Poverty and the environment are closely inter-related. Whilst people living in poverty are seldom the principal creators of environmental damage, they often bear the brunt of environmental damage and are often caught in a downward spiral, whereby the poor are forced to deplete resources to survive, and this degradation of the environment further impoverishes people. Relationship between poverty and environmental degradation in India:

• Poverty leading to environmental degradation:
  • Depletion of resources: For instance, migration from rural to urban areas in search of better economic opportunities or towards coastal areas for the development of new industries lead to deforestation, encroachment of flood plains, over-exploitation of resources, increased pollution, etc. Hence, the pace of development basically depletes or sometimes destroys the very resources that are fuelling its growth.
  • Unsustainable agriculture: Poverty often causes people to put relatively more pressure on the environment and agriculture. Insufficient knowledge or unsustainable agricultural practices can lead to a decline in crop yield and productivity. For instance, decline in agricultural productivity due to practice of ‘jhum cultivation’ in the North-East.
  • Waste generation: Poor people are more likely to use unsustainable and traditional techniques, which create more waste and carbon emissions. For instance, use of non-clean fuel, open defecation, etc.
• Environmental degradation exacerbating poverty:
  • Soil erosion, land degradation and deforestation lead to a decline in food production and fuelwood along with a shortage of fodder for livestock leading to inflation, which adds to the woes of the poor.
  • Poor people are more vulnerable to environmental disasters such as cyclones, flood, heatwaves, etc., which are intensified by human-induced climate change. For instance, the fishing community is more vulnerable to climate change.
  • The urban poor are the most exposed to severe air and water pollution leading to health issues and increased out of pocket expenditure, which further squeezes their income. A study conducted in 2021 stated that India’s poor face disproportionately higher risk of dying from air pollution than the rich.
  • Women in certain villages of India in arid regions such as Vidarbha need to spend considerable time fetching water and fuelwood, which leaves less time for productive activities. Further, environmental damage affects their economic prospects disproportionately.

Role of poverty reduction in promoting sustainable development and safeguarding the environment:

• Investing in a sustainable livelihood: Poverty reduction efforts can promote sustainable development by creating economic opportunities that are environmentally sustainable, such as investing in renewable energy or promoting sustainable agriculture.
• Assigning ownership/responsibility of resources: Education and awareness raising programmes focusing on environmental issues can be integrated into poverty reduction efforts in order to empower communities to take ownership of their environmental resources and preserve them for future generations. For example, promoting eco-tourism, improving waste management practices, etc.
• Access to cleaner resources: Improved access to clean water, sanitation, and healthcare under poverty reduction efforts can reduce health risks associated with pollution, waste, and poor sanitation practices, thereby contributing to a healthier environment.
• Access to secure housing: It would free up land encroached by slum dwellers, which could be saved from land degradation and further utilised for watershed development, agro-forestation, etc.
• Promoting gender equality and empowering women: Women are often more vulnerable to environmental risks and degradation, and empowering them in decision-making leads to better resource governance and environmental conservation.

Thus, any development strategy needs to integrate economic poverty and environmental degradation to ensure its sustainability in the long-run. The government needs to examine the effectiveness, practicality and appropriate forms of policy targeting aimed at achieving poverty reduction and sustainable environmental management in different agro-ecological zones and urban environments.

The Communal Award was announced by the British Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald in August 1932 on the basis of the findings of the Indian Franchise Committee. It established separate electorates and reserved seats for minorities, including the depressed classes, which were granted 78 reserved seats.

The nature of the Award is as follows:

• Muslims, Europeans, Sikhs, Indian Christians, Anglo-Indians, depressed classes, women and Marathas were to get separate electorates. Such an arrangement for the depressed classes was to be made for a period of 20 years. The depressed classes were to get double vote, one to be used through separate electorates and the other to be used in the general electorates.
• In the provincial legislatures, the seats were to be distributed on communal basis. Also, the existing seats of the provincial legislatures were to be doubled. Moreover, the Muslims were granted higher weightage in seat distribution in areas where they were in minority.
• It tried to alienate different sections such as labour, commerce, industry, mining, planning and landlords by allotting special seats to them.
• Except in the North-West Frontier Province, 3 percent seats were to be reserved for women in all provinces.

Circumstances of the Communal Award:

• In 1909, when provision of a separate electorate was made for Muslims, many leaders of the depressed classes felt the need for reservation for them in the legislative bodies. In order to pacify agitating voices by giving them adequate representation in the legislative and executive bodies, the British government initiated constitutional reforms.
• In spite of the demand for a separate electorate, the Simon Commission recommended reservation of seats for the depressed classes.
• In the Second Round Table Conference, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar presented the case for reservation of seats for the depressed classes, which was then announced in the Communal Award.

Reactions towards it:

• The Congress opposed separate electorates, but was not in favour of changing the Communal Award without the consent of the minorities. Thus, while strongly disagreeing with the Communal Award, the Congress decided neither to accept it nor to reject it.
• Gandhiji saw it as an attack on Indian unity and nationalism. Moreover, he considered it harmful to both Hinduism and to the depressed classes since it provided no answer to the socially degraded position of the depressed classes. Some others viewed it as an attempt to divide the nation forever into pieces, therefore, rejected the Award.
• B. R. Ambedkar was a strong exponent of the rights of the depressed classes and criticised the Congress for its inability to address their problems.

As a reaction to the Award, Gandhiji demanded that the depressed classes be elected through a joint electorate and with reserved seats. To press his demand, he went on an indefinite fast on September 20, 1932. Later, various leaders, including B.R. Ambedkar, M.C. Rajah and Madan Mohan Malviya got together to work out a compromise, which was the Poona Pact.

The World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”. India has emerged as one of the fastest growing locations for tourism due to improved access to distant locations, larger disposable income and rising lifestyle aspirations of the domestic population and increased number of international tourists.

However, region-specific constraints exist with regard to sustainable tourism. These include:

• Coastal tourism:
  • Weak enforcement of coastal regulations has led to haphazard extension of accommodation facilities beyond carrying capacities of these areas, especially in the eastern coast such as in Digha (West Bengal) and Puri (Odisha).
  • Biodiversity in coastal areas such as corals are threatened due to an increase in activities like snorkelling, scuba diving, etc. which are largely under-regulated.
  • Increasing frequency and intensity of cyclones on the eastern coast is another major constraint.
• Himalayan tourism: Huge influx of adventure enthusiasts and other tourists confined during the summer months especially, translates to greater anthropogenic pressure. This results in increased air pollution, water pollution, generation of waste beyond the handling capacity of regions, such as in the case of Shimla and Manali.
• North-East region: Issues like poverty, insurgency as well as limited infrastructural facilities have thus far prevented the North-East region from realizing its full tourism potential.
• Eco-tourism: Wildlife or nature-based tourism is growing in India, especially in North and Central India due to increased tiger sightings. But, the following constraints restrict sustainable tourism:
  • National parks such as Ranthambore, Kanha and Pench face severe water shortage in the summer months, as luxury tourist resorts overuse the water resources.
  • Local people get only seasonal employment and the major share of profits are cornered by resort owners.
  • Rapidly changing land use outside the national parks coupled with heavy vehicular traffic is rapidly changing and impacting wildlife movement.
  • Major natural World Heritage Sites namely the Western Ghats, Sundarbans National Park and Manas Wildlife Sanctuary are facing threats from mining activities, oil and gas exploration, dam construction and unsustainable water use.
• Religious and cultural tourism:
  • Religious places in India observe mass gathering, which, at times, is beyond the carrying capacity of the region thus generating huge amounts of solid waste such as plastic bottles, coconut shells, hair, etc.
  • States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have multiple sites for cultural tourism, however, they lag behind when it comes to the safety and security of the tourists, connectivity and basic infrastructure and lack of marketing about the region.

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, SDG target 8.9 aims to devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism. In this regard, the Ministry of Tourism has launched the National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism and Responsible Traveller Campaign.