A groundbreaking study released on Wednesday reveals that India stands at the cusp of an unprecedented economic transformation, with the potential to create 48 million jobs and attract massive investments through its transition to a green economy.
Massive Economic Opportunity Unveiled
The Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a Delhi-based public policy think tank, launched a comprehensive assessment showing that India could attract USD 4.1 trillion in cumulative green investments and generate 48 million full-time equivalent jobs by 2047. The analysis further projects that the country could unlock a USD 1.1 trillion annual green market, equivalent to ₹97.7 lakh crore, within the same timeframe.
This first-of-its-kind national assessment identifies 36 green value chains across three major sectors: energy transition, circular economy, and bio-economy with nature-based solutions. Together, these represent what experts are calling a defining economic opportunity for India's journey toward becoming a developed nation, or Viksit Bharat.
Beyond Solar and EVs: The Broader Green Landscape
Contrary to popular perception that views green economy primarily through solar panels and electric vehicles, the CEEW study highlights a much broader spectrum of opportunities. The research points to emerging sectors including bio-based materials, agroforestry, green construction, sustainable tourism, circular manufacturing, waste-to-value industries and nature-based livelihoods.
Each of these sectors has the potential to scale into billion-dollar industries over the next two decades while simultaneously strengthening India's resource security and economic resilience.
Jayant Sinha, former Union Minister and president of Everstone Group and Eversource Capital, emphasized the significance of these findings at the launch of the study titled 'Building a Green Economy for Viksit Bharat'. "India's green transition is fundamentally net positive: it can create millions of jobs, accelerate growth, improve public health and strengthen national security by shifting to domestic energy sources. The value chains identified in this CEEW study point to where this trillion-dollar opportunity lies," Sinha stated.
Sector-Wise Breakdown of Opportunities
The energy transition sector emerges as the largest investment magnet, with analysis showing it alone could generate 16.6 million FTE jobs and attract USD 3.79 trillion in investments across renewables, storage, distributed energy and clean mobility manufacturing.
Within this sector, electric mobility stands out as the single largest employer, projected to drive over 57% of all energy-transition jobs. This highlights the massive employment potential in India's evolving transportation ecosystem.
The bio-economy and nature-based solutions segment, deeply rooted in India's rural and peri-urban landscapes, shows remarkable potential to create 23 million jobs and unlock a market value of USD 415 billion. The top job-generating value chains in this segment include:
- Chemical-free agriculture and bio-inputs: 7.2 million FTE jobs
- Agroforestry and sustainable forest management: 4.7 million FTE jobs
- Wetland management: 3.7 million FTE jobs
The circular economy sector is projected to generate USD 132 billion in annual economic output and create 8.4 million FTE jobs across waste collection, recycling, repair, refurbishment and material recovery. Notably, 7.6 million of these jobs would arise from waste-related activities, including roles in collection, sorting, aggregation, recycling operations, and last-mile resource recovery.
Strategic Vision for Green Transformation
Amitabh Kant, former G20 Sherpa and CEO of NITI Aayog, highlighted India's unique position in the global green transition. He noted that as India moves beyond being a USD 3 trillion economy, the country cannot follow the development models of the West but must chart its own sustainable path.
"With much of our infrastructure yet to be built, we have a unique chance to design cities, industries and supply chains around circularity, clean energy and the bioeconomy," Kant emphasized. "Just as digital public infrastructure enabled India to leapfrog technologically — achieving in seven years what would have taken decades — we must now pole-vault into a green economy."
The study also acknowledges significant challenges that need addressing, including lowering capital costs for early-stage sectors, improving supply chains for raw and recycled materials, strengthening R&D and innovation, building a technically skilled workforce, and establishing trusted product standards for emerging green technologies.
Experts stress that coordinated action across ministries, state governments, industries, finance and local institutions will be essential to integrate these green value chains into mainstream economic planning. The presence of Chief Economic Advisor Dr V Anantha Nageswaran at the study launch underscores the government's recognition of this transformative opportunity.
Together, these green opportunities represent one of India's largest untapped economic potentials, with deep linkages to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives and community enterprises that form the backbone of the Indian economy.
