Equity and sustainability are the two main components of human development. Equity refers to making equal access to opportunities available to everybody; irrespective of their gender, race, income, caste, or anything. The basic idea is to ensure equitable distribution of opportunity to every individual, so they can exercise their choice without any hindrance. Each must get an equal share of the developmental pie, and human development cannot be said to have happened if only one set of individuals get all the opportunities.

Sustainability means continuity in the availability of opportunities, which is based on the premise that to have sustainable human development, each generation must have the same opportunities. The idea is to ensure sustainable use of all environmental, financial and human resources while considering the future requirements. Misuse of any of these resources will lead to fewer opportunities for future generations. Hence, each generation must have the same starting point.