Invest India, UNDP identify 18 Investment Opportunities Areas across six critical SDG-enabling sectors

New Delhi [India], November 21 (ANI): Invest India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have identified 18 Investment Opportunities Areas (IOAs) across six critical SDG-enabling sectors that can balance commercial returns with catalytic development impact.
On Friday, the UNDP and Invest India launched the SDG Investor Map for India laying out 18 Investment Opportunities Areas (IOAs) in six critical SDG enabling sectors that can help India push the needle forward on Sustainable Development.
"India occupies a key role in determining the success of the SDGs, globally. Invest India is pleased to have partnered with UNDP India to develop the first-ever 'SDG Investor Map for India'," Deepak Bagla, CEO and MD, Invest India, said on the occasion.
He further said, "This initiative is an instrumental stride in India's development trajectory, and I believe it couldn't have come at a better time. We hope our data-backed research and insights serve as useful blueprints to understand how best the SDG financing gap can be narrowed in India."
One of the key highlight of the SDG Investor Map is that of the 18 IOAs identified, 10 are already mature investable areas that have seen robust Private Equity and Venture Capital activity, and feature companies that have been able to unlock scale and demonstrate profitability.
Meanwhile, the remaining eight IOAs are emerging opportunities, which have seen traction from early-stage investors.
The map has also identified eight White Spaces, which have seen investor interest and have the potential to grow into IOAs within a 5-6 year horizon. However, these require further policy support and private sector participation to mature into commercially attractive IOAs.
"The Map comes at a critical time for India. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the financing gap for the SDGs in India has only widened further and decades of development progress is nearly on the verge of reversal. Investing in the SDGs at this point is crucial to 'Building Back Better' and making the economy and our societies more resilient and sustainable," said Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India. (ANI)