Sustainable impressions of incredible India

Due to a recent (MUNA+ ) trip to India, we had the opportunity to delve into this incredible country rich of culture and history and multilayered. I will share a mixture of my own experiences there, researched knowledge and links to further readings structured along E (Environment), S (Social) and G (Governance).??

Environment?

But where to start – first, I was not as overwhelmed as I expected to be, seeing the still devastating situation of many people living in poverty or trash lying around everywhere. And this can of course very well be because I have been to other places in Asia before and I have well prepared for this trip, but I believe it is also a mixture of some other very important developments in India. Everywhere I have been to, I could sense progress. Starting with seeing the first electrical buses in midst of the chaos on Delhi’s streets or spotting huge areas of solar panels in rural areas. To some degree, I felt like India is taking the energy transition more serious than we in Europe do. And it impressed me to see that even though the country lacks access to electricity in some areas and you see open fireplaces for cooking on the side of the street, in other areas they seem to be very committed to future technologies. According to the Renewables 2022 Global Status Report, India was on 4th place globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity, 4th place in Wind Power Capacity and 4th place in solar power capacity. On COP26 the country has even launched its target to 500GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy by 2030. Renewable Energy in India: Investment Opportunities in the Pow... ( investindia.gov.in ) In addition to that, the country has been part of launching the International Solar Alliance, which is another proof point of climate action activities. International Solar Alliance ( isolaralliance.org ) . On the other hand, India is one of the countries with the highest Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the worst air quality globally and yet their efforts are crucial for further development. Also, Germany has formed a partnership (Green and Sustainable Development Partnership) that was aligned with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. It should strengthen bilateral cooperation inter alia in line with the climate goals and intends financial support of at least ten billion until 2030. India | BMZ .?

Added to this, in every city we have been to (in particular Jaipur and Agra) there were metro systems and projects for enhancing the public transport in the city. Above the street as an elevated train track. This will again contribute to fewer cars on the streets and hopefully less pollution in cities.?India’s metro system is currently already the third biggest in the world and it will surpass the US system in the next 2-3 years according to the Times of India. Which of course, if you have ever been to the USA, is probably not the best comparison, since the USA's system by far is not the most developed, but again, India’s is growing and that with an undeniable speed. (India's metro rail network poised to surpass USA's to become world's 2nd largest: Puri | India News - Times of India ( indiatimes.com ) ?

Another aspect, which was not very present in most of the areas but hit me from time to time, is the starting commitment to reduce waste and to try out recycling facilities. Potentially now only a baby step, but I would like to acknowledge any kind of step here, which I have seen. Especially, since in India alone, twenty-six thousand tons of plastic waste are generated in each day, of which only 8% are currently recycled. Yet, India had launched a ‘National Circular Economy Roadmap for Reducing Plastic Waste’, which aims at reducing plastic waste. Also here, the country is partnering up with others. In this case Australia, which might be able to fill the gap according to a report by the University of Technology in Sydney India's revolutionary roadmap to tackle plastic pollution | University of Technology Sydney ( uts.edu.au ) .?

Social?

Also, regarding access to healthcare, I still believe there is a lot to do, as by far I did not see many hospitals around for the amount of people living in India, but at the same time, I saw lots of advertisement especially for the fight against cancer, something, which I indirectly contribute to via my job at Siemens Healthineers. It left me with many question marks and the interest in better understanding the situation, the structure and the market. A good healthcare system is the starting point for an end-to-end healthy society. The increase in advertisement and contribution to more healthcare access is driven by the ‘Ayushman Bharat’ program, a publicly launched program in 2018 by Prime Minister Modi, which is also the world’s largest healthcare program. Its target is to provide best-in-class universal health coverage. It is twofold, on the one hand aiming at establishing Health and Wellness Centers for comprehensive primary and diagnostic care, and on the other hand, providing more than 550 million people with RS. 5 lakhs (500.000 Indian Rupies) per family and year. The latter is targeted at secondary and tertiary care hospitalization and known as the ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna’. India Is Using Technology To Give 1.4+ Billion People Access To Healthcare ( forbes.com ) ?

And, I was impressed by some nice community cafés, free access to books, collaboration spaces and sustainably crafted clothing by a few designers. According to Times of India, there is increasing customer awareness, government initiatives and availability of sustainable material, leading to an outlook of 10,6% CAGR during 2021-2026 for sustainable fashion. Even though still in in its early stages, the movement was visible for us. The sustainable fashion market in India: An overview ( indiatimes.com ) ?

Beyond, the number of NGOs and UN presence surprised me. I have spotted one NGO in particular in Jaipur, focusing on children’s and women’s rights and access to the workforce. It was the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation of the Royal Family of Jaipur Empowering Women in Rajasthan | Princess Diya Kumari Foundation . When we visited the City Palace in Jaipur, also Dennis Francis, president elect of the 78th session of the general assembly by the United Nations and a diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago (link) visited the Princess Diya Koumari Foundation and the Palace. Potentially, I am a bit biased due to MUNA+ and will spot these things everywhere, but it really sparked my interest and I will put a little more research in this field the future to learn more about their activities and role for women and the society.?

Furthermore, I was surprised by the small hints to make women’s life in general easier and safer. Since India is a country, where women are oftentimes still live in their husband's households and depend on their husband’s income Schwellenl?nder: Indiens Wirtschaft boomt – nur nicht für die Frauen ( handelsblatt.com ) . In 2022, according to the United Nations, the degree to which legal frameworks promote, enforce and monitor gender equality in public life was at 54.5 points on a 0-100 scale Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality | United Nations in India . Since Uber and similar services were introduced, rides are electronically registered, which contributes to more security and control. Also, at Uber, the driver needs to verify the ride by typing in a PIN which is sent to rider's phone. Thereby, both parties can be sure that the other one is who they pretend to be. Beyond, at airports, sanitary products are available, which are an integral part of making the life of women easier. And again of course this is probably not the representation of every area of the country, but those are snapshots of good initiatives, which I have spotted.?

Also, in bigger hotels and the hospitality sector, there have been similar approaches to those in Europe to source food locally, sustainably and take care of the environment, which I would have not expected to such a degree.?

Governance?

Another area, where India impressed me was the way digital payments are handled. Something I have seen in China already, but with the new Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system in India, also everyone there can pay with an app and pocket money becomes outdated. Of course, this also has other benefits for the country as well, like transparency. Something, where we in Germany have a hard time getting around, India excels. And the French prime minister was also there when we were and in particular acknowledged this payment system and launched it at the Eiffel Tower shortly after UPI Services Launched In France At Eiffel Tower After Macron's India Visit ( ndtv.com ) . Similar to the healthcare programs, the ‘digital public infrastructure’ is also one of the public programs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It eases up daily life, expands access to credits and savings to millions more Indians and in the same way extends the reach of government programs and tax collection India Embraces Digital Payments Over Cash, Even for a 10-Cent Chai - The New York Times ( nytimes.com ) .?

And of course, all this sentiment can be linked to the enormous growth, which India just confirmed for the past year and their economic plans to >7% GDP growth. You can listen in to a good article from the Handelsblatt here (in German):?

Wie Indien zur Supermacht aufsteigen will ( handelsblatt.com ) ?