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

Evacuation models represent one of the main tools used to assess building fire safety. Existing evacuation models are based on data from evacuation drills in western and developed countries, while there is a need for data from South Asian and developing countries (in general). This paper presents the results of an evacuation drill carried out in a library of a developing country in South Asia (Pakistan). The data of 85 student evacuees were recorded and analysed. Pre‐evacuation and walking speed data have been reported in this paper which are compared with the available data for library evacuations in other countries. The average pre‐evacuation time of 24.3 s (± standard deviation [SD] = 19.83 s) obtained in this study was shorter than previously published data for similar building types in other parts of the world. Furthermore, unimpeded horizontal speeds (mean = 0.74 m/s, SD = 0.28 m/s) were also smaller than the values reported in the available literature. Stair descending speeds (mean = 0.97 m/s, SD = 0.36 m/s) were within the ranges of stair movement data listed in previous studies. These findings represent a pioneering dataset for future building designs and evacuation simulations in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines corporate governance's influence on corporate Sustainability in South Asian firms. Recent developments in social injustice, environmental issues and economic turmoil in South Asian countries have motivated the authors. The study used the GMM unbalanced panel data estimation on top South Asian listed firms. The time‐period of the sample taken is of ten years (2012–2022). This study reveals that among South Asian nations, companies listed in the Indian and Bangladesh stock markets have a high percentage of sustainability disclosure reporting. The study's findings show that Board size, independence, and qualification positively impact environmental sustainability reporting performance. In contrast, CEO Duality significantly negatively influences social, environmental, and economic sustainability. The study has implications for the companies and policymakers of South Asian countries and encouraged the firms to restructure the board to enhance its effectiveness to monitor better and support all aspects of corporate sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought has a paramount impact on global agriculture and food security. However, the study on future cropland areas that can incur drought is inadequate. This paper uses input parameters from 7 CMIP6 models for 7 future scenarios (SSP1‐1.9, SSP1‐2.6, SSP4‐3.4, SSP2‐4.5, SSP4‐6.0, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5) to measure South Asian cropland exposure to drought and its underlying factors. Some defined epochs such as 2021–2040 (near‐term), 2041–2060 (mid‐term), 2081–2100 (long‐term), and 1995–2014 (reference period) are designed to explore diverse outlooks of the change. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index and the Run theory methods are applied to detect drought. Results indicate an intensified cropland (under SSP4‐3.4, SSP3‐7.0, and SSP5‐8.5) in the Indo‐Gangetic Plain region of South Asia, where mostly the variation occurs among scenarios and periods. Notably, the future cropland exposed to drought will increase in the 2021–2040, and 2041–2060 periods, but it intends to decline during the 2081–2100. Relatively, the exposed cropland will upturn highest by 49.2% (SSP3‐7.0) in the mid‐term period and decrease by −8.2% (SSP5‐8.5) in the end future. Spatially, distributed cropland in the central, south‐west, and portion of the northeast of South Asia are subjective to be exposed largely, but it can drop greatly across the eastern part by the end future. Importantly, the climate change effect plays a grounding role in future exposure change over the region during the near to mid‐term periods, while the cropland change effect is predominant in the long‐term perspectives. However, these findings signify the urgency of policymaking focusing on drought mitigation to ensure food security. Plain Language Summary: Estimating drought‐induced cropland exposure is the pivotal aspect of agricultural risk assessment for drought impacts. The purposes of this study are to explore (a) how much of the cropland area would be exposed to drought under SSP scenarios; and (b) the degree to which climate change and cropland change effects contribute to changes in exposure. In this regard, we conducted a multi‐model and multi‐scenario‐based analysis to reveal variations in the cropland area exposed to drought in South Asia. Among the seven scenario combinations, the highest percentage of cropland exposed to drought was found at 49.2% (SSP3‐7.0) in the mid‐term epoch (2041–2060). The climate change effect seems to be the key contributor in the near‐term to mid‐term period, whereas it is the cropland change effect long‐term. To reduce drought risk, we recommend focusing on strong climate change mitigation policy development in the near‐ and mid‐term periods at a global scale and strict land‐use management policy interventions in the long‐term period at the regional level. Key Points: Larger cropland area will experience drought in the 2040–2060 period, while it will decline by the end of 21st centuryThe exposed cropland will increase by 49.2% under SSP3‐7.0 than that of historical timeThe climate change effect is the pivotal contributor in exposure changes over South Asia [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rate of hydropower dam construction on rivers is increasing in emerging economies in South Asia, to achieve economic development goals. These large infrastructure projects are likely to have many negative consequences on freshwater species but have not yet received much consideration. Among freshwater small mammalian species, water shrews are seriously impacted by these large structures. This paper aims to determine if water shrews have been considered during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of these hydro dam project sites, as well as present the sightings of the water shrews from Nepalese rivers with hydropower potential. We reviewed 44 EIA reports of such projects in Nepal using a set of four criteria and 15 questions to analyze the methods of impact assessment for mammals and the reports on the presence of water shrews in each built area. The study found that the number of mammal species reported during the EIA varied from five to 55 species but no relationships between the hydropower structure's size and any water shrew species were considered in the studies. In almost all EIA reports, the term aquatic ecosystem was prioritized over the term aquatic small mammals, and the latter was not considered in the assessment. The major reason for not considering these species is probably due to the lack of robust methods to capture small mammals such as shrews, or due to survey methods focused only on terrestrial mammals. The Aquatic Animal Protection Act was fully reviewed and assured to be followed in a majority of the reports, yet the monitoring parameters and indicators were not available for aquatic small mammals. Ignoring the presence of these mammals while constructing hydropower plants is a serious threat to their persistence. We also reported the Himalayan water shrew in the Barun River and the elegant water shrew in the Upper Tamakoshi River of Nepal. Therefore, a better understanding of these species among hydropower developers, and all concerned agencies, is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physicochemical properties and origins of atmospheric aerosols in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region are a research topic of great interest, but an in‐depth understanding of this topic is challenging, partially due to a lack of intensive in situ observations. Thus, a field campaign was conducted over Yadong, a remote area on the south slope of the TP from June 11 to 31 August 2021. The aerosol loading was low, with a black carbon mass concentration of 147.4 ± 98.4 ng·m−3. Aerosol single‐scattering albedo was low (0.73 ± 0.11 at 550 nm) and increased from 450 to 700 nm wavelength. Organic matter (OM) accounting for 69.6% of the total aerosol mass and relatively high secondary organic carbon ratios, highlighting the importance of secondary formation. An interesting phenomenon observed was that the evolution of aerosols was mainly characterized by diurnal variation, which could not be explained by large‐scale atmospheric processes such as Indian summer monsoon. Instead, it was found that regional mountain‐valley winds between the Himalayas and South Asia transported polluted air masses toward the TP, especially in the afternoon when regional valley wind are expected to be the strongest and the boundary layer in South Asia is deepest. Additionally, daytime local valley wind further elevated these aerosols to higher altitudes on the TP. This paper provides insights into the transport mechanisms of aerosols from South Asia to the TP. These findings are of great importance since aerosols exhibit significant diurnal variations in the TP region. Plain Language Summary: Previous studies focused on the analysis of the physical or chemical properties of aerosols on the Tibetan Plateau, but this study provides a comprehensive examination of both. The findings reveal that aerosols on the southern slope of the Tibetan Plateau exhibit strong absorption efficiency. Aerosol single‐scattering albedo was low (0.73 ± 0.11 at 550 nm), which may be attributed to aerosol secondary generation and coating. Finally, the mechanism of pollutant transport from South Asia to the Tibetan Plateau was analyzed relies on site observations, satellite, and reanalysis data to highlight the link between diurnal variations of pollutants and transport mechanism. The specific transport mechanism be understood uniformly across different scales, including Indian summer monsoon, regional mountain‐valley winds between the Himalayas and South Asia, and local mountain‐valley winds circulation. Key Points: Aerosol single‐scattering albedo was low (0.73 ± 0.11 at 550 nm) and secondary organic matter was the major aerosol componentThe evolution of aerosols was mainly characterized by diurnal variation that was related to transport mechanism over YadongThe Himalayas‐South Asia regional mountain‐valley winds combined with local mountain‐valley winds transport aerosols to the Tibetan Plateau [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Scholars of disaster politics debate how far natural hazards cause or catalyse political change. This paper builds on recent scholarship on tipping points and social contracts to argue that two case studies of historical earthquakes in 1930s British‐colonised India invite a focus on the dynamics of cooperation and conflict between state and non‐state actors. Officials of the colonial state and its nationalist rivals cooperated after one earthquake even though they otherwise bitterly opposed each other. Cooperation broke down after the second event, just one year later. Yet, in both cases, officials and nationalist leaders shared a broad vision for Indian society, which pushed both sides actively to seek to recover the social and economic status quo ante, preventing potential tipping points from crystallising. These case studies reveal how and why highly fraught social contracts can survive major disasters. The colonial state's transient and reactive approach to disaster governance continued to impact on post‐independence India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How does male out‐migration impact women's experience of post‐disaster reconstruction? This paper employs survey data collected by Nepal's Housing Recovery Reconstruction Platform in 2018 to establish robust associations between male out‐migration and three indicators of women's participation in rebuilding their private houses after the 2015 Gorkha earthquake: (i) knowing where to consult for information; (ii) visiting a local government official by oneself; and (iii) signing a rebuilding agreement with the local government. Twenty‐six semi‐structured interviews conducted in 2022 further revealed that women whose husbands were abroad undertook roles that they would not have performed had their spouse been present, including in relation to management and decision‐making. However, the interviews also highlighted challenges that women had to overcome, such as a lack of knowledge of procuring materials and difficulties leading the process as a woman. This study advances the literature by establishing a relationship between male out‐migration and variation in women's post‐earthquake rebuilding experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asia, a sub‐region with nearly a third of the world's population living in extreme poverty and hunger, has been affected by the COVID‐19 pandemic in an unprecedented way. The pandemic has undermined the progress achieved by the subregion towards attaining sustainable development goals. This study argues that fostering environmental sustainability in the South Asian region is crucial to "Building Back Better" while taking cognisance of future climate‐related risks. With the low level of preparedness, the collapse of global supply chains, and restrictive regional integration, the individual country in the region lacks the fiscal and technical capacity to implement sustainable development goals effectively. Therefore, based on the analytical approach to regional integration, this paper explores the potential role of regional integration in ensuring environmental sustainability in South Asia. Additionally, this study illustrates how the COVID‐19 pandemic has affected several environmental aspects at the regional level, such as clean energy, disaster risk reduction, and waste management, and shows how regional cooperation can address these challenges post pandemic. While previous studies mainly focus on regional integration in the European Union, this study targets the crucial importance of regional cooperation in South Asia in achieving environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous structural vulnerabilities put developing regions at a disadvantage as they confront the prospect of increasingly frequent extreme shocks. Typical of these regions, South Asia had several characteristics that suggested it would be badly hit by COVID‐19: a sizeable informal sector, growing inequalities in access to health services and social protection, and high levels of hunger and malnutrition. This Special Issue focuses on the South Asian experience through COVID‐19 and distills forward‐looking lessons for the developing world. Included papers point to the importance of strengthening individual resilience, building basic infrastructure and institutional capacity, and implementing inclusive social protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition (NEON) study is a multiphase project that aims to optimize feeding, care and dental hygiene practices in South Asian children <2 years in East London, United Kingdom. The multiphase project uses a participatory learning and action (PLA) approach facilitated by a multilingual community facilitator. In this paper, we elaborate on the process and results of the Intervention Development Phase in the context of the wider NEON programme. Methods: Qualitative community‐based participatory intervention codevelopment and adaptation. Setting: Community centres in East London and online (Zoom) meetings and workshops. Participants: In total, 32 participants registered to participate in the Intervention Development Phase. Four Intervention Development workshops were held, attended by 25, 17, 20 and 20 participants, respectively. Results: Collaboratively, a culturally sensitive NEON intervention package was developed consisting of (1) PLA group facilitator manual, (2) picture cards detailing recommended and nonrecommended feeding, care and dental hygiene practices with facilitators/barriers to uptake as well as solutions to address these, (3) healthy infant cultural recipes, (4) participatory Community Asset Maps and (5) list of resources and services supporting infant feeding, care and dental hygiene practices. Conclusion: The Intervention Development Phase of the NEON programme demonstrates the value of a collaborative approach between researchers, community facilitators and the target population when developing public health interventions. We recommend that interventions to promote infant feeding, care and dental hygiene practices should be codeveloped with communities. Recognizing and taking into account both social and cultural norms may be of particular value for infants from ethnically diverse communities to develop interventions that are both effective in and accepted by these communities. Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement: Considerable efforts were placed on Patient/Participant and Public Involvement and Engagement. Five community facilitators were identified, each of which represented one ethnic/language group: (i) Bangladeshi/Bengali and Sylheti, (ii) Pakistani/Urdu, (iii) Indian/Gujrati, (iv) Indian/Punjabi and (v) Sri Lankan/Tamil. The community facilitators were engaged in every step of the study, from the initial drafting of the protocol and study design to the Intervention Development and refinement of the NEON toolkit, as well as the publication and dissemination of the study findings. More specifically, their role in the Intervention Development Phase of the NEON programme was to: 1.Support the development of the study protocol, information sheets and ethics application.2.Ensure any documents intended for community members are clear, appropriate and sensitively worded.3.Develop strategies to troubleshoot any logistical challenges of project delivery, for example, recruitment shortfalls.4.Contribute to the writing of academic papers, in particular reviewing and revising drafts.5.Develop plain language summaries and assist in dissemination activities, for example, updates on relevant websites.6.Contribute to the development of the NEON intervention toolkit and recruitment of the community members.7.Attend and contribute to Intervention Development workshops, ensuring the participant's voices were the focus of the discussion and workshop outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current account deficit poses a serious threat for a country's macroeconomic stability despite the fast economic growth. The primary objective of this paper is to explain and critically examine the determinants of current account deficit across seven South Asian countries using yearly data for 1980–2016 period. This paper employed several econometric techniques such as cross‐sectional dependence to see if shocks that occur in one country affect another, panel unit root test to check the stationary of the data and Panel cointegration test to check long‐run relationship among the variables. This study also implemented Continuously Updated estimation procedure given to estimate long‐run coefficients. The findings suggest that an appreciation of real effective exchange rate leads to a reduction in current account deficit, contrary to popular belief. The analysis also reveals that financial development, trade openness, fiscal balance and population growth have positive and significant relationship with current account deficit in South Asia but net foreign asset negatively affects current account deficit. This study, therefore, has several policy implications for South Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of migration on time allocation in work activities of left‐behind family members in Nepal with attention to gender and age. Based on Nepal's Labor Force Survey, we find that, in response to an outmigration of a family member, working‐age women allocate more time towards agriculture and domestic and care work, while the amount of time working‐age men and women spend on collecting water and firewood also rises. Migration also increases girls' and women's time in non‐agricultural responsibilities. Thus, migration generates a loss in household labour supply and reshapes household division of labour in labour‐intensive activities and traditional gender roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) are highly threatened by fisheries, there are few studies that examine gear and fishery effects on catch composition and abundance across India, one of the top elasmobranch fishing nations globally. We assessed elasmobranch diversity, abundance, catch rates and fishery characteristics using landing surveys in Malvan on the central‐western coast of India, a major multi‐gear, multi‐species fishing centre, over three sampling periods from February 2018 to March 2020. We sampled 3145 fishing trips and recorded 27 elasmobranch species, of which nearly half are categorised as "Threatened" by the IUCN. In addition, we documented historical records by compiling information from identification guides, research papers, articles and reports. During the study period, the catch was dominated by small‐sized coastal species like the spadenose shark (Scoliodon laticaudus) and the scaly whipray (Brevitrygon walga). Trawlers accounted for 64.9% of the catch, highest by number, and captured smaller‐sized individuals. Nonetheless, artisanal and gillnet fisheries had higher catch per unit effort (CPUE) for rays (5.1 ± 1.0) and sharks (10 ± 1.0), respectively, and captured significantly larger‐sized individuals. Through generalised linear models, we found seasonal, gear and fishery effects on the abundance and size of commonly caught species. The presence of neonates and gravid females of multiple species also suggests nursery grounds in this region. Historically, 141 species have been recorded in this region, and a comparison with current catch suggests a shift in elasmobranch community structure and potential mesopredator release. This study emphasises the importance of gear and species‐specific research for conservation planning at the local level and suggests the need for management strategies with fisher cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study applies quasi‐experimental designs to assess how successful the special economic zones (SEZs) have been in offering a better investment climate than what is available to firms outside of them in three South Asian countries: India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The World Bank Enterprise Surveys' data for 2013–2014 on multiple investment climate factors have been organised into 48 onsite and offsite investment climate variables for the assessment. The study is the first to provide causal evidence based on the matching and weighting methods. The key argument is that what sets SEZs apart from other economic zones is their ability to overcome growth impeding institutions. The results however show that the SEZs could not be insulated from the wider institutional contexts in which they are embedded. There are gaps between promises and implementation on the one hand and perceived and actual improvement on the other. The paper has important implications for policymakers who seem to be in a rush to set up SEZs as a development panacea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygenic scores (PGSs) have emerged as promising tools for complex trait risk prediction. The application of these scores to pharmacogenomics provides new opportunities to improve the prediction of treatment outcomes. To gain insight into this area of research, we conducted a systematic review and accompanying analysis. This review uncovered 51 papers examining the use of PGSs for drug‐related outcomes, with the majority of these papers focusing on the treatment of psychiatric disorders (n = 30). Due to difficulties in collecting large cohorts of uniformly treated patients, the majority of pharmacogenomic PGSs were derived from large‐scale genome‐wide association studies of disease phenotypes that were related to the pharmacogenomic phenotypes under investigation (e.g., schizophrenia‐derived PGSs for antipsychotic response prediction). Examination of the research participants included in these studies revealed that the majority of cohort participants were of European descent (78.4%). These biases were also reflected in research affiliations, which were heavily weighted towards institutions located in Europe and North America, with no first or last authors originating from institutions in Africa or South Asia. There was also substantial variability in the methods used to develop PGSs, with between 3 and 6.6 million variants included in the PGSs. Finally, we observed significant inconsistencies in the reporting of PGS analyses and results, particularly in terms of risk model development and application, coupled with a lack of data transparency and availability, with only three pharmacogenomics PGSs deposited on the Polygenic Score Catalog. These findings highlight current gaps and key areas for future pharmacogenomic PGS research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four years of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology lightning location network lightning observation data are used to determine the seasonal and spatial (over different geographical locations) distribution of the ratio of intra‐cloud (IC) lightning to cloud‐to‐ground (CG) lightning in thunderstorms over the Indian subcontinent. The ratio is high (6–10) in the northwestern parts and low (0.5–3.5) in the northeastern parts. No prominent latitudinal variation of the IC to CG ratio exists, but a climatological seasonal variability exists over all regions. In the pre‐monsoon season (March–May), the mean ratio is observed to be 3.81 with a standard deviation of 0.79, and during the monsoon season (June–September), a value of 3.04 with a standard deviation of 0.50. Although convective available potential energy is the regulating factor, little dependency has been found between the ratio of IC to CG lightning (IC:CG ratio) and the total flash rate (f), as well as with cold cloud depths. The ratio is observed to be proportional to the total flash rate as f0.61. The cold cloud depth is most prominently linked with the regional and seasonal IC:CG ratio. The implication of these observed results has the importance of separating CG lightning flash from total and can be used in numerical models to give a proper prediction of CG lightning in hazard mitigation. Plain Language Summary: Pre‐monsoon thunderstorms exhibit more intra‐cloud (IC) discharge than monsoonal thunderstorms; hence, the IC:cloud‐to‐ground (CG) ratio is also high in pre‐monsoon. In this paper, we have shown that CG lightning is approximately 20% of total lightning in pre‐monsoon whereas 25% of total lightning in monsoon all over the Indian region. A stronger vertical updraft associated with high convective available potential energy enhances the cold cloud depth. It may expand the mixed phase region, which can broaden and uplift the size of the upper positive charge center inside a thunderstorm. In contrast, the middle negative charge center remains at the same temperature level. Therefore, this process may enhance IC discharge between the upper positive charge center and the middle negative charge center, increasing the IC:CG ratio of a thunderstorm. Key Points: The mean intra‐cloud:cloud‐to‐ground (IC:CG) ratio remains high in the Pre‐monsoon season compared to the Monsoon season over the Indian land massThe high cold cloud depth associated with stronger updrafts expand the mixed‐phase region and increases the IC flash rate and IC:CG ratioHigh flash rate associated with high IC flash occurrences is also responsible for a high IC:CG ratio [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores experiences of Nepalese children of seasonal migrant workers in brick kilns and the particular vulnerabilities they face, as child labourers, as unpaid workers engaging informally in brick production or household work to the support family economy, or as children left behind in poor communities with varying support. The review provides a thematic analysis from child labour and migration literature from Nepal and South Asia from 2010–2020 to explore issues that affect children of families who internally migrate within Nepal to work in brick kilns. Two key themes and eight subthemes consistently emerged across the papers: Seasonal in‐country migration to brick kilns and impacts on children (reasons for children to enter into migrant work; left‐behind children; remittances; the role of gender on work and education) and the situation of children working in Nepalese brick kilns (living conditions; working conditions and occupational ill‐health; psychosocial distress; child protection). The review found that literature on Nepalese children from brick kiln working families is subsumed into wider studies on migration with impacts on children's lives often reported as outcomes of findings rather than a main focus of studies. Furthermore, there is minimal recent empirical research with such families and children. This may be due to ethical dilemmas of doing research with children and difficulties in maintaining contact with families that move frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia is one of the most widely used chemicals in the processing industry. It is used as a refrigerant and substrate in various process fields. Almost every unit operation uses ammonia, and the storage and handling of ammonia require special attention in terms of inherent system safety. Controlling the catastrophic release of ammonia from the installed facility is a challenging process. In this paper, the resilient nature of the ammonia storage area in a fertilizer manufacturing plant in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent was considered. The resilience of the ammonia storage area is analyzed using the Resilience‐based Integrated Process System Hazard Analysis and statistically validated using one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA). With the ANOVA validation method, the f‐values of subsystems are endorsed at a significance level of 0.05 both before and after recommendations were made. After implementing the statistically validated recommendations, the risk of each subsystem is significantly reduced. It has been determined that subsystems, namely process safety systems, operator/human hazards, and operational discipline require, immediate attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concepts of decentralization and devolution are not new phenomena to Sri Lanka. Since Independence (1948), the processes of decentralization and devolution have taken place at a varying pace to address changes in local socio‐economic and political conditions. Nevertheless, effective decentralization, delegation, and devolution of political and administrative authority and responsibility have not yet evolved in Sri Lanka due to lack of political will and bureaucratic support, the dominance of central institutions, inadequate fiscal and human resources devolution, and political clientelism. In turn, lobbying groups and political leaders in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka continuously agitate for more powers through a federal system of government. This paper examines the federal system of government internationally with a focus on its implementation in the South Asia region. This paper argues that in a developing country context, federalism has not produced autonomous state governments and effective governance as expected by various lobbying groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Novel therapeutic options for cancer offer hope for patients and their families, particularly when the cancer has not responded to established treatment regimens. The CAR-T cell therapeutic approach has changed the treatment paradigm for relapsed or refractory lymphoma, extending the capacity of the patient's own T cells to detect and eliminate cancer cells through genetic modification of T-cell surface receptors. The process of establishing treatment centers and developing clinical expertize in this novel treatment strategy is complex. Time, resources, and a commitment to focusing health budgets on a new area are required. Currently, Singapore is the only country in southeast and south Asia with market authorization of the CAR-T product, tisagenlecleucel. Availability of CAR-T treatment across international borders provides patients in neighboring countries with choice in therapeutic options. This paper describes the unique hub-and-spoke cross-border collaboration developed between Singapore and its neighbors to provide access to CAR-T cell therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma. To date in 2022, four patients have been included in the CAR-T treatment cross-border collaboration. Their stay in Singapore has been at least 2 months' duration, including the pre-treatment evaluation, apheresis, CAR-T cell infusion and post-treatment monitoring. Patient support from referring and treating physicians, critical to the success of the undertaking, is characterized by early communication, patient selection, multi-disciplinary care, post-treatment monitoring, and attention to detail. The patient journey and the development and implementation of this unique collaboration are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a methodological response to the challenge of decolonizing geographical knowledge. It mobilizes post‐ and de‐colonial critiques of geographical knowledge production and conceptual work, suggesting how such work unwittingly disfigures the precise contours of the places and socio‐spatial formations on which geographers work, drawing them into implicit and reductive forms of comparison. Drawing on research and sources from South Asia, the paper moves instead toward more uncertain engagements with, and dispositions to, the production of geographical knowledge; ones attuned to the poetics of planetary difference. The paper speculates on five intellectual and methodological resources, or tactics, aimed toward producing geographical scholarship attuned to the tableaux of heterogeneous and incomparable singularities at large across the world: theory and reading; friction and fragments; translation/untranslatability; abiding by; and poetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian Sign Language (ISL) is an alternate to written and direct communication language used in India and Indian subcontinent. It is commonly used by deaf and mute people who cannot speak and hear. The ISL is a new sign language as compared to other sign languages used in developed countries. There is a need for automatic recognition of any sign language including ISL due to its application aspects in current times. The automation of ISL will helpful to both communities (those who can interact only through ISL and those who do not know ISL at all), because in many places the unblessed people facing difficulty in communicating like at airports, railway stations, banks, hospitals, and other places. In this paper, the authors have tried to develop an automatic conversion from ISL signs to text in the domain of digits. The system requires a digital camera to capture the ISL signs and the underlying software will interpret the meaning of the image. To develop such a system, pattern recognition concept including image processing techniques have been used. Important features from the ISL signs are extracted using Histogram Oriented Gradient (HOG) technique. To classify the input images, two classification techniques have been used in the experiments namely Tree Bagger and Fit Ensemble. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the remittance and economic growth relationship using annual panel data for the period 1986–2019 on selected South Asian economies with trade openness (TOP) and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow as control variables. The cross‐sectional dependency test, second‐generation panel unit root test, panel generalized least square (GLS), panel fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), and Dumitrescu–Hurlin (D–H) panel causality tests are employed to accomplish the study. Both the GLS and FMOLS estimations ensure the positive impact of remittance on economic growth. The D–H causality test discloses unidirectional causality from remittances to economic growth. The findings suggest that South Asian economies may strive to attract more remittances, through augmenting international migration, enabling migration‐friendly policy and regimes, creating training and support facilities at different levels for international migrants, diversifying exports, and being selective to FDI inflows, which will take care of economic growth in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the effect of maternal employment on the nutritional status of children below age 5 years in Bangladesh using data from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Since mothers' choice to participate in the labor market is endogenous, the estimation of the causal effect of maternal employment on child health is statistically challenging. To correct for the endogeneity of maternal employment, we employ instrumental variable (IV) estimation. While our ordinary least squares results show that mothers' employment has no significant effect on children's nutritional outcome, the IV estimates suggest that maternal employment significantly decreases children's height‐for‐age Z‐score. This result is contrary to conventional wisdom advocating for maternal employment to positively affect child health and well‐being. We, therefore, argue for effective policy interventions—such as childcare centers at workplaces, flexibility in working hours including part‐time options for mothers, restraining child marriages, and strengthening maternal and child health‐care services through community health centers—to foster children's health as well as maternal employment in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving environmental quality across South Asia has become one of the utmost important policy agendas of the concerned governments. The susceptibility of the majority of the South Asian countries to multifaceted climate change adversities has motivated the need to identify the factors that can function to ensure environmental sustainability across South Asia. Although several studies have highlighted the importance of globalization and cleaner energy use in tackling the environmental degradaton issues of the South Asian countries, very little is known regarding the impacts of regional trade and renewable energy transition in this regard. Hence, this paper aims to scrutinize the effects of enhancing intra‐regional trade integration and undergoing renewable energy transition on per capita carbon dioxide emissions in the context of six South Asian nations between 1990 and 2016. The results from the recently developed cross‐sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag regression approach, accounting for cross‐sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity issues, reveal that facilitating trade among the South Asian neighbors reduces carbon emissions in both the short and long run. Moreover, enhancing the share of renewable energy in the aggregate energy consumption figures is also found to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in both the short and long run. Furthermore, both regional trade integration and renewable energy transition are found to jointly reduce carbon dioxide emissions in South Asia. The results also authenticate the existence of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, while financial development and urbanization are found to boost carbon dioxide emissions only in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, supply‐related and price data for several chickpea importing regions and supply‐related data for export competitor countries were encompassed into price transmission models to determine whether such factors are helpful for explaining the United States chickpea price variation. Specifically, the models included satellite‐based normalized difference vegetation index, a measure of growing conditions, and area planted estimates for importing regions of the Indian subcontinent and the Mediterranean, and area planted estimates for exporting competitors, Australia and Canada. Results show that inclusion of supply‐related information improved goodness of fit statistics in all models relative to base models that only include prices, providing evidence that such information is important for explaining United States chickpea price changes. The models with the highest goodness of fit statistics were those that accounted for (1) deteriorating growing conditions in the Mediterranean region coinciding with declining area planted in Canada and (2) concurrently deteriorating growing conditions and declining area planted in the Indian subcontinent. [EconLit citations: Q11, Q17] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of transboundary river management is highly pertinent to South Asia with conflicts emerging in water resource management and utilization which indeed affect the beneficial uses of downstream states. The paper considers the situation of the Teesta river basin to assess the water unavailability driven agricultural shock, cost of loss and damage of the downstream region, identify the mutual benefits of water collaboration, and suggest potential adaptation options for water unavailability. The study found during 1995–2010, the annual mean discharge in the upper Teesta floodplain was 707 cumec, where the downstream discharge was 140 cumec and during 2005–2010 the downstream region received less than 8% of the mean annual discharge which may be attributed to reduced flow from the upstream region due to the intense operation of dams and barrage. Consequently, the water reliant 5,000 villages and 12 sub‐districts of lower Teesta basin of Bangladesh were found to be experiencing immense hydro‐socioeconomic impairment and food insecurity. The study estimates that in the Rangpur region, total loss and damage of Boro rice production is 15,08,020 metric tons during 2006–2015, and in the Nilphamri total loss and damage is estimated 9,83,054 metric tons during the same period. Here, the total computed economic loss for both the region is $564 million from 2006–15 FY, which remarkably trims down the overall agricultural production and socio‐economic situation in the lower Teesta region of Bangladesh and fuel the hydro‐economic and political tension between the close riparian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the facts on existing and future prospects of regional trade integration in South Asia in the backdrop of multilateral trade agreements. The study applies trade intensity index of four largest South Asian countries (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) to estimates the short‐ and long‐run trade co‐integration in autoregressive multilateral framework. The results highlights that long‐run trade complementarities are found between the trade of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while short‐run trade complementarities exist between India and Bangladesh, and between India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan and Bangladesh are found close trade competitors in South Asia in short run. The findings are important for policy implication which highlights how to bridge the untapped regional trade integration in South Asia. If trade barriers are overcome, the greater degree of trade openness can play vital role in achieving balanced regional economic development. India being the largest economy can play key role in striving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) process for pursuing its objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the presence of market discipline in the banking sectors of India and Pakistan, using the CAMEL approach and the stringent calculations of liquidity and capital as per Basel II. It employs a fixed effects model to market discipline as reflected in the capital adequacy, asset quality profitability, management and liquidity of banks, with bank size and changes and GDP as control variables, for the years 2008 to 2017. The results show varying degrees of market discipline in both India and Pakistan, which manifest through different variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes whether fiscal policy in South Asia amplifies or smoothens business cycle fluctuations. It estimates several econometric models to explore the cyclicality of government spending and tax buoyancy. In South Asia, tax revenue increases less than one to one with changes in gross domestic product (GDP), but public spending increases more than proportionally. For each percentage point change in GDP growth, government expenditure changes by 1.3 percentage points. While changes in tax revenue have no significant impact on economic activity, the government spending multiplier is positive and significant: each additional US dollar (USD) of spending leads to an immediate increase in GDP of 0.2 USD and to an increase of 0.4 USD in the medium run. The impact of public spending on economic activity is entirely due to capital expenditure, which is also more procyclical. Procyclical public spending and a positive expenditure multiplier imply that fiscal policy in South Asia amplifies boom‐and‐bust cycles. These results are in line with those of other emerging markets and developing economies and robust to different model specifications and estimation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the intra- and inter-state usage of biometrics as a 'new' technology of development and neoliberal security in South Asia. We view developmental use of biometrics as a tool for integrating the vast majority of poor and marginalized people as visible and calculable economic subjects. We examine the ways in which biometrics translates people into data for the purposes of state, security, and economic legibility. In this paper, we explore biometrics at the intersection of geopolitics, biopolitics, and development to highlight the promise and pitfalls of 'technological progress' as a new development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid‐19 epidemic is a public health emergency of international concern. It poses a massive risk for the human race across the planet, calling for the need to take measures at the local, regional, national, and global levels. South Asian countries stand more vulnerable to the pandemic due to their dense population, poor infrastructure, and low surveillance system. This paper aims to understand the challenges from the Covid‐19 pandemic for South Asia; and investigates the strategic and operational responses to this pandemic by policymakers and healthcare professionals, respectively, in South Asia. The study uses interviews and opinions of policymakers and doctors, from the South Asian region, involved in tackling the Covid‐19 crisis. The qualitative analysis is performed on these interviews and opinions by using NVivo 12 software. The findings indicate that policymakers and healthcare providers across South Asia have been showing efficient teamwork while dealing with this pandemic. The healthcare administrators being at the operational level, convey the challenges they face to the policymakers who then respond to them at a strategic level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the highest summer monsoon rainfall in South Asia falls on the windward slopes of the Western Ghats mountains on India's west coast and offshore over the eastern Arabian Sea. Understanding of the processes determining the spatial distribution and temporal variability of this region remains incomplete. In this paper, new Interaction of Convective Organization and Monsoon Precipitation, Atmosphere, Surface and Sea (INCOMPASS) aircraft and ground‐based measurements of the summer monsoon over the Western Ghats and upstream of them are presented and placed within the context of remote‐sensing observations and reanalysis. The transition from widespread rainfall over the eastern Arabian Sea to rainfall over the Western Ghats is documented in high spatial and temporal resolution. Heavy rainfall offshore during the campaign was associated primarily with mid‐tropospheric humidity, secondarily with sea surface temperature, and only weakly with orographic blocking. A mid‐tropospheric dry intrusion suppressed deep convection offshore in the latter half of the campaign, allowing the build‐up of low‐level humidity in the onshore flow and enhancing rainfall over the mountains. Rainfall on the lee side of the Western Ghats occurred during the latter half of the campaign in association with enhanced mesoscale easterly upslope flow. Diurnal cycles in rainfall offshore (maximum in the morning) and on the mountains (maximum in the afternoon) were observed. Considerable zonal and temporal variability was seen in the offshore boundary layer, suggesting the presence of convective downdraughts and cold pools. Persistent drying of the subcloud mixed layer several hundred kilometres off the coast was observed, suggesting strong mixing between the boundary layer and the free troposphere. These observations provide quantitative targets to test models and suggest hypotheses on the physical mechanisms determining the distribution and variability in rainfall in the Western Ghats region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity generation in developing countries is dependent on fossil fuel–based thermal power plants, and the introduction of electric vehicles will only shift the threat of emissions from the operation stage to the energy generation stage. India is one of the developing countries in South Asia where fossil fuel–based power plants make major contributions to electricity generation. In this paper, a detailed review of the challenges faced by electric vehicles is discussed, and an analysis was conducted on the equivalent C emissions from electric vehicles by considering 3 scenarios in India: 1) current electricity generation, 2) power generation considering the installed capacity, and 3) Vision 2022. Based on these 3 scenarios, the main objectives of this work are to understand the potential of electric vehicles to reduce the overall C emissions after considering the indirect C emissions from electricity generation and to highlight the importance of emission control techniques. Experimental investigations of the conversion efficiency of diesel oxidation catalysis (DOC) systems have been conducted for comparative studies. The results of the analysis showed that the indirect C emissions from electric vehicles are higher than the C emissions from internal combustion engines for scenarios 1 and 2. In scenario 3, the C emissions from electric and fossil fuel–powered vehicles are found to be in the same range. The DOC system had an average conversion efficiency of 56% for hydrocarbons and 59% for particle number emissions. The posttreatment emission control systems in internal combustion engines will be the best possible solution, compared to electric vehicles, for reducing overall vehicular emissions until renewable energy sources have a major share in electricity generation. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:234–244. © 2019 SETAC KEY POINTS: Introduction of electric vehicles in countries relying on fossil fuel for electricity generation will only shift the threat of emissions from the operation phase to the energy generation phase.Indirect C emissions from electric vehicles were evaluated for 3 different energy mix scenarios in India to understand their potential to reduce overall C emissions.Experimental investigation on conversion efficiency of diesel oxidation catalysis system was conducted on multicylinder diesel engine, and results showed that it has average conversion efficiency of 56% for hydrocarbons and 59% for particle number emissions.The development of posttreatment engine emission control techniques would be the best alternate solution to reduce overall C emissions until power generation from renewable energy sources has taken control over fossil fuel–based power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Pattern of kidney diseases varies across geographies due to multiple factors. There is a paucity of information from South Asia due to the absence of nationwide/regional biopsy registries. This study aimed to delineate the spectrum of renal parenchymal diseases in our region. Methods: Records of kidney biopsies done in our nephrology department between 2006 and 2016 were analysed. Clinico‐pathological correlation was done from the available records. Results: Of the 3275 biopsy evaluated, 61.9% were males, and mean age was 33.2 ± 14.2 years. 6.2% patients were elderly (age ≥ 60 years). Nephrotic syndrome (60.3%) was the commonest indication for biopsy. On histology, 73.0% patients had primary glomerulonephritis (GN), 15.5% secondary GN, 5.3% tubulo‐interstitial and 3.7% vascular disease. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) was the commonest primary GN accounting for 18.2% of all GNs, followed by minimal change disease (16.8%), membranous nephropathy (MN) (16.0%) and IgA nephropathy (10.4%). Lupus nephritis (10.6%) and amyloidosis (3.7%) were the commonest secondary GN. The commonest cause of nephrotic syndrome was minimal change disease (22.9%), acute nephritic syndrome was lupus nephritis (30.6%), rapidly progressive renal failure was pauci‐immune crescentic GN (24.5%). IgA nephropathy was the commonest etiology of asymptomatic urinary abnormalities (26.3%) and gross haematuria (50%). About 60.9% patients of undetermined chronic kidney disease had glomerular diseases, and 13.6% had chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis. Lupus nephritis and acute cortical necrosis were significantly more common in females compared with males. Conclusion: This is one of the largest cohorts of kidney biopsies from India, and it delineates the unique features and differences in the pattern of kidney disease in our population. SUMMARY AT A GLANCE: This paper documents biopsy‐proven glomerulonephritis in a metropolitan centre in Northern India. The majority of cases were <40 years old, with nephrotic syndrome being the commonest indication for biopsy. Over 50% of the cases were due to FSGS, minimal change disease or membranous nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than one billion South Asians are affected by water scarcity. Pressure on water resources is likely to grow as a result of population growth, urban expansion, and climate change. This paper assesses the impacts of these effects on the historical hydrological baseline, with particular focus on irrigation. A geospatial water balance model was developed for this purpose based on geo‐referenced information available in scientific public domain databases. Annual water supply and demand for a baseline period 1950–2000 were calculated and projected to 2050 using (1) outputs from 19 Global Circulation Models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 for a Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5; (2) population projections to 2050; and (3) historical land‐use patterns at the country level. Improvements in water use efficiency and storage capacity were analyzed using the Modified Water Scarcity Index of the baseline and the projected water balance in 2050 at the watershed scale. Research Impact Statement: Identifying watersheds that could face water scarcity by 2050. Analyzing which basins will have higher water savings when improvements in water use efficiency and storage capacity are applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asia's success at reducing poverty does not imply that the topic has become passé. Poverty rates are by now low, but this is because poverty lines are low as well. And the assessment of living standards and their dynamics are blurred by measurement and interpretation challenges. This paper relies mostly on South Asian examples to highlight four tensions: poorer versus richer households, rural versus urban locations, monetary versus non‐monetary dimensions of wellbeing, and household characteristics versus context. The discussion is conducted against the backdrop of the two analytical approaches with South Asian roots that have shaped the debate for decades. This review leads to three main recommendations: household survey data has to be exploited in a more thorough manner, data that is increasingly available from other sources needs to be incorporated more systematically in the analysis, and the multiple dimensions of wellbeing should be better integrated in a common framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract: Large errors in estimates of peak discharge in medium to large catchments in South Africa can be largely ascribed to significant errors in the estimation of the catchment response time, mainly as a consequence of the use of inappropriate time variables, the inadequate use of a simplified convolution process between rainfall–run‐off time variables, and the lack of locally developed empirical methods to estimate catchment response time parameters. Furthermore, the use of a typical convolution process between a single hyetograph and hydrograph to estimate observed time parameters at large catchment scales is regarded as not practical, as such simplification is not applicable in real, large heterogeneous catchments where antecedent moisture from previous rainfall events and spatially non‐uniform rainfall hyetographs can result in multipeaked hydrographs. This paper presents the development and evaluation of an alternative, improved and consistent approach to estimate catchment response time expressed as the time to peak (TP) in the C5 secondary drainage region in South Africa, while the interrelationship, similarity and proportionality ratios between TP and the conceptual time of concentration (TC) and lag time (TL) are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT It has been observed (Nihalani et al. 1979; Yadurajan 2001) that Indian English differs from other varieties of English in that it allows 'intrusive as' in complex-transitive constructions, especially with the verbs call, name and term. However, the construction is not restricted to Indian English, but represents a pan-South Asian feature that is gaining ground in the written language across South Asian varieties of English. This paper will provide a corpus-based analysis of the forms, functions and distribution of 'intrusive as'-constructions in South Asian Englishes, and consider possible motivations for this innovation in verb complementation patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the economic integration of the East and South Asian economies in the global economy. East Asian economies are shown to be achieving much more of their potential trade than South Asian economies, both in terms of intra-regional trade and in trade with the rest of the world. Examination of the China- Japan, India- Pakistan and Taiwan-mainland China bilateral relationships shows that integration of these economies into the global economy has allowed economic relations to dominate and constrain difficult bilateral political relations in East Asia while in South Asia adverse political relations have hampered development of bilateral economic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India being the second largest populated nation has always been energy deficit. In the run, several alternate sources of energy have been tested and utilized to compensate the energy deficiency; these sources include solar, wind, nuclear, hydro, and bioenergy. This paper focuses on the technical, social, and economic aspects of biodiesels produced from various nonpopular sources available in India, which at present are not been practiced on the commercial scale, but their viability has been tested successfully. The study has been made on biodiesels from neem oil, rubber seed oil, karanja seed oil, sal seed oil, kusum oil, simarauba oil, mahua oil, thumba oil, tobacco seed oil, cherua oil, pilu oil, jojoba wax, and tung oil. The paper also discusses the future and setbacks of biodiesel keeping Indian subcontinent in the vision and even throws light on various biofuel policies being implemented by the government. As the study concludes, we have identified that India's diverse flora, as well as agriculture pattern, has potential to boost the discovery, production process, technology transfer, and usage of various unsung nonedible oil‐based biodiesels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tsunami that struck the coasts of India on 26 December 2004 resulted in the large-scale destruction of fisher habitations. The post-tsunami rehabilitation effort in Tamil Nadu was directed towards relocating fisher settlements in the interior. This paper discusses the outcomes of a study on the social effects of relocation in a sample of nine communities along the Coromandel Coast. It concludes that, although the participation of fishing communities in house design and in allocation procedures has been limited, many fisher households are satisfied with the quality of the facilities. The distance of the new settlements to the shore, however, is regarded as an impediment to engaging in the fishing profession, and many fishers are actually moving back to their old locations. This raises questions as to the direction of coastal zone policy in India, as well as to the weight accorded to safety (and other coastal development interests) vis-à-vis the livelihood needs of fishers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The range of Yamuna Kachru's publications is tremendously broad, ranging from language pedagogy, to South Asian - especially Hindi - syntax and syntactic typology, to discourse in South Asian and other languages, to the broader issue of South Asia and world Englishes. This paper focuses on a number of those aspects of her work that have stimulated my own work on several facets of South Asian linguistics, and presents a personal perspective on Professor Kachru's work in this arena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present examples from four research projects in India that were influenced by the values and ethics of decolonized and participatory research, and shaped by engendered perspectives. Each project built on earlier experiences that forced us to critically examine the ways we engaged with participants, crafted our field identities, and formed relationships. Using insights from linguistic anthropology and attending to intersectional inequalities and the construction of epistemic authority, we showcase how conducting an ethnography of communication and employing tactics of intersubjectivity influenced archaeological outcomes. We argue that close attention to context of communication, identity expression, and intersectional inequality enhances intersubjectivity, a necessary ingredient for successful participatory archaeology projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has brought about significant changes to the the learning process, prompted by the shift away from traditional physical classrooms to virtual ones. With unequal access to remote learning technologies, there are concerns regarding undergraduate students' academic progress. A primary survey was conducted to create a composite learning score to quantify learning losses. A significantly higher learning loss is visible among students belonging to families facing income losses during the pandemic, and public university students. We find that compared to India, students of Bangladesh and Pakistan are affected more severely in terms of learning losses. The article also measures the extent of psychological distress and academic demotivation related to online learning. We find that the same groups of students face higher psychological distress and academic demotivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following Sadorsky (Energy Economics, 2011, 33, 739), we examine the nexus between energy and trade in South Asia in a panel framework using annual data from 1990 to 2015. Given the cross‐sectional dependency issue, we use robust second‐generation panel econometric methods for the analysis. We find that variables are stationary at the first difference and cointegrated in the long run. The Dumitrescu‐Hurlin panel causality test shows a long‐run unidirectional causality from trade openness to energy consumption but not vice versa. Moreover, the panel symmetric and asymmetric estimation techniques reveal that energy consumption rises by 0.47 per cent on average and 0.83 per cent, with a 1 per cent rise in trade openness in the long run. However, a negative shock of similar magnitude reduces energy consumption by 0.37 per cent. We further fortify the panel results in the country‐level data with robust methods. We recommend energy efficiency and conservation policies and renewable energy technology augmentation policies through bilateral or multilateral trade strategies for sustainable development in the selected South Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]