Intergenerational equity in sustainable development focuses on fair resource distribution between present and future generations. Intragenerational equity emphasizes fairness among contemporary populations, addressing disparities. Achieving inclusive growth involves balancing economic development with social and environmental considerations to ensure equitable opportunities and well-being for all.
UPSC Mains General Studies Paper – 3 Mains 2020
UPSC Mains Civil Services IAS Exam Question Paper – 2020
Tag: Indian Economic Development, Employment, inclusive growth and related issues , and sustainable development.
Approach
- In the introduction, try to define the concept of Equity/Inclusive growth.
- In Body,
- Explain inter-generational equity and issues.
- Explain intra-generational equity and issues.
- Try to conclude by evaluating the need for inclusive growth and sustainable development in order to bring equity in intergenerational and intragenerational with respect to India.
Answer
Equity means just, fair, and equitable distribution of resources and benefits of opportunity. Inclusive growth refers to providing employment opportunities to reduce poverty, having access to health and education facilities, providing equality of opportunity and empowering masses through appropriate education and skills.
Intergenerational and intragenerational equity are two hands of the doctrine of sustainable equity. Sustainable equity aims to find a proper balance between intergenerational equity (between the present and future people) and intragenerational equity (between the rich and the poor of the present generation.
Inter-generational Equity Issues
- Intergenerational equity has become crucial in the present times, due to the growing imbalance in the distribution of resources, ongoing degradation of the environment and depletion of resources.
- This growing imbalance can be seen clearly between developing and developed nations or between global north and global south.
- Moreover, developed countries do not want to help developing or underdeveloped countries to adopt green technologies, mitigation, and adaptation mitigation which underlines their approach of economic prosperity at the cost of environmental degradation.
- In this context the concept of sustainable development is introduced which refers to the use of resources should be done in such a manner that those resources shall also be available to meet the future needs.
Intra-generational Equity Issues
- The concept of intra-generational equity provides rights and duties to every person of a single generation to use and take care of the resources moderately among the members of the generation.
- In order to promote intra-generational equity, the concept of social justice is propagated. Welfare schemes like subsidies, reservations, etc., are provided by the governments to help the vulnerable section of society.
- However, sometimes measures taken under the narrative of social justice interfere with the free market principle.
- The free market demands rollback of state and propagates the market as the solution to every problem.
- Following this, India conducted LPG reforms in 1991. However, the pro-market reforms have failed to trickle-down effect and resulted in the jobless growth & increasing inequalities (Oxfam Report).
- In this context, the concept of Inclusive Growth has been introduced, which advances equitable opportunities for economic participants during economic growth with benefits incurred by every section of society.
Conclusion
Proper distribution of both, renewable and non-renewable resources are not enough to ensure the environmental security, disposal of those resources after utilization and recycling of the available resources are also very much important for execution of the laws framed for the protection of environment and promotion of sustainable development. Moreover, in a developing country like India, intra-generational & inter-generational equity is more important as more resources are required for ensuring the development of all, including the future generation.
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