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Background and Objectives: Critical appraisal of published research papers is routinely conducted as a journal club (JC) activity in pharmacology departments of various medical colleges across Maharashtra, and it forms an important part of their postgraduate curriculum. The objective of this study was to evaluate the perception of pharmacology postgraduate students and teachers toward use of critical appraisal as a reinforcing tool for research methodology. Evaluation of performance of the in-house pharmacology postgraduate students in the critical appraisal activity constituted secondary objective of the study. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in two parts. In Part I, a cross-sectional questionnaire-based evaluation on perception toward critical appraisal activity was carried out among pharmacology postgraduate students and teachers. In Part II of the study, JC score sheets of 2nd- and 3rd-year pharmacology students over the past 4 years were evaluated. Results: One hundred and twenty-seven postgraduate students and 32 teachers participated in Part I of the study. About 118 (92.9%) students and 28 (87.5%) faculties considered the critical appraisal activity to be beneficial for the students. JC score sheet assessments suggested that there was a statistically significant improvement in overall scores obtained by postgraduate students (n = 25) in their last JC as compared to the first JC. Conclusion: Journal article criticism is a crucial tool to develop a research attitude among postgraduate students. Participation in the JC activity led to the improvement in the skill of critical appraisal of published research articles, but this improvement was not educationally relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technical progress has a tremendous potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by reducing energy consumption, a major concern across production units. However, the existing empirical literature concerning technical efficiency and carbon intensity is scanty. Thus, this paper examines the relationship between technical efficiency and carbon intensity for the organized manufacturing sector of two states, Maharashtra and Odisha, and the all-India level from 2001 to 2018. The paper uses data envelopment analysis to estimate technical efficiency scores. It applies the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Tier 1 methodology for estimating carbon intensity for each 3-digit manufacturing industry in all three sample cases. The study has used static panel regression and fractional logit regression techniques to examine the deterministic relationship between technical efficiency and carbon intensity. The result shows that technical efficiency is highly sensitive to carbon intensity in the Indian manufacturing industries. The findings also addressed that the size of the industries also reduces the technical performance of manufacturing units. This paper also confirmed that increased profit could boost the Indian manufacturing industries' technical efficiency. Thus, this study addresses that carbon intensity as a proxy for the manufacturing sector's potential to affect climate change plays a crucial role in explaining the technical efficiency variations across industries. Thus, it calls for better policies aimed at reducing the emissions of industries specifically to achieve sustainable growth for the Indian manufacturing sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dr R. G. Sonkawade is an Indian professor, Department of Physics Shivaji University, Kolhapur and Advisor cum OSD to Minister, Higher and Technical Education, Govt. of Maharashtra. Former dean, Medical Physicist and Scientist, the authors studied characteristic features, pattern and citation impact of the well-known Indian scientist and professor's scientific research works. At his 20 years of research publishing career, He had 191 publications during 1998 - 2019 in various domains and present study was analysed 90 research publications based on SCOPUS database. The study categorizes and presents the data according to year-wise contribution, authorship pattern, collaborators & degree of collaboration, preferred journals for communication, country-wise publications, top cited authors, citation history, citation impact and highly Prolific Keywords. Thus, it is suggested that 'Scientometric Portrait' is the suitable phrase for the studies on scientists and 'Informetric Portrait' for the studies pertaining to researchers in other domains such as arts, humanities, and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Essential herbs such as garlic, ginger, and cardamom have shown antimicrobial activity with no potential adverse effects and are cost-effective. Despite these advantages, the efficacy of these agents needs to be tested against common oral pathogenic microorganisms to ensure that if found effective, they can be used in clinical settings. Aim: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of garlic, ginger, and cardamom oils on Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) against chlorhexidine. Materials and Methods: An in-vitro study was conducted at Bharati Vidyapeeth Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, in the Department of Microbiology and Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India from January 2023 to September 2023. Oil extracts of garlic, ginger, and cardamom were loaded onto sterile filter paper discs measuring 6 mm in diameter in concentrations of 50 µL, 100 µL, and 200 µL. Additionally, 2% chlorhexidine (control group) was loaded onto similar sterile paper discs. The discs were dried and placed aseptically on culture media plates inoculated with S. mutans, and the plates were then incubated at 37°C overnight. Subsequently, the zones of inhibition were measured in millimeters. Results: Ginger oil exhibited the highest zone of inhibition, measuring 25 mm, followed by cardamom oil and garlic oil measuring 18 mm and 12 mm, respectively, at a concentration of 200 µL. The zone of inhibition measured for 100 µL concentrations of garlic, ginger, and cardamom oils were 7 mm, 16 mm, and 13 mm, respectively. For 50 µL concentrations of the oils, the zones of inhibition for garlic, ginger, and cardamom were 0 mm, 13 mm, and 9 mm, respectively. The zone of inhibition shown by chlorhexidine was 22 mm for concentrations of 50 µL, 100 µL, and 200 µL. Conclusion: Essential oil extracts from ginger, cardamom, and garlic were found to have antimicrobial activity against S. mutans, with ginger oil showing the highest effectiveness, followed by cardamom oil and garlic oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Gaussian Process Regression (GPR)‐based models which use the Bayesian approach to regression analysis problem such as load forecasting (LF) are proposed. The GPR is a non‐parametric kernel‐based learning method having the ability to provide correct predictions with uncertainty in measurements. The proposed model provides an hourly and monthly load forecast for an Australian city and four Indian cities in the Maharashtra state. Twelve GPR models are trained with historical datasets including hourly load and environmental data. To evaluate the trained model, the actual and predicted load demand curve is plotted and mean average percentage error (MAPE) is calculated corresponding to different kernel functions of the GPR model. To the best of the author's knowledge, the prediction of load demand using GPR for Indian cities of Maharashtra state has been made for the first time. The calculated MAPE in LF is 0.15% for Australia and 0.002%, 0.209%, 0.077%, and 0.140% for Indian cities viz. Nasik, Bhusawal, Kolhapur, and Aurangabad, respectively. The test results illustrate that minimum MAPE in load prediction is obtained using the proposed model that is GPR with 'Exponential' kernel functions. Furthermore, the comparative analysis with the existing approaches confirms the dominance of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myristica swamps are one of the world's unique freshwater ecosystems. In recent years there has been an increase in reports about their distribution along the Western Ghats. In this paper, we present a new distribution record for Myristica swamps in the northern part of the Western Ghats in Maharashtra. The Myristica swamp is located within the Bhalandeshwar Sacred Grove of Kumbral Bagwadi, Dodamarg Maharastra, India. This forms the second report from the state of Maharastra. Frequent field visits were made to study and document the floral assemblage and biodiversity in the swamp from November 2023 to January 2024. The swamp is dominated by Myristica magnifica Bedd. and is part of a sacred grove protected by villagers due to religious beliefs. The second discovery of a Myristica swamp with a gap of just six years points out to the potential existence of more swamps in the region. Therefore, systematic surveys are needed to document undocumented swamps in various areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial inclusion (FI) relates to the access and availability of financial services to society, especially in low-income groups. FI is pivotal in achieving 7 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper explores the level of FI in the rural areas of Maharashtra and measures the impact of FI on the social conditions of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) prevalent in these areas. The study is based on a 424 SHGs survey conducted in the Pune, Thane, and Palghar districts of Maharashtra, India. The impact of FI on SHGs is evaluated using a Structural Equation Model (SEM). The results of the study show that physical banking services, Business Facilitators (BFs), and Business Correspondents (BCs) improve the social conditions of rural SHGs. Additionally, BCs and BFs mediate the relationship between physical banking services and social conditions. The study also reveals an insignificant association between BCs and BFs and insurance services. The present study highlights the importance of increasing the awareness of insurance policies through financial literacy programs and making timely availability and accessibility of BCs and BFs to enhance financial inclusion in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Household chores are one of the most essential aspects of each individual's daily routine. The author has observed people from middle and upper socioeconomic backgrounds, outsourcing women domestic workers to perform these household tasks. Even though these women domestic workers make up a significant portion of the total working class, they remain a socially and financially vulnerable section of society. The job of working in other people's private spaces comes with little or no regulation, social protection and no guarantee of decent work standards. The major aim of this study is to find out the social wellbeing of part-time domestic workers of Pune. Design/methodology/approach: For this purpose, the researchers have interviewed 167 women working in the Pune region of Maharashtra, India from the period of October 2020 to January 2021. Descriptive methods and factor analysis have been used to analyze the collected data, so that socioeconomic wellbeing correlated with the significant factors explored. Further, the factors identified that Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFAs) are further validated through reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha for economic wellbeing and social wellbeing index for social wellbeing). Findings: With the help of this study, researchers have tried to explore the significant factors to the social and economic wellbeing of domestic workers. The qualitative facts collected during the interview time have substantiated the findings got in EFA. Originality/value: The paper aims to provide ground-level insights to policymakers focusing on the domestic work sector, and the gaps identified in the research will help the policymakers to frame the guidelines for the betterment of these informal domestic workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ratnagiri is a coastal district and a part of Konkan region of Maharashtra. During our floristic studies on ephemeral and herbaceous plants of lateritic plateaus of Ratnagiri district from year 2020 to 2022, we have collected 49 herbaceous and ephemeral flowering plant species new addition to the Ratnagiri district. Newly added above said plant species belonging to 19 families and among them 16 species are endemic to India. This paper provides detailed checklist with herbarium specimen numbers for all the collected species and photographs of 16 endemic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Declining air quality is highly ignored and very common form of degradation of the environment in nations that are both developed and developing. There are several contaminants in the air that have been identified in various studies on air pollution. The crucial parameters of all air pollutants are gaseous and particle pollution. The present study was undertaken to estimate the quality of ambient air in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra state of India. In this paper, an effort has been made to study the standing and trend of Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone (O3), Ammonia (NH3), Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter i.e.; PM10, PM2.5, toxic pollutants i.e.; lead, arsenic, nickel, benzo [a] pyarene and benzene and hydrocarbons. The results clearly show that, all parameters of ambient air quality monitoring values were some shown slightly below permissible limit. The ambient air quality monitoring data show that the Chandrapur district has substantial air pollution concerns in terms of SO2, NOx, PM, and other air pollutants. However, after comparing these values with NAAQS levels, the yearly averages of these air pollutants have been found to be below than the NAAQS levels. However, without effective mitigation measures, the concentrations of these pollutants will rise at quite alarming rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past 75 years, since Independence, the central and state governments in India have implemented various measures for water management, which include initiatives to construct and revive small water bodies and wetlands. Schemes such as Amrit Sarovar, Amrit Dharohar, Jalyukta Shivar, and Galmukta Dharan-Galyukt Shivar are being implemented to revive small water bodies. However, these schemes have been criticised for their unsystematic planning and implementation and for benefiting an elite section of society while excluding people experiencing poverty. India is known for its traditional water harvesting systems and community-based management of water commons. Through a case study of grassroots-level management of small-scale waterbodies in eastern Maharashtra, this paper demonstrates the need to understand local dynamics and ground realities for inclusive and efficient water management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cement industry's carbon emissions present a major global challenge, particularly the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. The concrete industry is responsible for a significant portion of these emissions, accounting for approximately 5-9% of the total emissions. This underscores the urgent need for effective strategies to curb carbon emissions. In this work, we propose to use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict future emission trends by performing a detailed analysis of cement industry's CO2 emissions data. The AI predictive model shows a significant increase in overall carbon emissions from the cement sector which is attributed to population growth and increased demand for housing and infrastructure. To address this issue, we propose a framework that emphasizes on implementing carbon sequestration through reuse of construction and demolition (C&D) waste by using recycled aggregates. The paper proposes a framework addressing carbon sequestration through use of C&D waste. The framework is applied specifically to Maharashtra State in India to calculate the potential reduction in carbon emissions by construction industry resulting from recycled aggregates. The study reveals a projected saving of 24% in carbon emissions by adopting the suggested framework. The process and outcomes of the study aim to address the concerns of climate change through reduced carbon emissions in the construction industry promoting recycle and reuse of construction waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadcast journalism is a comparatively new area in the journalism teaching arena as it is competitively a new subject in the Indian sub-continent. News broadcasting in India has a long history of almost 100 years. The first news bulletin went on air on July, 23, 1927 through a private radio company. But the regular news broadcasting service started under the regime of the Indian Broadcasting service (IBS) which was named afterwards All India Radio in the year 1936.( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_in_India)Television as a medium in India had existed from the year 1959, but because of the priority of the government,India and the conservative approach of bureaucracy TV was not used for news and current affairs for many years .In1965 Doordarshan, Delhi started a 5 minutes new bulletin and that is the beginning of the broadcast journalism genre on Indian soil .After Mumbai Doordarshan and the other 5 metro TV stations started around 1972-73, real TV journalism found its roots. (dd report pce.pdf - Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.1) All India Radio and Doordarshan had a monopoly of audio& audio- visual news segment in India until the year 1992.However, in the academic circle of journalism and mass communication in Maharashtra, these segments were hardly considered as subjects to be included in curricula and syllabus as a major area of study. Subjects like Television and Radio were there very much in the study programme, but with limited scope. Journalism of Radio & TV had no place in it. This is a major reason that pedagogy for broadcast journalism had not got a berth in the educational diaspora. The present research paper will discuss and study this aspect at length. The second concerning area is on college- level science of education and theory of education, particularly in journalism branch had not been looked into seriously and with due weightage. The researcher, who is also a faculty in broadcast journalism for about 30 years, had taught these subjects in many colleges and institutes in Pune& Maharashtra as a visiting faculty and a subject expert. The present paper would also analyze some experiments done by him to teach broadcast journalism and equip students with more comprehension and clarity. Broadcast journalism a lucrative profession ever growing hand in hand with online media needs facelift through strong pedagogy to teach this subject with more precision and finesse. In this paper, the researcher would be sharing his experiences of teaching broadcast journalism and his findings along with an experiment which that he has conducted for teaching Broadcast journalism module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Endodontic retreatment is indicated in cases of failed primary endodontic treatment. The main goal of retreatment is to establish conditions that will enable the healing of the periapical tissue. Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of rotary retreatment with the ProTaper Universal Retreatment system supplemented with passive ultrasonic activation of solvent in retreatment of single-rooted mandibular premolar teeth obturated with gutta-percha and two different root canal sealers (AH Plus and MTA Fillapex). Materials and Methods: This in-vitro study was conducted in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics at Mahatma Gandhi Mission's Dental College and Hospital, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, from January 2019 to April 2019. Total 66 freshly extracted human single rooted mandibular premolars were used in this study. Root canal preparation was done using ProTaper Next rotary files. Teeth were decoronated to get a uniform length of 18 mm and were divided into three retreatment groups based on the technique used for retreatment. Group I included rotary retreatment, Group II involved rotary retreatment with solvent and paper point wicking, and Group III involved rotary retreatment with passive ultrasonic activation of solvent and paper point wicking. Based on the sealer used for obturation, teeth in each group were further divided into two subgroups, subgroup A with AH Plus sealer and subgroup B with MTA Fillapex sealer. Teeth were stored in an incubator for 30 days to allow sealer to set after which sectioning of the specimens was done buccolingually for examination under the stereomicroscope and photographed. Statistical analysis was done by using parametric Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Post-hoc tests and Unpaired t-test. Results: No statistically significant difference in percentage area of residual root canal filling material noted between the group I and II and when obturated with gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer (subgroup A) as p-value=0.215. Whereas, it revealed a statistically significant difference between the group I, II, and III when obturated with gutta-percha and MTA Fillapex sealer (subgroup B) as p-value<0.001. Conclusion: Passive ultrasonic activation of solvent after gutta-percha removal using ProTaper Universal rotary files could improve the quality of endodontic retreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geographical understanding of the Indian subcontinent can be learned in its entirety from the availability of Colonial registers. Before the colonial rule, territorial regions forming India were not marked by distinctive geographical boundaries. Availability of Colonial registers and its records happened to provide us with a peculiar documentation of not just India's regional/geographical boundaries, but its social and political formation/development as well. The introduction of colonial education policy within the subcontinent is another significant aspect that resulted in furthering socio-cultural, economic and political changes within the Indian society. Colonial education policy, in its effort to impart education to Indians majorly, helped Indian Upper-caste intelligentsia to emerge. With its liberal principles and educative measures, it could also help people from the lowest rungs of the social ladder to familiarise themselves with education. We could see social revolutionaries like Phule and Ambedkar (among others) hailing from the subaltern castes being introduced with colonial education, who revolted against the unjust socio-cultural practices and redefined the notion of freedom, human dignity, equality and democracy. It is this very moment where one could also witness the inception of modern and rational thinking shaping up the idea of India, and modern-day Maharashtra we see today is no exception to it. In this paper, an attempt is made to map colonial intervention into the Maharashtrian society and provide a critical commentary on the social and political conjuncture of colonial Maharashtra. While presenting the critical commentary, the paper emphasises on the formation of caste relations and subaltern/Dalit response as the most significant points of breaks in the making of modern Maharashtra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unparalleled rise in peak electricity demand across the tropics over recent decades signals the need for conscious planning of investment in power infrastructure and a boosting of demand-side management measures. This paper estimates the extremes in daily peak electricity demand across eight Indian states from 2010 to 2018 by using the extreme value mixture models and the generalised Pareto distribution (GPD) method. A combination of different mixture models is used to obtain the optimum threshold level, and the exceedances above it are declustered and fitted with a non-stationary GPD using the daily maximum temperature and trend terms. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to apply non-stationary GPD models in Indian context for analysing the extreme peak electricity demand in the country. Results show that the shape parameter of extreme peak demand appears to be time-variant for the different values of maximum temperature and shows a linear trend for Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Haryana. However, the scale parameter is found to be time-variant for all the states. Most states experienced the highest monthly frequency of peak electricity demand during July–October, and the largest yearly frequency during 2015, 2016, and 2018. Additionally, the estimated return values highlight a higher increase in daily peak demand for Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra compared to other states during the next 25 years. These findings will be pertinent to the decision-makers in planning for peak reserve capacity in various Indian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary intake is a fundamental determinant of maternal and child nutrition. This paper presents evidence on whether maternal and child dietary diversity can be improved with systemic improvements focused on strengthening training, capacity building, and behavior change communication among frontline workers to encourage improved nutritional practices among mothers and children in the intervention area. The evidence is derived from Project Spotlight intervention that was jointly implemented by Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Maharashtra and Tata Trusts in tribal dominated Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts in Maharashtra. Based on a pre-post comparison of baseline (2019) and endline (2021) household survey data it is confirmed that there is a significant association between maternal and child dietary diversity in the study area. Notably, dietary diversity in mother-child dyads is marked with a higher consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as eggs and flesh foods. Econometric analysis further reveals that the association between maternal and child dietary diversity has improved after the systems strengthening interventions. The paper concludes that local interventions such as Project Spotlight for strengthening counselling services and coverage by frontline workers and enhancing knowledge and awareness on maternal and child dietary diversity among communities are important for improving maternal and child nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Manyata program is a quality improvement initiative for private healthcare facilities in India which provided maternity care services. Under this initiative, technical assistance was provided to selected facilities in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra which were interested in obtaining 'entry level certification' under the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) for provision of quality services. This paper describes the change in quality at those Manyata-supported facilities when assessed by the NABH standards of care. Methods: Twenty-eight private-sector facilities underwent NABH assessments in the three states from August 2017 to February 2019. Baseline assessment (by program staff) and NABH assessment (by NABH assessors) findings were compared to assess the change in quality of care as per NABH standards of care. The reported performance gaps from NABH assessments were then also classified by thematic areas and suggested corrective actions based on program implementation experience. Results: The overall adherence to NABH standards of care improved from 9% in the baseline assessment to 80% in the NABH assessment. A total of 831 performance gaps were identified by the NABH assessments, of which documentation issues accounted for a majority (70%), followed by training (19%). Most performance gaps could be corrected either by revising existing documentation or creating new documentation (62%), or by orienting facility staff on various protocols (35%). Conclusion: While the adherence of facilities to the NABH standards of care improved considerably, certain performance gaps remained, which were primarily related to documentation of facility policies and protocols and training of staff, and required corrective actions for the facilities to achieve NABH entry level certification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and human activities have massively impacted the hydrological cycle. Thus, it is of the greatest concern to examine the effect of climate change on water management, especially at the regional level, to understand the possible future shifts in water supply and water-related crises and support regional water management. Fortunately, there is a high degree of ambiguity in determining the effect of climate change on water requirements. In this paper, the statistical downscaling (SDSM) model is applied to simulate the potential impact of climate on crop water requirements (CWR) by downscaling ET0 in the region of Western Maharashtra, India, for the future periods, viz., the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s, across three meteorological stations (Pune, Rahuri, and Solapur). Four crops, i.e., cotton, soybean, onion, and sugarcane, were selected during the analysis. The Penman-Monteith equation calculates reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0). Furthermore, in conjunction with the crop coefficient (Kc) equation, it calculates crop evapotranspiration (ETc)/CWR. The predictor variables were extracted from the National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis dataset for 1961–2000 and the HadCM3 for 1961–2099 under the H3A2 and H3B2 scenarios. The results indicated by SDSM profound good applicability in downscaling due to satisfactory performance during calibration and validation for all three stations. The projected ET0 indicated an increase in mean annual ET0 compared to the present condition during the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s. The ET0 would increase for all months (in summer, winter, and pre-monsoon seasons) and decrease from June to September (monsoon season). The estimated future CWR shows variation in the range for cotton (− 0.97 to 2.48%), soybean (− 2.09 to 1.63%), onion (0.49 to 4.62%), and sugarcane (0.05 to 2.86%). The significance of this research lies in its contribution to understanding the potential impacts of climate change at a regional level. This study provides valuable insights into the expected changes in water demand for key crops. The research also manifests implementing an identical methodology for downscaling other environmental parameters using a similar approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genus Indolestes Fraser, 1922 and Dysphaea Selys, 1853 were previously known from Goa, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, parts of Gujarat, and eastern India. In this paper, we report the first confirmed records of Indolestes gracilis davenporti Fraser, 1930 and Dysphaea ethela Fraser, 1924 based on a specimen collected from Sindhudurg District, Maharashtra, India. We have also provided additional records of Macrodiplax cora (Brauer, 1867) from Maharashtra based on photographic evidence from Sindhudurg District. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the transnationalism of racial anthropological frameworks and its role in the understanding of human difference during India's decolonization and nation-building. With attention to the circulation of scientific objects, I focus on the practices and articulations of Irawati Karve (1905–1970), an Indian anthropologist with a transnational scientific trajectory and nationalistic political engagements. I argue that Karve's adaptation of an internationally validated German racial approach to study caste, ethnic and religious groups contributed to the further racialization of these categories as well as to the racialization of nationalistic projects in Maharashtra and India. I conclude with a reflection on the transnationalization of the coloniality of racialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic development, population growth, and rapid urbanization are the reasons for an increasing generation of waste all over the world. Recently, the statistics showed that 2.1 million of tons municipal solid waste (MSW) was produced in 2016, which is estimated to enhance by 3.4 million tons in 2050. In recent times, municipal solid waste generation is dramatically increasing due to factors such as rapid urbanization, altered living standard, and increased population. These factors make the municipal solid waste management system complex and break the pollution-controlling strategies. So it necessitates the system to accurately predict the waste composition. Based on the waste classification, a suitable decomposition technique is preferred. Therefore, this paper proposed CMSOA optimized dual faster R-CNN based waste management system to accurately classify the waste composition. The proposed system is formed by hybridizing dual faster RCNN along with complex-valued encoding multi-chain seeker optimization algorithm (CMSOA). Various evaluation measures, namely accuracy, precision, recall, F-measure, RMSE, MAE, and MAPE metrics, are computed, and the case study analysis is conducted on the major five cities of Maharashtra. The comparative analysis is carried out for various approaches, and from the analysis, the results revealed that the proposed method provides better classification results than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Green Revolution" (GR) technology-induced agricultural intensification has transformed India from food scarcity to a food surplus country. However, this has also resulted into several adverse repercussions. Increased application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with stagnating/declining crop productivity has dovetailed with uncertain market conditions and climate change effects which has resulted in un-remunerative agriculture. Consequently, farmers have fallen into the debt trap due to the rising cost of crop production apart from health hazards due to serious exposure to harmful chemical pesticides. Natural Farming (NF), an agro-ecological approach to farming is believed to be an effective way to counter some of these challenges. The present paper presents field-level farmers' experiences of NF adoption in three states of India—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. The study was conducted during February–March 2019 by surveying 295 NF adopted and 170 non-NF adopted farmers. It was found that NF practice has been followed by some farmers for more than 10 years but others have adopted during the recent past. There is variation in the practice followed by the NF farmers. There are farmers who are using Farm Yard Manure (FYM). A solid form of jeevamritha (liquid concoction of microbial inoculants) called as ghanajeevamritha was also found to be used by farmers in Andhra Pradesh. It was observed that non-NF yields are superior to NF yield without FYM. In most crops, however, NF with FYM had a greater yield than NF without FYM and non-NF farms. There has been a decrease in the variable cost and a marginal increase in the market price of NF produce. The study suggests that natural farming may be seen as one of the alternative practices which has potential to rejuvenate the agro-ecosystem, besides cost saving for the individual farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"A Nation that has not taken its education into its own hands cannot soon rise in literary, social or political importance" -- LokmanyaTilak LokmanyaTilak was the pioneer in promoting quality education in India. Although India has been on the path of ensuring quality education to all the children, it is the recent COVID pandemic that has derailed this development path. The pandemic has thrown out key loopholes in our educational system where the children from the vulnerable and marginalized sections of the society have been pushed out of the education system. It shows that there is still a long path towards realizing LokmanyaTilak's vision of universal education. It is in this context that a study was undertaken to bring focus on the challenges faced by the vulnerable children in pursuing education in the time of COVID pandemic. Maharashtra has a long history of progressive movements and social work. It was found that the NGOs and social workers played an important role in reaching out to these children even in the Pandemic. Hence, the paper specifically focuses on the role played by these NGOs. A total of nine NGOs participated in this study. Telephone interviews were conducted with the social workers of the NGOs. The study provides an important account of the challenges of the vulnerable children and the methods in which the NGOs attempted to address these challenges. The study shows how the challenges were multidimensional in nature. The education of these children was adversely affected due to highly vulnerable livelihoods of their parents, the digital divide, and also the gender divide. The paper further provides accounts of the innovative methods employed by NGOs to overcome some of the challenges. Finally, the paper provides suggestions towards developing a more resilient educational system for the vulnerable children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reviews a range of global aquaculture health and safety literature to inform and contribute to the development of a socio-economic profile of Indian shrimp farm workers including the occupational hazards and injuries they face. In addition, 60 shrimp farm workers were interviewed from each of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The study revealed that all shrimp farm workers were male, 58% were migrants, and ages ranged from 23 to 53 years with work experience of 5 to 24 years. Few workers (14%) had no formal schooling and many had secondary-level education. Reported physical hazards were high (93%) followed by biological (82%), chemical (77%), ergonomic (71%) and psycho-social (71%) hazards. The majority of physical injuries reported related to slips, falls and cuts (51%), electric shocks (44%), sunburn (41%), dehydration/ headaches (40%) and fractures (27%). Approximately 30%-39% had some chemical injury with skin infections/breathing problems. Indian shrimp farm workers face similar occupational hazards and injuries to shrimp farm workers in other countries. The occupational health and safety of shrimp farm workers should be integrated into the concept of 'One Health' to ensure aquaculture sustainability and safe, meaningful and good quality employment to workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report monitoring of a resident population of Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris (Lesson, 1831) along a stretch of 3.5 km of the river Savitri on the outskirts of Mahad town of Raigad District in Maharashtra, on monthly basis from 2014 to 2021. This river is increasingly becoming a sink of anthropogenic wastes emerging from adjacent settlements impacting its habitat value, and puts the reptile side by side with humans and human-wastes that could be a cause of rising incidents of crocodile mortality in the recent times here, as also reported from elsewhere. Savitri River has been a fishing ground for local indigenous communities, who also use the river bank for washing clothes and utensils, and for swimming. Such proximity between people and crocodiles creates a potential for negative interaction. This long term study monitored the Mugger population trends for the last eight years at four transect stretches along the river. Counts are suggestive of a healthy viable population of Mugger in this river currently, but a future conflict situation cannot be ruled out. Being generalist feeders, Muggers can sustain themselves on fish, and scavenge on dumped carrion and other anthropogenic organic wastes. With the exception of a few sporadic incidents of aggression by the Muggers at this location, no human casualties have been reported thus far, however, this does not rule out fatal reciprocal interactions in future and hence a few practical mitigation measures have been suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To understand the impact of COVID-19 on implementation of the peer education programme of the National Adolescent Health Programme-Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK); repurposing of the RKSK health workers and Peer Educators (PEs) in COVID-19 response activities and effect on adolescents´ health and development issues. Methods: Virtual in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders (n = 31) (aged 15 to 54 years) engaged in the implementation of the RKSK and peer education programme at state, district, block, and village levels in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (India). These interviews were thematically coded and analysed to address the research objectives. Results: Despite most peer education programme activities being stopped, delayed, or disrupted during the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, some communication networks previously established, helped facilitate public health communication regarding COVID-19 and RKSK, between health workers, PEs, and adolescents. There was repurposing of RKSK health workers and PEs' role towards COVID-19 response-related activities. PEs, with support from health workers, were involved in disseminating COVID-19 information, maintaining migrant and quarantine records, conducting household surveys for recording COVID-19 active cases and providing essential items (grocery, sanitary napkins, etc.) to communities and adolescents. Conclusion: PEs with support from community health workers are able to play a crucial role in meeting the needs of the communities during a pandemic. There is a need to further engage, involve and build the skills of PEs to support the health system. PEs can be encouraged by granting more visibility and incorporating their role more formally by paying them within the public health system in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of organisations, including medical associations, recommend that research subjects should be given the option of being informed about the general outcome and results of the study. We recently completed a study involving nine serosurveys from 2018 to 2020 in five districts of India among three age groups (children 9 months to < 5 years; 5 to < 15 years of age, and women 15 to < 50 years of age before and after the measles and rubella (MR) vaccination campaigns). In Palghar district of Maharashtra all individuals in 30 selected clusters were enumerated, and 13 individuals per age group were randomly sampled. We established the procedures to return the results to the respondents for each stage of the survey. Of the 1,166 individuals selected for the measles and rubella serosurvey, 971 (83%) agreed to participate and were enrolled. Participants were informed that they will only be contacted if they test seronegative for measles and/or rubella antibodies. Overall, 140 individuals enrolled in the survey tested seronegative for IgG antibodies to measles and/or rubella viruses; were provided the reports and informed to seek medical advice. Upon follow up by phone, 10% (14) of the 140 participants reported to have been vaccinated. In this paper we discuss the procedures, experiences and considerations in returning results to participants in a community-based measles and rubella serosurvey. Although the lessons learned are specific to post measles-rubella vaccine campaign serosurvey in India, they might be helpful to those contemplating sharing results to participants of large scale survey settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical labour is not respected in India. Farm labourers are one of the most exploited labourers in India, and the world. Every year more than one million unorganised contract labourers, most of them from lower castes, migrate to the sugar belt in Western Maharashtra for around six months where sugar factories are concentrated. With around 200 sugar factories, Maharashtra ranks number one in sugar production in India. The labourers work for twelve or more hours a day and get poor returns. On the other hand, the working and living conditions violate basic human rights (Deshingkar, Start, 2003). Cane cutting is the most laborious farm work where the labourers have to bend for hours, pick up very heavy cane bundles and mount them at risky heights even during the night time. While injuries are very common among these labourers, occasionally, deaths too take place. The most recent reports reveal that the contractors force women labourers to remove their wombs so that they do not menstruate while working and therefore miss work. The number of such women estimates to around 30%. "Networks working on health and women's issues say unwarranted hysterectomies among poor women in Beed and other places are the result of workrelated pressures imposed on women, plus a grossly unregulated private medical sector and exploitative contractors and sugar factory owners who hire migrant workers" (Chatterjee, 2019). Along with such health hazards, activists claim that women labourers are exploited by the male contractors at the worksite where physical abuse and rapes happen quite often though they are not formally reported. Young children of the labourers also travel with them at the destination leaving their schools and education behind to help their parents in their work to get trapped into the vicious cycle of bonded labour like their parents (making it a generation after generation trap). Marginalised, alienated and vulnerable in the migrated socio-cultural environment, the sugarcane harvesting backward class labourers face livelihood insecurities. Pregnant women and children have to work. Exploitation is both obvious and subtle. Still this seasonal life is a better opportunity for them. The hardly shared realities, including, women's critical health issues, sexual exploitation, rapes among other sensitive issues of their lives are beyond imagination. This paper studies the observations made while making a documentary film (which is an ethnographic exploration) on migrant labourers' challenges. Using an autoethnographic framework on part of the authors, this research paper will attempt to capture their fears, insecurities, subtle voice as well as the silences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a composite approach for drought characterization and monitoring using in situ and remote sensing-based drought indicators. The study was carried out on one of the most drought-prone areas of India, i.e., the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Meteorological, hydrological, and agricultural drought indices, namely standardized precipitation index (SPI), streamflow drought index (SDI), and vegetation condition index (VCI), respectively, were integrated to develop the composite drought index (CDI) using principal component analysis (PCA). SPI and SDI were computed using in situ precipitation and streamflow data, respectively, for 35 years (1980–2014), whereas VCI was computed using MODIS satellite data (500-m resolution) for 15 years (2000–2014) at 1-, 3-, and 5-month time scales. The time scales of drought indices were evaluated using historical drought years and foodgrain production of the region. The drought areas observed by SPI, SDI, and VCI at different time scales were correlated with foodgrain production during the kharif crop growing season for 15 years (2000–2014). The maximum correlation of foodgrain production was observed with 3-month SPI (r = − 0.72), 5-month SDI (r = − 0.40), and 5-month VCI (r = − 0.81) for meteorological, hydrological, and agricultural drought, respectively. Three-month SPI, 5-month SDI, and 5-month VCI were selected from each drought category to develop CDI. These drought indices were combined using weights derived through the PCA technique. The maximum weight was obtained for 3-month SPI (45.4%) followed by 5-month VCI (42.8%) and 5-month SDI (11.8%). The developed CDI products showed a strong relationship (r = − 0.85) with foodgrain production. The drought years observed by CDI were also closest to drought years declared by the State Government. The time series trend of the drought-affected area observed by CDI, 3-month SPI, and 5-month VCI resembled the drought patterns very closely, especially during the drought years. The spatio-temporal analysis of individual drought indices and CDI with foodgrain production deviation showed that CDI was better for capturing drought conditions than individual indicators. The study suggested that an individual or single indicator is not sufficient to capture the actual drought severity and its magnitudes; therefore, using a composite approach could be a good choice for effective drought assessment and monitoring in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugarcane is one of the most important cash crops in India. India being a major consumer of sugar occupies the second place in sugarcane production, next to Brazil. In recent times, sugarcane has become a preferred crop for renewable and eco-friendly energy production. Excepted rise in demand for energy has improved the scope of sugarcane production. In this backdrop, the study focuses on the trend and growth of production area, production and productivity of sugarcane crop in India for the period 2001-02 to 2017-18. The relationship between harvested area and production is tested with the help of a regression model. Apart from that, the study analyzes the state wise growth rate of sugarcane sector. The study is based on secondary data collected from various government reports and publications. The result highlights that all the three variables under consideration witness positive growth rate. About 65% of the production comes from two states, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Comparatively states falling under tropical region have higher yield per hectare than states of sub-tropical region. Finally, to an extent, this paper suggests ways to improve sugarcane productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphometry is a response to specific hydrology agriculture dominated River basins. In this paper the Warana River basin in order to obtain insight int Maharashtra. Morphometric parameters were calculated using geo processing techniques in QGIS 3.16. Warana river is a Seventh-orderbasin, characterized by a dendritic drainage (2.99/km), infiltration number (7.22), and drainage density (2.41 km/km low Constant of channel maintenance (0.41) and lineament density (0.20 km/km potential. Interrelationship among the morphometric parameters indicates that the basin has moderate flood and moderate recharge property. The flood frequency analysis studied for frequent floods in the Warana River basin. Water tabl recharge characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Placenta previa is a condition characterised by abnormal placental implantation and usually presented as painless vaginal bleeding in second or third trimester of pregnancy. Various studies have reported adverse outcomes in the cases of placenta previa. Aim: To find incidence, maternal and perinatal outcomes in placenta previa. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was carried out during April-June 2021 at a Government Tertiary care centre in Maharashtra. Total 260 cases of placenta previa managed at the institute between 1st January 2017 to 31st December 2019 were included in study. Primary data from labour room and operation theatre was collected and detailed case papers were accessed from medical records section. Data was analysed using Microsoft Excel Windows 2013. Results: Incidence of placenta previa was 1.09%. Majority of cases were from age group of 26-30 years, booked, gravida 2-3, belonging to low socio-economic status and without any history of risk factors. In 81.15% cases Lower Segment Cesarean Section (LSCS) was required. Post Partem Haemorrhage (PPH) (32.30%) and need for blood transfusion (86.15%) were major complications. Maternal mortality in cases of placenta previa was 4.23%. In perinatal outcome, prematurity was reported 44.30% cases while 57.46% needed NICU admission. Perinatal mortality was 17.53%. Conclusion: There is need for regular Antenatal Care (ANC) check-up and timely referral to tertiary care obstetrical care centre with availability of Blood bank and NICU for better outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Primary Health Centers (PHCs) are intended to be the "backbone" of the Indian public health system. Yet, these do not get utilized as frontline institutions for basic curative care. As we embark on comprehensive primary health care initiatives, it is important to understand people's perceptions on PHCs; and design services that cater to their felt needs. Aim: In this paper, we examine explanations that communities give for the use or bypass of PHCs. From these perspectives, we derive some policy directions for improving basic curative care services at PHCs. Methods: This qualitative study is based on data from 14 Focus Group Discussions in a rural area in Maharashtra in the catchment area of 8 PHCs (total 91 community participants). The discussions were coded and analyzed thematically with the aid of a qualitative software. Results: PHCs were not viewed as first-access points for health care, though these were valued for specific services. The limited use of PHCs was attributed to the lack of availability of drugs/services of perceived relevance to communities; prevalent healing norms that mismatched with PHC services; doctor-patient interactions that were colored with mistrust; and widespread poor opinions of public-sector services in health. Conclusions: Currently, there seems to be little in the design of PHC services- that appeals to the "felt" needs of communities. Thus, the proposed Health and Wellness Centers (HWC) initiative resonates with people's expectations. In addition, staff at the periphery must provide "attentive" care and be prepared to contend with pre-existing poor expectations of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Plagiarism is a type of research misconduct that consists of copying other's work or ideas without giving them proper credit. The rise of plagiarism cases has become a serious concern in the scientific world. Hence, a cross-sectional survey was carried out to assess the attitude among dental faculty members and postgraduate (PG) students toward plagiarism. Objectives were to compare the attitudes of dental faculty members and PG students toward plagiarism and to analyze the association of attitude toward plagiarism (ATP) with age, gender, and number of publications of the participants. Materials and Methods: ATP was measured using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of two sections; first section consisting of demographic details of the participants and second section consisting of the ATP questionnaire measuring positive attitude, negative attitude, and subjective norms. Ninety faculty members and 126 PG students from four dental institutions participated in the study. The data were analyzed using Chi-square test and linear regression analysis. Results: PG students showed more positive attitude and less negative ATP as compared to faculty members. Positive ATP decreased with increase in age (β = −0.147; P = 0.008), number of publications (β = −0.195; P = 0.001), and from males to females (β = −1.209; P = 0.044) whereas negative ATP increased with age (β =0.093; P = 0.001). Conclusion: The study showed negligence of PG students toward plagiarism which calls for improvement in awareness regarding plagiarism and research education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary adequacy and diversity during the lactation period are necessary to ensure good health and nutrition among women and children. Behavioral interventions pertaining to health and nutrition counselling during pregnancy and lactation are critical for awareness about dietary diversity. The issue assumes salience for marginalized communities because of the Covid-19 pandemic and associated economic and societal disruptions. This paper assesses the dietary patterns among 400 lactating mothers in the tribal-dominated district of Palghar in Maharashtra, India in 2020. The study is based on primary data regarding consumption of 10 food groups among women across 10 food groups based on 24-hour recall period. The primary outcome variable was binary information regarding Minimum Dietary Diversity defined as consumption from at least 5 food groups. Econometric analysis based on multilevel models and item-response theory is applied to identify food groups that were most difficult to be received by mothers during the early and late lactation period. We find that the daily diet of lactating mothers in Palghar primarily consists of grains, white roots, tubers, and pulses. In contrast, the intake of dairy, eggs, and non-vegetarian food items is much lower. Only Half of the lactating women (56.5 percent; 95% CI: 37.4; 73.8) have a minimum diversified diet (MDD). The prevalence of lactating women with MDD was higher among households with higher income (73.1 percent; 95% CI: 45.2; 89.9) than those in lower income group (50.7 percent; 95% CI: 42.3; 58.9). Lactating Women (in early phase) who received health and nutrition counseling services are more likely (OR: 2.37; 95% CI: 0.90; 6.26) to consume a diversified diet. Food groups such as fruits, meat, poultry, fish, nuts, and seeds were among the rare food items in daily diet. The dietary pattern lacking in fruits, nuts, and heme (iron) sources indicates more significant risks of micronutrient deficiencies. The findings call for improving dietary diversity among lactating mothers, particularly from the marginalized communities, and are driven by low consumption of dairy products or various fruits and vegetables. Among the different food items, the consumption of micronutrient-rich seeds and nuts is most difficult to be accessed by lactating mothers. Also, diet-centric counseling and informing lactating mothers of its benefits are necessary to increase dietary diversity for improving maternal and child nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telecom industry is one of the most rapidly growing businesses in the world. Presently, India is the second world' s largest telecommunication market. Objective of this paper is to critically examine whether service quality and customer loyalty effect customer satisfaction in Nashik city situated in Maharashtra, India. Descriptive design was used to investigate the association between service quality and customer loyalty (independent variables) towards customers' satisfaction (dependent variable). Survey was used for data collection from 530 customers from telecom sector in Nashik city. Data analysis was carried out with the use of SPSS version 20. The findings showed a significant positive relationship between service quality and customer loyalty towards the customer satisfaction. The study will prove useful for academic researchers, managers and practitioners related to telecom companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's growth is considerably influenced by different economic classes with remarkable financial contribution. This paper attempts to study the consequences of COVID-19 pandemic on investment behaviour of economic classes. Economic class is grouping of individuals on the basis of their earnings. Fundamentally, there are three classes including upper, lower and middle. Population with an annual income of 2.5 lacs to 20 lacs is regarded as middle class and below 2.5 lacs and above 20 lacs are considered as lower and upper class respectively. In finance, investment is procuring any item, commodity or an asset with an intention to generate income and wealth through diverse strategies and it can also be deposition of funds in defined services. During this ongoing pandemic, the fear of unforeseen and financial challenges faced by businesses, salaried employees and others. Therefore, this research focuses on certain objectives like assessing determinants and motivators of investment, investing options normally availed by different classes of people, channels of investment accessible to them and impact of pandemic on investment preferences of investors. Sample is collected from three major states of western India specifically Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan using simple random sampling. Primary data has been collected using questionnaire, telephonic interview etc. and secondary data from internet, journals, and textbooks. Exploratory research method has been used. Researcher has applied chi square test to check the hypothesis whether there is significant impact of COVID-19 on investment behaviour of individuals. From this analysis, it has been observed that only upper-class investors are interested in gold, real estate, stock market and mutual funds while major population of middle and lower class wish to invest in fixed deposits, PPF and insurance. Further, it is discovered that pandemic has significantly affected investment of population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the analytical study of financial standpoint of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, popularly known as MCGM. MCGM enjoys the status of being the largest functional local body as compared to other municipal corporations operating in the state of Maharashtra. The researches carried out earlier related to analyzing the working of local bodies were mainly devoted to functional and operational aspects of municipal local bodies. A very few among those have superficially touched the financial viabilities and autonomic aspects of local bodies. But, there is dearth of studies directed to analyze the financial success and development and growth related modular approach for local body like MCGM. This study is a small attempt in this direction and diagnoses not only the financial viability of local bodies like MCGM, but analytically tries to reach to the pitfalls prevailing in the overall financial management. For arriving at the conclusions, analytical tools like regression analysis and test of significance using one way ANOVA were employed. Results showed that there were wide disparities in the financial function of the MCGM and that a fair and justified investment pattern of the revenue surplus and enhancing the revenue income is needed. The envisaged study has suggested financial growth models for urban local bodies and for the overall financial development of the MCGM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes is the major health concerns across the whole world. Increasing at a rapid rate, this global epidemic is affecting a large portion of the populace everywhere. India having the highest proportion of diabetic patients, also becoming the 'diabetes capital of the world'. Early detection of diabetes could help to prevent or postpone its onset by taking appropriate preventive measures, including the initiation of lifestyle changes. AI-based diabetes diagnostic solutions are the new trends that companies are embracing to ensure smooth diabetes care. They provide diagnostic programs to detect complex ailments from medical images. By annotating lesions and abnormalities, these programs assist medical scholars and even non-specialists to have a faster diagnosis with much more accuracy. India faces a chronic disease risk burden. Not just this, many people especially those in the age group of 25 to 40 are also being diagnosed with diabetes & cardiovascular diseases according to Journal of the American Medical Association. This research addresses the existing scenario of AI based Diabetes Diagnostic services available in Maharashtra & Karnataka states in India. Firstly, the geographic location of Maharashtra & Karnataka and its existing Healthcare & Diagnostic status are explained. Then, various policies initiated by the government and the healthcare sectors of private ventures are described. Finally, the future prospects of AI based Healthcare Diagnostics in the two states along with possible strategies to address the barriers and issues are mentioned in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of irrigation facilities is highly inadequate in India. Watershed Development (WSD) has been a part of India's national strategy to increase agricultural productivity and alleviate poverty in rainfed areas. Maharashtra, one of India's richest states, witnessed the highest number of farmer suicides attributed towards monsoon failure, water scarcity, and drought. To reduce the dependency of agriculture on rainfall, the Maharashtra government had launched a new program named 'Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan' (water full village) on January 26, 2015. The program aims to make 5000 villages free of water scarcity every year. Under the program, micro irrigation systems were encouraged for proficient use of water for increasing the irrigated area. Economic Survey report of the state claim the scheme has created additional water storage capacity that led to making 19,655 villages permanently drought-free in the last five years. Besides, the scheme was criticized for its unscientific implementation. However, there is insufficient academic writing on the implementation and impact of the scheme. This paper has developed a conceptual framework of parameters and key indicators to be used for assessing the impact of the scheme. The study is based on an extensive literature review and focus interviews of beneficiary farmers & stakeholders of the scheme. Watershed impact is a multifaceted concept that needs a holistic view for its assessment. Effectiveness of the intervention is to be assessed through measuring the change in socio-economic indicators, availability of drinking water, impact on village women, change in agriculture & cropping pattern, environmental benefits, and operational guidelines & community participation. The framework of parameters and indicators developed in this study will be useful for researchers, NGOs, and agencies involved in the implementation and evaluation of Jalyukt Shivar as well as other watershed projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The De-notified tribes are tribal communities that were notified under the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) 1871 in colonial India. Although the Act was repealed after independence, the tribes declared as 'criminals' continue to remain labeled and are still living with stigma. Tribes notified under the CTA became De-notified in Independent India. The De-notified tribes in India continue to remain as one of India's most excluded and marginalized communities, excluding opportunities and deprived of resources. There are 198 De-notified tribes in India. After the repeal of the act post-independence, some of the declared tribal communities were included among the Scheduled tribes' population in different states; some yet continue to remain enlisted as the 'De-notified' tribes in India. The De-notified tribes comprise a significant population in India, and they are classified under a separate category as DNTs or DNCs. These tribal groups, although were "de-notified" they continue to face discrimination in their everyday life. These tribes do not have access to basic resources and livelihood opportunities; they are treated differently by people from other castes. They also face discrimination at the hands of the police. Their stigmatized spoiled identity due to ancestral labeling influences their present critically. They are subject to atrocities in the hands of the police and power groups in the village. The incidences of atrocities in the case of the De-notified tribes are not acknowledged under the Prevention of Atrocities Act by the state, which protects the marginalized communities and tribes. Their complaints remain unnoticed, and they are subject to false suspicion. The tribe remains in poverty and is subject to stigma and exclusion; their situations have not changed. The government has made no notable attempt to create provisions for upliftment of these communities and safeguard their rights. The absence of uniformity in the reservation policy keeps them away from the government benefits. This paper attempts to highlight the issues and problems faced by the de-notified tribes in Maharashtra India, narrating their experiences of spoiled identity and stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes unique challenges faced during conduct of community research studies in rural population of Maharashtra at Vadu Rural Health Program, Pune, India. Some of the ethical issues faced include difficulty in comprehending the informed consent by rural families with low education levels and ensuring adequate compensation for study participation without undue inducement, ensuring large number of recruitments during early infancy, ensuring adherence to intervention by care-providers, retention of participants especially in studies having long follow-ups and regulatory compliance for serious adverse event reports are major operational challenges. The delays faced in approvals from the Health Ministry Screening Committee and lack of specific regulatory guidance on community-based conduct of studies pose challenges in terms of study timelines and operational aspect of these studies. Provision of study-related information during prestudy visits, designing patient information sheets in simple language, involving the decision-making member of the family, adequate time for families for decision-making are certain measures that have been useful for effective informed consent administration. Collaboration with accredited social health activists and auxillary nurse midwives for line-listing of pregnancies and births and regular conduction of prestudy visits or community sensitization meetings have been useful for the recruitment of large number of study participants during infancy. Strategies such as provision of universal immunization, selection of field research assistants from the local population, regular home visits, and provision of medical care has been helpful in retention of the study participants. Networking with local health facilities and local government bodies has helped in the provision of medical care to the study participants and in the management of serious adverse events. Our experience can provide important learnings to other investigators from developing countries working in the domain of child health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the middle of COVID-19 corona virus pandemic situation in India people from academic field are still trying to cope up with the situation by following new normal way of living. The study explores the parents experience about online education system in the state of Maharashtra, India. Study shows both sides of online education system during pandemic. A likert scale questionnaire was designed to distribute amongst the parents of different age group to collect all the need full data for the research. Questionnaire was sent to parents through Google form in defined geographical area and only valid responses considered for study. Also, the study of literature is done through various research papers, articles and journals to understand the concept. It is observed that parents are aware about the importance of online education system in such a pandemic situation. But still there are many parents who are in support of off line education system as they say that it is the only correct method for the academic and social development of children. Furthermore, parents who monitored their children during online education experienced, it resulted better in terms ofunderstandingthetopics,engagementduringtheclass,effectiveutilizationofinternetconnection, not as much of stressful as offline education etc. and felt it is a necessity in current pandemic situation. To summaries the experiences of parents regarding online and off line education, all of them agreed on the fact that it should be mixture of online education and off line education system for the overall development of children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Employee Engagement (EE) drivers play a vital role in engaging employees. A lot of study has been done on EE. However, there is a need to study impact of select drivers on EE via Job Satisfaction (JS). Also there is need to understand if Age, Gender and Work Experience moderates relationship between these drivers and EE. In this research paper relationship between select EE drivers (Communication, Role Clarity, Feedback, Fair Treatment) via JS is studied. A sample of 71 respondents from IT & ITeS companies in across Maharashtra was collected with the help of questionnaires from 9 November 2020 to 18 January 2021. Statistical analysis is done using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) - AMOS - IBM's SPSS 21. The result confirms the impact of select drivers on EE via JS. The result also shows that age, gender, total work experience moderates relationship between the select drivers & EE. This study is an exclusive outcome of pilot study. Further for the final Ph. D. study, researcher is going to investigate the impact of select drivers on EE via JS with the help of larger sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriocnemis keralensis Peters, 1981 is reported for the first time from Maharashtra, India. Previously it was known from Kerala and Goa states. In this paper we report A. keralensis from Thakurwadi and Bambuli wetlands and Chipi Plateau, Sindhudurg District. Also, the new record of Gynacantha khasiaca MacLachlan, 1896 is confirmed on the basis of specimens collected from Sindhudurg District. Hence, we report the range extension of both A. keralensis and G. khasiaca in northern Western Ghats. Apart from this, a combined checklist of Odonata fauna of Thakurwadi (51 species), Bambuli wetlands (44 species), and Chipi Plateau (51 species) is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to examine the women micro-entrepreneurs' network with key stakeholders in Maharashtra region of India. Sometimes networking events may not result in fruitful outcomes because of lack of quality advice and information shared by the stakeholders. Researchers have therefore shown interest in understanding the role of network formation among women micro-entrepreneurs. Therefore, the study explores the information and advice network regarding the frequency and usefulness of contact and its effect on entrepreneurial satisfaction. The paper also examines the personality characteristics and their direct and indirect effects on networks and the satisfaction of entrepreneurs. The data were collected during the period January-March 2022. Survey method was used to collect 219 responses. The survey was conducted among women entrepreneurs having micro and small entrepreneurial ventures. The results showed that family, friends, media and social media are important stakeholders for women entrepreneurs for both information and advice, and locus of control and need for affiliation have a direct effect. However, resilience indirectly affected satisfaction, implying that resilience is imperative in the absence of strong networks. The study's findings show the direction for developing skills to improve one's network with close ties, and to build stronger connections using digital communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 infections and deaths have largely been uneven within and between countries. With 17% of the world's population, India has so far had 13% of global COVID-19 infections and 8.5% of deaths. Maharashtra accounting for 9% of India's population, is the worst affected state, with 19% of infections and 33% of total deaths in the country until 23rd December 2020. Though a number of studies have examined the vulnerability to and spread of COVID-19 and its effect on mortality, no attempt has been made to understand its impact on mortality in the states of India.Method: Using data from multiple sources and under the assumption that COVID-19 deaths are additional deaths in the population, this paper examined the impact of the disease on premature mortality, loss of life expectancy, years of potential life lost (YPLL), and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) in Maharashtra. Descriptive statistics, a set of abridged life tables, YPLL, and DALY were used in the analysis. Estimates of mortality indices were compared pre- and during COVID-19.Result: COVID-19 attributable deaths account for 5.3% of total deaths in the state and have reduced the life expectancy at birth by 0.8 years, from 73.2 years in the pre-COVID-19 period to 72.4 years by the end of 2020. If COVID-19 attributable deaths increase to 10% of total deaths, life expectancy at birth will likely reduce by 1.4 years. The probability of death in 20-64 years of age (the prime working-age group) has increased from 0.15 to 0.16 due to COVID-19. There has been 1.06 million additional loss of years (YPLL) in the state, and DALY due to COVID-19 has been estimated to be 6 per thousand.Conclusion: COVID-19 has increased premature mortality, YPLL, and DALY and has reduced life expectancy at every age in Maharashtra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the outsourcing of library activities and services in university libraries in Maharashtra. A survey was employed to collect data using an online questionnaire. The study (covering 27 university libraries) revealed that outsourcing is common in academic libraries. The paper identifies the activities that have been outsourced and draws a strategy that can be followed while outsourcing library functions. It concludes that outsourcing non-core activities can save the time of library professionals which can be invested by them in providing other services like literacy skills, quality research support services etc. Concludes that there should be a proper balance of outsourcing activities and duties of the library professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In traditional Indian society, older persons were key decision makers while younger generations would tend to comply with their decisions. This tradition has changed in the context of modernization and urbanization. This paper focuses on the status of older persons, their role, their decision-making poiver and the expectations they have of their children, society and the govern-ment. Data for this paper was collected from the rural areas of Amravati district in Maharashtra, using semi-structured inter-view schedules. A total of 600 respondents, both males and females, were intervieiued. A systematic sampling technique was used for data collection. In addition to the issues cited above, the impact of various socio-economic characteristics on decision-making poiver and status is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]