Introduction

Sustainable growth requires balancing economic development with environmental protection. In India, where nearly 22% of the population lives below the multidimensional poverty index (NITI Aayog 2023), policies aimed at conservation can sometimes constrain the immediate livelihood needs of the poor, creating a conflict between ecology and survival.

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How Environmental Protection May Conflict with Poor People’s Needs

• Restrictions on Natural Resource Use: Conservation laws often restrict access to forests, water, and grazing lands.
  • Eg: Forest Rights Act (2006) implementation challenges led to eviction threats of tribal families in protected areas.
• Ban on Traditional Activities: Environmental protection sometimes bans activities like fishing, shifting cultivation, or mining that support poor households.
  • Eg: Bans on sand mining in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh cut off income for daily-wage laborers.
• Displacement due to Conservation Projects: Creation of national parks and sanctuaries has displaced marginalized groups.
  • Eg: The Establishment of Kanha National Park displaced the Baiga tribes in Madhya Pradesh.
• Higher Costs of Green Transition: Shifting to renewable or energy-efficient technology can raise upfront costs for poor households.
  • Eg: LPG under Ujjwala Yojana reduces biomass use, but refill affordability remains a challenge, leading poor families back to firewood.
• Job Loss in Polluting Industries: Closure of polluting small units impacts informal workers.
  • Eg: Delhi’s tanneries and brick kilns closures led to unemployment without alternative livelihoods.
• Urban Poor and Informal Housing: Environmental regulations on riverbanks, wetlands, and forests often target slum settlements.
  • Eg: Demolition of Yamuna floodplain settlements in Delhi citing ecological concerns.

How Sustainable Growth and Environmental Protection Can Support Poor People

• Green Jobs and Renewable Energy: Expansion of solar and wind sectors creates employment opportunities for rural youth.
  • Eg: India’s solar sector employed over 1.6 lakh workers in 2023 (IRENA).
• Improved Health through Pollution Control: Reduction in biomass burning improves air quality and reduces disease burden.
  • Eg: Ujjwala scheme contributed to a fall in household indoor air pollution, lowering respiratory diseases.
• Community-based Natural Resource Management: Empowering locals in resource conservation ensures both livelihoods and sustainability.
  • Eg: Joint Forest Management in Odisha improved forest cover while providing NTFP income.
• Eco-Tourism as Income Source: Conservation areas can create livelihood opportunities through tourism.
  • Eg: Kaziranga National Park eco-tourism provides jobs to local Assamese communities.
• Sustainable Agriculture Practices: Promoting millets, organic farming, and micro-irrigation ensures environmental protection with income security.
  • Eg: Declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets encouraged millet farming, benefitting dryland farmers.
• Climate-Resilient Infrastructure: The poor are most vulnerable to climate change. Building resilience (flood-resistant housing, irrigation facilities) protects both the environment and livelihoods.
  • Eg: The PM-KUSUM scheme provides farmers with solar pumps, reducing diesel dependence.
• Circular Economy and Waste-to-Wealth Models: Waste collection, recycling, and composting provide livelihoods while protecting the environment.
  • Eg: Self-Help Groups in Pune run waste segregation and composting units profitably.

Conclusion

In India, poverty alleviation and environmental protection are often seen in conflict, but they can be made complementary. A just transition through affordable green technology, inclusive policies, and livelihood diversification can reconcile the two. Sustainable growth, when designed with equity and participation, becomes a tool for empowering the poor rather than restricting them.

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