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Development is the human process of translating all spheres of knowledge in practical life. The concept of development is not only limited to intellectual level but its meaning can also manifest in daily interactions…while determining the definite norms and values, the concept also lays down the base for discussion as to what is development and what it should be like." (Bongarz and Dahal: 2054,1)

Traditionally development is looked at on the basis of economic, industrial, regional, and community development. After the 1980s, the trend in the belief shows that development is not only confined to the progress in one or the other of the various areas: it is rather the integrated development of all aspects of the society" (Brandt, 1980: 23). The 1990s, however, witnessed new concepts taking over past concepts while bringing about changes and modifications in the earlier beliefs. After the 1990s, we find the concept of development encompassing human development, people-oriented development, participatory development, and integrated development.

New concepts and timely changes have also been applied in the theories that direct these aspects of development:

'There has been continuity in the modifications of development oriented theories. Several development-oriented theories have been restored:

Theories of progress, theories of continuity (the theory that believes the fruit of development perennially flows downward from above) the theory of modernity, (the theory propounds that traditional and ancient social values needs to be translated into modern values), theory of rational choice, the theory of congenial infrastructure… In contrast, at present congeniality also prevails among self reliance, community development, social justice, equality, unity, cooperation, human development, and security for human beings.' ( Bongarz and Dahal: 2054,1)

Identification of conflicting impediments inherent in the society to address the fulfillment of basic needs
Implementation of policy strategies of the planning and development so as to uplift the status of children, women, the invalid, the disadvantaged, and the poor.
Promotion of different aspects of social development such as creation of opportunities of employment, social integration, and maintaining balance on environmental protection in order to bring improvement in people's standard of living.
Generate a sense of self-respect in every citizen while providing them access to and encouraging their participation in the process of social justice, independence, and creativity.

During the 1970s, the developed countries of the world put much emphasis on industrial development for economic growth. This resulted in unprecedented negative impact in the natural environment. Likewise, the developing countries were facing rapid population growth. There was much environmental deterioration and imbalance in nature and life cycle following the industrial development and rapid population growth, giving birth to a new concept of development in the 1980s. The awareness and active role of the intellectuals, non-governmental organizations, framers of policies, as well as the aware citizens was decisive in this matter. The development process also promoted the universal norms that centered on poverty alleviation, right to making self-decision, and human values. It also promoted the ability to express worldwide feeling that 'Planet Earth is a common property' and 'we all are neighbors'. This norm also contained thoughts such as 'common security', 'common future', and 'worldwide human security'.

Sustainable development could be defined as the balanced use of country's natural resources and means for the future generation. The primary objective of this strategy is to maintain a balance in the genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity found in the world in order to create a congenial atmosphere not to have any negative impact in the natural ecosystem while fulfilling the needs of Man. There is a strong belief that in line with this concept development will have to bring the state, government, economic powers (market forces), and the civic society close to human values and ascertain completeness to the potentiality inherent in human beings. Sustainable development projects human potentiality. This concept not only redefines capital and investment but also takes environmental and social heritage as a resource. It also emphasizes on a balance among them. It further contends that only the progress in economic sector will end poverty, environmental degradation, and social instability." ( Dahal and Bongarz: 2054,60)

Sustainable development is a complex and multi dimensional concept. Primarily it encompasses economic, social, and environmental aspects. Michael Redclift holds that the concept of sustainable development is intertwined between two opposite intellectual traditions of thoughts. While one school of thought upholds the limit determined by nature for Man, the other school holds the possibility of physical development intrinsically interlinked to environment (Redclift 1987: 199). However, whatever kind of victory of human mind over the natural environment may have, nature sets its own limit.

Human beings have been using fossil fuel such as coal, natural gas, and oil extracted from oil fields to facilitate transportation and run industries. These natural resources extracted from underground are certain to exhaust one day. That is why it is not only necessary but also imperative to make a balanced use of the limited natural resources.

While the developed countries are rendering negative impact on the natural environment by using the natural resources in an unsystematic way, the subsistence people in developing countries are left with no choice but to struggle to fulfill their basic needs for a subsistence existence. As a result, tremendous threats such as loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, rapid desertification, damage of ozone layer, green house effect, and nuclear winter are multiplying day by day. In this background, there is a need for accelerating development process without letting it to have any negative impact in the balance between Man, flora and fauna, climate, rivers and streams, ocean, mountain, forests, vegetation and the atmosphere. Likewise, there is also a need for providing social security by ascertaining livelihoods and fulfilling the basic needs of the majority of the people such as food, pure drinking water, health care services, clothes, education, healthy environment, and regional and institutional strengthening. For sustainable development, Man will have to try to maintain a congenial relation with nature while paying attention to long-term environmental protection.

According to Shaukat Hasan (1997:411) sustainable development has the following four components:

Planning strategy and resource mobilization are the important theoretical components of sustainable development. In view of its typical needs, each country will have to determine different aspects of its society as to what is going to be sustainable development, what strategy is to be adopted in the given context, and what resources are to be mobilized while implementing the strategy. There is no uniformity in the needs of developed and developing countries. For this reason, priority will have to given to needs of the country while framing policy strategy for environmental protection and sustainable development. However, both the developed and developing countries need to pay attention and use the minimum of natural resources so that the future generation can also use the bounty of nature:

Since that poverty and least economic development are the impediments in environmental and sustainable development, priority will have to given to poverty alleviation.
It is imperative for the developed countries to pay attention to the limited natural resources of their countries in order to sustain the development process.
The developed countries need to be liberal in their technical and economic support to developing countries for poverty alleviation as the developing use more natural resources in comparison to the developing countries.

Institutional reform forms an important component of sustainable development. One cannot imagine sustainable development without it. Sustainable development does not seem feasible in developing countries because of the lack of trained manpower, inadequate technical know-how, and excessive centralization of power. For this reason institutional development is essential for sustainable development.

Sustainable development is possible only in a democracy. It is imperative for the participation of all sects of society in the development process for sustainable development. For this good governance and political stability is inevitable. Political stability is possible only when there is good governance. Good governance, on the other hand, means the presence of an accountable government, transparency, rule of law, wide public participation, people's representation, and guarantee of rights.

There is a need to search for economic policies that identifies financial limitations of the state and endeavors to remove the shortcomings, while selecting alternatives for the flow of capital, and ensures minimum impact on environment.

Social integration is crucial for sustainable development. The social component is very important in a multi-racial, multi-religion, and multi-lingual society for sustainable development. Likewise, social harmony and religious tolerance is vital for people oriented development. Only in such an atmosphere people from different race, religion, and language groups could be empowered and they would be to participate in the decision making process that may eventually affect their lives.

Nepal embraced the concept of sustainable development as a policy in the process of development in the Ninth Plan (2054-2059). Poverty is the main threat in sustainable development in Nepal . That is why it is crucial to give priority to different aspects of development such as provision of food, pure drinking water, health care facilities, education, population, health education, regional development, mobilization of manpower, and the creation of opportunities for employment. There should be people's participation in decision-making process and in drawing up of a strategy that will have least negative impact on environment. Efforts should also be made to maintain a balance in environmental protection and in the use of natural resources. The Ninth Plan ( 2054-2059) emphasizes sustainable use of resources while framing policies for the management of environmental and natural resources land-use planning, and the policies regarding forests and land reform. According to the concept of sustainable economic development, the Ninth Plan defines resource management as:

' Not to let degrade the existing natural resources and fulfill of the needs of the present time and in the future. In this sense resource management not only means conservation but also the wise use of it. It also ensures fulfilling the needs of the present generation. In Nepalese context, sustainable resource management means fulfilling the needs according to the aspirations of the people while achieving the sustainability of resource use. If the rural areas face problems such as soil erosion, floods and landslides, and deforestation, the urban areas are affected by the negative impacts of pollution, lack of pure drinking water, ineffective garbage management etc on the natural environment. …"Failure to maintain harmony among economic, social, natural, and human resources through their interrelationship will obstruct sustainable environmental and economic development. National Planning Commission 2055:249-250"

This shows that His Majesty's Government has principally adopted the policy of the concept of environmental protection and sustainable development. The policy has adopted the sustainable protection and management of natural resources. Nepal 's long-term policy of environmental protection and sustainable resource management are:

"Implement the programs by integrating environment and development and through the active and participatory involvement of governmental, non-governmental, users groups, and the private sector (National Planning Commission 2055: 249-250).

In this regard the important aspects incorporated in the Ninth Plan on the basis of users and community participation include - involving the disadvantaged group and the women and sharing the benefit with them, maintaining partnership with non-governmental organizations, and using cultural and traditional process of environmental protection. It also includes the initiation of campaign for general awareness, expanding the programs for biodiversity conservation, and development of information flow on natural disaster management.

A developing country like Nepal needs to take into consideration the following matters while framing policy and programs for sustainable development:

There should be a wide participation of the people in framing policy, strategy, and implementing the program activities for poverty alleviation. The factors that have negative impact in the process of utilizing natural resources will have to be identified. Attention should also be given to ascertain the sustainability of such resources with minimum use and maximum output. In this respect necessary laws should be made with effective enforcement system.
Emphasis should be given to the conservation and preservation of national resources by controlling rapid population growth as well as unsystematic and uncontrolled migration pattern.
The general public should be made aware of the environmental condition while actively involving local bodies and the private sector for garbage management.
The basic infrastructure for sustainable development must be included while signing bilateral or multilateral agreement for loans or donation. National needs and context, and the long-term effect of the endeavor must be taken into consideration while seeking loans and donations from abroad. The country should not agree to unnecessary conditions or pressures of the donor countries or organizations.
The formulation of policies with an aim to make women self reliant must ascertain their participation in national mainstream while incorporating the concept of environment, sustainable development, and their significance and long-term impact.
Emphasis must be given to direct tax with timely change in policies, strict adherence to financial laws, cut in administrative expenses, and the maximal mobilization of internal revenue.
Priority must be given to areas and settlements identified with maximum changes for environmental protection.

Sustainable development is possible only when there is interrelationship between environment and development. The effort of a single individual is not enough to maintain a balance in environmental protection. For this, a participatory approach must be adopted. In order to strike a balance between environment and development, the participatory involvement of governmental and non-governmental organizations, local bodies, users group as well as the private sector is crucial. In addition, for the conservation of natural resources and the promotion of environmental awareness and heritage, it is imperative to involve grassroots people. It should also integrate awareness program with development programs. The concept of sustainable will materialize only with concerted efforts from all quarters.