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This article discusses the recent trends in doctoral education in India in the changing context of higher education in the country. This context is characterised by the gradual withdrawal of state patronage for this level of education and the coterminous rise of the private sector, the formulation and implementation of the national framework for doctoral education in 2016, the adoption of the National Education Policy 2020 by the Government of India, and the devastating effect of the pandemic of coronavirus (COVID-19) since 2020. It focuses on the pattern of enrolment and out-turn of doctoral students, and on the different aspects of doctoral education such as structure, curriculum, supervision, and examination.

This paper establishes the empirical relationship between the fiscal policy, demographic transition and public spending or expenditure on education in India with special reference to higher education. Public higher education spending is shown to be related to fiscal policy, if such expenditure is budgeted by the General Government and financed by general taxation and/or public debt. Demographic transition is analysed by population age structure transition and shown to impact on decline in enrollment in education through transition in Education Dependency Ratio. A forward-looking economic-demography model is used to forecast up to 2050 the interactive effects of demographic transition and public higher education expenditure within the framework of fiscal policy in 2011-12. Overall results indicate that, other things being equal including public expenditure commitment to education, demographic transition results in: (1) additional budgetary resources for higher education without additional taxation, cut in expenditure benefits and new public debt; and (2) decline in public education expenditure generosity by all levels of education in general and higher education in particular. This offers a new macroeconomic evidence for innovative public financing of higher education in India and lessons for other developing countries.

This paper analyses the measurement issues in education achievement, and integration of education goals and targets, in the context of human development in India. Measurement issues are distinguished by (a) choice of indicators and variables and (b) data used in estimation/projection/computation of indicators and variables in the global human development reports (HDRs) and in India's national and sub-national HDRs. This analysis establishes the non-comparability of measurement of the education achievement by indicators and variables, and shows a case for integration of education goals and targets between global, national and sub-national levels. Policy implications and imperatives from these analyses of the Indian experiences offer lessons for measurement of education achievement in developing countries. (Contains 5 tables and 24 footnotes.)

This paper analyses and compares the measurement of indicators and variables in the construction of education index in Human Development Index (HDI) at the global, national and 18 sub-national human development reports in India since 1990. The results show non-comparability of measurement of the education indicators and variables. This implies that vertical and horizontal comparability of HDI may not be plausible for India. Implications of these analyses are highlighted for measurement of quality of life indices with special reference to physical quality of life index. Policy lessons are derived for future measurement of education index for India in particular, and other developing countries in general.

This article focuses on economic analysis of privatisation policies and postprivatisation control devices in India's higher education. As a case study, the experiences of Karnataka State in collegiate education under general higher education are emphasised. A change in public financing, rather than a shift of public ownership and management to private sector, is the most dominant feature of privatisation policies. The impact of privatisation is estimated in terms of fiscal effect, price effect, and effects on quality, equity, and affordability. To overcome the negative effects of privatisation policies, the need for postprivatisation control devices are argued, and a few policy devices are suggested. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development experiences in postprivatisation control devices for manufacturing and infrastructure privatisation are shown to have relevance for both privatisation and globalisation of higher education services, especially in view of bringing education services for negotiations under the World Trade Organisation's General Agreement on Trade in Services. (Contains 5 tables and 23 notes.)

Estimated the impact of grants-in-aid (GIA) and other variables on student performance (in terms of pass percentages) in aided private degree colleges in the Bangalore district in India from 1991-1992 to 1997-1998 using panel data from 31 colleges. Results show that the impact of GIA is positive and significant. (SLD)

Urban service provision falls somewhere on the continuum of lower-cost, lower-quality, unreliable and intermittent to higher-cost, higher-quality, reliable and continuous. Piped water services in India are generally in the former category, but efforts are underway in some cities to shift to continuous supply. We use a matched-cohort research design to evaluate one such effort: an upgrade to continuous water service in a pilot zone of Hubli-Dharwad, India, while the rest of the city remained on intermittent services. We conducted a survey of ∼4000 households with four rounds of data collection over 15 months. We evaluated the household-level net benefits, the equity of their distribution, and the affordability of water access under continuous supply. We also evaluated the project at the system-level (household and utility), estimating the net present value of the upgrade and the feasibility of scale-up to the entire city. We found positive net benefits for households overall, but uneven distribution of these benefits across socio-economic strata. We also found that the costs of supply augmentation, a necessary step for scale-up, significantly reduced the project net present value. The potential for scale-up is thus unclear.

South Asian countries will have to double their food production by 2050 while using resources more efficiently and minimizing environmental problems. Transformative management approaches and technology solutions will be required in the major grain-producing areas that provide the basis for future food and nutrition security. This study was conducted in four locations representing major food production systems of densely populated regions of South Asia. Novel production-scale research platforms were established to assess and optimize three futuristic cropping systems and management scenarios (S2, S3, S4) in comparison with current management (S1). With best agronomic management practices (BMPs), including conservation agriculture (CA) and cropping system diversification, the productivity of rice- and wheat-based cropping systems of South Asia increased substantially, whereas the global warming potential intensity (GWPi) decreased. Positive economic returns and less use of water, labor, nitrogen, and fossil fuel energy per unit food produced were achieved. In comparison with S1, S4, in which BMPs, CA and crop diversification were implemented in the most integrated manner, achieved 54% higher grain energy yield with a 104% increase in economic returns, 35% lower total water input, and a 43% lower GWPi. Conservation agriculture practices were most suitable for intensifying as well as diversifying wheat-rice rotations, but less so for rice-rice systems. This finding also highlights the need for characterizing areas suitable for CA and subsequent technology targeting. A comprehensive baseline dataset generated in this study will allow the prediction of extending benefits to a larger scale.

Background and Objective: We evaluated the DR-TB component of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) in a high-burden district in Kerala to identify the programmatic gaps, if any, in screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of notified DR-TB patients. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used, and the evaluation was performed in two steps. In the first step, we reviewed the program documents and conducted stakeholder interviews to develop a detailed description of the program design and developed a logical framework to evaluate program performance. Consequently, in the next step, we conducted programmatic data reviews, facility surveys, and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to identify the programmatic gaps in implementation, guided by the logic framework. Results: Of the 494 microbiologically confirmed TB patients during 2021-22, 342 (69%) were tested for drug sensitivity, and 30 DR-TB patients were identified. There was no separate district DR-TB treatment center with airborne infection control facilities, and only 16% (66/422) of the various categories of staff were trained in recent guidelines. Only 30% (9/30) of DR-TB patients were provided with any psychological assessment. The favorable treatment outcome was 80% Interviews revealed poor readiness and motivation from the private sector for screening, contextual barriers in human resource availability, transportation, and financial barriers to the beneficiary despite providing financial benefits. Conclusion: Prioritizing the establishment of a district DR-TB treatment center and sputum transport mechanism, posting a clinical psychologist dedicated to counseling patients on therapy, and training all categories of staff on DR-TB management guidelines will significantly contribute to improving program outcomes.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the quality of life of individuals around the world, including health care professionals. There has been little research that examines the role of resilience concerning the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life of nursing students. This study aimed to determine how resilience influenced the quality of life among nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional research design was adopted for this study. A total of two hundred sixty-eight nursing students from three universities, South India responded in the web-based survey. Data was collected using self-reported questionnaires in June 2021. Our findings revealed that the participants' resilience was normal, which had a moderate impact on the quality of life of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 impact on QoL significantly differed with year of education (F = 3.087; p < 0.02) and university (F = 6.697, p < 0.001). Bivariate analysis revealed significant inverse relationships between the impact of COVID-19 on quality of life with resilience (r = −0.259; p < 0.001) and perceived knowledge on COVID-19(r = −0.168; p < 0.006). In our study, we found that resilience had a moderate impact on the quality of life of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is important to promote students' resilience and improve their quality of life during stressful situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article develops an empirical framework for the estimation of the economic effects and impacts of the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) and other socio-economic variables related to poverty among elderly individuals in India. Based on an official data sample of 9,852 elderly individuals, it produces evidence of the poverty-reduction effects of IGNOAPS, suggesting that it could be justified to promote more active policy support for this scheme as an instrument of poverty alleviation among elderly individuals. Four areas of policy intervention are identified for reformulation: increased pension expenditure by adjusting for inflation, linking the pension expenditure to economic growth, correction of inclusion and exclusion errors and extension of coverage to all elderly individuals in below poverty line families. It is argued that a move towards full pension provisions for all eligible elderly individuals may reduce personal income inequalities among India's elderly population. This could also be a constitutionally sound approach applied to other countries in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Five current is the current prevalence of Somatization Disorder in quaternary mental health centre. • Higher prevalence among females and married subjects with average age of 40.5 years. • Higher prevalence among patients with lesser education, –and from lower socio-economic status. • There is higher comorbidity of somatization disorder with anxiety and depressive disorders. Introduction: Somatization Disorder (SD) is known to cause disability and impact the quality of life due to psychological and somatic distress. Though it is a Common Mental Disorder (CMD), the disorder tends to visit all levels of health care, among which prevalence of SD at tertiary care is 10.1%. Aims: To estimate current prevalence and its correlates of socio-clinical factors in SD at a quaternary mental health centre (QMHC). Methods: Total of 422 adult subjects were selected through systematic random sampling at first contact psychiatry outpatient clinic. Subjects were interviewed with Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Plus version 5.0.0, Clinical Global Impression Severity Scale and Sheehan Disability Scale. Results: Current prevalence of SD was 5%. Significant correlates are observed with median age of 40.5 years, female, married, <5 years of education, monthly income of <₹ 10,357(85.5%) and lower socioeconomic status (75%). Discussion: There is high prevalence of SD even at QMHC. The higher prevalence among adult population in this setup reflect the impairment of working population which invariably impact on national economy. Conclusion: Poverty continues to be a major contributing factor to SD causing double impact on the economy by affecting the working population the most. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmacovigilance is the pharmacological science associated with the detection, understanding and prevention of adverse effects, especially long-term and short-term adverse effects of medicines. In the present day pharmaceutical scenario, where the development and marketing of an ever-growing array of medicines has rendered their safety and therapeutic efficacy key to determining the success of a drug, pharmacovigilance has come about to play a critical and significant part. While pharmacovigilance, as a system, has witnessed considerable progress and evolution in the West, not as much has been accomplished in India. With India now being recognised as a hub of global clinical trials and with an increasing number of clinical trials and clinical research studies being conducted actively, the need for a dynamic pharmacovigilance network with an efficient and prudent operation methodology is felt, now more than ever. This article observes the evolution of the pharmacovigilance system in India, with a fundamental overview of the present system in place and also various schemes and proposals to establish and sustain the same. It also examines the challenges faced in the execution of an effective pharmacovigilance network as well as the future prospects with regards to the Indian market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The Indian 'National Mental Health Survey' (NMHS) of 2015–2016 has estimated 13.7% lifetime and 10.6% point prevalence for mental illnesses. • Treatment gap for mental disorders ranged between 70% and 92% for different mental disorders in India. • Tele-Psychiatric consultations could be an alternative and innovative approach to bridge this gap in low resource settings. • A total of 139 patients were seen from nine districts from Karnataka through telepsychiatric consultations. • Collaborative tele-psychiatric consultations to district hospitals from an academic tertiary care hospital can be feasible and are likely to benefit patients from rural areas. Abstract Introduction The Indian National Mental Health Survey (NMHS) of 2015–2016 has estimated 13.7% lifetime and 10.6% point prevalence for mental illnesses. It has identified that the treatment gap for mental illnesses ranges between 70% and 92%. Tele-Psychiatric consultations could be an alternative and innovative approach to bridge this gap in low resource settings. Aims To study the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of patients who have received collaborative Tele-Psychiatric consultations across district hospitals in Karnataka, India. Methodology We performed a retrospective review of case files of patients who have received collaborative Tele-Psychiatric consultations from January 2013 to June 2017 through video-conferencing. A total of 139 consultations were provided to patients in the state of Karnataka. Results The mean age of the sample is 31 (±15.5) years. 61.8% were male and 79.8% were aged more than 18 years. In total, 25.9% of them had schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, 14.4% had mental retardation, 13.7% had a mood disorder and 14.4% had a substance use disorder. 67.6% of patients had been advised pharmacotherapy, 7.9% had been advised rehabilitation along with pharmacotherapy and 24.4% were advised further evaluation of illness and inpatient care at a higher centre. Conclusion Collaborative tele-psychiatric consultations to district hospitals from an academic tertiary care hospital can be feasible and are likely to benefit patients from rural areas. There is a need for more studies to elucidate their acceptability by patients, caregivers and professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Homeless Mentally Ill (HMI) patients represent a unique global problem and pose a challenge in treatment, management and rehabilitation services. There is sparse data on HMI patients in India. The objective of this paper is to study the clinical outcome and rehabilitation of HMI patients. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of ‘HMI’ patients from 1st January 2002 to 31st December 2015, who were admitted under Department of Psychiatry at National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India. Clinical outcomes were analysed by descriptive statistics and predictors of family reintegration were analysed by logistic regression model. Results Seventy-eight HMI (unknown) patients were admitted in fourteen years period. 64(82%) were improved at discharge, 40(51.3%) were reintegrated to the family; 15(19.2%) were sent to state home for women, and 17(21.8%) were sent to Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)/Rehabilitation Centre and 6 (7.8%) required multispecialty care in general hospital or absconded from the hospital during inpatient care. The logistic regression model showed that mental retardation (B = − 2.204, P = 0.002) was negatively correlated with family reintegration and clinical improvement at discharge (B = 2.373, P = < 0.001) was positively correlated with family reintegration. Conclusions In our study majority of HMI patients improved at the time of discharge. Family reintegration was possible in about half of HMI patients after treatment. Mental retardation and clinical improvement are important predictors of family reintegration of HMI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper undertakes a critical assessment of the present state of fisheries insurance in India. Various factors that contribute to the poor performance of fisheries insurance in the country were identified and ranked based on the responses of fishermen and fish farmers in major maritime states. In the light of the findings, measures such as leveraging the potential of technological interventions, developing innovative institutional mechanisms, bridging the trust deficit amongst the stakeholders and bringing about attitudinal changes through awareness drives are suggested as way forward towards harnessing the potential of insurance as a safety net tool in fisheries sector of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Satellite data product validation and algorithm development activities both require the substantial accumulation of high-quality in situ observations. Data were acquired from Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) and in situ observations for tuning of Tassan’s algorithm (Tassan, 1994) to retrieve the suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the coastal waters off southern Karnataka, India. Tassan’s algorithm has been modified regionally by adopting statistical/graphical criteria to characterize the spatial and seasonal distribution of SSC. A concurrent and collocated datasets (n =120) of in situ SSC and OCM based remote sensing reflectance [Rrs(λ) in bands 490, 555 and 670nm] were regressed. The linear fit yielded regionally tuned new coefficients which were replaced in place of Tassan’s global coefficients. The tuned algorithm was shown to retrieve SSC with range of 1.1–37.12mg/l, which means it can be used for coastal waters. Since in situ samples were collected within the continental margin (average depth of ∼20m), we retain the global SSC algorithm (Tassan, 1994) approach for deeper bathymetric values (>50m depth) where we have no in situ measurements. Comparative analysis indicated statistically significant relationship (R 2 =0.99; n =45; p <0.05 at 95% confidence level) between in situ SSC and regionally tuned algorithm based SSC, with bias of 0.36mg/l and root mean square (RMS) difference of 0.73mg/l. This result clearly demonstrated the improvement of SSC measurement from OCM using regionally tuned Tassan’s algorithm (RMS=0.73mg/l) over the globally coefficient based Tassan’s algorithm (RMS=16.1mg/l). The tuned regional algorithm was used to estimate SSC in 2004, 2005 and 2007 which shows the concentration varied from 1.13 to 28.1mg/l in 2004, 1.84 to 23.12mg/l in 2005 and 2 to 27.85mg/l in 2007. Graphical and statistical methods using analysis of variance (ANOVA) have shown significant seasonal variability and inter-station spatial variability in SSC. Peak concentrations were recorded in the post-monsoon followed by the pre-monsoon period. The wind, wave and current pattern associated with southwest monsoon possibly controls the seasonal distribution, while nearshore turbulence and littoral transport influence the spatial distribution. This paper clearly demonstrated the potential application of regionally tuned algorithm for SSC mapping to study the spatial and seasonal pattern in shallow water off southern Karnataka. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

India's National Policy on Marine Fisheries (2017) has stressed on the need for seaward expansion of fishing to harness the potential of the deep sea and oceanic waters, given that the fishery resources from the near-shore waters are almost fully utilized. Against this backdrop, this paper undertakes a socio-economic analysis of offshore fishing being carried out by the artisanal fishing community based at Thoothoor on the Southwest coast of India. This is juxtaposed with an overview of India's offshore and deep sea resource potential as well as the policy and infrastructural context. The findings points to the need for strengthening small-scale fishers' capacity in exploring the offshore areas of the country with due regard to safety and sustainability concerns. • Major milestones in India's offshore and deep sea fishing development programme is reviewed. • The case of Thoothoor fishers of Southwest India is taken to analyze the economic performance of artisanal offshore fishing. • Technology and policy interventions for uplifting Thoothoor fishers are presented. • The need for strengthening offshore artisanal fishing with due regard to safety and sustainability is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A videoconference based digital technology is used for pilot to test the acceptability, feasibility, and possible clinical effectiveness for the continuity of care of psychiatric disorders. • This modality of care is acceptable, feasible and possible clinical effectiveness as well as saves time and money of patients and their family. • This telepsychiatric after care clinic especially from India is beneficial for patient care and may be cost-effective. There is a need of continuity of care research in psychiatric disorders to deal two important issues such as accessibility of psychiatrists, and travel. This pilot was designed to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, possible clinical effectiveness and cost benefit of video based tele-psychiatric aftercare (TAC) clinic from an academic hospital. Fifty selected patients were recruited to provide direct video-consultations (DVC). This study shows higher score on acceptability, satisfaction and respect to privacy on these TAC. This is first pilot study as one of the patient friendly and less expensive continuity of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of the systematic measurement of activity concentration of 222Rn in groundwater and surface water samples of two major rivers of coastal Karnataka, namely, Kali and Sharavathi. Water radon concentrations were measured using an Alpha Guard PQ2000Pro (Genitron GmbH) equipped with an appropriate unit (AquaKIT), following a protocol proposed by the manufacturer. Measurements of radon in groundwater and surface water from the Kali and Sharavathi rivers and their catchment areas of coastal Karnataka are important because the groundwater and river water are the main sources of drinking water in this region owing to an inadequate supply of treated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the results of systematic measurement of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in riverine samples of river Sharavathi, one of the major rivers of coastal Karnataka in India. Activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil, sediment and rock were measured by Na(I) Tl gamma-ray spectrometry. To assess the radiological hazards of the natural radioactivity in the samples, absorbed gamma-dose rates in air, radium equivalent activity, representative level index, external hazard index and internal hazard index values associated with the radionuclides were calculated and compared with the international recommended values. The representative level index (Igr) values are high in soil and sediment samples. The external hazard index (Hex) and internal hazard index (Hin) values are low in rock samples of the Sharavathi River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic investigations on the radiation level and distribution of natural radionuclides in the soils and sands of coastal Kerala were carried out to evaluate the radiation hazard. The gamma-dose rate in the high background area of coastal Kerala is exceptionally high compared with normal background areas. The activity concentrations of 232Th, 226Ra and 40K in soil and sand samples of coastal Kerala are comparable with the literature values reported for the other environs as well as the world average values, when high background areas are excluded. However, the 232Th activity in high background areas is orders of magnitude higher. The radium equivalent activity, external hazard index, internal hazard index and the annual gonadal dose equivalent associated with the radionuclides were calculated and compared with international recommended values to assess the radiation hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater (open well and bore well) samples from various locationsof coastal Karnataka and Kaiga have been investigated for their 222Rn concentrations by emanometry method. The concentration of 222Rn in open well water was found to vary in the range 0.14-25.4 Bq L-1 with a median value of 3.74 Bq L-1 and that in bore well water in the range of 0.22-197.0 Bq L-1 with a median value of 5.75 Bq L-1. From the measured concentrations the effective doses for the population of the region were estimated. The effective dose was found to vary from 0.09 muSv y-1 to 204.2 muSv y-1 for open well water consumers and from 0.2 muSv y-1 to 1586.9 muSv y-1 for bore well water consumers. The results of the present study arealso compared with the literature values and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]