Search

This paper examines new forms of study-abroad expertise on social media and their role in mediating Indian student mobility to Germany. Firstly, it explores how mutual-support Facebook and WhatsApp groups—used by prospective international students in India to support each other through the process of applying to German universities—have contributed to the emergence of new forms of education consultancy, offered by Indian students or graduates of German universities, whom I call 'Student Guides'. In addition, it shows how some Indians studying in Germany have started 'Study in Germany' YouTube channels, aimed at aspirant student migrants, and have become important 'study-abroad influencers'. The paper analyses how these new forms of study-abroad expertise offer prospective international students social and cultural capital important for successful student migration, apart from shaping their imaginative geographies of Germany, and embedding them in cultures of mobility. Furthermore, the paper highlights how these new forms of study-abroad expertise intersect with, and critique, a more 'traditional' study-abroad expert: the professional education consultant. The paper draws on a digital ethnography of 'Study in Germany' Facebook and WhatsApp groups and YouTube channels, as well as interviews with the YouTubers, Student Guides, and Indian students in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Till now, studies have determined the existence of process innovation using survey data; however, in this paper, we use secondary data to empirically establish its presence in low-tech industries. Our empirical approach consists of data envelopement analysis in the first step followed by regression analysis in the second step. We use a cross-sectional dataset, i.e., Annual Survey of Industries, 2017–2018 for our study. Our results suggest that among Indian low-tech firms, investment in computer equipment and software is the most popular strategy to trigger process innovation followed by investment in plant and machinery. We find that these factors have a greater impact on firms that export products and import inputs, than on firms that export products but do not import inputs. In other words, the export-import orientation of firms induces a differential impact of these factors on process innovation. One policy implication from the study is that government should encourage and incentivize low-tech firms to improve the capabilities of its labour force. This is the first paper in the Indian context that uses secondary data to empirically determine the existence of process innovation in low-tech industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is a financial risk to companies, and those that disregard this will have to deal with losses due to extreme weather events, new regulations, or the disruption of the supply chain. Companies must disclose climate-related financial implications to enable informed decision-making by investors and other stakeholders. Any indifference or disregard for climate-related disclosures will harm the investors who may trade based on insufficient information and prices of securities that do not account for climate risks. In India, disclosures are mandated for companies under the Companies Act 2013 and various Securities and Exchange Board of India Regulations. This paper will explore the adequacy of the current disclosure regime concerning climate change and argue that, although information regarding climate risks falls within the ambit of the current set of mandated disclosures, it is insufficient. The paper concludes by making a case for mandatory climate disclosures under the Companies Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New forms and practices of journalism evolve and stabilize when they are socially, culturally and institutionally enabled [Bossio, Diana, and Jacob L. Nelson. 2021. "Reconsidering Innovation: Situating and Evaluating Change in Journalism." Journalism Studies 22 (11): 1377–1381], signifying their acknowledgement in the triad of practice, academic research, and education. In the case of news podcasting, the practice is emerging in India, and so is academic research in the domain. However, the third vortex of education is largely missing in this case, as found in the course of the present research. This paper argues the need for podcasting to be included in the curricula of journalism schools in the Indian context. It presents the findings of 24 qualitative in-depth interviews with podcasting journalists and journalism educators in India, highlighting the need of including podcasting in curricula and the challenges to this. These two perspectives are then bridged to present a case for including news podcasting in the training of new journalists. The paper strongly argues that podcasting is a great value addition to journalism curricula, facilitating both aims of a journalism programme-employment and performing the normative function of journalism. Specifically, in India, this inclusion is necessary since news podcasting is a major way of reinventing audio journalism, which has been limited to only the public radio broadcasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the women-centric development schemes and programs launched by the government for the tribal people in India in general and the female members of the Lodha community in particular, and the impact of the development schemes on the livelihood of these women. This microstudy was carried out on the Lodha, a particularly vulnerable tribal group for their extreme backwardness among the tribal communities of India, living in a village named Goaldihi in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. The women in this community seem to carry a triple burden of backwardness, firstly for being women, secondly as Scheduled Tribe and thirdly as PVTG, and to remove which the government has planned certain schemes for their development. The realization of the aims of development from the perspectives of millennium development goals reveals a dismal picture. This paper examines the dominant paradigms of development and the state's role in it to understand the trajectory of development practices among a denotified (earlier branded as criminal tribe), traditionally foraging tribe in contemporary India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of systematic investigations on the gamma dose rates in air, natural radioactivity in soil and the dependence of radioactivity on the mineralogy of soils in the environs of the Belagavi, Karnataka, India. The gamma dose rates were measured using a portable survey metre and the activity in soils were measured using NaI(Tl) based gamma ray spectrometer and the mineral composition was studied using FTIR spectroscopy. The activity of 40K varies from 72.52 to 324.76 Bq kg−1 with an average of 153.17 Bq kg−1. The 226Ra activity varies from 16.53 to 70.53 Bq kg−1 with an average value of 23.88 Bq kg−1 and the activity of 232Th varies from 10.95 to 59.07 Bq kg−1 with an average value of 25.75 Bq kg−1. Elevated levels of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soils were observed in some part of Belagavi, which was traced to the mineralogy of the region. The higher activity of natural radionuclides poses radiological implications to the population of the region. The activity utilisation index was found to be is above the normal levels in some locations. The pattern of distribution of radionuclides in the region was studied using SPSS statistical software. The soil with clay minerals Haematite, Calcite, Kalonite, Albite and Feldspar showed higher radionuclide content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the complex interplay between economic development and environmental sustainability in the context of India's pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It examines the inherent contradictions and trade-offs involved, particularly in agriculture, industrialisation, and infrastructure sectors. The paper highlights how economic growth, essential for improving living standards, often conflicts with environmental objectives. The paper underscores the importance of integrating economic, environmental, and social objectives to achieve a sustainable and inclusive future for India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the Common Man political caricatures by R.K. Laxman, a staff cartoonist at the Times of India, to understand dominant political discourses in postcolonial India. It argues that constructs like the 'common man' and 'vote bank' through popular cultural discourse like caricatures have a critical impact on the political landscape of the country. While the former is associated with an urban English-educated middle class, the latter is used to denote the socially marginalised sections of the electorate voting en masse as a form of political assertion. The latter is perceived as an aberration in the modern secular democracy and its political voice is often delegitimised. Further, the former is associated with economic liberalisation, development and anti-corruption. The paper demonstrates how Laxman's Common Man is a proponent and mascot of these in the popular imagination. Thereby indicating that the popular cultural archive has indeed had a visible impact on the political, economic and sociological cartography of the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental projects like dams and other capitalist structures in India, allocate the natural water reserves to elite industrialists and state apparatuses, leaving the local ecosystems impoverished and in the hands of capitalism driven policies, which milk the indigenous population to mollify the materialistic needs of the affluent. This predicament is vividly illustrated in Subhash Vyam's graphic narrative Water that employs the traditional Gond Art to anchor the consequences of the 'Slow Violence' rendered to the local ecosystems owing to the development policies. As the revered natural sources of water in Vyam's village are regulated through a dam, the rural Indigenous community is deprived of its basic rights to survive, vandalising the pious 'human-water' relationship, resulting in 'a serious ecological crisis'. Drawing theoretical insights from Rob Nixon, Ramachandra Guha and Vandana Shiva, the proposed paper attempts to emphasize that the graphic narrative Water, through its remarkable graphic visuals, conjoined with local customs and folklores, is a reflection of the agony of the indigenous communities. Further, the paper analyses the grim reality that privatisation not only leads to exploitation and consequent depletion of the natural resources, but also robs the local communities of their ways of survival and resource sharing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous countries have established local elected governments to improve public goods delivery and reduce information asymmetry between the state and citizens. These governments remain dependent on upper levels for funding which has been found to be influenced by patronage politics and partisan alignment. In this paper, we show that the networks of locally elected officials and bureaucrats determine the allocation of discretionary funds and resources to local governments. Villages whose elected heads reported stronger connections with local bureaucrats were more likely to win a one-time inter-village competition for funds organized by the district administration of Palwal - a district in the North Indian state of Haryana. Locally elected officials in the district also report that bureaucratic connections are at least as necessary as political ties with higher-level politicians to obtain funds for their villages. This centrality of bureaucratic connections can be partly attributed to the institutional design in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian Evidence Act 1872 was a significant component of the legal codification project of colonial India. It aimed to consolidate scattered common law rules of evidence into an organized and workable code. Sir James Fitzjames Stephen, its principal draftsman, attempted to design a statute that would not only reorganize evidence law into cogent provisions but also improve its most confusing aspects, such as the fact-evidence distinction, hearsay, and relevance. Stephen did this by introducing conceptual categories and amending existing rules. In this paper, I show how the design of the Act aimed to achieve substantive reform of evidence law. I argue that judicial interpretation and academic scholarship have misconstrued the Act's principles and structure, undermining its intended improvements on common law rules. Consequently, the legal confusions it had sought to resolve have continued to persist in evidence law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence is quickly emerging as a technological solution for the agriculture industry to surmount its classical challenges. Artificial Intelligence is facilitating farmers to refine their products and alleviate unfavourable impacts due to the environment. The central concern of this paper is predictive analytics to develop a machine learning model to identify and predict crop yield based on multiple environmental factors. In this paper, a hybrid learner 'RaNN' is proposed that combines the feature sampling and majority voting technique of Random Forest in-combination with the multilayer Feedforward Neural Network to predict the crop yield. Research has also ascertained the essential features responsible for accurate yield prediction. The proposed model works for rice yield prediction, one of the chief grains of India. The region chosen for the work is Punjab, which is among the largest producer states of India for rice. The dataset consists of 15 attributes comprising the weather and agriculture data collected from the Indian Meteorological Department Pune, and Punjab Environment Information System (ENVIS) Center, Government of India. The study has also made a comparative assessment of 'RaNN' with machine learning methods like Multiple Linear Regression, Random Forest, Decision Tree, Boosting Regression, Support Vector Machine Regression, Ensemble Learner, and Artificial Neural Network. Our model RaNN has listed a better prediction accuracy with minimal error among the other techniques providing a 98% correlation between the actual and the predicted yield. Abbreviations: AI – Artificial Intelligence; ANN – Artificial Neural Network; BR – Boosting Regression; Chem Fert – chemical fertilisers; DT – Decision Tree; EL – Ensemble Learner; ENVIS – Punjab Environment Information System; GBM – Stochastic Gradient Boosting Method; GPS – Global Positioning System; HMAX – highest maximum temperature in degrees C; IMD – Indian Meteorological Department; L1 – Lasso regression; L2 – Ridge regression; LMIN – lowest minimum temperature; ML – Machine Learning; MAE – Mean Absolute Error; MEVP – mean evaporation in mm; MLR – Multiple Linear Regression; MMAX – mean maximum temperature in degrees C; MMIN – mean minimum temperature in degrees C; MSSH – Mean sunshine duration in hours; MWS – mean wind speed in km/h; P1 – number of days with precipitation (0.1–0.2 mm); P2 – number of days with precipitation (greater than or equal to 0.3 mm); RaNN – Hybrid RF-ANN model; RMSE – Root Mean Squared Error; $${R^2}$$ R 2 – Coefficient of determination; RD – number of rainy days; RF – Random Forest; SVM Reg – Support Vector Machine Regression; TMRF – total rainfall per month in mm [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most governments around the world are fostering innovation and entrepreneurial systems with a prominent role for venture capital (VC) support policies. However, the debate about the role and impact of VC support policies is still focused on the countries of the Global North. In this context, this paper seeks to describe and analyse the role that the state has played in the emergence and development of the VC industry in India and Brazil, two of the biggest economies of the Global South. We adopt a systemic and evolutionary perspective under the general context of a renewed role for the state in financing innovation. We offer interesting questions and implications to discuss the challenges, scale and impact that could be expected from VC industry support policies in the Global South countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employing insights provided by the theory of monopolistic markets in economics and Great Power behaviour in the discipline of international relations, this paper aims to provide an alternative understanding of India's refusal to join the BRI beyond the immediate bilateral security, domestic politics, and economic considerations in Sino-Indian relations. We argue that BRI is an effort by China to position itself as the leading firm in the market for international development – a space for long dominated by Western development providers. The paper argues that India's efforts to contest the BRI can be seen as a natural outcome of other rising powers resisting China's efforts to monopolize the development market. In doing so, it provides a template of why rising powers compete with each other in providing developmental aid even when cooperation may create mutual benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 17 of which all nations of the world are targeting to achieve by 2030, are essential for a sustainable future. Two key aspects pertaining to good health and well-being, responsible production and consumption are integral to SDGs. Adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence and big data, presented by the fourth industrial revolution, can facilitate achieving these goals and also help establish a circular economy. In this paper, we study the concerns related to the security, privacy and confidentiality of personal information of patients in an Electronic Health Information Exchange (EHIE) System. This system helps achieve the two SDGs mentioned above and is linked to the adoption of green recovery efforts. The Antecedent, Privacy-Concern and Outcomes Micro Model (APCO) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) are used in this study to develop testable hypotheses which have been corroborated through a survey. Aadhar Card based Medical Records EHIE, which the Government of India is planning to implement by 2030, has been taken as the case study. Adoption behaviour of the EHIE System is validated through this study. Three hundred fifty-seven responses across a wide range of demographic participants were received. The structural equation modelling technique (PL-SEM) was used to validate the hypotheses. This study has found that the EHIE System has a positive impact on the intention of citizens to use EHIE for exchange of health information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between conflict trajectories and years of schooling in India for girls and boys. It adopts propensity score matching methods on panel data from the India Human Development Survey (2004/05-2011/12) merged with conflict data from the South Asia Terrorism Portal. Conflict is measured according to the dynamic trajectory of Naxal violence-related fatalities at the district level, distinguishing areas of chronic conflict with those experiencing dynamism in conflict intensity over time. ATT estimates indicate that conflict is associated with a reduction in years of schooling for both genders, though relatively high for girls (by a quarter of a year for girls and by 0.16 of a year for boys), driven by large reductions in school accumulation for girls living in areas of chronic conflict. Results are consistent when adopting different methods, alternative measures of conflict fatalities, and accounting for other conflicts and selective migration. Examining transmission mechanisms suggest that household spending on girls' education may be de-prioritised amidst conflict, while conflict may also weaken or destroy school infrastructure. Results suggest that policy responses should prioritise girls' education in areas of chronic conflict, not only in 'fragile states' but in countries where conflict remains a subnational concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the investment decisions of Indian equity mutual funds during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic with monthly portfolio holdings. We find that funds favoured firms with lower risk, higher financial flexibility, and larger size during the early months of the pandemic. The preference for relatively low-risk firms, which reverses later, suggests a reallocation towards safer assets. Funds also preferred growth firms to value firms as the latter with greater invested capital are more vulnerable to the shock. Institutional investors also favoured group-affiliated firms throughout, reflecting their lower crisis vulnerability. We find that the stocks preferred by funds during the pandemic outperform others in the long run. The paper brings out key firm characteristics that impact mutual fund asset allocation during extreme uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once a popular buzzword for multinational corporations, 'professionalism' has now become a common catchphrase in India's emerging services economy. Today, youth aspiring to join entry-level services roles such as those in call centres, retail, and coffee shops undergo intense and regimented trainings to become 'professional', learning to regulate their bodies, behaviours, language, and overall identities, to fit into diverse and fast-paced 'servicescapes'. Whereas literature exploring notions of professionalism in India's growing services sectors has emphasised their corporate-western and disciplinary-ideological dimensions, more recent scholarship has begun to document how workers themselves perceive, experience and shape these notions. Drawing from this scholarship and ethnographic research conducted in a skills training centre in Pune city in western India, this paper explores how professionalism has increasingly become entwined with the discourse of 'soft skills' even at the margins of India's new services economy, and how it is being transmitted, questioned, and (re-)interpreted. The paper thus offers a grounded social constructivist view of professionalism, as not something that is simply imposed unimpeded upon passive neoliberal subjects by a powerful state and corporate actors, but rather as continually inflected by those who profess, teach and embody it, in line with local lived realities, experiences, values and belief systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Firozabad—a city in North India which specialises in glass production and is famous for being the centre of manufacturing for the billions of glass bangles worn by South Asian women—the Sheeshgarh caste used to master the most valuable skills. The transmission of these skills to other castes was a central stake, which highlights the relations between labour and capital, between dominants castes, between Muslims and Hindus. Therefore, this paper proposes the notion of trade consciousness to analyse the processes which shaped caste, gender and class relations around the common consciousness to be part of the same activity, the same community of practices. The paper then argues that understanding the way skills are introduced, transmitted and reproduced through master/apprentice relations, the everyday conviviality in the shopfloor, or in the mohallā, constitutes a crucial thread to understand the social transformation in Firozabad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Lave's theorisation of situated learning, this article engages with skills in the so-called 'unskilled' domain of waste work. Waste work involves handling diverse material discards, from household vegetable peelings, metal and plastic scraps, to human and animal faecal material and corpses. In India, forms of waste work are toxic, historically stigmatised, burdened on Dalit and Adivasi bodies, and officially categorised as 'unskilled' work. Based on fieldwork in a town in central India, the paper draws attention to skills in waste work, documenting social practices that involve processes of learning and acquiring skills. Analysing institutions that mediate skill acquisition in waste work, the paper argues that 'skilled' work is politically and socially constructed and materially contingent. The article destabilises reified notions of how work gets classified as '(un)skilled'. Further, the paper reflects on the conflicts and paradoxes that a conversation on skills in waste work throws up: valuing and recognising different forms of waste work while also pointing to their toxicities and struggles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notwithstanding India's public stand professing its respect of the sovereignty principle, the imperatives of competitive international relations have necessitated the use of force against its neighbors, thereby undermining their sovereignty. This use of force has been manifested through conventional wars as well as through the sub-conventional use of force such as surgical strikes. This paper examines how India has sought to toe a fine line between pursuing its national interest through the application of military power while being mindful of the broader normative frameworks influencing state behavior since 1947. In doing so, it engages with the interplay of the material and the ideational. Given the time span of the study, it also seeks to shine light on the elements of continuity and change that mark its application of military power through the prism of the sovereignty principle. Furthermore, the paper also pays attention to the recent surgical strikes, features that mark them as being different from previous such actions performed by India, and what this means for India's understanding of the sovereignty principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings together the fields of social entrepreneurship and social networks by using the social network analysis approach to map the evolution of the network of a social enterprise in India. The paper adopts a case-study approach. The paper asserts that local resources who are more proximate to the final beneficiaries, are central to a social enterprise's network along with the social entrepreneur using the centrality measures of actors in the network, which had not been attempted in previous studies of social networks of social enterprises. The study can thus provide lessons to social enterprises in identifying local resources and positioning them in the enterprise's network so as to optimise their utilisation. Additionally, the paper aims to throw light on high resource dynamism, a challenge that arises while leveraging these local human resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In difficult times, people turn to poetry, reading, and writing for solace and peace. In emotionally intense and traumatic times, people use poetry to process and understand the lived eyepieces. The havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the emotional and psychological well-being of individuals all across the world. Poetry has emerged as a savior in these difficult times. A phenomenon, "lockdown poems", came into existence as individuals all across the globe processed and shared their lived experiences of isolation, pain, and suffering through poems. In the present paper, students of a management program process and share their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns, and their community work experience. Poetry as a therapeutic and hope-building tool is discussed in the paper along with the original poems written by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countdown timers impact driver behavior significantly and are widely used at signalized intersections in many countries. Literature shows potential vehicle class-specific temporal and spatial variations in driver behavior in the presence of timer. Therefore, first, this paper analyzed the temporal, spatial, and vehicle class-specific impacts of timer on driver behavior in heterogeneous traffic conditions based on variations in acceleration. Second, a Long Short-Term Memory model was developed to model vehicle discharge, incorporating the heterogeneity of traffic and impacts of timer. The performance of the model was compared with that of the Intelligent Driver Model using field trajectory data from three signalized intersections in Kerala, India. The model accurately predicts the following behavior with mixed spacing errors of 0.24 to 0.35 and an average mean squared error of spacing of 1.23. The results were better than, or comparable to, results from recent data-driven car-following models and significantly better than IDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science, technology, and innovation (STI) policies are crucial for addressing a nation's anguishes and aspirations. In today's era, countries worldwide recognize the significance of innovation for their economic survival. With aspirations to be a global power in innovation, India has emphasized incubation, innovation, startup ecosystems, and triple helix linkages. This paper examines the evolution of India's STI policies, highlighting the influence of domestic and international events on their development. The study focuses on three policy types: direct innovation policies, five-year plans, and national-level educational policies, to trace the milestones in India's policy journey. The authors conclude that changes in the domestic and international landscape significantly impact a nation's STI policies, as exemplified by India. The recent Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy of India 2020 draft reflects an effort to adapt to the evolving global scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of computers in Indian schools runs parallel with the development of a digital divide in the country. In addition to the formal ways in which government policies shape access to computers in schools, deeper informal cultures of the state and schools shape opinion about these technologies. In this paper, we examine three levels of these informal cultures: political cultures and their perceptions of technology; bureaucratic cultures, which are distanced from schooling realities; and classroom teaching-learning practices, where digital inequalities add to pre-existing educational inequalities. For examining the interplay of the informal cultures, we scale down from the national level to examine the case of West Bengal, a state in eastern India. The state has been one of the strongholds of Left politics in India. Drawing upon its experiences, we explore the linkage between political ideology and the social embedding of resistance to computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nationalism remains a major influence on international relations in an increasingly globalised world. Many of the wars that erupted after the Cold War have their origins in ethnic tensions, border conflicts, or national aspirations. Given this, the geo-politicisation of nationalism deserves more attention in the literature. The current study aims to further the area by considering the role of territorial disputes in spawning various forms of nationalism and geopolitics. It develops an analytical framework based on the existing border dispute between Nepal and India in the 'Kalapani' region. Post-2019, the Kalapani dispute not only has represented bilateral border disputes between two entities but also reflects the overall geopolitics of the region. Similarly, it also represents the rise of 'nationalism' as a political anchor point in domestic politics in both India and Nepal. The paper based its assessment on the primary and secondary data analysis. Drawing on the data, this paper argues that border disputes between India and Nepal have two facets that signal the rising nationalism in both sides and the changing geopolitics of South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the incidence of mucormycosis reached high levels during 2021–2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, we established a multicentric ambispective cohort of patients hospitalised with mucormycosis across India. In this paper, we report their baseline profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes at discharge. Patients hospitalized for mucormycosis during March–July 2021 were included. Mucormycosis was diagnosed based on mycological confirmation on direct microscopy (KOH/Calcofluor white stain), culture, histopathology, or supportive evidence from endoscopy or imaging. After consent, trained data collectors used medical records and telephonic interviews to capture data in a pre-tested structured questionnaire. At baseline, we recruited 686 patients from 26 study hospitals, of whom 72.3% were males, 78% had a prior history of diabetes, 53.2% had a history of corticosteroid treatment, and 80% were associated with COVID-19. Pain, numbness or swelling of the face were the commonest symptoms (73.3%). Liposomal Amphotericin B was the commonest drug formulation used (67.1%), and endoscopic sinus surgery was the most common surgical procedure (73.6%). At discharge, the disease was stable in 43.3%, in regression for 29.9% but 9.6% died during hospitalization. Among survivors, commonly reported disabilities included facial disfigurement (18.4%) and difficulties in chewing/swallowing (17.8%). Though the risk of mortality was only 1 in 10, the disability due to the disease was very high. This cohort study could enhance our understanding of the disease's clinical progression and help frame standard treatment guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims at bringing out the cultural, economic, and political importance that Khadi has for India from pre-colonial times, during the colonial rule and after independence till the present times. The paper brings out Khadi's potential in rural development by solving the pressing concerns of unemployment and working conditions in developing countries like India. In spite of this, Khadi's potential at rural development is subsided by the contemporary threats the industry faces due to the different agents of neoliberalism, discussed in the paper. The questionnaire report on workers collected at the Cheriyakonni production unit and information collected at the District Project Office Trivandrum; brings out that rural women are the largest workforce victims of these threats, as the industry is slowly showing signs of degradation. Methodology: The research paper is based on both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Data is collected from Kerala Khadi and Village Industries Board (KVIB) Project Office Thiruvananthapuram through interviews. Questionnaire is conducted on workers of Cheriyakonni Production Unit, Thiruvananthapuram that operates under the board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper lies at the intersections of Jewish Anthropology, History, Diaspora Studies, and cross-cultural Jewish Studies. It intertwines two analytical trajectories. The first is the thematic core: extensive ethnographic research conducted among Indian Jewish communities living in Israel, some of whom made aliya over four decades ago. The second trajectory entails self-reflections on my subject-position as a non-Jewish, non-Israeli researcher conducting fieldwork among over 125 Indian Jews living across Israel. This paper delves into the process of doing Jewish Anthropology by identifying the spaces where shared cultural and linguistic "Indian-ness" intersected to dissolve boundaries of "difference" between my respondents and myself, facilitating community inroads and culminating not only in the successful accomplishment of extensive fieldwork but in creating enduring bonds of personal engagement. In stepping back to reflect on my own journey, I offer possibilities to understand certain nuances in the process of anthropological engagement, more specifically in doing Jewish Anthropology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What drives insurgent groups to negotiation? The paper examines the conditions that facilitate insurgents to negotiate with governments. It examines the case of National Democratic Front of Boroland (NDFB), in Assam, India's northeast. Factors that may have contributed to the process of negotiation were change in relative costs and capabilities of insurgents. The paper argues that state's unwillingness to concede to the insurgent demands of territorial separation affect the outcomes of insurgencies that further contribute to the fragile peace process. Drawing on qualitative interviews of former insurgents, civil society organizations and government officials, this article contributes to studies on peace negotiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a systematic investigation of the natural radioactivity in rock samples of Davanagere locality, Karnataka, India. The radioactivity in rocks was measured using the NaI(TI) gamma-ray spectrometer. An effort was made to identify the minerals present in rock samples by FTIR spectroscopy. The activity of 232Th, 226Ra and 40K radionuclides in rocks vary from 27.96 ± 1.00 to 103.85 ± 1.90, 50.89 ± 1.98 to 135.28 ± 3.15 and 512.46 ± 4.86 to 974.31 ± 7.05 Bq kg−1with a mean value of 59.79 ± 1.45, 85.79 ± 2.54 and 787.03 ± 6.19 Bq kg−1, respectively. Radiological hazard parameters such as radium equivalent activity, external and internal hazard indices absorbed dose rate, ELCR for indoor exposure and annual effective doses for different body organs were estimated. The activity of natural radionuclides were found to be high compared to the national and world average values. However, the hazard indices were found to be within the recommended limits. The Quartz, Calcite and Kaolinite extinction coefficients in rocks ranged from 87.37 to 121.73, 31.43 to 119.14, and 33.10 to 63.97, respectively. The radionuclide activity concentration was found to depend on the kaolinite and calcite minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India agricultural and packaging technology practices are constantly evolving to enhance crop production by improving soil quality and creating suitable environments, respectively. Mulching and improved packaging films have emerged as popular methods, but the use of non-biodegradable polyethylene (PE) for both poses disposal challenges. To address this, the focus has shifted to the biodegradable polymer, polylactic acid (PLA), in combination with fruit peel waste powder as filler. This literature review paper was written to describe a detailed survey about PLA with the incorporation of increasing amounts of fruit peel waste to enhance the properties of the PLA film. The primary aim was to explore the potential of PLA mulch film with the incorporation of fruit peel waste as an environmentally friendly alternative for mulching application in agriculture. To date we know of no review article published regarding the incorporation of fruit peel waste as a filler within the PLA matrix to enhance the properties of the films used in agriculture and the packaging industry. Moreover, this review paper also describes recent trends in the application and methods of preparation of PLA mulch films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the shifting and contemporary manifestations of menstrual taboos in central Kerala, India, particularly through the evocation of zoomorphic language and symbolism. It specifically focuses on a seemingly commonplace metaphor, pattiyayi (has become a dog), and argues that its connotative and cultural meanings have negative consequences for the construction of gender in Keralan society. The metaphor likens a menstruating woman to a dog. Further correlations between dogs and rabies patients culturally place the three categories – the domesticated carnivore, the person with a stigmatized illness, and the menstruating woman – as liminal entities, equivalent by association. Additionally, examining dog idioms (patti) in Kottayam that refer to the Dalit castes, the paper elucidates how idiomatic expressions evince societal juxtapositions of menstruating women with socially disparaged castes. These allegorical concurrences also draw attention to how the body and its organic activities and the propensity of certain bodies to incur permanent and internal pollution are at the root of symbolic denigration and gender and caste hierarchies. Furthermore, through the Foucauldian perspective on language, the paper links the dog metaphor to a micro theory of power by signifying the role of gendered power relations and the coalescence of discursive and material processes in historically shaping it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About 91% of India's workforce of 520 million is informal, lacking social insurance. However, this paper finds the Social Security Code 2020 wanting, but with potential for universalizing social insurance. The paper spells out the principles that should guide social insurance for informal workers; and presents the design and architecture for extending coverage. It shows how realistically, over the next 10–15 years, social insurance could cover the entire workforce, in accordance with ILO Conventions. It also estimates the fiscal cost of social insurance, for the first five years, and spells out the political economy, fiscal and administrative challenges to universalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health is a significant area for social work education and practice as the profession focuses on enhancing the social functioning and well-being of individuals, groups and communities. The field of mental health requires professionals from multidisciplinary fields who undergo rigorous training to acquire the necessary professional knowledge and equip themselves with specific skills. The current paper attempts to situate and reflect the author's experiences of working with post-graduate social work students in University of Delhi. Through case vignettes, the author presents diverse mental health challenges faced by the students and analyses wide-ranging psychosocial factors that play a significant role in this context. The paper also discusses the implications posed by such challenges on social work education while attempting to make number of suggestions to promote positive mental health among students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) women in India have relatively lower usage of period products than women of the General category. This paper attempts to understand and uncover the social factors explaining inequalities in the period product usage among these groups. This paper uses data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), conducted in 2019–21, for this study, with a sample of 49,136 SC, 44,392 ST, and 41,045 General caste women in the age group of 15 to 24 years. Using the Fairlie decomposition method, we explain the inequalities in the period product usage between SC, ST, and general categories. Differences in wealth index (SC-Gen: 49.54%; ST-Gen: 46.6%), respondent's education level (SC-Gen: 22.85%; ST-Gen: 17.3%), watching television (SC-Gen: 09.44%; ST-Gen: 10.1%), reading newspaper (SC-Gen: 08.71%; ST-Gen: 05.09%), and toilet facility (SC-Gen: 06.36%; ST-Gen: 03.05%) account for a large portion of the gap in the period product usage among these groups. Government, policymakers, and NGOs should focus on creating comprehensive menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) programmes, including educational programmes and mass media campaigns, while increasing focus on disadvantaged communities, viz. SCs and STs to make the necessary nudge for girls and women to adopt hygienic menstrual practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private tutoring participation is increasing in several developing countries, and this expansion has attracted the interest of scholars spanning disciplines of economics, sociology and history. This paper presents a theoretical model of private tutoring demand. The model incorporates the household and school characteristics in a developing country context and demonstrates the source of gender gaps in access to private tutoring. Using a recent database from India and employing a hurdle model approach, the paper also provides estimates of the drivers of private tutoring participation and spending for pre-secondary students. Our results indicate evidence of gender gaps in private tutoring access, and that the socio-economic profile of a student is positively correlated with tutoring demand. Further, school quality indicators are negatively correlated with tutoring participation, suggesting that students at 'better' schools rely less on tutoring. Overall, the findings suggest that tutoring demand is influenced by a mix of demand-side (household, community drivers) and supply-side (school quality and learning environment) factors. The results bring into focus the equity implications of tutoring growth and the need to improve school quality in order to reduce the dependence on private tutoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a federal political system like India, the role of the federal units bordering the neighboring countries becomes crucial in foreign policy-making toward neighboring countries. It is expected that when similar political parties or coalition partners remain in power in both the center and the states, federal politics does not hinder policy-making toward neighboring countries. Moreover, foreign policy being a central subject, federal units any way reflect passive tendencies, especially in the case of governments with the same party affiliations. Both these simplifications are contested in this paper by citing instances of the role of West Bengal and Tripura, India's two federal units bordering the neighboring country of Bangladesh, at different historical junctures, in which similar political parties in the center and the state resulted in more friction than when different political parties were in office in matters of India's foreign policy-making toward Bangladesh. The paper argues that instead of federalization of foreign policy, where federal units have an influential role, this particular experience suggests an externalization of federalism, where an external variable (Bangladesh) influences internal federal dynamics to the extent that domestic electoral politics force the political parties of the two federal units to give importance to the neighboring country in taking positions on foreign policy-making. The immediate context of fifty years of the India-Bangladesh relationship and question about over-centralization during the latest phase of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime in India push the authors to take up Bangladesh as a case to contest the given of Indian federalism in foreign policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-induced lockdowns have increased the importance of technology in education. Though access to technology as well as availability of the internet remain a major concern for a lot of children in the global south, children with intellectual disabilities are disadvantaged even more as most of the e-content is developed keeping in mind the average learner. Unstructured interviews were conducted with children with intellectual disabilities studying in government schools in Haryana as well as their teachers and parents. Thematic analysis of the interviews was conducted to understand the use-patterns of mobile phones by children with intellectual disabilities. Findings suggest that these children are learning to use mobile phones on their own or with some support and are able to navigate the complexities of these smartphones quite well. They use these devices mostly for their entertainment. This paper then reflects on the need and strategies to develop these technologies in ways that they can be used as effective tools for teaching children with intellectual disabilities, especially in the inclusive education system in developing countries. The paper reflects on the need to develop technology and tools using flexible and exploratory designs to enhance the learning processes for children with intellectual disabilities from the lower income strata. This study highlights the importance of being able to use mobile phones by children with intellectual disabilities belonging to low income families. Following this, the article argues for designing of mobile phones suitable for use by children with intellectual disabilities using playfulness and explorations, and Building e-content keeping the elements of playfulness and exploration which can enhance the learnings of this group of students which is often ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the global water crisis and the unsustainable management of water resources. It highlights the increasing frequency and duration of extreme hydrometeorological events due to climate change. The lack of long-term political priority given to water management by policymakers is identified as a major problem. The article also emphasizes the importance of sustainable groundwater management and the need for policies to reduce the decline of groundwater levels and contamination. The negative consequences of unregulated groundwater extraction in countries like the United States and India are discussed. The article concludes by mentioning other papers in the journal that cover various water-related topics. [Extracted from the article]

Disability is a multifaceted and universal phenomenon that cuts across all cultures and religions. It poses unique challenges for individuals, families, and communities. It is shaped by a multitude of factors such as society, culture, economy, religion, etc. Sikhism, the fifth largest religion in the world, originated in the northern part of India in the 15th century with the first Sikh guru Nanak Dev (1469–1539). In the context of Sikhism, disability and religious teachings become important areas of exploration. This research paper attempts to understand how Sikhism addresses and engages with disability by highlighting both the theoretical foundations and practical manifestations. The theoretical foundations of Sikhism, i.e., equality, solidarity, and inclusiveness, are based on the supreme scripture Guru Granth Sahib, and the practical manifestations, i.e., rituals and norms, take their lead from Rehat Maryada, i.e., the Sikh code of conduct and conventions, which have been constructed by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). The present paper examines the outlook of Sikhism towards disability in theory as per Guru Granth Sahib and in practice as per Sikh Rehat Maryada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses whether living in a locality with high crime against women affects the probability of early marriage—that is, marriage before the legal age of marriage of girls. Using a nationally representative longitudinal data set and tackling the potential endogeneity of local crime rates, we find that perceived crime against women in the locality significantly increases the likelihood of early marriage of girls, while there is no such effect on boys of comparable age group. We also find no such effect of gender-neutral crimes (such as theft and robbery) on the likelihood of early marriage of girls. Moreover, we find that the relationship holds only in conservative households where the purdah system is practised, and also in the northern region of India, where patriarchal culture and gender norms are stronger than in the southern region. A sensitivity analysis assessing the potential impact of unobservable confounders suggests that our estimates are unlikely to be affected by omitted variable bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entertainment-education has been touted as a potent delivery channel for health education campaigns. Yet, there is little evidence of its causal effects. This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by using a field experiment in India to study two questions on the efficacy of health entertainment-education. First, can health entertainment-education, particularly through films that show role models and draw on emotions, lead to lasting, positive change in health knowledge and behavior? Second, can financial incentives for ex-post health literacy boost the effectiveness of health entertainment-education? The results show that health entertainment-education successfully increased health knowledge (e.g. knowledge about cleanliness and hygiene) by 16 percent. These gains persist almost one year later, although there were no observed impacts on health behaviors. Further, financial incentives do not appear to have any effects. These insights contribute to our knowledge of what works for health education in low-income settings, so that future education campaigns can be crafted with more meaningful impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been considerable interest in studying the effect of female labor market outcomes on intrahousehold bargaining. This paper examines the effects of local labor market opportunities in India on a variety of female bargaining characteristics, including domestic violence and intrahousehold discussion of important issues. Specifically, I utilize district-level data on employment in various occupations to calculate an employment shift-share index that proxies gender-specific labor demand. I find that improvements in labor market conditions for women lead to a decrease in perceptions of domestic violence, whereas improvements in predicted demand for male employment have little or negative effects on women's household bargaining power. When disaggregated by indicators of initial bargaining power, women that have lower levels of initial bargaining power either see no effect on bargaining or experience a backlash effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a plethora of emerging alternatives under the broad rubric of agroecology, sustainable transitions in Indian agriculture are caught between institutional inertia and lock-ins of its vast agricultural establishment on the one hand and a pro-active state promoting a natural farming. This push for Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), while welcome as an alternative, also raises several questions on the nature of knowledge production and dissemination. This paper explores the knowledge politics around top-down "skilling regimes" and the principles and paradigms that emphasize social learning. We explore the multiple practices, meanings of agroecology among farmers, government agencies, and civil society organizations in the state of Gujarat. The action research included a survey of practices of 250 farmers in 12 districts, interviews, and stakeholder workshops. Insufficient investments in community-based extension mechanisms and lack of collaboration between state and civil society were features of the policy implementation. The absence of innovative platforms to facilitate knowledge dialogs and learning among actors to advance agroecology increases the gap between policy goals and its actual realization in practice. Programs for upscaling agroecology, we suggest, need to embed the diversity of technical and institutional processes through creating learning alliances to facilitate knowledge dialogs across dissimilar actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereotypes are tools of social perception that attribute a superficial uniformity to individuals within a social group, providing an instrument to assess individuals and groups. The stereotype content model (SCM) provides a framework for understanding these dynamics. SCM explores how groups are stereotyped on competence and warmth. This research utilizes the SCM to study India, a heterogenous society with diverse social groups. The purpose of this paper is to study caste stereotypes using SCM within India while also comparing two distinct regions of the country – the north and the south. This study is unique because (a) earlier studies have not explored stereotyping while recognizing the regional variations "within" India and (b) it applies SCM to caste. We also include how caste perceptions are further defined for groups that fall under the affirmative action program. Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk, we recruited subjects who responded to questions that assessed stereotypes of different social groups. The results indicate the presence of more ambivalent stereotypes and higher belief in karmic ideology in the four southern states compared to the northern states. Possible explanations discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from a survey of public-sector urban planners in India. The survey attempts to gauge planners' opinions on the importance of planning values in everyday decisions and the degree to which these values are delivered in practice. In-depth interviews were used to validate the survey results and investigate themes further. The study presents a nuanced and contextualized analysis of the attitudes and mindsets of planners. It is expected that the study will initiate a discourse on planning values in India and encourage planners to confront the full implications of their decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the different insider employee-led cyber frauds (IECF) based on the recent large-scale fraud events of prominent Indian banking institutions. Examining the different types of fraud and appropriate control measures will protect the banking industry from fraudsters. In this study, we identify and classify Cyber Fraud (CF), map the severity of the fraud on a scale of priority, test the mitigation effectiveness, and propose optimal mitigation measures. The identification and classification of CF losses were based on a literature review and focus group discussions with risk and vigilance officers and cyber cell experts. The CF was analyzed using secondary data. We predicted and prioritized CF based on machine learning-derived Random Forest (RF). An efficient fraud mitigation model was developed based on an offender-victim-centric approach. Mitigation is advised both before and after fraud occurs. Through the findings of this research, banks and fraud investigators can prevent CF by detecting it quickly and controlling it on time. This study proposes a structured, sustainable CF mitigation plan that protects banks, employees, regulators, customers, and the economy, thus saving time, resources, and money. Further, these mitigation measures will improve the reputation of the Indian banking industry and ensure its survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the world's largest democracy, the right to express dissenting opinions has come under increasing pressure due to governmental reactions to violent and non-violent activities and opposition. As well as direct suppression, a concerning trend has arisen whereby individuals and groups may choose to self-censor rather than risk the consequences of speaking out. These outcomes are related in this paper to the treatment of social media, where official policies and laws regulate and censor content on social media on the dubious basis that it is 'offensive' or 'objectionable'. These restraints often lack clear guidelines and are applied arbitrarily, leading to a chilling effect on free speech and the expression of dissenting views. Furthermore, India lacks a comprehensive legal framework to address hate speech, resulting in a patchwork of provisions within the Indian Penal Code that inadequately define and circumscribe hate speech. This article contends that the 'freedom to criticise' should be legally better protected to ensure that diverse opinions can be safely held and expressed in order to maintain and reflect the pluralistic nature of Indian democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]