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Structural transformation in most currently developing countries takes the form of a rapid rise in services but limited industrialization. In this paper, we propose a new methodology to structurally estimate productivity growth in service industries that circumvents the notorious difficulties in measuring quality improvements. In our theory, the expansion of the service sector is both a consequence—due to income effects—and a cause—due to productivity growth—of the development process. We estimate the model using Indian household data. We find that productivity growth in nontradable consumer services such as retail, restaurants, or residential real estate was an important driver of structural transformation and rising living standards between 1987 and 2011. However, the welfare gains were heavily skewed toward high‐income urban dwellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium pollution turns out to be a global environmental problem. This study conducted a quantitative and qualitative bibliometric analysis based on 9188 research items from the Web of Science Core Collection published in the last 20 years (2000–2020), presenting an in-depth statistical investigation of global freshwater cadmium research progress and developing trend. Our results demonstrated that the researchers from China, the USA, and India contribute the most to this field. The primary sources of cadmium are mining, industry, wastewater, sedimentation, and agricultural activities. In developing countries, cadmium exposure occurs mainly through the air, freshwater, and food. Fish and vegetables are the main food sources of cadmium for humans because of their high accumulation capability. Source evaluation, detection, and remediation represent the main technologies used to clean up cadmium-contaminated sites. To mitigate the risk of cadmium contamination in freshwater, biomarker-based cadmium monitoring methods and integrated policies/strategies to reduce cadmium exposure merit further concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate variability induced increased frequency of disasters has affected the livelihood of the people especially in developing countries. Rural communities are more affected and vulnerable towards these events due to limited livelihood alternatives. The exponentially increasing population, unsustainable use of natural resources and increasing disparities in social structure have posed threats to rural livelihoods. Climate variability and change have adversely affected agriculture and allied activities but more so in mountainous regions where the agriculture is still primarily rain-fed and is practised by smallholder farmers. Thus, livelihood vulnerability assessment is essential for suggesting suitable adaptation strategies and making policy decisions. This paper makes an attempt to examine livelihood vulnerability using composite vulnerability index. Evidence is given from blocks (administrative divisions of the district) of Dimapur district of Nagaland in India. We constructed livelihood vulnerability index (LVI) by incorporating site-specific indicators for its three components (exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity). The results revealed that all the blocks were greatly affected by climate variability and its induced drought. Niuland block was found the most vulnerable block followed by Kuhuboto, Dhansiripar and Medziphema blocks. Livelihood vulnerability in Niuland, Kuhuboto and Dhansiripar blocks is attributed to high sensitivity and low adaptive capacity. Sensitivity has predominantly increased livelihood vulnerability in Medziphema block. Thus, the study calls for policy implications to reduce the extent of livelihood vulnerability. LVI as a policy tool has proved to be effective in livelihood vulnerability assessment. Hence, it can successfully be utilised in other geographical regions for policy interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an infectious agent spread by mosquitos, that has engendered endemic or epidemic outbreaks of Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) in Africa, South-East Asia, America, and a few European countries. Like most tropical infections, CHIKV is frequently misdiagnosed, underreported, and underestimated; it primarily affects areas with limited resources, like developing nations. Due to its high transmission rate and lack of a preventive vaccine or effective treatments, this virus poses a serious threat to humanity. After a 32-year hiatus, CHIKV reemerged as the most significant epidemic ever reported, in India in 2006. Since then, CHIKV-related research was begun in India, and up to now, more than 800 peer-reviewed research papers have been published by Indian researchers and medical practitioners. This review gives an overview of the outbreak history and CHIKV-related research in India, to favor novel high-quality research works intending to promote effective treatment and preventive strategies, including vaccine development, against CHIKV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deteriorating air quality has become a matter of concern throughout the world with significant seasonal variations on a regional and transboundary scale. The selection of control strategies is comparatively more challenging on a regional or transboundary scale owing to the lack of accurate assessment of the contribution of various pollution sources. The present paper attempts to review the application of regional air quality models for accurate prediction. The main focus of the review is to understand the operational challenges of carrying out WRF-Chem model simulation considering technical expertise, time and computational requirements. WRF-Chem is a regional-scale chemistry transport model, which has been used by researchers in the past to assess transboundary and regional ambient air quality and its impacting sources. The model generally takes input from global databases which are mostly dynamic variables and need to be updated with primary survey data. The high-resolution local information, including Land-Use-Land-Cover, local anthropogenic emissions and biomass emissions, is an important database for the model and must be updated at regular intervals. This regional scale chemistry transport model is computationally expensive and requires specialised knowledge, thus, challenging to be used by various air quality managing agencies operating at state and city levels. The review also discusses agencies involved in regional scale modelling in different countries with their roles and responsibilities. Considering this complexity, it is recommended to phase-wise develop a centre of excellence for regional air quality modelling in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether linking into Global Value Chains (GVCs) can facilitate product upgrading in developing country firms, enabling them to climb up the value-chain ladder. The analysis is conducted using an unbalanced panel of Indian manufacturing firms in the period 2001–2015. Extensive data at the product-firm level is used to construct a sales-weighted average product sophistication level of Indian firms. To account for econometric issues of endogeneity and self-selection, the study employs the System GMM estimator and Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Findings indicate that linking into GVCs boosts the average product sophistication level of Indian firms by roughly 2 percent. Younger, more innovative, and more embedded GVC firms capture higher product sophistication gains from GVCs, while no significant impact is found for foreign investment. Results are robust to the use of different measurement techniques, model and lag specifications and methodologies. Findings suggest that designing trade policies in developing countries to increase GVC integration can enable product upgrading but there is a need to boost internal innovative capabilities to maximise gains from linking into GVCs. Further, the study raises important concerns regarding the future of export sophistication in India, demonstrating a shift in India's GVC trade towards the Global South and its tendency to export less sophisticated goods to Southern partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper seeks to study the evolving policy paradigm of Indian outward foreign Investment, especially from the year 2000 till the present. Indian overseas investment has gone through a multitude of overhauls since the liberalization and globalization era of the 1990s.. The study, while highlighting the changing sectoral and geographical composition of Indian OFDI from 2000-2021, underpins the pivotal role played by the Indian Government in fostering gradual but steady policy reforms for calibrating the suitable ecosystem for overseas investment by Indian MNCs. The paper’s findings suggest that developed nations are preferred over developing ones owing to the desire of acquiring strategic assets while the service sector grabs the larger share over the manufacturing sector with respect to cross-border OFDI deals from India. The research suggests further liberalization of services like communication, education and personal services to augment the contribution of the service sector in India's OFDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the present era, research data is a concern for researchers, as they are trying to find new ways to communicate their research findings and conclusions to other researchers in order to increase visibility and credibility. BRICS nations are fast emerging economies and contribute significantly in research output. This study makes an effort to analyze and explore the role of BRICS nations towards open access research data repository registered with Registry of Research Data Repositories. Design/methodology/approach: The data were gathered from re3data repository, and the search was limited to BRICS nations. The data were further analyzed and tabulated as per set parameters, namely, country-wise distribution, types of contents, subject coverage and language diversity. Findings: The findings depict that in terms of strength, India has the highest number of data repositories, thereby achieved the first rank among BRICS nations, and South Africa has the least number of data repositories, whereas in terms of content type and subject coverage, India again is leading among BRICS nations. The English language is used by repositories as the main language of the interface. Practical implications: The study helps to understand the development of research data repositories by BRICS nations. The study is further beneficial to researchers, as Registry of Research Data Repository provides a single platform to access repositories from various disciplines. Readily available data saves time, money and efforts of researchers and helps the researcher in completing their research activity in a very short span of time. Originality/value: The paper has investigated open access data repositories of BRICS nation that has not been attempted earlier. This gives readers comprehensive overview of research data repositories developed in fast emerging economies of the global. The paper can be very helpful for information managers, OA promoters and education and research policy makers to devise plans and policy bearing in mind the evolving research channels in emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the discussion in favor of simplicity of legal rules and against complex regulation is rooted in economically developed countries with strong state capacity. With economic development and state capacity comes the presumption that complex rules will be enforced. Therefore, analysis focuses on the administrative and error costs, and the unintended consequences of complex rules that are enforced. This paper argues that the Epsteinian insight is even more relevant to the developing world where countries often lack enough state capacity to even take on simple governance tasks. Developing countries often have less than 20 percent of the state capacity of developed countries. However, this does not mean they limit the regulatory structure to a fifth of the tasks. Under-enforcement or non-enforcement of complex rules imposes different costs and unintended consequences on society. Using examples from India, this paper highlights problems of enforcement swamping, deadweight loss, and corruption arising from the under-enforcement of complex rules. To avoid these problems, the paper concludes that a fortiori less developed countries should favor simple rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little is known about the association between polluting cooking fuel and depression among older adults living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Objective: To evaluate the association between polluting cooking fuel and depression in older population of LMICs., Methods: We derived data from WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), which was conducted in six LMICs including China, India, Ghana, South Africa, Mexico and Russia. We applied logistic regression with the propensity score method to examine the relationship of polluting cooking fuel and depression among adults ≥50 years old., Results: Overall, the odds ratio (OR) of depression was 1.57 [95% confidence intervals (CIs), 1.26-1.93] for older adults relying on polluting cooking fuel in six LMICs. In India and China, polluting cooking fuel was associated with depression with ORs of 2.06 (95%CI, 1.44-2.94) and 1.59 (95%CI, 1.01-2.49), respectively. Positive OR of depression was identified for those polluting cooking fuel users aged over 65 years old (OR, 1.65; 95%CI,1.16-2.36) and those aged 50-65 (OR, 1.50; 95%CI,1.14-1.97). Polluting cooking fuel was associated with depression for females (OR, 1.80; 95%CI, 1.32-2.46), however we did not observe significant association for males. Positive effect of polluting cooking fuel was identified in both rural (OR, 1.72; 95%CI, 1.26-2.34) and urban areas (OR, 1.44; 95%CI, 1.07-1.95). For individuals relying on solid fuel, cooking in a room used for living/sleeping and using open stove/fire was associated with depression with ORs of 1.30 (95%CI, 1.14-1.48) and 1.15 (95%CI, 1.01-1.31), respectively. However, no significant effect was identified for hood., Conclusion: Polluting cooking fuel was related to depressive symptoms among older adults in LMICs. In addition, cooking ventilation could be useful intervention to control health hazard of solid fuel., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Globally, only 52% of children aged 6-23 months meet the minimum meal frequency and a mere 29% meet the minimum dietary diversity, with large disparities across and within regions. With most of the stunting occurring during the first thousand days-from conception to age 2 years-improving complementary feeding in children 6-23 months old is an urgent priority. With this evidence in mind, UNICEF collaborated with the governments of India and Maharashtra to convene a global meeting in Mumbai, India, under the theme: First Foods: A Global Meeting to Accelerate Progress on Complementary Feeding in Young Children (November 17-18, 2015). The global meeting provided a platform that aimed to (a) synthesize the biological and implementation science on complementary feeding; (b) review the practice and experience in improving access to nutritious complementary foods and good complementary feeding practices; and (c) consolidate a strong evidence base that can inform the development of strategies and approaches to improve complementary feeding that are fit to context. This overview paper summarizes the rationale on why improving complementary foods and feeding for infants and young children matters and what it takes to improve them. It builds on the papers presented at the First Foods Global Meeting and those commissioned as a follow on to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effectiveness of insider trading enforcement actions in India and international dimensions.Design/methodology/approach The research is based on the insider trading regulations and amendments made during the period 1992-2015.Findings The notable observation of the study is the dearth of insider trading conviction and the paucity of prosecution for insider trading offences in India. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that surveillance and enforcement matter more than the drafting of the relevant statutes and regulations in emerging markets. Whereas, developed countries have a better record of prosecution than emerging markets.Research limitations/implications Future research may explore the factors that hinder effective regulation and recommend new methods to increase the impact of Securities and Exchange Board of India insider trading regulation.Originality/value The current paper presents guidance for the foreign institutional investors, regulators and market participants on insider trading regulation and prosecution in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing literature on financial risk disclosure by examining a sample of non-financial Indian companies listed on the Bombay stock exchange (BSE) to explore the degree of information about financial risks contained in their annual reports. Design/methodology/approach: To study the financial risk disclosure of Indian companies, a sample of 206 non-financial companies has been derived from the top 500 listed companies at BSE. The method used in this study to analyze risk disclosure is content analysis. A total of 1,854 annual reports are scanned through software Nvivo-12 to find different types of risk words. Overall, risk disclosure, category wise risk disclosure, year-wise risk disclosure and sector-wise risk disclosure are assessed. The risk disclosure index is also computed. Findings: The results show that there are some risk disclosure practices in Indian companies. No general pattern is observed. Companies are following vague method of risk disclosure. In the true sense, Indian companies are now started risk disclosure practices since 2018. This may be because of pressure from regulating bodies and stakeholders with greater detail about their financial risks. Originality/value: This study is carried out for Indian non-financial companies. The paper adds to the literature relating to financial risk disclosure in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the U.S. reportedly online sales hit $791.70 billion in 2020, up 32.4% from $598.02 billion in the prior year, according to Commerce Department figures. With an eye on the pandemic ecommerce seems to have thrived in 2020 because of store closures and shoppers' fear of contracting the Corona virus in public. This was largely because with the corona virus cases spiking in January, 2021, many of the consumers were avoiding direct contact at stores and purchasing online. Focus: This paper looks into the market reports and surveys conducted by various government, non-government and civil society bodies. There were several factors that contributed to the rapid adaptation of online shopping by population across the developed and developing world and especially in India. Method: The current research work is based on primary and secondary data. The tools of research were a telephonic interview of a sample of Punjab's college going youth. The students of the Science and Humanities streams of two colleges were taken up for the study randomly. Snowball sampling was done to take up influences of opining leaders who were emulated as examples by most other students. Scope: The research would enhance the market understanding of the online shopping trends and benefit the retailers greatly. In a way the pandemic presented online shopping as a genuine step up from the traditional retail measures. It has equally boosted the small time business houses as well as large chain retailers of the world. Results and Findings: On line shopping has presented a world-class shopping experience supported by the best shopping opportunities technology to the urban and rural youth of Punjab who are entrenched in utilizing the best post the Lockdown and the pandemic. As their expectations are growing they are including more adherents to this mode of shopping. In the case of India the on-line shopping range of consumables has grown from bare necessities to essentials and finally to luxury goods like branded clothes and gadgetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Government of India Initiative on linguistic data creation in Indian languages. The Linguistic Data Consortium for Indian Languages (LDC-IL) is a fully funded Government of India scheme established in 2007 to cater to the needs of linguistic resources required for the development of language technology in Indian languages. LDC-IL worked silently for more than a decade with a team of around regular fifty people and involving thousands of resource persons, covering twenty major languages of India. Part of the output of LDC-IL was launched in April 2019 by the Hon'ble Vice President of India. This paper, the first introductory paper in an academic journal, aims to give a brief of the works done by LDC-IL and how these works are crucial in the development of language technology for Indian languages. Within a short span of eight months of its release, the language resources released by LDC-IL have been procured and utilized by scores of industry and academic bodies and individual researchers, including major industry leaders like Microsoft, Google, Samsung etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate revealed comparative advantage and normalized revealed comparative advantage (NRCA) indices of India's computer and information services (CIS) export competitiveness with regard to information technology (IT) competing developing nations, such as China, Philippines, Malaysia and Brazil. Design/methodology/approach: Using annual data of total exports for CIS, transportation (TNS), travel (TVL) and insurance (INS) services under service categories of the balance of payment, the present study estimates the pattern of comparative advantage (CA) in India's CIS exports with respect to IT competing developing nations such as China, Philippines, Malaysia and Brazil from 2000 to 2018. The choice of the study period is determined by the availability of consistent data on IT service exports of these nations. The study also estimates the export position of CIS export in comparison to India's traditionally strong commercial services export of TNS, TVL and INS during the study period. Findings: Both the indices showed that India had a strong CA in CIS compared to the selected nations, indicating India's relative export performance to be stronger than that of China, Malaysia, Philippines and Brazil. The cross-service index showed that India's relative specialization level in CIS with respect to the world's average specialization level was stronger than its relative specialization level in TNS, TVL and INS services. Furthermore, The NRCA cross-nation index showed that India's NRCA index score has been declining since 2010 with respect to these nations, which implied a decline in the competitiveness of CIS. On the other hand, NRCA has increased in the case of Philippines, Malaysia and Brazil for most of the period post-2010. Research limitations/implications: IT is a dynamic area of economic activity, and when the pace of change is so rapid, the relevance of individual factors can change over time. The study period is also limited to the available data. Practical implications: The paper has implications for attaining sustainability in IT export growth. It is suggested that policies are directed at enhancing the overall performance of IT sector. Originality/value: The novelty of the present study lies in the estimation of India's competitiveness in IT exports in relation to the group of reference countries. With its policy recommendations, this research is helping to shape the sustainability of the IT sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Contemporary frameworks in the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm observe that the proprietary firm-specific assets of multinational companies (MNCs) from developed economies give them competitive advantage in international markets. However, the question "how do emerging market firms (EMFs) achieve accelerated internationalisation in knowledge based industries – despite not possessing proprietary assets and lacking critical elements of innovation eco-systems, institutions and infrastructure" has yet to be addressed. This paper aims to adopt a knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm, identifying knowledge, both inside and outside of the firm, as a critical element for the internationalization of EMFs. Design/methodology/approach: This research entailed deductive econometric analyses using panel data analysis from 925 firm-year observations, which tested our predictions on capabilities that contribute to the internationalization of EMFs from the IT industry in India. Findings: The findings of the authors' panel data analysis reveal that the capacity to internationalize is predicated by knowledge leverage in three principal domains: absorptive capacity, tacit knowledge and knowledge-codification. This study shows internationalization is driven by higher-order capabilities of EMFs that draw on the absorptive capacity of individuals and collectives as a dynamic capability to serve international clients worldwide. Research limitations/implications: This study highlights that the process by which EMFs gain competence is different to the Western MNCs insofar as the extent to which EMFs have to stretch their efforts of learning from clients. Practical implications: For practitioners, the findings of this research are a useful guide to understand that EMFs need to make strategic investments to understand the idiosyncrasies of a variety of clients' needs and operating environments to dynamically adapt, document the learning and leverage the tacit knowledge. Social implications: This study captures the innate ability of entrepreneurs in emerging economies to unlock their potential in human capital for globalizing operations and targeting new market segments in the industry. This can directly benefit in uplifting the income level of millions in relatively underdeveloped countries and bringing about much-needed equity in the level of income in the society. Originality/value: The value of this study lies in its novel and contemporary insight on how EMFs leapfrog in a fast-changing technology space. What distinguishes the work from the static framework in literature is that EMFs learning is dynamic, and happens in an interactive mode, alongside clients in close proximity. This study captures the innate ability of entrepreneurs to unlock the potential of human capital in emerging economies for globalizing operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on fieldwork conducted in Senegal, Tanzania, and India, this article argues for a territorialized approach to mini-grids. One of the most sought-after solutions to electrification and transition to renewable energies in the Global South, mini-grids can be defined as decentralized collective systems of electricity supply. Whereas the academic and grey literature has mostly focused on their presence in rural areas, this paper looks at their development in urbanizing localities. It documents access to electrical service in these spaces and shows that, behind the rather uniform vision associated with the mini-grid object, the service provided takes different forms depending on the environment in which it is deployed. The presence of mini-grids also raises issues of social and territorial equity of access to essential services. A territorialized approach to mini-grids, therefore, furthers our understanding of the complex energy changes at work in cities of the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, large parts of India and the global South have experienced a rapid transformation from mud to cement houses, which has been promoted by governments and cement companies for its positive impacts on household socioeconomic status and gender inequalities. But we know little else about how different communities are participating in house transformation. In this paper, I study the embodied and affective dimensions of house transformation in Himachal Pradesh, India. I argue that house transformation is also the transformation of traditional gender and caste identities into new middle‐class identities which benefits some social groups, like upper‐caste women and Dalit men, but not others like Dalit women along intersectional lines. My work extends literature in infrastructure studies and urban political ecology by highlighting how the materiality of infrastructures interacts with everyday dimensions of difference to reproduce the marginalisation of historically oppressed groups along intersectional lines of class, caste, and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and communication technologies are increasingly used for development in the Global South, and mHealth (health assisted by mobile technologies) plays key role. This paper analyzes the particular relationship to science that characterizes a global maternal mHealth program deployed in Ghana and India. Using science and technology studies (STS), this research relies on qualitative interviews conducted between 2014 and 2016 with funders, implementers, and beneficiaries of this mHealth program. This story begins with a randomized controlled trial, a biomedical experiment with a strong positioning regarding science and the production of evidence. But rapidly the scientific stance disappears to give way to the testing and marketing of a product for the digital economy. From science to market, this paper offers to revisit a classical STS topic through the lens of mHealth. It shows how the various experimental forms taken by this project fundamentally diverge from scientific methods and evidence production and at the same time how it nurtures an ongoing instrumental relationship with science. Thus, from clinical research to product marketing, this paper highlights the tenuous link between evidence-based and market-based mHealth in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the state-wise impact of literacy rates on the financial literacy rates in India. The OECD defines financial education as, "the process by which financial consumers/investors improve their understanding of financial products, concepts and risks and, through information, instruction and/or objective advice, develop the skills and confidence to become more aware of financial risks and opportunities, to make informed choices, to know where to go for help, and to take other effective actions to improve their financial well-being." Financial literacy has been gaining popularity more rapidly than ever in the recent past, amid both developing and developed countries alike. The objective of this paper is to the relationship between literacy rates on the financial literacy rates in India. The methodology employed is a statistical analysis of secondary data collected. The findings show that there exists a positive relationship between literacy levels and financial literacy levels. It is not a particularly strong relationship, though statistically significant. The paper concludes with recommendations and suggestions that could help improve financial literacy rates in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There can be no second thoughts pertaining to the importance of international trade for any given country of the world. Thus, India as a developing country can be no exception to this universal truth. It is not possible to bring out the facts regarding first time when India engaged in trade with some nation, but it traded with different nations in the times when some of the countries were still groping in darkness to find means of livelihood for their folks. India traded with almost every nation and dealt in the products of rare quality and rarest origin. In modern times, India also has trade relations with many nations and deals in a number of commodities. This paper is an attempt to focus on different items of trade that India exports and imports and the nations with which it undertakes that trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the world of work, particularly labour. Worldwide economic crises and unemployment present a difficult road ahead in ensuring the sound health and productivity of labour. Among developing countries, India has been at the centre stage of this catastrophe, with millions of labourers suddenly losing their jobs and in desperate need of livelihoods to survive. Emergency policy measures undertaken to sustain industrial growth in the crises may not be comforting to the labour in India in the long run. This paper is intended to help policymakers and the civil engineering community in meeting the urgency of resolving the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth in dairy consumption and food scandals in India in the 2000s increased awareness of food safety issues among consumers and policymakers. This led to the introduction of new standards. However, there is li ttle information about how they affected farm-level activities and whether value chains played any role. Our paper addresses these questions using a two-round panel survey of dairy farms in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. We find significant improvements in adoption of farm-level hygienic practices, especially in Punjab. Value chain innovations do not play a significant role in stimulating safety and quality improvements among dairy smallholders in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread use of mobile phones in the Global South, digital tools are attracting growing interest from international aid actors as well as local governments – positioning digital technology as an essential driver of economic growth and an obvious solution to many social problems. Initiated by multiple actors from the digital industry, these programs reconfigure the state, the rights of citizens, the perimeter and access to health services. Through the study of the Motech Global Mobile Health Program (mHealth) implemented in Ghana and India to improve maternal health, this paper explores the way in which processes of medical globalization and privatization come into being through digital technology. It shows how forms of philanthrocapitalism drive such digital programs. By confronting the stories of the techy philanthropists promoting such solutions and the global south's mothers that are supposedly benefiting from it, this paper also illustrates the gap between the promise of better healthcare offered by such digital solution and the realities experienced on the ground by its users, on gender and empowerment issues or accessibility and quality of healthcare. While mobile applications leave no material traces, no physical infrastructures, no specialized skills or knowledge in the countries where they are deployed, they nevertheless offer a new mercantile approach to care and health administration that leaves traces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex work can offer a quick way of making money and is the only profession in which women may earn more in fewer hours when compared to other available jobs. However, most studies with sex workers in India are based on socially biased assumptions about sex work; that is, women are either coerced or trafficked into sex work. Limited attention has been paid to the voices of non-brothel-based sex workers in India. Drawing data from a larger ethnographic study conducted between December 2009 and July 2010, this paper analyses how women sex workers operating from non-brothel-based sex work settings in Kolkata, India, foresee their future. Unlike the popular 'victim imagery' of women sex workers in the Global South, this study found that women are not passive recipients of the trade; instead, they employ agency - sometimes transgressing the normative boundaries and at times reinscribing these boundaries to secure a future for themselves and their families. Therefore, to promote HIV preventive behaviour programmes reaching out to sex workers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) must proactively inquire about women's future plans and assist them in materialising their future goals, which are mostly concerned with their children's future, a life free of stigma/shame, and financial security in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern world, modern medicine and complementary systems dominate the healthcare worldwide. Many developing countries which suffer with resources can improvise the healthcare at their retention by leveraging the extent of traditional medicine. A traditional Indian Atharva Veda implemented system of medicine called the Ayurveda, has gigantic benefits to human kind. This way of medicine deals majorly with naturally available herbs and methodologies to treat human health and promotes healthy practices for a better lifestyle. Ayurveda works on the idea of balancing biological systems. Ayurveda is primarily accomplished in India and being recognized internationally due to the effectiveness and use of naturally available herbs and associated methodologies to cure the diseases. Ayurveda as a system is successful, yet not widely practiced, there are range of reasons that has limited Ayurveda to reach its potential, such as less importance is given to Ayurvedic education and its practices, very few or no advancement is seen, resources limitations due to funds, limited technical support, and unstructured database. Therefore there is a constant need of improvising the field with technology and effectively creating knowledge based systems to improvise the practice of Ayurveda and to optimize its benefits. In this paper, a survey on the benefits of Ayurveda for women hormonal imbalance, Ayurveda for Skin and Hair health is done along with the Artificial intelligence technology advancements in the field of Ayurveda. The intend of the paper is to layout the benefits this 5000 years old approach towards medicine has to offer and the use of Artificial Intelligence to promote and influence its growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this research is to assess the key enablers of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in the context of the Indian automobile industry. It is done to apprehend their comparative effect on executing I4.0 concepts and technology in manufacturing industries, in a developing country context. The progression to I4.0 grants the opportunity for manufacturers to harness the benefits of this industry generation. Design/methodology/approach: The literature related to I4.0 has been reviewed for the identification of key enablers of I4.0. The enablers were further verified by academic professionals. Additionally, key executive insights had been revealed by using interpretive structural modelling (ISM) model for the vital enablers unique to the Indian scenario. The authors have also applied MICMAC analysis to group the enablers of I4.0. Findings: The analysis of this study's data from respondents using ISM provided us with seven levels of enabler framework. This study adds to the existing literature on I4.0 enablers and findings highlight the specificities of the territories in India context. The results show that top management is the major enabler to I4.0 implementation. Infact, it occupies the 7th layer of the ISM framework. Subsequently, government policies enable substantial support to develop smart factories in India. Practical implications: The findings of this work provide implementers of I4.0 in the automobile industry in the form of a robust framework. This framework can be followed by the automobile sector in enhancing their competency in the competitive market and ultimately provide a positive outcome for the Indian economic development led by these businesses. Furthermore, this work will guide decision-makers in enabling strategic integration of I4.0, opening doors for the development of new business opportunities as well. Originality/value: The study proposes a framework for Indian automobile industries. The automobile sector was chosen for this study as it covers a large percentage of the market share of the manufacturing industry in India. The existing literature does not address the broader picture of I4.0 and most papers do not provide validation of the data collected. This study thus addresses this research gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid waste management (SWM) is one of the most neglected aspects and becoming a challenge for India as well as other developing nations’ environment. India is one of the world’s large and fastestgrowing economy. Based on the trends in different nations like the US, China and European countries, it is clear that a developing economy of the nation and population of the country is also playing a vital role in the increasing rate of solid waste generation. Unsegregated waste is the root cause of the inefficient municipal solid waste management (MSWM) systems in India. The existing approach to managing the MSW such as collection, transportation and treatment results in poor utilization of resources. This review paper addresses the current status of MSWM in India. In this paper, various issues and challenges to obtain 100 % source segregated municipal solid waste are also discussed through different cases of urban areas. A way forward through an overview of the municipal waste management policies and practices adopted is being presented in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments across the developing world are adopting digital technologies to improve the performance of public sector supply chains. However, empirical evidence regarding the impact of these technologies on performance is mixed. In this paper, we evaluate the impact of using biometric authentication (BA) devices on the performance of India's food security program. The program aims to deliver subsidized food grains to nearly 160 million low-income households through approximately 500,000 fair price shops (FPSs). Nearly half of those grains do not reach the beneficiaries and are diverted to the open market for private benefit. We estimate the impact of installing BA devices on reducing diversion in more than 3,300 FPSs in the Indian state of Karnataka between 2013 and 2015 using a difference-in-differences approach. We find that BA devices reduce up to 4% of the current diversion at the last mile. We argue that this relatively low impact is due to the presence of a workaround mechanism which results in imperfect monitoring and validate the decrease in diversion mechanism by estimating the differential impact of BA devices. We complement the empirical analysis with a simulation exercise to estimate the additional value that can be unlocked by using the BA devices. We find that the value of better replenishment planning using sales and inventory information captured by BA devices can be significant. The value of better planning can be as high as six times the value of reduction in diversion, depending on the preintervention levels of demand from genuine beneficiaries and diversion at the FPSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Receivers and intermediary establishments typical to urban areas have unique freight behaviour and are understudied, particularly in developing countries. This paper uses establishment-based freight survey data to examine their freight generation patterns in the Chennai metropolitan area, India. Three sets of Simple Linear Regression (SLR) models, three single predictor proportional odds logit models, one multiple linear regression model, and one multiple predictor proportional odds logit model with business size (employment, area, and operational age) and indicators of establishment category as regressors are developed each for both freight production and freight attraction. Partial proportional odds logit models are developed in a few cases to overcome the limitations of proportional odds logit models. The best SLR model varied with the establishment category for freight production and attraction. The establishment area model is the best among single predictor proportional odds logit models. The multiple predictor proportional odds logit models marginally improved the fit over single predictor models. The proportional odds logit model results show that the establishment category has a greater impact on freight generation levels than business size variables. Since earlier studies rarely focused on receivers and intermediary establishments, policymakers may benefit from the developed models and study insights while estimating freight demand and developing freight policies. • Receivers and intermediary establishments' freight generation is studied. • Partial Proportional Odds (PO) logit models are developed for freight attraction. • Area model is the best single predictor PO logit model for freight generation. • Establishment type affects freight generation more than business size variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wheel was the first form of transportation developed by early people. Increasing population, longer distances, and shorter travel times need more cheap, faster modes of transportation. Environmental issues were never taken into account when choosing the most cost-effective mode of public transportation. Consequently, in the face of global pollution and warming restrictions, all stakeholders choose modes of transportation with little environmental impact. This has led to the development of sustainable transportation infrastructure, particularly in a country as rapidly developing as India. This paper examines the present situation, legislation, and grading systems for sustainable transportation in India and other developing nations. Furthermore, comparisons of India with developing nations of various continents in different aspects are also present. The difference in cost between a private car and a public vehicle indicates which form of transportation should be chosen. The challenges linked with urban and rural Indian roadways are explored, as well as their respective solutions. In order to accomplish sustainable transportation, traffic density and driver conduct are also considered. This study emphasises that sustainability is not just achieved through the use of cleaner fuel or the modification of road materials, although these are vital. Road design, regulatory changes, psychological behaviour, and transit safety are also crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The efficiency of polyester and bamboo geogrids in reducing the seismic settlement of low-rise buildings has been investigated in this paper. A series of shake table experiments was carried out for this purpose. It was observed that the beneficial attributes of a rocking foundations in reducing the flexural deformation and column moment remained unchanged after inclusion of geogrids. However, the settlement, a primary adverse consequence of a rocking foundation, reduced significantly (as much as 70–75%). In a developing country like India, natural material-like bamboo threads combined with geo-polymers may be utilized for safe and sustainable seismic design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water Sensitive Planning (WSP) recognizes the centrality of water in the urban built environment, something often overlooked in urban planning systems. WSP was primarily developed for western city contexts but many cities in the Global South are rapidly urbanizing, and informal settlements are the predominant form of development, with limited existing water provision. A new WSP framework is needed for these contexts. This paper envisions what a WSP theory would look like for a city in the Global South to enhance water security, using Delhi as a starting point. Firstly, the substantive components of WSP are identified from the literature. Secondly, this framework is critiqued with respect to the extent to which it is appropriate for planning rapidly urbanizing cities, especially in India. Finally, the key principles of WSP for cities in the Global South are suggested. Notable principles include integration of water planning and city planning; linking of drains with statute protected water bodies; green places as recharge areas; reuse of adequately treated wastewater for irrigation purposes; and building roads and drains as per hydrogeography of a place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A developing country like India has realized the vital role of Entrepreneurship in economic growth, and mindfulness is very crucial for becoming a successful entrepreneur. The paper examines the relationship of mindfulness with Entrepreneurial orientation and all of its dimensions. The data was collected from 152 working professionals using a purposive sampling technique. MANOVA is performed to measure the impact of independent variables (gender, thought of doing business and level of mindfulness) on dependent variables, i.e., Entrepreneurial Orientation, Innovativeness, Proactiveness and Risk. Firstly, the results conclude that interaction among the combination of mindfulness, thought of doing business and gender variables have an impact on combined entrepreneurial orientation. Secondly, it is found that mindful females who have thought of doing their own business have a stronger entrepreneurial orientation. The presence of more women in leadership roles will contribute to business growth; thus, such talent must be educated and trained for the benefit of the organization and the nation as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood and time constitute key sites of regulation for nationalist authoritarian regimes. However, the influence of time on contemporary nationalist discourses of childhood located in the Global South remains an underresearched area. This paper critically analyzes two spectacles involving Hindu nationalist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and secondary school students on the occasions of Teachers Day 2014 and 2015. Temporal language, markers, and symbols rooted in discourses of colonialism/Orientalism, Brahminical Hinduism, and capitalist development are deconstructed to show how nationalist constructions of childhood can penetrate deep into the everyday lives of particular children who are deemed worthy to serve their nation. The paper concludes by highlighting specific ways in which time and temporality are weaponized to reproduce and legitimize a social hierarchy of childhoods that is necessary to sustain Hindu ethno-religious nationalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the developing countries with a demographic advantage recognized almost two decades ago. However, has India been able to transform this demographic advantage into human capital to achieve an inclusive and sustainable economic growth? In this paper we are trying to look at the strengths of our existing workforce, identify the gaps existing in the reach of our social programs for enhancing the educational and skill levels of our workforce of the future, and the path to be followed for building our potential human capital for achieving a faster and equitable distribution of the benefits of economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to academia's lack of involvement in research, development, and innovation activities, there is a tremendous amount of talent underutilised in Indian engineering educational institutions. Indian engineering educational institutions confront numerous obstacles that limit their participation in research. Lack of funding, a tight budget, poor fund allocation, a weak research ecosystem, fewer opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, a decline in PhD enrolment, over-centralization, a lack of accountability, transparency, and bureaucratic structures have all contributed to an increase in the administrative workload at universities, which has diluted their primary emphasis on research. The K J Somaiya Institute of Engineering and Information Technology (KJSIEIT), an engineering educational institute in India, is the subject of a research case study in this paper that addresses the challenges of Indian engineering institutes' limited involvement in research development and innovation. KJSIEIT's efforts to establish a research culture have demonstrated this by launching practises for research, development, and innovation such as strong hand holding for idea implementation, building incubator and start-up support systems, constant encouragement for increased research involvement, hands-on training for start-ups, applying for and competing for government funding, working on industry collaborative, societal, need-based, educational, agricultural and healthcare. These tested procedures at KJSIEIT can serve as a model for other engineering schools in India in addressing the issues of low participation and contribution in research and supporting ecological development of developing nations in order to survive in the cutthroat environment of contemporary economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around 42.7% of women experience anaemia during pregnancy in low- and middle-income countries. Countries in southeast Asia (with prevalence ranging between 40 and 60%) have reported a modest decline over the past 25 years. Nearly half the pregnant women continue to be anaemic in India between 2005-06 and 2015-16, although severe anaemia has reduced from 2.2% to 1.3%.India has been committed to achieving a target of 32% prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women from 50% by 2022. There are concerns around stagnancy in the prevalence of anaemia in pregnancy despite a strong political commitment. The paper puts forth the arguments that should be considered while introspecting why India might run the risk of not achieving the expected reduction. The reported findings highlight several methodological issues such as hemoglobin cut-offs used to determine anaemia during pregnancy, method of estimation of Hb, and less emphasis on causes other than iron deficiency anemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Financial barrier is an encumbrance for eco-investment for firms. • The linkage between environmental behavior and credit accessibility is driven by the ownership structure. • The paper also investigates the relationship between credit access and corporate environmental behavior according to the pollution intensity of firms. Firms play a major role in facilitating green growth in developing nations by promoting environmental protection investment to control pollution caused during the manufacturing process. The paper explores whether the financial vulnerability of firms curbs their investment towards environmental practices that eliminate the creation of wastes or pollutants and hence acts as a deterrent towards green economy. Using firm-level data for manufacturing firms from 2010 to 2019, it is confirmed that financial barrier is an encumbrance for eco-investment by firms. We also focus on the environmental behavior of firms classified according to their ownership structure observing that government-owned firms (GOFs) tend to rely less on their internal and debt capital to finance their environmental investment, whereas private-owned firms (POFs) rely mainly on their internal capital. However, internal financing methods have generally no significant impact on the eco-investment decision of foreign-owned firms (FOFs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justice and responsibility are central notions shaping the international climate negotiations. However, countries have different perspectives on how to translate these concepts into solutions for climate change. In this process, actors such as the European Union (EU) play a central role, by trying to persuade other large greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters to take on their (historical) responsibilities and by supporting developing countries. At the same time, China and India have become central actors in international climate negotiations. Due to their rapid economic growth and rising GHG emissions, their climate action is crucial for achieving global goals, while their historical emissions are very different from those of Western countries. To shed light on the EU's perspective on climate justice, and the particular role of China and India therein, this article analyses Members of European Parliament's (MEPs) narratives in plenary debates on foreign climate policy between 1996 and 2019. MEPs' views contribute to shaping the EU's position on the topic, but also provide useful insights into the political dynamics of the debate. The paper finds that climate justice is mentioned in less than half of the MEPs' speeches, but that its salience increased over time and became more diverse in terms of different dimensions of climate justice. We also uncover that MEPs' positions on China and India evolved with the rise in their emissions, becoming increasingly critical over time. However, there is a significant variance amongst political groups' positions, between those on the right and the left end of the political spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has led to the emergence of slums in many developing and industrialized nations. It degrades the quality of life and burdens the urban amenities resulting in uneven distribution of slums. The majority of people in the developing world live in squatter settlements and these random gatherings disrupt the economic and social developmental plans of the concerned country. No suitable planning framework has been created for replicability on a considerable scale, despite the fact that slum upgrading is acquiring worldwide importance as a political issue. In recent years Jammu City has witnessed high population growth rates resulting in an uneven provision of urban amenities and a surge in slum areas. This paper focuses on a method-based approach using Management Information System (MIS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) for upgrading slums and recommends a planning outline using the approach formulated by the Government of India under the scheme named "Rajiv Awas Yojna" (RAY). The aim of this study is to assess the status of slums, propose redevelopment plans, and highlight the roles of different planning agencies to accomplish the redevelopment goals. The study concludes by postulating several recommendations for upgrading slums and formulating a framework that can be used in other similar areas for development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health management information systems (HMIS) produce large amounts of data about health service provision and population health, and provide opportunities for data-based decision-making in decentralized health systems. Yet the data are little-used locally. A well-defined approach to district-level decision-making using health data would help better meet the needs of the local population. In this second of four papers on district decision-making for health in low-income settings, our aim was to explore ways in which district administrators and health managers in low- and lower-middle-income countries use health data to make decisions, to describe the decision-making tools they used and identify challenges encountered when using these tools. A systematic literature review, following PRISMA guidelines, was undertaken. Experts were consulted about key sources of information. A search strategy was developed for 14 online databases of peer reviewed and grey literature. The resources were screened independently by two reviewers using pre-defined inclusion criteria. The 14 papers included were assessed for the quality of reported evidence and a descriptive evidence synthesis of the review findings was undertaken. We found 12 examples of tools to assist district-level decision-making, all of which included two key stages-identification of priorities, and development of an action plan to address them. Of those tools with more steps, four included steps to review or monitor the action plan agreed, suggesting the use of HMIS data. In eight papers HMIS data were used for prioritization. Challenges to decision-making processes fell into three main categories: the availability and quality of health and health facility data; human dynamics and financial constraints. Our findings suggest that evidence is available about a limited range of processes that include the use of data for decision-making at district level. Standardization and pre-testing in diverse settings would increase the potential that these tools could be used more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]