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We assess the relative importance of factors contributing to poverty reduction in rural India, between 2004–2005 and 2011–2012, a period when India was one of the fastest growing economies of the world, at the national as well as sub‐national level. We quantify the relative importance of population shifts across land size classes in determining the pace of poverty reduction vis‐à‐vis the intra‐land size class growth in average consumption and redistribution components. While we do not find population shifts to be a statistically significant factor in explaining poverty reduction, we find that growth in intra land consumption is the dominant factor accounting for poverty reduction in each Indian state as well as at the national level. While the impact of redistribution component varied at the sub‐national level, overall, it marginally impeded the pace of poverty reduction at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using gender-disaggregated data on land operations from India, this study demonstrates a relationship between seasonal or short-term migration for work and feminization of farm management. Using a nationally representative dataset covering 35,604 rural Indian households in 2013, the study identifies whether women are taking on the role of farm managers in households with short-term migrants. Results show that women are less likely than men to be decision makers on farms. This dynamic changes when there is short-term migration in the household, with a greater probability of women being decision makers on farms. These results are robust to concerns over omitted variables, endogeneity, and sample selection issues. The study highlights the importance of unpacking the feminization process to better understand the role of women as farm managers and the need for supporting this transition to ensure that women farmers realize their full potential. HIGHLIGHTS Short-term migration (STM) is integral to household livelihood strategy in rural India. Feminization of agricultural labor is distinct from the feminization of farm management. In households with STM, women are more likely to be engaged with farm decisions. Effect of STM is stronger for spouse of household head or unmarried daughters. Effect of STM is weaker when there are more adult men in the household. Individual-level data for time use, agricultural decisions, and migration are important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite an increase in the number of workers commuting between rural and urban areas, much of the literature on worker mobility continues to be migration centric. This paper establishes the importance of rural–urban commuting in India. As per estimates from Periodic Labour Force Survey 2018–2019, an estimated 18.8 million individuals living in rural are working in urban India and the share of earnings from urban in total non-farm rural earnings is 19.3%. Among all rural workers, 7.3% are rural–urban commuters while only 2.1% of urban workers are urban–rural commuters. We document large variations at the sub-national level. Our results from a multinomial model to understand the factors associated with commuting highlight the importance of lagged regional unemployment rate. A high rural unemployment rate acts as a push factor, and a low urban unemployment rate acts as a pull factor for rural–urban commuting. The urbanness of occupations in a region is also an important correlate of commuting. The paper concludes by highlighting the need to prioritize questions in India's labour force survey that would help understand the nature of labour mobility and strength of rural–urban linkages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a contribution to understanding income generation and inequality in India's agricultural sector. We analyze the National Sample Surveys of agriculture in 2003 and 2013 using descriptive and regression based methods, and estimate income inequality in the agricultural sector at the scale of the nation and its 17 largest states. We show that: (a) there are significant state‐level differences in the structures/patterns of income generation from agriculture, (b) there is a negative relationship between the amount of land owned by the household and share of wages in total income, (c) income inequality in India's agricultural sector is very high (Gini Coefficient of around 0.6 during the period), and (d) about half of the income inequality is explained by the household‐level variance in income from cultivation, which in turn is primarily dependent on variance in landownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse data from the 2012 Comprehensive Nutrition Survey in the State of Maharashtra, India, which surveyed 2,630 households. This is a unique dataset because in addition to nutritional status of mothers and children, it has information on diets of women and children and household food security. This rich dataset allows us to address three issues: whether household food security predicts higher diet diversity in children aged 6-23 months; whether household food security predicts lower risk of undernutrition; and whether the lower risk of undernutrition in children who live in food secure households is mediated by improved diet diversity for children. We find that children from moderately food insecure and severely food insecure households are more likely to have lower diet diversity scores. We find that the odds of a child being severely stunted, severely underweight, or severely wasted are higher in severely food insecure households. After controlling for children's diet diversity, and other child, maternal and household characteristics, we find that household food security is no longer statistically associated with stunting, wasting, or underweight. However, diet diversity of children is statistically significantly associated with whether a child is stunted or underweight. Our results although not causal provide evidence for understanding the extent to which household food insecurity affects children's diet diversity and how both these factors affect nutrition outcomes in children. Our analysis informs Government of Maharashtra's and India's National Nutrition Mission in their efforts for formulating appropriate policies and programmes to address child undernutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2007–2008, short-term migrants (STMs) constituted 4.35% of the rural workforce in India and a total of 9.25 million rural households included STMs. Using nationally representative data for rural India, this paper examines differences in consumption expenditure across households with and without a household member who is a STM. We use an instrumental variable approach to control for the presence of a STM in a household. We find that households with a STM have lower monthly per capita consumption expenditure and monthly per capita food expenditure compared to households without a STM. STMs are not unionised, they work in the unorganised sector, they do not have written job contracts, and state governments are yet to ensure that the legislation protecting them is properly enforced. This could be one of the reasons why we do not observe higher levels of expenditure in households with such migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: Unlike migration, scant attention has been paid to the phenomenon of commuting by workers in developing countries. This paper fills this gap by using a nationally representative data set from India to analyze factors that affect the decision of workers to commute across rural and urban areas daily. Our results suggest that regions with large peripheral urban areas or concentration of secondary sector jobs are more likely to have commuting workers. Regional rural and urban unemployment rates and rural–urban wage differentials are important push and pull factors in the decision to commute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concomitant with higher levels of urbanisation in developing countries, there has been a sharp increase in both the number of urban poor and slum dwellers. In line with Millennium Development Goals, the focus of policymakers has primarily been on slum dwellers. Using a nationally representative dataset from India, we compare well-being of people living in slums with those living in non-slum urban areas. We argue that while policies to improve access to water and sanitation in slums are justifiable, livelihood programmes that target only the slums would miss the poorest living in non-slum urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In line with the detailed investigations carried out in the laboratory for the separation and removal of colouring titanoferrous impurities from cryo-filtered Mamuara clay (Gujarat, India) based on high shear pretreatment and flotation, almost identical studies were carried out on cryo-filtered and bleached clay supplied by Amberger Kaolin Werke Eduard Kick GmbH & Co., Hirschau, Germany (AKW). Contrasting differences between Mamuara and AKW feed clays are in particle size, aspect ratio and viscosity. The same procedure, as described in Part I of this paper (Vol.38, Issue 1–2, Dec.2007) was followed for this investigation also. However, HSD and HSC were carried out at 50% solids only. The flotation feed, in noodle form, was reportedly prepared by subjecting the raw clay to blunging, de-gritting followed by hydrocycloning, flotation, cryofiltration (superconducting high gradient magnetic separation) and finally reductive bleaching and drying in the factory. Particle size distribution analysis showed 67% particles below 2 μm and about 43% below 1 μm. This material assayed as low as 0.3% of TiO2 and 0.49% Fe2O3 and measured a brightness of 83.4% ISO. AKW clay also showed a similar behaviour of interdependability for high shear pretreatment during initial test work as manifested by Mamuara clay. Hence detailed investigations were conducted to establish the nature of interdependence of HSD and HSC (time) with respect to titania removal. It could be shown that impurity removal increases as total pretreatment time increases up to a certain limit and the time required for HSD is at least twice of HSC time. This is totally opposite to that observed for Mamuara clay. Again, Aeropromoter 6494 was found better than 6493 and no frother is required when this collector is used. All other manifestations were very similar to that of Mamuara clay. While macro-flocculation of the impurity particles (devoid of air bubbles) occurred with 6493 at higher dosages, the same was not observed with 6494 with similar dosages. Using an IKA, KG stirrer (having 8 number of teeth on its rotor and develops a shear frequency of 2667 s−1), the product titania could be reduced to 0.13% from a feed value of 0.3%. The flotation product measured 84.5% ISO brightness at a clay recovery of 92%. The titania removal is as high as 62.5%. The brightness was further improved to 85.2% by reductive bleaching. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The influence of parental literacy and socio-economic status (SES) on infant mortality rate (IMR) was studied. This report is only a part of much larger community-based prospective study conducted to determine the factors influencing infant mortality in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, by the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, with the financial assistance form IDRC, Canada. A total of 12,857 livebirths during the period of October 1, 1991, to September 30, 1992, where registered and followed up for one year. There were 391 infant deaths which gives an IMR of 30.4 per 1,000 livebirths. Univariate analysis and subsequent stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that, literacy and SES have a very significant role in reducing IMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a description and analytical account of family life in India. The family has provided the link of continuity in the evolution of Indian culture from Mohenjo-Daro times as to the present period of November 1954. As such, it has been subject to countless attacks and pressures, both from within and without, but it has managed to survive in its essential structure, function and interpersonal relationships, in more or less its classic and scriptural form in many parts of the country, with no doubt certain changes forced by altering economic, social and political factors. There is great difference between the rural and urban, orthodox and modern type of Indian family. And in the cultural-caste pattern, considerable differences exist between a typical Brahmin, non-Brahmin, Harijan and aboriginal family. The family pattern of the impoverished rural peasant is very different from that of the urban, professional, upper-class Indian. The social stratification of the Indian people has no small effect on the pattern of their family organization. The Indian pattern of marital status presents an interesting illustration. According to Indian law--the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 popularly known as the Sarda Act, child marriages are punishable.

The article discusses how the Indian Government is making efforts to tackle the problem of population in the country. The population is growing at the rate of slightly over 2.5 percent per year. And at the current rate of increase it may double itself in the next 28 years, reaching the incredible figure of one billion before the end of this century. The major cause of this high rate of growth is not so much the high birth rate as the increasing success, in terms of Asian standards, with which India's health and medical services have been implemented in the last three five-year plans. Major communicable diseases like cholera, malaria and smallpox have been nearly brought under control and measures to eradicate them are now being put into effect. Although the availability of goods and services has increased threefold over the last decade, their per capita consumption has not increased at all. While this year a partial breakthrough in agricultural production has been achieved, resulting in bumper crops of nearly 100 million tons, compared to about 65 million tons a year in the past few years, the per capita consumption of foodgrains has not markedly increased. The major problem before the Government is to reach the country's married couples and convince them of the need for small families.

The emigration and status of Indians in foreign countries in general and in the regions within the British Empire in particular have attained a significance in India far greater than their numbers may warrant. No question has given rise to so much bitter criticism as this and the very mention of the subject of "Indians abroad" raises in India a unique resentment, for it affects the self-respect and dignity of India as a nation. Before one inquires into the genesis, growth, the present position and disabilities of the numerous "little Indias" abroad, the basis of the present resent-complex in India must be explained briefly. The explanation lies largely in three historical factors. India is not a sovereign nation. Perhaps this is the most gaffing of all the factors that hurt the nationals of India. India is, as well known, neither a colony nor a dominion. Her constitutional status is as yet unknown though officially she is often described as a semi-dominion or a quasi-dominion. She has a large measure of internal autonomy but her external status as a dependent country has not changed.

This article focuses on the Hindu joint family. The central structure of the Indian society rests on the caste system with the corollary of untouchability and the institution of the joint family. Although these two features are predominantly peculiar to Hinduism as practiced and therefore an integral part of the daily lives of the Hindu millions, these systems have gradually insinuated themselves into adoption as social customs of those professing other religions in India. It is this institution of the joint family around which the whole of the Indian community life is built up. The joint family in India, is the very opposite of the individual family unit of the Occident. In the joint family, as the name suggests, the unit is not the husband, wife, and children, but the whole family relationships. The father and the mother have their places of honor in these joint families; the father, being the older and more experienced, is nominally the head of the family. The ancestral property and the income arising from it, along with the earnings of the individual members, constitute a common family fund out of which the expenses of the whole family are met.

Abstract: Sea-finding behavior in sea turtle hatchlings is modified by the visual cues provided by artificial beach front lighting. The consequent landward movement of hatchlings in response to coastal electric lighting reduces their survival rates. We assessed the potential impact of coastal lighting at Rushikulya, an important mass nesting site of the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the Indian Ocean region. We examined the response of hatchlings to light characteristics in an experimental setup, as well as to the existing lighting regimes along the beach, using arena trials. Previous studies on other species indicate preferential orientation towards low wavelength and high intensity light. Our study confirms these preferences among hatchlings from the Indian Ocean population of olive ridleys. In addition we also found that wavelength and intensity could have an interactive effect upon hatchling orientation. Hatchlings at the study site respond both to visible point sources of light and to sheer glows of light. Though beach plantations of introduced Casuarina equisetifolia are generally considered to have negative impacts on sea turtle nesting beaches, we found that they acted as an effective light barrier when planted about 50m away from the high tide line. We developed a model of the expected impact of artificial lighting on hatchling orientation during mass hatching events of previous years, and predict as much as 50% misorientation in some years. We also developed a map representing the misorientation of hatchlings due to artificial lighting based on arena trials in different regions of the beach. The results of the study helped identify focal areas for light management on the beach, which could be critical for the survival of this population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Based on a revision of available literature on the Indian Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda), we present an updated checklist, with taxonomical updates and comments for all taxa recorded since the start of research of this group in the country since 1860. We have listed a total of 137 valid taxa, of which most records belong to species groups that need revision worldwide. The situation in Indian Cladocera taxonomy is, at present, insufficient for realistic conclusions on biodiversity, ecology and biogeography. We list suggestions for an improvement of the current situation.

Objectives: The prevalence of visual loss and blindness from cataract remains high in India. Marginalized communities are frequently reached through outreach clinics. The aim of this study was to explore the hypothesis that regular outreach, held in the same location by the same provider, leads to greater acceptance of cataract surgery than outreach clinics that are irregular in terms of timing and location., Methods: The study was integrated into outreach clinics run in two districts by Sankara Eye Centre, Coimbatore, Southern India. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to patients who had attended outreach eye clinics and either accepted or not accepted the offer of cataract surgery., Results: Overall acceptance of surgery was high (91.7%), being higher in the district with regular outreach (94.6%vs. 82.3%, P < 0.001). A total of 398 participants (240, 60% acceptors) were interviewed. Acceptors were more likely to live in smaller households and in supportive families than non-acceptors who lived in larger families which could not provide support and where transport and distance were also barriers (P .001). Attending regular outreach and having had first eye cataract surgery were independent predictors of acceptance in a logistic regression model., Conclusion: The findings indicate the importance of providers building trust by organizing regular outreach in the same location. Previous eye surgery was also a strong predictor of accepting cataract surgery. To promote universal access to health care, marginalized rural communities will continue to need outreach for some time to come., (© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Background: Tissue homeostasis and the maintenance of cell populations depend on a delicate balance between the rates of cell proliferation and cell death. Disruption of this balance is an important factor in development and progression of tumors. In the present study we evaluated the growth index in a large group of breast cancer patients and correlated it with various clinical and histopathological features of the tumor., Methods: Estimation of apoptosis was determined by TUNEL assay while immunocytochemistry for proliferating nuclear cell antigen (PCNA) was used as a measure of proliferation. Necrosis was identified morphologically by haematoxylin and eosin staining., Results: A positive correlation was observed between the percentage of PCNA positive cells and the frequency of mitosis (r=0.6117, p<0.0001). A highly statistical significant correlation was observed between type of tissue analyzed and growth index (r=0.46869, p<0.0001). No significant association was observed between hormone receptor status and growth index., Conclusions: The growth index was found to be higher in carcinoma cells that metastasised into lymph nodes compared with primary lesions with no nodal metastasis. Growth index was particularly prominent in high-grade tumors in which increased proliferative activity was evident. Apoptotic cells were detected more frequently in tumor cells with higher rather than lower proliferative activity. This suggests that not only proliferative activity but also capacity for apoptosis is altered in breast tumors.

A total of 4,554 sputum specimens of 3,943 patients were examined with a view to isolate atypical mycobacteria. Of these 604 (13.3%) specimens were culture positive for AFB, out of which 48 cultures (7.9%) from 47 patients were identified as atypical mycobacteria. Two patients were considered as probable cases of atypical mycobacterial disease while in the remaining 45 patients, atypical mycobacteria appeared to colonize the lungs without producing any disease.