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• Women in agriculture allocate significant time to agriculture and household activities. • Rising time demands during peak season agriculture may affect women's nutrition. • Women's time trade-offs negatively affect consumption of various nutrients. • These associations vary by cropping pattern & land ownership. • Policies must recognize women's time constraints to improve their nutrition. Women in agriculture are involved in agricultural activities and are solely responsible for household-level unpaid work. They face severe time trade-offs between agricultural and household activities across crop seasons. Recent literature suggests that these time trade-offs may negatively impact their nutrition. However, there is no quantitative evidence exploring this relationship within an agricultural context. This paper addresses this research gap by analyzing the relationship between women's time trade-offs and their nutritional outcomes. Using a unique ten-month primary panel data of 960 women from India, our findings show that women are severely time-constrained, as they contribute significantly to agricultural as well as domestic work. Our results show that during peak seasons relative to lean seasons, women's time trade-offs (rising opportunity cost of time) are negatively associated with the intake of calories, proteins, iron,zinc and Vitamin A. We show that this negative relationship is manifested severely among women who are landless and cultivate paddy alone (food crop) or paddy and cotton (mixed crop). This study highlights the gendered role of agricultural activities in rural households and the need to recognize time as a scarce resource when implementing policies and programs involving women in agriculture. We contribute to the literature of agriculture-nutrition linkages by examining the the time use pathway in detail. Besides providing novel metrics, we discuss several policy implications to reduce women's time constraints and enhance their nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Overall, private school students have better learning outcomes than their government school counterparts in India. • Student's absenteeism in school and the time spent on homework after school are important determinants of their learning abilities. • The learning gap between private and government school students can be minimized by increasing their school attendance and time for homework. Do students attending private schools learn more and have higher cognitive abilities than their public school counterparts in India? Though some recent works have discussed this question, the empirical contours to address the issue remain unclear, particularly in a diversifying school education market in India. This paper examines the factors determining the inequality in children's learning outcomes (i.e., reading and math scores) in India using the second round of India Human Development Survey data. We examine the effect of a child's 'school absenteeism' and 'time spent for studying and doing homework' on learning outcomes, and how these explain the existing learning gap between private and government school children. We provide strong evidence that the children attending private schools have significantly better learning outcomes than their government school counterparts. However, this performance difference between private and government school-going children reduces with the increase in school attendance and the time spent in studying and doing homework by a child. The findings of the study implicate that the cognitive abilities of low performing government school students can be improved by reducing their absenteeism in schools and increasing time for studying and doing homework after school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the current trends in Indian urbanization, a country known to be the second most populous country in the world. It aims to explore whether India, with its prevailing urban physical infrastructure bottlenecks and targeted policies to overcome the same, is equipped enough to sustain a growing urban population. Due to the excessive concentration of population in cities, the link between urbanization and development has evolved as a critical concern for policy makers. The paper employs a situation-actor-process (SAP) - learning-action-performance (LAP) [SAP-LAP] model of inquiry to assess the state of urban physical infrastructure in India and indicates future actions necessary from the standpoint of reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of inclusive, consistent, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to bolster economic progress and social welfare, with an emphasis on affordable and even-handed access to all. There has been paucity of studies in the recent past which explore government's role in recognizing physical infrastructure as a sustaining factor to urbanization and its paradoxical policy response—excessive zeal on the one hand and extreme apathy on the other—to urban development issues. The SAP-LAP framework shall assist systemic exploration of various issues in India's urbanization, with specific emphasis on physical infrastructure. This holistic approach would enable to identify further actions to realize sustainable growth and livability benefits of urbanization for India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are now several databases which can be used to search for Indian patent information, including IPAIRS (Indian Patent Information Retrieval System), which is the official and free searching tool. This paper explores both the completeness of the patent coverage and also the accuracy of the information available in three subscription-based databases and IPAIRS. The results of our studies were encouraging, with accurate bibliographic information being retrieved and the data coverage of the databases showing increasing consistency over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar lamps are a quick, affordable, and effective way to provide basic lighting for households in rural areas of developing countries. However, implementers and researchers argue that the market for solar products is hampered by a lack of awareness and willingness to pay (WTP) for solar technology. In this paper, we investigate awareness of solar products, household motivation to adopt solar technology, household perception of solar lamps when compared to kerosene-based lighting devices, and lastly, the availability of electricity after dark. We analyzed a repeated-measures (longitudinal) data of 1159 rural households in energy-poor villages in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, India. Longitudinal logistic regression analyses were performed to study how various factors influence users WTP for solar lamps at Indian market price (~8.61 US$) over time. We find that households awareness of various solar products and their motivation to adopt solar technology has increased over time but there is much room to grow awareness in Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, especially for solar home systems and solar water pumps. Our model predicted that the households WTP for solar lamps at the market price increased with high income but it is significantly moderated by their level of awareness of solar products and their motivation to adopt solar technology. These findings suggest that increasing awareness of solar products through various dissemination programs leading to significant interest in solar products among people which in turn may enhance their WTP for solar products. • Repeated-measures (longitudinal) data of 1159 rural households in energy-poor villages in India were analyzed. • This study determines factors that influence the households willingness to pay (WTP) for solar lamps in rural India. • Awareness of solar products coupled with motivation to adopt solar technology significantly raise the probability of WTP. • WTP for solar lamps at the market price increases with income. • Awareness of solar products through various programs lead to significant interest in solar energy products among people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is limited research on the needs and expectations of parents of children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and associated complex communication needs (CCNs) in South India. The current paper will present the findings from a study that explored parents' needs and expectations, including those related to rehabilitation.Method: This study adopted an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework to understand the needs and expectations of 16 parents of 15 children with IDD and associated CCNs. Data were analyzed for the whole group, and two subgroups: parents of children 12 years or younger, and parents of adults and adolescents older than 12 years.Result: Data analysis highlighted the following: (1) unmet or undermet needs and expectations with regard to children's social participation, societal and familial support, childcare needs, financial requirements, and need for information; (2) changing needs and expectations of parents as their children grow older; (3) inadequacy of social participation and interaction opportunities for the participants' children.Conclusion: It was concluded that rehabilitation providers including Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) need to be aware of parents' needs and expectations and collaborate with the families to attain rehabilitation goals that facilitate social participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, India's central and many state governments launched several public health programs with the goal of improving maternal and child health outcomes. Many individual studies assessed the impact of these programs; however, they focused on select health programs and few specific outcomes. This paper summarizes the literature, published during 2000–2019, investigating the impacts of public health programs on both the uptake of maternal and child health services and the related-health outcomes in India. We followed PRISMA guidelines of systematic review, and carried out a narrative synthesis of the study findings. We found 66 relevant studies covering 11 health programs across India. Most studies had applied non-experimental study designs (n = 50), with few applying experimental (n = 1) and quasi-experimental (n = 15) designs. Most studies (n = 64) assessed the impact on the intermediate outcomes of the uptake of various health services rather on the long-term outcomes of improvement in health. Overall we found studies reporting positive impacts, however, we could not find any strong consensus emerging from these studies about the impact, partly due to differences in: outcome indicators; study designs; study population; data sets. Several studies also reported considerable beneficial impacts among low socioeconomic population groups. However, given that the outreach of the public health programs have been low across the country and population groups, we found that broader objectives of health programs remained unassessed: most studies assessed the impact on who actually participated in the program (average treatment effect on-the-treated) rather on the target population (intent-to-treat effect). Furthermore, there was dearth of research on the impacts of the state-level programs. Future research need to assess the impact of the programs on health outcomes, and on quality adjusted measures of maternal and child health services and its continuum of care. • Most studies have focused on the impact on maternal and child health services. • Most studies reported beneficial impact on health services and the health-related outcomes. • Impact on the intended larger target population remains unassessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is an established and evolving technology for providing large-scale, long-term electricity storage that can aid electrical power systems achieve the goal of decarbonisation. CAES facilities often utilise large underground storage caverns to ensure high capacity systems. This results in the need of locations with suitable geological features to develop a CAES plant. This paper examines recent and ongoing large-scale CAES projects and presents candidate methods of storing high pressure air using underground features. An assessment of the overall potential for CAES in India is presented by examining its geological features and locations with the greatest potential for CAES plants are determined. This is combined with an analysis of the renewable electricity generation potential in India to identify candidate areas for renewable generation and CAES integrated systems. Up to 1.05% of Indian land area is deemed suitable for CAES plant development and if fully utilised would be sufficient to meet the energy storage needs of India, however, practically a very small fraction of the total suitable land that could be developed so other competing energy storage technologies should be considered. Conversely, the UK possesses a very good potential for CAES, enough to greatly exceed necessary energy storage, owing to the abundance of salt beds not present in India. For CAES to garner serious consideration in India, aquifer storage based CAES needs to be demonstrated. • A comparative assessment of the Indian and UK potential for CAES. • Methodology for linking CAES suitable regions and renewable electricity generation. • Comprehensive review of all major large-scale CAES projects. • Economic and geographic problems have led to the failure of many CAES projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper situates 'difference' in terms of caste to deepen feminist discourse about the Bodhgaya Land Movement (BGLM) of Bihar, India. Urban, educated, elite activists initially read the BGLM as a successful women's movement because it resulted in landless and marginal peasant women obtaining titles to land. Activists and scholars then saw it as having had only limited success when some of the women passed the land to men in their families. The recollections of Bhuiyan Dalit elders who participated in the BGLM provide a more capacious reading of the movement. Stories of their early history as kamia (bonded laborers), the increased caste violence that accompanied the state's attempts at land reform and redistribution, and their activism in the 1980s show that the movement not only intervened in the patriarchy, caste hierarchy, and other power inequities in the region, but produced a new subjectivity amongst formerly subjugated, disenfranchised people. Accounting for caste difference in women's experiences of the land movement uncovers a complex process of Dalit becoming and belonging. Their narratives push feminist scholars to broaden historical readings of the movement to understand how women who have been involved in social activism may be empowered and gain agency despite an intransigent patriarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We show that the rise in rural obesity in India is closely associated with urbanization of its rural spaces. • These risks have increased disproportionately among lower socio-economic classes. • Those living near towns with a population of 50,000 & those living in more economically developed states are at greater risk. • Greater diet diversity alleviates the urban effect of the rural obesity pandemic. While obesity across rural India has doubled in the last decade, research explaining such an unprecedented change is sparse. This paper shows that the rise in the incidence of rural obesity is associated with the process of structural transformation, especially within rural spaces. As the distance to nearby towns from the villages has reduced, urban proximity not only leads to improved livelihoods but also a change in dietary practices and access to processed food. Combining the rural sample of India's latest National Family Health Survey (2015–16) with the estimates for town distance from the village clusters, we show that an additional kilometer of reduction in rural–urban distance increases the risk of obesity among women by 0.06 percent. Our estimates imply that for every kilometer of reduction in rural–urban proximity 3000 rural women become at-risk for obesity. Heterogeneity analysis shows that this burden is higher in towns with a population of over 50,000. We also find that the risk has increased disproportionately among the lower socio-economic classes. Similarly, states at a more mature stage of structural transformation face higher risk of obesity. Finally, we find that higher dietary diversity reduces the influence of urban growth on rural obesity. Our findings underscore the looming dual burden of malnutrition among developing countries and suggest that nutrition policies that promote diet diversity could be a panacea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the existing literature by investigating the impact of oil prices on real exchange rates in China and India. We employ the non-linear, autoregressive-distributed lag model advanced by Shin et al. (2014), which allows both short-run and long-run asymmetry pass-through to a variable of interest. Oil prices and exchange rates are frequently found to be noisy. In order to detect the accurate relationship between oil prices and exchange rates, the maximum overlap, discrete-wavelet transformation is used to remove noise from the original series. The dynamic relationship between the original and de-noised series is compared. Our empirical findings suggest only long-run asymmetric effects of oil prices on exchange rates for both countries; however, after time-series noise removal, the asymmetric long-run effect becomes symmetric for India. Policy implications also are included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Wealthier parents have higher involvement levels in activities at home and school. • A wealth gradient exists for all five parental involvement activities examined. • Wealth could be used to target support to parents to increase involvement. Existing research recognises that while parents often aspire to be involved in their children's education, some face barriers that prevent this. Studies situated in the Global North recognise economic constraints as a barrier, presenting a steep gradient whereby the richer households are, the higher their parental involvement levels. This paper analyses the influence of household wealth on parental involvement in low-achieving children's education in a resource-constrained area in rural Uttar Pradesh, India. Based on regression models from a sample of 13,558 households, we corroborate evidence from wealthier contexts: wealthier parents are consistently more likely to be involved in low-achieving children's learning. This suggests that stakeholders should be aware of the potential influence of household wealth on parental involvement in rural India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the potential of urban cycle models to investigate the current challenges of urbanisation in India. It contributes not only by empirically examining the past, current and future trend of urban development, but also by predicting the demand for social infrastructure for sustainably accommodating the predicted growth. Using a non-spatial model, rapid growth is predicted in small cities in developed regions and in intermediate cities in developing regions. The adopted spatial model suggests a decline of megacity cores, but the growth of million-plus city cores and respective peripheries should be anticipated. Socio-economic factors are helpful for understanding the growth of million-plus city cores and megacity suburbs. In those cities predicted to grow, the provision of health and education infrastructure will be below the government norms. Given the data constraints, rapid growth and institutional constraints, this research develops and implements an analytical approach, thereby enhancing understanding of spatial development and elucidating the policy reforms needed to reduce the spatial disparities in India. This approach is transferable to the regions of the Global South facing similar constraints. • Urban cycle models are revisited to establish urbanisation stages in India. • Growth of small and intermediate-size cities is predicted. • Megacities core will decline and million-plus cities core will grow. • Provision of health and educational infrastructure is inadequate in cities. • Policy reforms for reducing spatial disparities in the Global South are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caesarean section (C-section) rates of over 15% suggest overuse of the surgery which may be difficult to justify on medical grounds. One important contributor to the rise in Csection rates is the rapid expansion of unregulated private-sector providers in number of settings. This study analyses the contribution of private sector in the rapid rise in Csection deliveries in India and the extent to which these can be justified on medical grounds. This is a cross sectional study design using National Family Health Surveys. Logistic regression and propensity score matching (PSM) analyses are performed. The main outcome measured is avoidable C-sections in the private sector. Our findings suggest that the rising trend in C-section rates in the private sector cannot be explained by medical reasons alone. The odds of C-section among women who chose to deliver in private was over 4 times higher than women who chose to delivery in public facilities. Despite, controlling for medical complications, women's characteristics and preferences, our PSM analysis suggest that the public-private gap has doubled over the years and that the difference cannot be explained by known determinants of C-section. Over supply of avoidable C-section to the extent of 21%, as a result of physician induced demand and perverse financial incentives was observed in the private sector. This paper attempts to understand the reason for the high C-section rates in the private sector in India and the extent to which these are avoidable. Our analysis supports the assumption that physician induced demand as a result of perverse financial incentives in the private sector is at play. • Rise in C-section rates is a major public health concern in many countries. • Private sector is the main contributor to a rapid increase in C-sections in India. • Odds of C-section among women who chose to deliver in private was over 4 times higher. • High C-section rates in the private sector cannot be explained by known determinants. • Over supply due to physician induced demand and perverse financial incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of India are the least developed. • The female literacy rate among PVTGs is the lowest in India. • Sense of insecurity, lack of female teachers, and incidents of abuse are barriers. • Language, lack of parental engagement, and poor infrastructure are challenges. • A blend of traditional knowledge and national curricular framework is needed. This study aims to provide insight into educating girls from Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India. It synthesizes themes to understand the barriers, opportunities, and the enablers that ensue alongside their educational journey. The paper employs the SPIDER tool for systematic review, JabRef, to remove duplicate articles, and Rayyan QCRI to present the selected articles as results. Finally, the elements from the SQUIRE 2.0 was applied for evaluating the quality of results. Only 45 articles from those published from 2011 to 2019 were found suitable. Findings highlight the lack of educational advancement among the PVTG girls even though SDG-4 ensures quality education to all. In summary, most researchers have emphasised on overall tribal education, while very few have focused on either tribal or PVTG girls' education. Similarly, readers from various corners of the world have exposure to articles that are either based on health or ethno-medicinal practices of the PVTGs. This study would be useful both for academic research and policy framework as the study synthesizes a broad range of published research. The study fills the gap by assembling evidence from literature and integrates the findings for a clear understanding of the significance of education for PVTG girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the collaborative design of a mental health intervention for adolescents in India with anxiety, depression, or anger-related concerns. The process was characterized by three phases of formative activities: (1) an intensive review of the service context, (2) selection of an overall design strategy (e.g., whether to choose existing evidence-based treatments or build new treatments in context), and (3) a period of prototyping, testing, and refining. Each phase resulted in specific outputs, which were, respectively, (1) a detailed articulation of values and preferences (setting expectations for what the ideal protocol should be), (2) a set of build parameters representing a blueprint that managed strategic compromises for this context, and (3) a working protocol. We outline the steps of this design process, summarize data from an open-trial clinical case series, and illustrate the resulting working protocol, which will be tested in a future larger trial. We conclude with insights and observations likely to be relevant to protocol design activity in a variety of contexts, most particularly those in low-and-middle-income countries such as India. • Intervention design for Adolescents in India benefitted from a detailed review of context. • Strategy choices included choosing or adapting existing available treatments, versus building a new one in context. • Planning and prototyping yielded a modular intervention for multiple problems suitable for a large research trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts to explain how green training, an important human resource function, influences green creativity in the handicraft organisations. The mediating role of green dynamic capabilities and the moderating role of resource commitment are also examined. A survey of 211 handicraft managers is conducted to test the proposed hypotheses, followed by a qualitative approach in which cases of two handicraft organisations are examined. The findings of the study indicate that green training influences the organisations green creativity both directly and indirectly and that green dynamic capabilities further influence the green creativity indirectly via the moderating role of resource commitment to producing superior creative outcomes. The study is the first to assess green creativity as an outcome of green training. The mixed-methods approach used in the study helps in a better understanding of the proposed relationships, thereby developing the existing theory on green training, green dynamic capability and green creativity. • Green training as an important human resource function to influences the green creativity of workers. • Green dynamic capabilities as mediator. • Moderating role of resource commitment is also determined. • A mixed-method approach is used in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CO 2 emissions are more sensitive towards upside shocks in in per capita income and FDI than downside shocks. • The upside shocks in coal-fired electricity have significantly increased the pollution level. • Coal-fired and oil-fired electricity generation appears to be significant substitute for each other. • The association between CO 2 emissions and the selected variables has remained nonlinear during the study period. Building upon the present growth paradigm of India, the authors of this paper examined the impact of coal-fired and oil-fired electrical power generation on CO 2 emissions in India for the period of 1976−2016. The simulation results confirmed that the upside shocks in coal-fired electricity will contribute considerably to increase the pollution level in the long run. Contrarily, the impact of downside variations was found to be negative and significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fuzzy entropy method is proposed for design and retrofitting of hydrometric network. • Proposed method alleviates shortcomings of Shannon and exponential entropy methods. • Method is used to assess performance of networks in 16 river basins of India. • Optimal monitoring network in Mahanadi basin is obtained using the methodology. • Effect of various entropy methods and bin size estimation rules is analysed. This paper proposes a fuzzy entropy-based methodology for optimal design and performance assessment of a hydrometric monitoring network that provides information essential for hydrological studies. The methodology does not require choice of bin size for discretization of data to estimate entropy measures/indices. Therefore, it alleviates the uncertainty associated with bin size estimation which is a concern in analysis with conventional Shannon entropy-based methodology (SEBM). Advantage of the proposed methodology over SEBM and its related theoretical improvement EEBM (exponential entropy-based methodology) in arriving at optimal design of streamflow monitoring network is demonstrated through performance investigation on Mahanadi basin of India, which is frequently prone to floods. Following this, the methodology is used to assess the performance of streamflow monitoring networks in 16 river basins of Peninsular India and identify stream gauge deficit zones. This study is first of its kind which evaluates the effect of different entropy estimation methods and bin size estimation rules on: (i) prioritization of stream gauge stations for their importance in data collection, (ii) identification of stream gauge deficit zones, and (iii) design of optimal hydrometric network in a river basin. Proposed methodology appears promising and offers scope for application to networks monitoring various other hydrometeorological variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many countries, professional councils are mandated to oversee the training and conduct of health professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and allied health workers. The proper functioning of these councils is critical to overall health system performance. Yet, professional councils are sometimes criticized, particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries, for their misuse of power and overtly bureaucratic nature. The objective of this paper is to understand how professional councils use their bureaucratic power to shape health policy and systems, drawing upon the recent development of emergency medicine in the context of the former Medical Council of India. We undertook a qualitative case study, conducting 87 interviews, observing 6 meetings and conferences, and reviewing approximately 96 documents, and used the Framework method to analyze our data. The passive exercise of bureaucratic power by the Council resulted in three challenges – 1) Opaque policy processes for recognizing new medical specialties; 2) Insular, non-transparent training policy formulation; 3) Unaccountable enforcement for regulating new courses. The Council did not have the requisite technical expertise to manage certain policy processes, and further, did not adequately utilize external expertise. In this time period, the Council applied its bureaucratic power in a manner that negatively impacted emergency medicine training programs and the development of emergency medicine, with implications for availability and quality of emergency care in India. The successor to the Council, the National Medical Commission, should consider new approaches to exercising bureaucratic power in order to meet its objectives of strengthening medical education in India and ensuring access to high-quality services. Future studies should also explore the utilization of bureaucratic power in the health sectors of low- and middle-income countries in order to provider a deeper understanding of institutional barriers to improvements in health. • Limited research on the bureaucratic power of health sector professional councils. • We studied the Medical Council of India, power and emergency medicine in India. • We found several limitations to the application of bureaucratic power by the Council. • Technical expertise was not a core aspect of their bureaucratic power. • The National Medical Commission can reimagine typical uses of bureaucratic power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The PRIDE programme aims to establish a suite of transdiagnostic psychological interventions organised around a stepped care system in Indian secondary schools. This paper describes the development of a low-intensity, first-line component of the PRIDE model. Contextual and global evidence informed an intervention 'blueprint' with problem solving as the primary practice element. Successive iterations were tested and modified across two pilot cohort studies (N = 45; N = 39). Participants were aged 13–20 years and presenting with elevated mental health symptoms in New Delhi schools. The first iteration of the intervention, based on a guided self-help modality, showed promising outcomes and user satisfaction when delivered by psychologists. However, delivery was not feasible within the intended 6-week schedule, and participants struggled to use materials outside 'guidance' sessions. In Pilot 2, a modified counsellor-led problem-solving intervention was implemented by less experienced counsellors over a 3–4 week schedule. Outcomes were maintained, with indications of enhanced feasibility and acceptability. High demand was observed across both pilots, leading to more stringent eligibility criteria and a modified sensitisation plan. Findings have shaped a first-line intervention for common adolescent mental health problems in low-resource settings. A forthcoming randomised controlled trial will test its effectiveness. • PRIDE is developing a transdiagnostic, stepped care programme in Indian schools. • Formative evidence supported problem solving as a first-line 'Step 1' intervention. • The format was modified from guided self-help to an active therapy after piloting. • The optimised intervention showed promising impact, acceptability and feasibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although strategies to create transport corridor are prevalent in the global South, there is a lack of empirical research to evaluate these initiatives, in particular whether they have realised their general goal of reducing regional disparities. The current paper describes a multi-method approach involving spatial and non-spatial analysis to investigate spatial disparity along a proposed corridor and examine its integration within the existing settlement structure. The analytical framework is tested on India's Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. A rationale is developed to enable a critical view of corridor policies as strategies for development in the global South. One important finding regarding policies on transport corridors is the risk that future growth will remain concentrated in districts directly linked to a proposed corridor, leaving peripheral areas marginalised. An integrative analysis of current spatial and social disparities in India shows growth to be high in areas with good accessibility between urban and rural areas. Specifically, growth in rural areas is fostered by the availability of good road network, and polytechnic and vocational institutions, whereas in urban areas, growth is positively associated with the provision of secondary schools. In order to prevent or even reduce disparities, this research recommends that spatial strategies be developed with mechanisms to enable their implementation by lower tiers of governments, that spatial plans and infrastructure outlays be reformed to improve accessibility between proposed corridors and peripheral areas, and that accessibility indicators be included in the design and implementation of transport development policies. • An ex-ante evaluation of disparities along transport corridor in India is conducted. • A multi-method approach involving spatial and non-spatial analysis is used. • Socioeconomic disparities are established. • Lack of integration between corridor and existing settlements is ascertained. • Evidence-based policy reforms are recommended for reducing disparities in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• I compare the process of structural transformation in both national data and household panel data in India. • The national data provides evidence that India is in the midst of structural transformation. • Household data tells a similar story, though rural households lag behind in key indicators. • The results have implications for using stylized facts to set policy agenda. This paper compares national-level data from India with 40 years of household panel data from rural India to track sectoral changes in employment and income as well as examine the hypothesis of induced innovation in agricultural production. In the national data, India appears to be in the midst of a structural transformation. The share of agriculture in GDP and employment has shrunk while agricultural output continues to grow. This productivity growth appears to adhere to the induced innovation hypothesis, as productivity per hectare has increased more rapidly than productivity per worker. Many of the same patterns exist in the household data. Tracking households across time, I observe agricultural output has increased, despite more households engaging in off-farm labor. Household agricultural production is highly specialized and has increased its reliance on improved inputs. However, while agricultural income has grown, industrial and service income has remained stagnant, and the relative income of these households has declined in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study weather effects on migration in rural India. • Positive weather shocks facilitate migration abroad and to cities in the same state. • Adverse weather shocks drive rural-urban migration to different states. • Urban climate migrants are less educated and are from agricultural households. • Approximately 8% of urbanization between 2005 and 2012 can be attributed to weather. In this paper, we move from the large strand of research that looks at evidence of climate migration to the questions: who are the climate migrants? and where do they go? These questions are crucial to design policies that mitigate welfare losses of migration choices due to climate change. We study the direct and heterogeneous associations between weather extremes and migration in rural India. We combine ERA5 reanalysis data with the India Human Development Survey household panel and conduct regression analyses by applying linear probability and multinomial logit models. This enables us to establish a causal relationship between temperature and precipitation anomalies and overall migration as well as migration by destination. We show that adverse weather shocks decrease rural-rural and international migration and push people into cities in different, presumably more prosperous states. A series of positive weather shocks, however, facilitates international migration and migration to cities within the same state. Further, our results indicate that in contrast to other migrants, climate migrants are likely to be from the lower end of the skill distribution and from households strongly dependent on agricultural production. We estimate that approximately 8% of all rural-urban moves between 2005 and 2012 can be attributed to weather. This figure might increase as a consequence of climate change. Thus, a key policy recommendation is to take steps to facilitate integration of less educated migrants into the urban labor market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urbanisation process in the Global South is characterised by the blurring of the boundaries between urban and rural areas and the lack of institutional capacity, which have made the process highly unsustainable. In India, an example of such development is the rapid growth of "census towns". These settlements are not acknowledged as urban by the state, but they play an important role in accommodating population growth. This paper aims to elucidate and understand the process and characteristics of Indian urbanisation better in light of relevant theoretical discourses by using a mix of statistical analysis and field survey. It argues for moving from traditional master planning, which originated from the Global North to a more participatory and strategic approach in order to achieve infrastructure integrated development. • Contemporary theories are validated on census towns growth in India. • Mixed-methods approach helps uncover important characteristics of urbanisation. • Census towns are unplanned developments, but are crucial for Indian urbanisation. • A move from master planning to participatory strategic planning is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cleaner and sustainable environment is becoming a topmost priority for both owners and stakeholders involved in businesses. It could be achieved by adopting better sustainable practices like reduction in waste through process of recycling, recovery and remanufacturing which helps to minimize both the cost and environmental losses. With a recent surge in E-commerce market and online shopping in India there is a need for a more efficient, sustainable and reliable reverse logistics design by including cost, environmental and social factors into consideration. With the factors considered above this paper proposes a multi-objective logistics network model for the return products specifically pertaining to the Indian E-commerce market. The components of this multi-echelon supply chain considered are Customer Markets, Warehouses, Delivery Hubs, Landfills, Incineration Centres and Recycling Centres. The multi-objective optimization is done on the three fronts of sustainability, namely, economical, represented by cost, environmental, represented by environmental impact of different process, and social, which is represented by work days created and lost due to harms at work. Different technologies are considered in delivery hubs and mother warehouse which could result in a more efficient way of transferring and processing products. Weighted goal programming (WGP) technique is used by weighing different objectives to minimize cost, environment impact and maximize the social responsibility. Finally, - model is validated with a numerical example based on an online retail selling clothes. This study will help the managers in deciding the number of facility stores and warehouses needed to open and operate, technology to be adopted for a more efficient way of transferring and processing products. • Need for effective reverse logistics with increased volume of returns in E-commerce. • Developed a sustainable reverse logistics network for Indian E-commerce market. • Considered economic, environmental and social factors in delivery systems. • Proposed multiobjective optimization model solved using a weighted goal programming. • Validated numeric example of online retailer and listed its managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We evaluate impact of a large-scale intervention using technology-aided teaching in 1823 rural government schools in India. • We use a resource light design that requires one computer and projector per school and minimal teacher retraining. • We observe positive impact on student learning outcomes in the subjects for which the intervention was conducted. • Being a resource light design, it can be helpful in achieving the objective of SDG-4. One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-4) adopted by the United Nations focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. Most research on impact of technology on learning outcomes depends on designs that require low student-to-computer ratio and extensive retraining of teachers. These requirements make the designs difficult to implement on a large scale and hence are limited in terms of inclusivity and ability to 'provide equitable opportunity for all'. Our paper is the first to evaluate an intervention design that is aimed at dealing with these concerns. We conduct a large-scale randomised field experiment in 1823 rural government schools in India that uses technology-aided teaching to replace one-third of traditional classroom teaching. Even with high student-to-computer ratios and minimal teacher training, we observe a positive impact on student learning outcomes. The study thus presents a low cost, resource-light design, which can be implemented in a developing country on a large scale to address the problem of poor learning outcomes, thereby making the intervention inclusive and equitable in line with the spirit of SDG-4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First national study to assess the impact of the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) on children's cognitive scores. • We find that receiving ICDS intervention in early childhood benefits children's cognitive development at later ages. • ICDS is positively associated with reading and arithmetic test scores for girls. • ICDS is also positively associated with reading and arithmetic test scores of children from low-income families. • We argue that ICDS plays a critical role in bridging the gaps in cognitive achievement in India. The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme aims to provide food supplementation, immunization, health check-ups, and early childhood education to children under the age of six years. There is mounting evidence that links poverty, undernutrition, and lack of stimulation at early ages with cognitive and economic disadvantages later in life. Furthermore, early childhood nutritional, educational, and health interventions are associated with human capital gains in developing countries. In this paper, we investigate the medium-term impact of ICDS services received in early childhood on subsequent reading and arithmetic achievement among children in the ages of eight to 11 in India. There are no nationwide studies that investigate the impact of ICDS on cognitive outcomes. Utilizing data from the two waves of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) and applying propensity score matching, we find that ICDS has a positive impact on cognitive achievement, primarily for girls and children in low-income families. Since the influence of ICDS intervention is observed for these groups, we believe that the ICDS plays a critical role in reducing gender and income-related gaps in cognitive achievement in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of rainfall shocks on school enrollment has changed in the past 30 years. • By 2007, positive rainfall shocks lead to a decrease in school enrollment. • School enrollment rises after a negative rainfall shock. • These effects are more pronounced for girls and older children. Despite long-standing international agreements like the Millennium Development Goals, 264 million children in developing countries are not enrolled in school, and children in rural areas remain twice as likely to be out of school as children in urban areas. One potential explanation for this pattern is that children's education in rural areas is vulnerable to weather shocks, but there is no consensus about whether rainfall shocks help or harm school enrollment in the existing literature. This paper explores whether changes in the relationship between rainfall shocks and schooling outcomes over time can explain the different results in the literature by using household survey data from India across three decades. My study finds that adverse rainfall shocks have an increasingly stronger positive impact on school enrollment over time, whereas enrollment is increasingly falling after positive rainfall shocks. This effect is stronger for girls than for boys, more pronounced for older children, and is consistent with an increase in the importance of opportunity costs of a child's time in more recent years. Children may have to drop out of school when employment opportunities are more readily available after a positive rainfall shock, but are able to go to school when jobs are scarce. These results offer a potential explanation for the different results in the literature, where studies on countries with higher economic development tend to find results consistent with an opportunity cost story, whereas this is not the case for studies on countries with a lower level of development. The results suggest that policymakers need to pay close attention to the obstacles faced by girls and older children to make access to education universal, and should develop policy tools that incentivize households to send their children to school even when employment opportunities are readily available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is a need for a closer understanding of transitions in periurban contexts. • There is a difference in North-South experience of Periurbanization. • Periubanization is better understood as concept and process rather than spatially. • Policy prescription for periurban spaces must pay heed to the implication of the periurban nature of the context. This paper reviews efforts at defining, conceptualizing and demarcating the periurban. We draw on different perspectives in conceptualizing and defining the periurban, employing a combination of primary data and a review of the global literature on periurban processes. The primary data is a result of longitudinal research following an empirically – inductive approach to arrive at this understanding of a periurban space and dynamics. The literature on the experience of periurbanization in India and other cities around the globe has been drawn upon; we look at different approaches and methods used to delineate, define and characterize periurban spaces as well as to address the governance and natural resource management challenges confronted by them. The limitations of these approaches are described. We conclude by making a case for a deeper understanding of the processes of transition underway in periurban contexts. These should inform approaches to policy and interventions, as well as shape efforts at theorizing about the periurban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale and objective Fewer than 15% of adults who meet criteria for a depression diagnosis in India seek treatment for these symptoms. It is unclear whether this reflects limited supply of mental health services or lack of demand for medical intervention for these experiences. This paper aims to identify and describe self-reported barriers that contribute to this "treatment gap" in a rural district in central India, where depression treatment had recently become available in primary care facilities. In this qualitative study we conducted in-depth interviews with 35 adults who screened positive for depression and who had not sought treatment for their condition, and 15 of their relatives. We analysed the data using the framework approach. A key barrier to seeking health care for psychological symptoms was lack of perceived need for treatment for these symptoms. Low perceived need for health interventions arose because participants frequently attributed depression-like symptoms to their socio-economic circumstances, or to the stress of physical illness, which conflicted with the biomedical approach associated with health services. Despite widespread recognition of the links between psychological symptoms, social circumstances and physical health, it was believed that health care providers are equipped to treat only somatic symptoms, which were commonly reported. Low demand for depression treatment reflected discrepancies between the community's perceived needs and a narrow biomedical model of mental health. Meeting their needs may require a radical change in approach that acknowledges the social determinants of distress, and the interactions between mental and physical health. The capabilities approach may provide a framework for more holistically conceptualising people's needs. • Participants conceptualised their depressive symptoms as "tension" (stress). • "Tension" is seen as a natural response to poverty/physical illness/family problems. • Most participants consulted health workers but only reported somatic symptoms. • Participants did not believe that health workers could treat "tension". • Conceptualisations of health must recognise psychological, physiological and social needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• After focusing on expanding physical access for last few decades, India is confronting the challenge of 'small' schools and moving toward school closure or rationalisation. But potential impact of such a policy remains under-investigated. • 'Small' schools are situated in villages which are relatively backward compared to the villages in which non- 'small' schools are situated. Students attending 'small' schools have fewer alternatives in that village. • 'Small' schools have higher probability of multi-grade teaching and are less likely to have basic infrastructural facilities. • Learning outcomes of students in 'small' schools are not different than that of students in non- 'small' schools. • School rationalisation is likely to have adverse consequences on children's access to schooling without any gains as far as learning levels are concerned. Alarmed by declining enrolment in government schools and potentially adverse academic, administrative and fiscal consequences associated with it, policy makers in India have initiated experimenting with closure of government schools with low enrolments ('small' schools), an exercise commonly referred to as 'school rationalisation'. However, the impact of this policy on access to schooling and learning remains empirically unexplored. Utilising ASER 2014 data, this paper asks three key questions: (a) what are the characteristics of villages in which 'small' schools are located?, (b) what options would students have if 'small schools' were to be closed, and finally (c) what are the differences in characteristics of 'small' and non-'small' schools? Results indicate that the villages which have 'small' schools are more disadvantaged in terms of essential public services such as all-weather roads leading to village, availability of government health facilities or banks and post offices. Additionally, these villages are less likely to have an alternative to the 'small' school, either government or private. Results also show that 'small schools' are much more likely to have multi-grade teaching. They are less likely to have basic infrastructural facilities. Interestingly, learning levels are unlikely to be different in 'small' schools than non- 'small' schools even after controlling for child, household and village attributes. Thus, the analysis suggests that school rationalisation can potentially have severe consequences on children's access to schools without any meaningful impact on learning levels in a 'business as usual' scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the corporate sustainability of agro-food value chains, business organizations need to rely on a higher performing and more reliable logistics system. Particularly, in case of dairy industry, organizations are facing some important challenges containing people management, short shelf life, high food losses and wastage, high greenhouse gas emissions. Based on "Confederation of Indian industry - Dairy Vision 2025", it is believed that the dairy sector in India has high potential if organizations can develop an effective logistics and supply chain system. This article attempts to analyze the interaction between distribution related challenges with a focus operational excellence and higher corporate green growth and sustainability viewpoints in food supply chains by considering the business example of four Indian dairy product based organizations using graph theory and matrix approach. Several key challenges were identified based on a literature survey and experts' views. Graph theory and matrix approach has been applied to select the most significant challenge. The results show that food organizations must work on cold chain to manage logistics and distribution challenges to reduce wastage, decrease financial losses and to take environmental issues into account. This paper ranks the challenges as well as develop an index for the dairy industry to achieve corporate sustainability in its supply chain and logistics network. The present study findings will provide useful knowledge for managers and policy makers managing interaction between people and process aspects and corporate sustainability management in the agro-based diary organizational logistics and supply chains. This is one of the unique studies in food supply chain that helps in improving the logistics and supply performance in diary industries of emerging economies. Image 102787 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low birthweight (LBW) is a serious public health problem in lower-middle income countries. Despite several efforts have been made to improve the utilization of maternal health care, universalization of antenatal care (ANC) remains a major challenge in India. This paper aims to examine the association between the use of ANC services and LBW in India. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out using the data from the 2015 to 2016 National Family Health Survey (n = 147,762). We have carried out bivariate and multivariate analyses to fulfil the objective of this study. About 18% of the sample children were born with LBW. Only ¼th last birth women received full ANC services in 2015–2016. The results of binary logistic regression indicate that the likelihood of LBW was significantly lower among those children whose mother have adequate ANC services compared to those mother who did not receive those services even after accounting for important socioeconomic and demographic factors. The findings of this study suggest that providing affordable and quality ANC services could be an effective strategy to reduce the incidence of LBW. Furthermore, targeted invention is needed among socioeconomically vulnerable women to improve the utilization of ANC services, which could combat the incidence of LBW. • This study assesses the association between antenatal care (ANC) utilization and low birthweight (LBW) in India. • LBW is a serious public health problem in lower-middle income countries, associated with several adverse outcomes. • Adequate utilization of ANC services has significant negative association with LBW of children. • Providing affordable and quality ANC services could be an effective strategy to reduce the incidence of LBW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Temperature trends alter rainfall uniformity by modifying characteristics of rainfall events. • A significant relationship between rainfall uniformity and low rainfall intensity is observed. • Rainfall uniformity, high and low intensity of rainfall show a decreasing order of sensitivity to annual mean temperature. Understanding response of temporal distribution, timing, frequency and amount of high and low intensity rainfall to warming is important in water resources management. In this paper, Relative Entropy is used to investigate the spatial variability and change in uniformity of rainfall distribution over India. Temporal trends in atmospheric temperature can alter the frequency and amount of high and low intensity rainfall events, which influence the uniformity of rainfall distribution. The study is divided into two time periods, 1951–1980 and 1981–2010 based on time trend in annual mean temperature. The sensitivity of rainfall uniformity and high and low intensity rainfall events to annual mean temperature and the degree of coherence between them are investigated. The uniformity of rainfall distribution shows a significant spatial variability. Significant changes are observed in both the amount and timing of rainfall across India. A significant association between rainfall uniformity and low intensity of rainfall is observed in the recent past over a larger aerial extent compared to the distant past. It is concluded that rise in temperature modifies both high and low intensity rainfall events, thus altering the uniformity in rainfall distribution. A regionally varied strength of coherence between rainfall uniformity and high and low intensity rainfall is observed which may be due to regionally dependent soil moisture-precipitation feedbacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport contributes to socioeconomic development. In the case of rapidly developing and rapidly motorizing societies like India, increased mobility brings an increased burden associated with road crashes and their social and economic consequences. The Sustainable Development Goals explicitly address road safety as necessary to achieving targets related to good health but also as part of the targets leading towards more sustainable cities and communities. We apply Seemingly Unrelated Regression to investigate development-related factors that potentially contribute to differences among urban and rural road crash outcomes using open data sets for 35 states and territories in India. Results indicate that there are relationships among development and crash parameters common to both urban and rural areas. The results indicate different development indicators driving differences in crash outcomes in rural versus urban areas. Study findings are supportive of international efforts to better understand complex relationships among the goals and targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals and other high-level development-focused declarations such as the New Urban Agenda. It is hoped this paper adds a new perspective on road safety within sustainable development discussions and encourages interdisciplinary research to further explore these relationships across various regions, countries, and contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Non-dietary pathways can potentially address micronutrient outcomes for women. • Women's iron status improves with higher empowerment levels in agriculture. • Women's minimum dietary diversity score is unable to reflect iron status. • Detailed data on blood tests fills the gap for reliable iron estimates in India. In this paper we study the relationship between women's empowerment in agriculture and their iron deficiency status in Maharashtra, India. This is the first time the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI) has been used in association with explicit measurement of medical biomarkers for women's iron deficiency status. Using primary data for 960 women we find that the log odds of a poor iron status in women decline as women's empowerment levels in agriculture improve. Further, this decline is seen in the presence of multiple dietary diversity measures (dietary diversity score, share of rice and wheat in the diet, total iron intake and iron intake from iron-rich food groups – all for 24-h and 30-day recalls) suggesting that in addition to dietary pathways women's empowerment can play a role in addressing micronutrient deficiencies like those of iron in a vulnerable sub-group of the population. It also reinforces the need to move away from the 'staple grain fundamentalism' that has characterized agricultural policy in India, towards more nutrition-sensitive food systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-border acquisitions (CBAs), as a corporate expansion strategy, are being espoused by emerging market firms (EMFs) to overcome their competitive disadvantage at the global level. The objective of this paper is to analyse the wealth effects of cross-border acquisition announcement on the acquiring firms from emerging economies during the period of 2001–17. Wealth effects have been measured in terms of short-term change in equity prices (investors' reaction) around the public announcement of 553 and 125 overseas acquisitions by Indian and Chinese listed firms respectively. The investors' reaction to the acquisition of a foreign target has been captured using the event study methodology. Further, a disaggregated analysis has been conducted to gauge the impact of various deal-specific factors, the legal structure of the target firm and the development status of the target country on the wealth creation potential of a cross-border acquisition. Both Indian and Chinese investors have responded favourably to the announcement of international acquisitions as exhibited in significant and positive average abnormal returns of 0.71% and 0.23% respectively on the event day. Further, it is revealing to note that investors in these economies differ widely with regard to their perception pertaining to the method of payment and acquisition strategy. At the same time, the extent of wealth creation is higher when acquired firms are based in developed economies possessing high quality resources and advanced technology along with better institutional and regulatory milieu; Indian as well as Chinese markets have experienced larger abnormal returns on acquiring advanced vis-à-vis developing market firms. • Overseas acquisitions enhance valuation of acquirers from emerging economies. • Non-cash acquisitions yield greater returns for Indian shareholders. • Bidding for diversified business creates more wealth for Chinese companies. • Bidding for a developed market target firm has positive wealth effects. • Acquisition of a publicly-held target firm generates higher returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]