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Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) are prevalent all across in India. TB‐DM comorbidity has emerged as a syndemic and needs more attention in India considering gaps in screening, clinical care, and research. This paper is intended to review published literature on TB and DM in India to understand the burden of the dual epidemic and its trajectory and to obtain perspectives on the gaps, constraints, and challenges in care and treatment of this dual epidemic. A literature search was carried out on PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, using the key words 'Tuberculosis' OR 'TB' AND 'Diabetes' OR 'Diabetes Mellitus' AND 'India', focusing on the research published between the year 2000 to 2022. The prevalence of DM is high in patients with TB. Quantitative data on the epidemiological situation of TB/DM in India such as incidence, prevalence, mortality, and management are lacking. During the last 2 years convergence of TB‐DM syndemic with the COVID‐19 pandemic has increased cases with uncontrolled DM but also made coordinated control of TB‐DM operationally difficult and of low effectiveness. Research regarding TB‐DM comorbidity is required in the context of epidemiology and management. Detection and bidirectional screening are aggressively warranted. Management of DM in those with TB‐DM comorbidity needs more efforts, including training and supervision of frontline workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses findings of the 'PROWELLMIGRANTS'2 project, which qualitatively investigated COVID‐19 impacts on migrants' well‐being and mental health in Kerala, India. It draws on a novel conceptual framework that combines assemblage‐thinking with theories of social contracts in disasters. The paper first explores how past development processes and contemporary migration policies in Kerala, and India more widely, generated conditions of vulnerability for migrant workers in Kerala prior to the pandemic. Next it shows that Government of Kerala interventions, in some cases supported by the central Government of India, temporarily addressed these vulnerabilities during the pandemic. In acknowledging the helpful response of the Kerala government, we problematise its stance on migrant workers during 'normal' times and speculate that permanently addressing these conditions of vulnerability would be a more logical approach. We acknowledge this involves overcoming many wider barriers. Thus, the paper also contains national‐level policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist economists have long questioned the dichotomy between the "private" versus "public" spheres of women's work and have argued for a more nuanced understanding of the marketable paid work and the unpaid work of household caregiving. This paper focuses on women street food vendors' (SFVs) experiences before and during Covid‐19 pandemic to understand how street food vending as a livelihood activity interacts with social dimensions like gender and division of labor. Through multiple in‐depth interviews with 23 women street vendors in Bengaluru, India, before and during the pandemic, we show that there is a blurring of the dichotomy between the work done in the private and public spaces before the pandemic, which is disrupted by Covid‐19 crisis. The first half of the paper explores the household labor dynamics in the context of paid and unpaid work of women and explains how the women SFVs, capitalizing on their existing skills of "cooking," were able to gain agency and recognition for themselves within the households. The second half of the paper focuses on the narratives of the same women SFVs during the first wave of the Covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. We find that the Covid crisis brought back the dichotomy between private and public spheres, making it more pronounced, with women losing their control over the public sphere and their work being restricted only to the private sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A great deal of work argues that the entry of women into public spaces can promote political and institutional change. The COVID‐19 provides an opportunity to investigate whether and under what conditions women's political representation in rural local governments deliver effective local governance? Drawing from two rounds of data collected in 174 local governments and 1051 households in three Indian states, the paper shows that women Pradhans in the Gram Panchayats had no differential impact on the governance response to COVID‐19 compared to the unreserved ones. Analyzing the heterogeneity in these responses suggests that institutional factors like the proportion of women in village council and local entrepreneurship diversity can enhance women Pradhan's capacity to respond to the pandemic. We explore two channels that enable women Pradhan to govern effectively during the pandemic: improving women's participation in the labor force and reducing household's vulnerability to poverty in the pre‐COVID period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The forced changes and disruptions in educational systems and learning experiences due to the pandemic has impacted students' mental health and well‐being. The present study aims to understand the effects of the determinants of well‐being on students in India during the second wave (April to August 2021) of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The determinants of well‐being in this study are academic grit, intolerance to uncertainty and students' engagement in an online learning environment. In this study, well‐being is characterized as students' confidence and satisfaction in an online learning and pandemic environment. The data collected from 1174 students (12–19 years) from various states, using standardized tools, were analyzed to find out about the mediating effect of students' engagement on the relationship between academic grit and well‐being, and between intolerance to uncertainty and well‐being. Further, the model fit analysis of the determinants of well‐being is explored. The paper reports that students' classroom engagement does mediate in the path of academic grit and well‐being, and in the path of intolerance to uncertainty and well‐being. It also evidence the model fit of the influence of the determinants of well‐being on that of school students during the second wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic. The study also draws implications and suggestions for educators using the current model of students' well‐being. Practitioner Points: 1.Classroom engagement mediates in the path of academic grit and well‐being among school students during the pandemic.2.Classroom engagement mediates in the path of intolerance to uncertainty and well‐being among school students during the pandemic.3.Students' classroom engagement, academic grit, and intolerance to uncertainty evidenced to be the determinants of their well‐being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has been hard‐hit by the Covid‐19 pandemic. The virus has exacted a heavy toll in terms of lives lost and deteriorating health outcomes. The economic consequences of the pandemic have been similarly grim. In this paper we attempt an initial, interim, assessment of the impacts of the crisis on poverty. We review the growing literature that considers emerging poverty impacts, noting that there remain significant knowledge gaps due to limited evidence on current welfare outcomes. We analyze pre‐Covid survey data to examine the incidence of chronic poverty and downward mobility during a period of rapid economic growth and declining poverty. A profile of poverty during such a period might offer a plausible, partial, window on population groups currently at risk. We suggest that, notwithstanding the severe initial impacts of the crisis on poverty, there are grounds for expecting further consequences going forward. As the virus has spread out of the relatively affluent cities, and as economic stagnation persists, rural areas, with historically higher rates of chronic poverty and vulnerability, may see particularly sharp increases in poverty. While recent vaccination developments offer some grounds for optimism, there remains an urgent need to identify, implement and amplify effective policy alleviation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID‐19 pandemic brought novel challenges for society and businesses. Along with psychological impact on humans, COVID‐19 led to significant changes in business processes. Managerial competencies, which positively impact performance of both the employees and businesses, are influenced by changing social and business context. In this milieu, there is a call for research to understand the impact of recent changes on managerial competencies to make them future‐ready. Further, in light of prior studies that present opposing findings, a related question worth exploring is—does the importance of managerial competencies differ across countries? By answering these questions, key competencies, that can boost both employee performance and business profitability, can be assessed and nurtured for a positive global impact. This paper presents theoretical background, methodology, findings and implications from a two‐part study that was conducted to answer above questions. Phase 1, which included literature review, analysis of US Government's O*NET database and expert validation, yielded a unique 9 × 51 Managerial Competencies Framework. Using quantitative methodology, that involved primary survey of Indian experts and hypothesis testing on matching data‐sets, Phase 2 of this cross‐country study reports a broad agreement amongst US and Indian experts on the importance of key managerial competencies. Study offers many theoretical and practical implications, along with directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores social work students' perspectives of online fieldwork practice that emerged due to sudden disruption in field placement as a result of the outbreak of COVID‐19 in India. We have recruited and interviewed 32 Master's students from five north‐Indian universities to participate in the research. The study's findings highlight ill‐equipped agencies lacking social work components in online/virtual field placement. Also, ethical dilemmas in working virtually, disconnectedness from the field, and superficial supervision were experienced by the students. The study result implies the urgent need to develop and innovate a pedagogical approach to deal with uncertainties and crises like the COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to examine the ability of a global fear index (GFI) based on the COVID‐19 pandemic and government policy responses as a measure of uncertainty in predicting eight Indian rupee‐based exchange rate return series: the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, the Swiss franc, the US dollar, the euro, the British pound sterling, the New Zealand dollar, and the Japanese yen. The predictability of the daily Indian rupee‐based exchange rate return series is tested using the recently developed wild bootstrap likelihood ratio test of Kim and Shamsuddin for the period 2 October 2020 to 8 March 2021. Both symmetric and asymmetric tests revealed GFI as an insignificant determinant of the Indian rupee‐based exchange rate return series. However, government policy responses are a significant determinant of the rupee–dollar exchange rate return series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how the market valuation of firms varies on account of their operational fragility that makes them vulnerable to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using the data on plant location that uniquely identifies the vulnerability of firms to operational disruptions, we find that firms with plants located in zones susceptible to higher infections earn significantly lower returns. For firms with high operational fragility, the marginal value of financial flexibility and operating flexibility is higher. The adverse impact of the operational fragility is lower for firms affiliated with the larger business groups. The paper identifies unique channels associated with the pandemic that impact firm value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 crisis has translated into an unprecedented humanitarian crisis for the poor and marginalized groups in society. The countrywide lockdowns, quarantine measures, and mobility restrictions across 200 countries of the world have resulted in a host of negative manifestations for women. There have been unprecedented losses in the informal economy, which is dominated by women. Some scholars also contend that the pandemic will translate into heightened burden of unpaid domestic work, loss of economic autonomy and disruption to maternal health services. Despite these factors a gendered perspective is absent in the policy response to this crisis. It is against this background that the present paper employed a feminist intersectionality lens to conduct participatory field based research on the lived experiences of women in informal employment in Indian Punjab during the COVID‐19 crisis. The research unearthed the specific pathways through which existing socio‐economic inequities rooted in caste, class and occupational entities magnify the vulnerabilities experienced by women during such a health crisis. The research offers a contextualized framework for understanding the gendered impacts of the crisis. It also highlights the urgency of taking account of gender specific constraints during the health crisis so as to institute robust, effective and equitable policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial hot spots of COVID‐19 infections and fatalities are observed at places exposed to high levels of air pollution across many countries. This study empirically investigates the relationship between exposure to air pollutants that is, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter (SO2, NO2, and PM10) and COVID‐19 infection at the smallest administrative level (ward) of Mumbai City in India. The paper explores two hypotheses: COVID‐19 infection is associated with air pollution; the pollutants act as determinants of COVID‐19 deaths. Kriging is used to assess the spatial variations of air quality using pollution data, while information on COVID‐19 are retrieved from the database of Mumbai municipality. Annual average of PM10 in Mumbai over the past 3 years is much higher than the WHO specified standard across all wards; further, suburbs are more exposed to SO2, and NO2 pollution. Bivariate local indicator of spatial autocorrelation finds significant positive relation between pollution and COVID‐19 infected cases in certain suburban wards. Spatial Auto Regressive models suggest that COVID‐19 death in Mumbai is distinctly associated with higher exposure to NO2, population density and number of waste water drains. If specific pollutants along with other factors play considerable role in COVID‐19 infection, it has strong implications for any mitigation strategy development with an objective to curtail the spreading of the respiratory disease. These findings, first of its kind in India, could prove to be significant pointers toward disease alleviation and better urban living. Plain Language Summary: The study investigates the relationship between exposure to pollutants (local SO2, NO2, and PM10) and COVID‐19 (cases and deaths) in Mumbai. It also explains whether pollutants act as determinants of COVID‐19 deaths when other factors like population density, health infrastructure, number of slums, waste water drains and roads are controlled through spatial modelling. PM10 concentration is much above the WHO specified standard across Mumbai. Overall, people living in the suburbs of Mumbai are at a higher risk of respiratory morbidity. High exposure to specific pollutants (SO2, NO2, and PM10) and high‐presence of COVID‐19 cases are well established in certain wards in the suburban parts of the city. Further, exposure to NO2 and COVID‐19 deaths reveals strong linkages in Mumbai. Association of COVID‐19 and environmental pollution should be considered as a measure of an integrated approach in sustainable development as it has strong implications for mitigation strategies related to the novel virus. Key Points: Significant association between COVID‐19 infection with SO2, NO2, and PM10 reveals spatial hot spots in MumbaiWith increase in NO2 there is substantial increase in COVID‐19 deaths in MumbaiAir quality is an important element to address COVID‐19 management and sustainable urban development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study documents the lived experience of nurses coping with the double burden of external demands and internal stressors while providing care during the COVID‐19 pandemic in India. Methods: This qualitative study interviewed 18 female nurses who worked in the COVID wards of a major hospital in India. The one‐on‐one telephonic interviews were conducted with respondents based on three broad open‐ended questions. Thematic analysis was conducted. Results: Three themes were identified: (i) external demands such as availability, utilization, and management of resources; (ii) internal psychological stressors, such as emotional exhaustion, moral anguish, and social isolation; and (iii) promotive factors such as the roles of the state and society, and of patients and attendants Conclusions: Findings suggest that despite limited resources and facilities, nurses ploughed through the pandemic with their resilience and the state's and society's promotive factors. To improve health care delivery in this crisis, the role of the state and healthcare system has become important to prevent the workforce from crumbling. The sustained attention of the state and society is required to reinstate motivation among nurses by raising the collective value of their contribution and capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the effect of COVID‐19‐induced lockdown on the profitability of listed firms in India. We use quarterly income statement of 4168 listed firms for the period between April–June 2020 quarter and April–June 2022 quarter and compare their financial data with previous quarters (2015–2019). Using a difference‐in‐difference estimation framework and various profitability measures, we find that the COVID‐19 lockdown has reduced profits by around 15 per cent for listed firms in India. Our results are robust to various robustness tests and alternate specifications. We find evidence of firms losing revenues more than expenses, thus leading to decline in profits. The main effect is conditioned by firm‐specific factors. Specifically, firms that are smaller, older, unlisted and that do not belong to any group witnessed larger decline in profitability due to lockdown. Additionally, the effect of lockdown is more pronounced in areas that had lower mobility and higher COVID‐19 spread. These results underscore the importance of institutional factors and pre‐existing firm characteristics in conditioning the impact of lockdown on firm profitability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the dynamics of the impact of the evolving policy response during the COVID‐19 pandemic on the equity market sentiment in India. We operationalise our study by examining the India VIX, the fear gauge of the Indian equity market as an indicator for the market sentiment, and the country level Government Response Index of the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University as an indicator for the policy response. The relation is examined through the Markov‐switching model using high‐frequency daily data from January 30, 2020, to May 31, 2021. The evidence suggests that the policy response has a positive impact on the market sentiment when the market is fearful. Further, the evidence suggests that both the high‐fear state and the low‐fear state of the market sentiment given by the model are short‐lived indicating heightened volatility and possible speculation during the ongoing pandemic in the Indian equity market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Motivation: COVID‐19 has disrupted the lives of millions of people worldwide. Migrants in developing economies have been among the most affected. This vulnerable population faces a threat to their livelihood and way of life. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand the impact of the pandemic on their lives to be able to tackle subsequent waves of the pandemic or similar future exogenous shocks. Purpose: We delve into the economic and social disruptions caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic on the employment, sources of income, and lives of different categories of migrant labourers in the Indian state of Kerala. Methods and approach: Using the livelihood portfolio theory, we dissect this impact in relation to a wide range of issues. This was corroborated by in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with three categories of respondents. The interview data was analysed by using the directed qualitative content analysis method. We created themes from the data and juxtaposed them with the livelihood portfolio theory in addressing the research objectives. Findings Results highlight the impact on livelihood, lifestyles, migration prospects, and gender aspects. First, households dependent on international migrants were more severely affected than those with family members who were internal migrants. Second, a considerable lifestyle change (more reliance on a plant‐based diet) and borrowing patterns (more reliance on informal money lending) was reported. Third, opinions on future migration prospects were pessimistic, and a trend towards reverse migration was noted. We also captured resilience measures for each of the themes. Policy implications: We find that blanket responses to mitigate migrants' hardships could be counterproductive. Policy‐makers ought to implement tailor‐made policies keeping in mind the migrants' classification and socioeconomic demographics. Further, we recommend specific measures to address challenges that women face, to ease their workload and mitigate the loss of income. Specific measures aimed at initiating attitudinal change such as creating mental health awareness, curbing misinformation, and providing counselling services could also add immense value in tackling the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on in‐depth interviews with 24 middle‐class Indian child participants, this is the first exploratory qualitative study, in India, to demonstrate the ways in which children as reflexive social actors re‐negotiated everyday schedules, drew on classed resources at their disposal and made sense of the impact of the pandemic on their educational pathways and future aspirations. These narratives offer a unique lens on the politics of middle‐classness and its constitutive relation to constructions of normative childhoods in contemporary India. Study findings contribute to the sociology of Indian childhood and more generally help enrich our understanding of southern childhoods and the reproduction of inequalities in contemporary India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 crisis re‐shaped many livelihood options and placed significant burdens on those with precarious incomes exacerbating persisting vulnerabilities, especially among a large section of the migrant population. This group faced a dual threat – both to their livelihood and health. To understand the consequences of this pandemic on the income of the migrant population, a household level survey was conducted in the state of Bihar, India, which is one of the highest migrant‐sending states. We examine the role of differences in the socio‐economic status of migrants and their households in determining the extent of vulnerability caused by the COVID‐19 crisis. Vulnerability is proxied by the income lost by migrants during the lockdown. The results suggest that households with diversified income portfolio, larger landholdings, and those receiving government benefits suffered significantly lower income loss whereas, larger household size and greater distance from town tended to escalate income loss. Additionally, private salaried workers faced higher income loss and an increment in years of education lowers the losses significantly. It is observed that individual‐level characteristics also played a significant role in determining economic loss due to the lockdown. Our findings suggest a binding necessity to actively shape policies considering the financial insecurity of vulnerable migrants at their destination and the household members at the origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The COVID‐19 pandemic resulted in a wide variety of adverse consequences, including disruption of long‐term, human research studies globally. Two long‐term, prospective, aging cohort studies, namely, Srinivaspura Aging, Neurosenescence and COGnition (SANSCOG) study and Tata Longitudinal Study of Aging (TLSA), conducted in rural and urban India, respectively, had to be suspended during first and second waves of COVID‐19. Methods: We conducted telephonic assessments to screen for depression and anxiety in the above two cohorts comprising of adults ≥45 years, during the first wave (2020) and second wave (2021) lockdown periods in India. Further, we included depression assessments data from two additional time periods—pre‐COVID (2019) and the "inter‐wave" period (between the first and second waves) to compare proportions of depression in these cohorts, during four distinct time periods—(i) pre‐COVID, (ii) COVID first wave lockdown, (iii) inter‐wave period, and (iv) COVID second wave lockdown (rural: 684, 733, 458, 611 and urban: 317, 297, 204, 305 respectively). Results: During COVID first wave, 28.8% and 5.5% had depression and anxiety, respectively in the rural cohort. Corresponding figures in the urban cohort were 6.5% and 1.7%. During second wave, 28.8% of rural subjects had depression and 3.9% had anxiety, whereas corresponding figures in urban subjects were 13.1% and 0.66%. During the above‐mentioned four time periods, proportions of depression were: rural—8.3%, 28.8%, 16.6%, 28.8%; urban—12%, 6.1%, 8.8%, 13.1%. Conclusions: Multi‐fold increase in depression among aging, rural Indians during first and second waves, with high depression among subjects ≥65 years and those with comorbidities during the first wave, is concerning. Urgent public health measures are needed to address this added mental health burden and thereby, prevent further potential adverse consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The COVID‐19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown were an unanticipated shock to the global stock market. Managers also had minimal time to counterbalance its effect through corporate policies. Therefore, this health crisis offers a unique opportunity to examine the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on shareholder value. We observe that firms engaged in more CSR activities outperform other firms. This suggests that CSR plays a positive role in determining shareholder value, particularly for an emerging market where minority shareholder rights are weak. Collaborating with our main finding, we further find that governance metrics play a significant role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of American Anthropologist is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Summary: In the spring and summer of 2020, as the COVID‐19 pandemic began to sweep through India, artists from the Mithila region began to paint about the new world in which they lived. Their thoughtful engagement with the changes they faced—changes in behavior, in social life, in nature—is reflected in their many paintings at the Syracuse University Art Museum, which I organized into an online exhibit, "Mithila Art in the Time of Covid‐19." Several painters focused on the All‐India Lockdown imposed by Prime Minister Modi on March 24, 2020. With millions of laborers stranded in India's cities, lacking work, housing, or food, a massive human movement home began. Here I engage with four paintings of the Lockdown and journeys home, two by a Dalit male artist, himself at times a migrant day‐laborer, and the other two by a middle‐class/upper caste educated female artist. Representing social positions at the two ends of the social structure of the Mithila region, they present contrasting views of what the Lockdown meant. Both also focus on what they see as the failure of the Indian government in this time of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the present study is to compare and assess the socio‐economic implications of the 1918 influenza pandemic and the COVID‐19 pandemic in India. Both pandemics are similar in the nature of their disease and spread, and have had a far‐reaching impact on society and economies worldwide. To achieve their objective, the researchers adopted the method of systematic literature review (SLR). The findings of the review have been categorised in four subsections: comparison of 1918 influenza and COVID‐19 pandemics in a global context; economic consequences of a pandemic in India; social consequences of a pandemic in India; and the pandemic mitigation measures adopted by India. The findings suggest there are similarities in the socio‐economic implications of the two pandemics and also indicate that developing countries face more severe implications of such pandemics as compared to developed countries. The research findings from the review of literature are followed by the recommendations made by the researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Coronavirus Disease (COVID‐19) a pandemic due to the huge upsurge in the number of reported cases worldwide. The COVID‐19 pandemic in India has become a public health threat, and if we go by the number of confirmed cases then the situation seems to be a matter of grave concern. According to real‐time data, the numbers of confirmed cases are growing exponentially. No doubt, substantial public health interventions both at the national and state levels are implemented immediately by the Government of India; there is a need for improved preparedness plans and mitigation strategies along with accurate forecasting. The present study aims to forecast the COVID‐19 outbreak infected cases in India. The data have been obtained from https://www.covid19india.org, https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus, and ICMR reported publicly available information about COVID‐19 confirmation cases. We have used the double exponential smoothing method for forecasting the trends in terms of confirmed, active, recovered and death cases from COVID‐19 for emergency preparedness and future predictions. Findings reveal that the estimated value of point forecast is just 8.22% of the total number of confirmed cases reported on a daily basis across the country. It was observed that the deaths were lower for the states and union territories with a higher detection rate. It is suggested that by keeping in view the limited healthcare resources in the country, accurate forecasting, early detection, and avoidance of acute care for the majority of infected cases is indispensable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To contain the spread of the Covid‐19 pandemic, the mandated social distancing and restricted market activities have adversely affected the employment and earnings of the poor who are considered the targeted beneficiaries of the Microfinance Institutions (MFIs). The MFI operation and more specifically fresh lending are under serious threat as the mode of operations primarily involve physical interaction while distributing credits at the clients' doorsteps, conducting periodic group meetings and carrying out regular collections. This short article attempts to analyze the various challenges that MFIs may encounter in their current and future operations due to the ongoing pandemic. It discusses how the government initiated coping mechanisms may help MFIs overcome or minimize the pandemic challenges. At the same time, MFIs' efforts towards continued services are expected to create a win‐win situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to identify the socioeconomic, meteorological, and geographical factors associated with the severity of COVID‐19 pandemic in India. The severity is measured by the cumulative severity ratio (CSR)—the ratio of the cumulative COVID‐related deaths to the deaths in a pre‐pandemic year—its first difference and COVID infection cases. We have found significant interstate heterogeneity in the pandemic development and have contrasted the trends of the COVID‐19 severities between Maharashtra, which had the largest number of COVID deaths and cases, and the other states. Drawing upon random‐effects models and Tobit models for the weekly and monthly panel data sets of 32 states/union territories, we have found that the factors associated with the COVID severity include income, gender, multi‐morbidity, urbanization, lockdown and unlock phases, weather including temperature and rainfall, and the retail price of wheat. Brief observations from a policy perspective are made toward the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 2020, India declared a nationwide lockdown in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic. Such restrictions on mobility interrupted the normal functioning of agricultural value chains. For a sample of 1767 tomato and wheat producers in the state of Haryana, we study to what extent the lockdown limited access to inputs, labor, machinery, and markets to produce, harvest, and sell their crops. We quantify crop income reductions during the first months of the lockdown and analyze to what extent these are associated with borrowing and food insecurity. We find that wheat producers, for whom state‐led procurement guaranteed market access at fixed prices, suffered minimal declines in income. For tomato producers—an already more vulnerable population—income fell by 50% relative to their expected income in a normal year, largely due to a steep fall of tomato prices as they shifted from wholesale markets to local retail markets, resulting in a sharp increase in local supply. Relative to wheat producers affected by the lockdown, reduced income for tomato producers was associated with an increase in borrowing and reduced food security. We conclude that targeting producers of crops that face substantial price risk and introducing policies that stabilize market prices are important in efforts to aid recovery and build resilience of smallholder farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian federation is highly centripetal, and historically, this has left states without the requisite legislative and fiscal authority to take independent action and initiate policies of significance. Consequently, India's response to the global COVID‐19 pandemic was to impose a very severe countrywide lockdown using the mandate of the Union (federal) government. This centralized one‐size‐fits‐all diktat was imposed despite high variations across states in resources, healthcare capacity, and incidence of COVID‐19 cases. We argue that India's dysfunctional federalism is the reason for the centralized lockdown, preventing state and local governments from tailoring a policy response to suit local needs. Using mobility data, we demonstrate the high variation in curtailing mobility in different states through the centralized lockdown. We find that India's centralized lockdown was at best a partial success in a handful of states, while imposing enormous economic costs even in areas where few were affected by the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]