Concepts like Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) and South South Cooperation (SSC) have a significant impact on national strategies for international aid. This paper examines India's policy ideas and local practices to explore the contexts of the national implementation of the SDGs for global public well-being. The study approaches these issues through three avenues: the SDG-oriented idealistic view of international aid, the pragmatic lines of the SSC model and the TOSSD framework that bridges those two aspects. In the case of India, we observe a traditional orientation of international aid focused on the SSC model, combined with a tendency of transformation toward the SDGs. The research discusses Indian practice and analyzes the existing barriers to development and their associated policy solutions. This background reflects on the general transition of development strategies in international aid among the BRICS countries and the potential of these countries' future contributions toward global development.