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The handicraft sector plays a significant role in providing employment opportunities in rural and semi-urban areas of the country. It helps in generating substantial income for the artisans. The uses for palm leaves are abundant. Attractive items made of Palm Leaves are very popular in South India, mostly in Southern Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. However, to generate sustainable revenue through their products, the artisans need to understand the buyer's requirements. This study aims to understand the consumer's purchasing behavior when buying palm leaf products. The sample consists of 233 consumers with diverse backgrounds from the state of Tamil Nadu, India. A questionnaire was developed to measure awareness and attitude influence while purchasing palm leaf products. The results can help the artisans to get an insight into end-user expectations and requirements toward palm leaf products and suggest strategies to increase the income of artisans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on family functioning within given cultural contexts is needed. This study aims to describe salient dimensions of family functioning in two urban contexts in India and to examine differences in family functioning by sociodemographic groups. We measured differences in family functioning using cross‐sectional survey questionnaire data collected from 13 to 15‐year‐old adolescents and one of their parents/primary caregivers in Mumbai (n = 843) and Kolkata (n = 913) during 2019–2020. We drew a multi‐stage sample representative of neighborhoods and households in both cities. We assessed a multi‐dimensional family functioning latent factor that included parent‐reported measures (parent–adolescent communication, family cohesion, and parent monitoring of peers) and adolescent‐reported measures (parent support, family cohesion, and parent supervision). Our results support an overall measure of family functioning manifested by multiple dimensions for parent‐ and adolescent‐reported data. Families with male adolescents had worse adolescent‐reported family functioning in Mumbai and parent‐reported family functioning in Kolkata. Higher socioeconomic status was associated with better parent‐reported family functioning in both cities and better adolescent‐reported family functioning in Kolkata. Muslim religious identification in Kolkata and the Hindi native language in both cities were associated with better adolescent‐reported family functioning. Our findings indicate heterogeneity in family functioning across demographic and social‐cultural groups within the two urban contexts of India. This study may inform the development of culturally congruent prevention interventions for families with adolescents in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Gutka, a popular smokeless tobacco (SLT) product combining chewing tobacco, areca nut, and spices, was banned by states in India beginning in 2012. Gutka can be recreated by the user mixing twin packets of tobacco and spice mixtures. We examine the availability of premixed gutka, the sale of twin packets (chewing tobacco and spice mixture sold together but in separate packets) and whether SLT was sold without legally mandated health warning labels (HWLs), without the printed maximum retail price (MRP), and above the MRP.Aims and Methods: In October/November of 2017, unique SLT packets were purchased using a systematic protocol in 25 localities with populations under 50 000 across five Indian states. Purchase information (location, twin packets, price paid) and packaging information (SLT type, printed MRP, type of HWL) were used to assess legality.Results: Of the 240 purchases of unique SLT packets, three were premade gutka. Twin packets were half of the sample, sold in every state, and illegally sold in Maharashtra where they were banned. Over half (62%) of single packets and 27% of twin packets did not feature a legal HWL. While only 5% of packets did not have a printed MRP, 29% of single packets, and 38% of twin packets were sold illegally for more than the MRP.Conclusions: SLT without the proper HWL or sold above the MRP were common. Twin packets were widely available. India should consider a country-wide restriction to ban single serving tobacco packets that would decrease affordability.Implications: This study is the earliest and that first outside of Mumbai that we are aware of to present evidence of tobacco products being sold above the MRP in India. While finding little evidence of premade gutka being sold, we found twin packets (chewing tobacco and spice mixture packets sold together) are widely available even in Maharashtra, which has a policy in place to ban twin packets. This study also finds evidence of SLT products sold without the correct HWL and without a MRP listed which shows that implementation and enforcement of regulations are as important as passing regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the spatial spreading patterns of plant-available sulphur (S) (AS) and plant-available micronutrients (available zinc (AZn), available iron (AFe), available copper (ACu), available manganese (AMn) and available boron (AB)) in soils, especially in coastal agricultural soils subjected to various natural and anthropogenic activities, is vital for sustainable crop production by adopting site-specific nutrient management (SSNM) strategies. We studied the spatial distribution patterns of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB in cultivated soils of coastal districts of India using geostatistical approaches. Altogether 39,097 soil samples from surface (0 to 15 cm depth) layers were gathered from farm lands of 68 coastal districts. The analysis of soil samples was carried out for soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC) and AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB. Soil pH, EC and SOC varied from 3.70 to 9.90, 0.01 to 7.45 dS m-1 and 0.02 to 3.74%, respectively. The concentrations of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB varied widely in the study area with their corresponding mean values were 37.4±29.4, 1.50±1.53, 27.9±35.1, 2.14±1.74, 16.9±18.4 and 1.34±1.52 mg kg-1, respectively. The coefficient of variation values of analyzed soil parameters varied from 14.6 to 126%. The concentrations of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB were negatively and significantly correlated with soil pH and positively and significantly correlated with SOC. The geostatistical analysis indicated stable, Gaussian and exponential best-fit semivariogram models with moderate to strong spatial dependence for available nutrients. The generated spatial spreading maps revealed different distribution patterns for AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB. There were variations in spatial spreading patterns of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB in east- and west-coastal area. About 62, 35, 12, 0.4, 23 and 45% of the study area had deficiency of AS, AZn, AFe, ACu, AMn, and AB, respectively. The spatial spreading maps will be highly useful for SSNM in the cultivated coastal soils of the country. This study could also be used as a base for assessing spatial spreading patterns of soil parameters in cultivated coastal areas of other parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]