India at the Crossroads of Transforming the Water–Food–Energy Nexus for People, Planet, and Prosperity

India, home to nearly one-fifth of the global population, relies on just 4% of the planet’s renewable freshwater, 80% of which supports irrigation powered by a coal-dependent energy grid. This paper outlines a four-step diagnostic framework to address mounting pressure on India’s waterfoodenergy (WFE) nexus in order to advance sustainability. Mapping interdependencies across water, food, and energy systems begins with the use of footprinting, scenario modeling, and open-access dashboards to identify cascading risks and intervention points. India’s performance on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 6, 7, and 13 is then benchmarked, revealing how groundwater-intensive agriculture and coal-based energy impede progress. Key trade-offs (e.g., free electricity that depletes aquifers), synergies (e.g., solar-powered drip irrigation for millets), and governance gaps (e.g., fragmented mandates and misaligned subsidies) are examined. Finally, digital platforms and decentralized pilot initiatives are assessed for their potential to offer scalable leverage points. Four core insights emerge: (i) irrigation demand may exceed renewable supply by the mid-21st century without reform; (ii) state-level pilots demonstrate technical and economic viability; (iii) entrenched incentives and institutional fragmentation hinder scale-up; and (iv) digital and localized innovations show high potential for transformation. Finally, the illustrative efforts presented in this article underscore the potential of a coordinated reform package—one that brings together open-access nexus data, smart-metered incentives, basin-level insti- tutions, blended-finance solar models, efficient cooling technologies, and universal micro-irrigation to substantially reduce irrigation demand and accelerate sustainability progress well before 2030. These leverage points align closely with the five actionable reforms outlined in the conclusion, offering a practical path forward. As the technology is already in place, determining whether India’s WFE nexus becomes a constraint or strategic opportunity for inclusive, low-carbon development will depend on aligning tariffs, data protocols, finance, and institutional coordination.