Humans are the most versatile consumers of these resources. Therefore as the population grows exponentially even as the resources remain limited, per capita utilisation is bound to decrease in the future. India, as an emerging power must focus its policies on accessing these resources and utilising them judiciously for its exploding population.Thus it is not the weapons but the access to these shrinking resources which holds the key to the might of a country in the global arena.
The industrial growth is appreciated but not at the cost of the livelihoods of the traditional forest dwellers. For eg: in Odisha, beatle leaves cultivators earn 1.5 lakh/year, where as govt. compensation for acquiring there land for 30 years is jus 1.15 lakh. They are more well off with their traditional jobs than these industrial jobs. Bio fuels, which are showcased as the panacea for the global warming, are consuming many maize crops leaving behind many hungry and poor. It is just solving one problem by creating another.
Inter state water disputes are becoming complex especially in the southern states. Construction of dams, sharing of water, diversion of water are some of the issues in it. River linking is expected to solve this problem but there are concerns w.r.t flooding and drought. Reverse osmosis is one technology which if mastered can solve the drinking water problem as India has a long coastline of 7500 Km. Presently govt. has prioritised the usage of water as drinking, irrigation, navigation and industrial. 
Food production in India crossed 225 Mn tonnes in 2010-11 but it hosts the most number of hungry people in the world. Universalisation of food security is a timely measure by the govt. but its implementation is a matter of concern and has a lot of scope for improvement. Another major problem in this sector is of storage and wastage. Govt. exports our grains to other countries just because we do not have enough storage facilities. This is a simple problem which requires a modest investment in construction of storage houses and not resorting to FDI. Supply chain in the food cycle is an important component in providing food to the needy and giving a proper compensation for the producers. The solution lies in govt. taking initiatives to connect the farmer to the consumer by providing appropriate logistics like transport vehicles, VAS on their mobiles regarding market prices and so on. FDI in multi brand retail will bind the farmers to these MNCs on the producers' side and help only the well off consumers and not the lower middle class on the consumers' side. The way out can be cooperatives with strict monitoring and regulation. The problem of politicisation and inefficiency can be solved with growing technology and legislations like RTI.
'Energy security' is a cliched term used in almost all summits and negotiations in the world today. Its importance is unparallel for the economic growth of any country depends on its access to energy sources. Oil, petrol, Gas prices are driving all other commodity prices up and down. With the concerns of global warming rising, nations are looking for alternatives like solar, nuclear, biogas and so on. Energy is one resource, which if harnessed well has no limitation. Renewable ones like solar, hydro, biogas, wind are simple and direct solutions but fall under the 'untapped' category. We have technologies but are presently not affordable. Improvisation can bring down the cost and make it accessible for millions. The deregulation of petrol and diesel prices recently sparked protests nation wide. But we have not yet learned the hard way of using these resources prudently.
Even for the poor, free power is not recommended as the production is costly. Farmers do not want free but continuous power. They are ready to pay for it. Govt. must focus on providing stable livelihoods and continuous power. Instead of cutting entertainment taxes for IPL, govt. can redistribute the revenue from unproductive to productive activities. MNREGA is an excellent scheme to demonstrate the power of stable livelihood in raising the standards of the poor.
The recent auction of the 2G and 3G spectrum and the allegations over it highlights the importance this scarce resource holds for the future. Telecom revolution is heralded as the biggest revolution in the post reforms period which has transformed the face of India. With 65 million connections, India has 5th largest network in the world. Spectrum allocation and usage requires strong and transparent legislation and monitoring. The recent research on using even the 'White Spaces' i.e unused spectrum bandwidth can be a good solution to this jammed resource.
Humans are themselves a very important resource for their nations. India with almost 50% young population can become a super power if it harnesses its demographic dividend well. After telecom its the knowledge revolution which is expected to drive the economies in the future. Education and Health are the most important basic needs to build a strong human capital. Focus should be on imparting knowledge and developing personality instead of just rot learning. Men and Women must be made self reliant and self confident to lead their lives with a strong character. India presently lacks this component of values in its system of education. Thus, a new thinking and re sourcing is required to meet the growing challenges posed by this limited yet important aspect of our lives. These challenges must be inter linked not viewed from an isolated perspective. A coordinated effort between various ministries as well as between various organs of the democracy i.e Govt., judiciary, civil society and market can create a sustainable environment for India to march ahead into a bright future.
