclusive. Exploring this concept, this volume provides a feminist study of what it would take to ensure just transitions in India where gender, in relation to its interesting dimensions of power, is at the centre of analysis. With case studies on climate mitigation and adaptation from different parts of India, the book brings together academics, practitioners and policymakers who provide commentary on sectors including agriculture, forestry and renewables. Overall, the book has relevance far beyond India's borders, as India's attempt to deal with its diverse population makes it a key litmus test for countries seeking to transition against a backdrop of inequality both in the Global North and South.This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate policy, gender studies, sustainable development and development studies more broadly.

The creative economy is one of the world's most dynamic sectors. Drawing upon the author's work on empowerment and sustainability, this book focuses on India's indigenous, rural, traditional handicraft-based creative and cultural industries (CCIs) and the role they can play in the country's creative economy.The book combines a comprehensive assessment of the region's deeply rooted cultural and creative resources with practical cases of self-sufficient creative skills and knowledge-based entrepreneurship across the Indian handicrafts sector. The author illuminates how sustainability, resilience, and collective well-being, along with unique regional characteristics, are converging towards generating an independent creative and cultural economy that does not depend on global brands and businesses alone. The disconnect between associated policies, practice, and academic work is addressed by contextualizing the case studies in terms of modern economic theory and practice, relevant administrative policies of South Asia, and recognition of the role of culture in achieving the sustainable development goals.This concise yet comprehensive book provides an insightful and holistic understanding of India's handicrafts economy which will be valuable reading for researchers and reflective practitioners.

This book offers an in-depth insight into the Indian concept of swaraj--self-rule--both in theory and practice and posits it within the larger context of development.It opens by discussing the limitations of prevailing sustainable development paradigm as well as other heterodox development paradigms in achieving a sustainable and equitable future. Further, it constructs development theory around the idea of swaraj, based on the writings of M K Gandhi and J C Kumarappa. The swaraj development vision weaves in the morality of the greatest good of all, political decentralisation, and economic self-sufficiency as important elements to achieve an exploitation-free social order that ensures more control for individuals over their lives. It reveals sustainability and equality as inherent features of such a non-violent social order.The book then provides an introduction to the khadi--handspun and handwoven textile--sector, which is taken as a case study to demonstrate the swaraj development approach. The use of this sector helps readers to get a snapshot of the efforts that have been made since the time of Gandhi and Kumarappa towards the attainment of swaraj. Importantly, the khadi section highlights the method of translating theory into practice based on the unique three-pronged approach of the swaraj development paradigm. By showcasing how to establish swaraj within the khadi sector, the author offers insights into how it can be replicated for attaining a sustainable and equitable world.The book will appeal to scholars and researchers in the fields of Gandhian studies and development studies.

India and the South-East Asia are typical case studies of interest for students of development economics. These countries have served as role models for most of the emerging economies.Sustainable Development in India and South-East Asia attempts to explore and analyse the nature of economic relationship between India and the South-East Asia. It assesses the prospects for this relationship to grow and flourish. Finally, it makes suggestions to strengthen and carry forward this relationship.Print edition not for sale in South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Bhutan)

The Indian Constitution is the largest written constitution that guarantees equality to women and empowers the State to take affirmative actions in favour of women. India has adopted International conventions for protection of rights of women and granting them equality and ratified the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in the year 1993. The National Policy for Women Empowerment was presented in 2001, the goal of that policy to bring about the advancement, development and empowerment of women and enable women to become financially independent. Currently, India is the only country where the economic gender gap is larger than the political gender gap. Women are required to understand their own potential and overcome social barriers. With constant support of the government, change in stereotype mindset and skill development in women, India will continue witnessing gradual increase in women entrepreneurship in future. The aim of this book is to show the latest state of knowledge on the topic of women entrepreneurship, the role of women in business and women empowerment in India. Many aspects relating to role of women in business, sustainable business development and aspects going beyond economic empowerment of women are discussed in addition to presenting legal and regulatory frameworks. This book will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of entrepreneurship, empowerment, gender studies, and law.

As one of the world's largest and most bio-diverse countries, India's approach to environmental policy will be very significant in tackling global environmental challenges. This book explores the transformations that have taken place in the making of environmental policy in India since the economic liberalization of the 1990s. It investigates if there has been a slow shift from top-down planning to increasingly bottom up and participatory policy processes, examining the successes and failures of recent environmental policies. Linking deliberation to collective action, this book contends that it is crucial to involve local actors in framing the policies that decide on their rights and control over bio-resources in order to achieve the goal of sustainable human development.The first examples of large-scale participatory processes in Indian environmental policy were the 1999 National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan and the 2006 Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act. This book explores these landmark policies, exploring the strategies of advocacy and deliberation that led to both the successes and failures of recent initiatives. It concludes that in order to deliberate with the state, civil society actors must engage in forms of strategic advocacy with the power to push agendas that challenge mainstream development discourses. The lessons learnt from the Indian experience will not only have immediate significance for the future of policy making in India, but they will also be of interest for other countries faced with the challenges of integrating livelihood and sustainability concerns into the governance process.

India's sustained and rapid economic growth offers an opportunity to lift millions out of poverty. But this may come at a steep cost to its environment and natural resources. This insightful book analyses India's growth from an economic perspective and assesses whether India can grow in a'green'and sustainable manner. Three key issues are addressed. The first is the physical and monetary costs and losses of environmental health and natural resources driven by economic growth. The authors undertake a monetary valuation and quantification of environmental damage, using techniques that have been developed to better understand and quantify preferences and values of individuals and communities in the context of environmental quality, conservation of natural resources, and environmental health risks. The second part estimates the value of ecosystem services from the major biomes in India using state-of-the art methods with a view to preserving them for the future. The third section provides a menu of policy instruments to explore trade-offs between economic growth and environmental sustainability using a Computable General Equilibrium approach with particular attention to air pollution. The conclusions focus on the way forward in terms of policies, measures and instruments as India has to balance the twin challenges of maintaining economic prosperity while managing its environmental resources.

Based on the work of the WASHCost project run by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC), this book provides an evaluation of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sectors in the context of developing countries and is the first systematic study of applying the life-cycle cost approach to assessing allocations. It presents unit cost estimates of the WASH sector across geographic locations and technologies, including rural and peri-urban areas, and these are compared with service levels. It analyses detailed data from more than 5000 households across nine agro-climatic zones in Andhra Pradesh State in India. Key issues assessed include poverty analysis of service levels, cost drivers and factors at the village and household level, and governance aspects such as transparency, accountability and value for money in relation to unit costs and service levels. This is the most comprehensive study of the WASH sector in India and elsewhere that utilises the life-cycle cost approach, along with GIS, econometric modelling and qualitative research methods. Not only does it contribute to research and methodology in this area, but the analysis also provides valuable insights for planners, policy makers and bi-lateral donors. The authors show how the methodology can also be applied in other developing country contexts.

Nuclear power is often characterized as a'green technology.'Technologies are rarely, if ever, socially isolated artefacts. Instead, they materially represent an embodiment of values and priorities. Nuclear power is no different. It is a product of a particular political economy and the question is whether that political economy can helpfully engage with the challenge of addressing the environmental crisis on a finite, inequitable and shared planet. For developing countries like India, who are presently making infrastructure investments which will have long legacies, it is imperative that these investments wrestle with such questions and prove themselves capable of sufficiency, greater equality and inclusiveness.This book offers a critique of civilian nuclear power as a green energy strategy for India and develops and proposes an alternative'synergy for sustainability.'It situates nuclear power as a socio-technical infrastructure embodying a particular development discourse and practice of energy and economic development. The book reveals the political economy of this arrangement and examines the latter's ability to respond to the environmental crisis.Manu V. Mathai argues that the existing overwhelmingly growth-focused, highly technology-centric approach for organizing economic activity is unsustainable and needs to be reformed. Within this imperative for change, nuclear power in India is found to be and is characterized as an'authoritarian technology.'Based on this political economy critique the book proposes an alternative, a synergy of ideas from the fields of development economics, energy planning and science, technology and society studies.

This short guide offers practical insights for companies or foundations who want to run their business in India in a sustainable way.In this concise, expert guide, Caroline Twigg draws on her experience of setting up the India office for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She starts with a brief overview of India's history, culture and relationship with the environment, presents an overview of doing business in India in general, and then covers: policy and regulations that influence sustainability actions in India; how sustainability is interpreted in India and how that may impact a company's engagement; how companies already work on sustainability and what might come in the future; a valuable list of the organizations and resources that will help you deliver on your business and sustainability goals.If you work for an international company based outside of India, if you run a foundation with projects in India, if you have products or services with a sustainability focus and are hoping to expand your business in India, or if you are tasked with communicating your company's sustainability work in India, this book will help you engage with your partners respectfully, effectively and easily.

In Indic religious traditions, a number of rituals and myths exist in which the environment is revered. Despite this nature worship in India, its natural resources are under heavy pressure with its growing economy and exploding population. This has led several scholars to raise questions about the role religious communities can play in environmentalism. Does nature worship inspire Hindus to act in an environmentally conscious way? This book explores the above questions with three communities, the Swadhyaya movement, the Bishnoi, and the Bhil communities. Presenting the texts of Bishnois, their environmental history, and their contemporary activism; investigating the Swadhyaya movement from an ecological perspective; and exploring the Bhil communities and their Sacred Groves, this book applies a non-Western hermeneutical model to interpret the religious traditions of Indic communities. With a foreword by Roger S Gottlieb.