Gandhian Values : Sustainable Development Goals-Zero Hunger

There is enough for everybody’s goals but nor for anybody’s greed.

Gandhi emphasized that creation of wealth through means and without endangering sustainable development has to be the basis of economic policy simple living and high thinking should our philosophy of life. Gandhian ideas are spiritual oriented and have a holistic approach. It is inclusive in nature.

As is well known in 2015, His global leaders assembled in New York to sign up for the 2030 agenda for sustainable development which espouses 17 sustainable development goals. The major aspirate of the 2030 agenda is captures by the tagline “Leave no one behind”.
Gandhiji viewed the “progress of a society should be determined by the state of the most vulnerable and the weakest ones”. People who are furthest from the frontless of development are to be brought up to the level of the others for real development. He spoke about the weakest and the most vulnerable not only about the most income poor people. This essentially echoes the concept of 'multidimensional poverty' which stems from not only low-income but also from life cycle issues, social stigma, locational disadvantages, gender disparity, and other similar sources of risks. One of Gandhiji’s powerful statements reflects a similar thought where he says,“Poverty is the worst form of violence”.
The SDGS are distinguished by their emphasis on sustainability. He mentioned that “what we do today, is our future”. He also said, “We should not look upon the natural resources, water, and land-as inheritance from our forefathers”. He considered them to be the loan given by our next generation. Gandhiji was the epitome of personal parched of sustainable consumption and production. Gandhiji in his unique way mentioned,

“Be the change you wish to see in the world”

Human development has now become the corner stance of mainstream wisdom. Gandhiji reckoned health as one’s “Biggest wealth, not the golds and silvers”. He mentioned that to eradicate hunger people should be ensured with nourished , i.e., healthy food. The modern concepts of “full employment” and minimum income were also quite noticeable in Gandhiji’s expressed thoughts.

He said that,

I don’t want employment for few, I want employment in the masses.

From Gandhian thought to Sustainability:-

• Dalit Untouchables & Women focus of social field concept of Sarvodaya refers to concern for poor & to matter of pointy gender relation.
• Economic field not just with research for economic independence of country but also economic empowerment of local communities in search for food self sufficiency.
• Concept of Swadeshi can be related to issue of food sovereignty as well as circular economy.
• Environment field through research for material sobriety & resource conservation.
• Concept of Ahimsa related to preservation of environment & natural resource.
• Governance or political field through portion of local self government research participation of all minorities in governance.
• Concept of Swaraj also refers to participatory democracy.
• Cultural / Ethics field through promotion of individual responsibility towards everyone.
• Concept of Satyagraha can be compared to philosophy of care in its wider dimension.

Gandhiji once said, I will give you a talism whenever you are in doubt or when the self become too much with you.

Apply: - Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man and ask yourself, will it lead to Swaraj for hungry and spitefully starving many millions? Then you will find your doubts and yourself melt away. We need to recollect these words of the mahatma every moment.

Sustainable development is a movement a vision. In his book 'Hind Swaraj', he stressed the sustainable development and so his sustainable development is based on holistic paradigm which lays stress on all round development of individual and society in relation with nature. It was based on ethical vision. So in any scheme of development man should be at the center.