An ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, written in Sanskrit, in 2nd century BCE. The book Arthashastra has a broader scope, including the nature of government, law, civil and criminal court systems, ethics, economics, markets and trade, theories on war, nature of peace, and the duties and obligations of a king.
Published in Chapter:
Circular Economy for India: Perspectives on Stewardship Principles, Waste Management, and Energy Generation
Saravan Krishnamurthy (Symbiosis International University (Deemed), India), Geoffrey Fudurich (Ryerson University, Canada), and Prakash Rao (Symbiosis International University (Deemed), India)
Copyright: © 2019
|Pages: 27
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-8482-7.ch015
Abstract
The stewardship of resources for the good of the people is an ancient concept in India, practiced by revered kingdoms. This chapter discusses the original ideals of stewardship and how colonization caused a deterioration of this philosophy in favor of materialistic wealth generation. Colonization followed by the development of an industrialized and capitalistic leaning in the economy brought wealth and increased consumption for Indian people and also created multiple waste-related issues. These issues require a drastic overhaul of waste management practices, with particular attention to industrial ecology. Modern stewardship by India's CSR community is essential to prevent further environmental degradation due to poor waste management practices. The circular economy holds promise as a new economic system and philosophy that can refocus society towards the values of stewardship espoused by the nation's ancestors, while transitioning to a circular economy.