The transport sector is central to climate action, contributing 24% of global direct CO₂ emissions, with road transport as the dominant source. In India, although transport accounts for only 10% of national emissions, rapid urbanization and rising incomes are expected to escalate urban travel demand and emissions. This paper assesses India’s urban transport policies and programmes for their alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and their broader climate and equity implications. Using a novel rating framework, we evaluate the legal status, scope, and intervention types across a diverse policy landscape- missions, frameworks, acts, and schemes. We map these interventions against categorized SDG targets and themes, and statistically assess their contribution to inclusive, low-carbon urban mobility. Despite fragmented systems and limited clean energy adoption, the sector offers significant mitigation potential. Our findings highlight key policy gaps and opportunities, offering guiding principles to strengthen SDG integration in transport planning. This paper contributes to the discourse on aligning urban transport with climate and development goals in the Global South.
Mahadevia et al. (Tue,) studied this question.