India’s journey towards sustainable energy and climate resilience finds its roots in Gujarat — a state that turned environmental responsibility into a driver of development. Long before the world began speaking the language of climate action, Gujarat had quietly built the grammar for it — integrating energy efficiency, water conservation and community participation into a model of inclusive, sustainable growth.
It began with the Jyotigram Yojana in 2003 — a visionary rural power reform that ensured 24×7 electricity to households while regulating supply for agriculture. This innovation not only brought light to every village but also established a culture of energy discipline. Gujarat’s Sujalam–Sufalam Yojana complemented this by reviving canals, promoting water harvesting and creating a citizen-led conservation movement — the early essence of “people’s participation in environmental governance.”
By 2012, Gujarat had already become India’s renewable energy laboratory with the Charanka Solar Park, Asia’s first integrated solar facility. What began in the sun-scorched plains of Patan became the prototype for India’s solar transformation. Alongside, the state’s mangrove regeneration and afforestation programmes expanded green cover by over 20%, showcasing how ecological stewardship could coexist with economic ambition. Together, these efforts birthed a new development paradigm — one that wove energy security, ecology and enterprise into a seamless fabric.
As Narendra Modi transitioned from Gandhinagar to New Delhi, the Gujarat model evolved into the national framework for sustainable inclusion. Ujjwala Yojana delivered clean energy to over 80 million households, curbing deforestation and indoor air pollution. Swachh Bharat Mission linked sanitation and waste management to environmental outcomes, while the Jal Jeevan Mission extended Gujarat’s water wisdom to every home. Digital India and Smart Cities Mission further blended sustainability with technology, embedding efficiency in governance and urban design.
This domestic transformation positioned India for global climate leadership. Guided by the vision of “climate justice — growth for all, harm to none,” India launched the International Solar Alliance (ISA), now a coalition of over 120 nations advancing affordable solar energy. The LiFE Movement (Lifestyle for Environment) further reimagined climate action as behavioural change, encouraging citizens to become “Pro-Planet People.” At COP26, India’s Panchamrit commitments — 500 GW non-fossil energy capacity, 50% renewable share and Net Zero by 2070 — signalled a confident, equitable model of green growth rooted in experience, not abstraction.
Urban Gujarat continues to embody this ethos — through the Sabarmati Riverfront and Surat’s clean energy systems, where urban renewal meets climate resilience. These models now inform India’s broader strategies for sustainable cities, green hydrogen and circular economies. From the sun fields of Charanka to the global climate stage, Gujarat’s legacy endures — proving that sustainability is not a luxury of the developed world but a lived commitment of a developing nation.
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Maharashtra sits at #2 in the 2025 SKOCH State of Governance rankings (Jan-Sept 2025), inside a tightly packed lead group where small changes in volume and quality can swing outcomes.
The Gujarat model was built on participatory planning and outcome-oriented governance. Local priorities determined the projects, reflecting Modi’s insistence that development should be based on felt needs, not administrative assumptions.
This model provides a blueprint for the next wave of transformation—one where product companies thrive alongside services and where ecosystems, not isolated firms, become the true measure of success.
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