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Objective: Media plays a major role in inculcating positive changes or averting negative changes in health-related behaviors across populations. Although various mass media interventions have proven their effectiveness in changing individuals' behavior for various diseases and risk factors, current literature is limited regarding a conceptual framework/model for the prevention of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. The present study describes the process of development and implementation of a comprehensive and need-based media strategy with an aim to generate politico-administrative support for strengthening hypertension services in the state of Punjab, India., Methods: The preparation of theoretical framework underwent two stages, that is, item generation and item reduction. The item generation involved extensive literature search, development of consensus among experts using Delphi technique and its validation. The item reduction involved the selection of models among existing communication and health promotion models, placement of items in the selected models and development of final conceptual framework model., Results: Based upon the review and expert's consensus, we zeroed in on three models of communication - communication campaign model, paid earned social owned model, and staircase model - in order to come up with the framework requisite for a systematic media strategy. The model focused upon context-specific messages involving both traditional and modern means and tools of communication. This model (conceptual framework) was the product of intense literature review followed by opinion of the experts from various disciplines such as medical professionals, public health specialists, communication experts, social scientists, politicians, bureaucrats, state-level representatives, media journalists and hypertensive patients., Conclusion: The present model can effectively be used by the program implementers, educators and policy makers in similar settings., (Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, India has seen significant improvements in childhood immunization, but rates among the urban poor remain stagnant. Disruptions during COVID-19 pandemic have created further challenges. This paper focuses on how social norms, vaccine confidence, and interpersonal communication independently and jointly affect vaccine intentions among caregivers of infants living in six slum areas in Varanasi, India. Data for this study come from the baseline assessments conducted before implementing the Happy Baby Program, an intervention to improve vaccination attitudes and intentions. In-person interviews (N = 2,058) were conducted with caretakers of children up to two years old. Analyses showed that interpersonal communication about vaccines, descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and vaccine confidence were each associated with intentions to vaccinate in both a bivariate and, except for injunctive norms, a multivariate model. In addition, we found significant interactions among these variables, suggesting that the roles of interpersonal communication and vaccine confidence attenuated the relationship between social norms and vaccination intention. Overall, our model explained 46.2 % of the variance in vaccine intention. Given the strengths of the relationships observed in this study, intervention strategies should focus on enhancing social norms and vaccine confidence to promote vaccination., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Rajiv N. Rimal reports financial support was provided by Global Alliance Fund. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Only a few studies have assessed the economic outcomes of palliative care in India. The major areas of interest include hospice care, the process and structure of care, symptom management, and palliative chemotherapy compared to best supportive care. At present, there is no definite health-care system followed in India. Medical bankruptcy is common. In situations where patients bear most of the costs, medical decision-making might have significant implications on economics of health care. Game theory might help in deciphering the underlying complexities of decision-making when considered as a two person nonzero sum game. Overall, interdisciplinary communication and cooperation between health economists and palliative care team seem necessary. This will lead to enhanced understanding of the challenges faced by each other and hopefully help develop ways to create meaningful, accurate, and reliable health economic data. These results can then be used as powerful advocacy tools to convince governments to allocate more funds for the cause of palliative care. Eventually, this will save overall costs and avoid unnecessary health-care spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, rapidly changing disease profile patterns, shortage & uneven utilization of healthcare professionals contributed massive burden on the Indian healthcare system, which resulted in varying, fragmented, inconsistent healthcare delivery to the patients and poor patient management. Patients often face and experience many challenges like lack of accessibility, poor patient-healthcare provider relationships, and inadequate quality of care, resulting in unnecessary economic burden in managing their health conditions. Thus Indian healthcare reform is essential in enhancing its capacity to fulfill patients' health needs that can be addressed by focusing on key sustainable strategies and initiatives meant for enhancing coordination of care, expanding services accessibility, redeveloping healthcare infrastructure, implementing workforce innovation and strong governance with the incorporation of core principles such as patient-centeredness, integrated care and collaborative care approaches. The clinical and ambulatory pharmacy practice are fragment of the healthcare delivery which delivers pharmaceutical care and fulfils the needs of patients across healthcare settings. This paper focuses on the present & future perspectives of ambulatory pharmacy practice in India and the factors to be considered for implementing it in patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InsurTech are technological solutions used by insurance companies to optimise the performance and improve customer experience. Numerous InsurTech applications are available for almost all functions of insurance product life cycle. Over 1500 InsurTech companies operate around the world and around 140 InsurTech companies operate in India. InsurTech applications provide number of benefits though, there are concerns with regards to technology, data accuracy, legal and regulatory framework with regards to how InsurTech application operate. The paper presents a review of InsurTech companies with respect to services offered by them, impact, benefits and concerns. A strategic model, is suggested to plan the development or deployment of InsurTech application, in order to address the concerns stated in the paper. The model can be useful to both the IT professional who develop the applications and insurance professional who deploy the applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the advent of the English language into the Indian sub-continent during various decades of the 20th century. The momentum of English usage has increased since the 1970s. The paper reiterates that many Commissions have advocated for Project- Method and Activity- Method to teach communication skills in English. It further reinforces that English is truly considered global and transcends the boundaries. Thereby, making the English learners not local citizens but global citizens. English is widely recognized as the world's lingua franca since it unites all peoples of the world linguistically and serves as the main medium of communication for trade, aviation, entertainment, and diplomacy as well as for scientific and technological activities. The incredible increase of graduates, post graduates and doctoral degree holders in various disciplines such as engineering, medicine, arts, science, humanities and management, has further brought forth challenges and competitions in the global market, and this has, however, posed a threat to the job seekers, who lack communicative competence in English. The majority of the top national and international businesses, organizations, and academic institutions communicate in English for a variety of reasons, and the majority of online resources are in English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's traditional knowledge (TK) goes back to ancient times and spreads across several disciplines. World over, there have been many concerns about TK, including its neglect, misappropriation, erosion, etc. Lately, the lack of effective communication of India's vast TK among the masses has come into the spotlight. There have also been discourses around scientifically validated TK. This paper, based on a review of literature, looks at TK communication and its challenges. The paper also discusses the recent Indian initiative on communicating scientifically validated TK. It is concluded that for a sustainable future, nations should deeply study the TK and TK practices. Nations such as India that have a rich knowledge base should leverage on the TK. Effective communication of the TK is a vital step towards this end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication is the key tool to success. When it comes to healthcare communication, there is a vast gap between medical professionals and patients especially people with a lesser education and people belonging to rural areas. Communication is very much essential in providing quality medical care and content to patients. The effect of the languages and the scientific terms used by medical professionals becomes difficult for the common audience to understand; hence, the understanding gap also increases. This study demonstrates how language becomes a hurdle in healthcare communication depending on the location or locality of the hospital. The main objective of this research paper is to find how language becomes a barrier in health communication depending on the location of the hospital and the communication challenges experienced by rural and urban audiences in hospitals. It will also focus on how infographic designs can help the audience in reducing the communication gap in understanding healthcare information. We have collected 300 samples from 20 different hospitals from both Rural & Urban areas of Jaipur-I City, Rajasthan India. The paper also highlights some of the challenges posed by the language barrier and recommends a few suggestions. This research finding indicates that the language barrier in health communication can be minimized with the use of infographic designs for communication with the audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan", the Self-Reliant India campaign of2020, was a clarion call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the vision of a new India, kick-starting several independent initiatives across the five pillars, viz., Economy, Infrastructure, Systems, Demography and Demand1. The paper discusses one such technology-driven initiative called CollabFiles, envisaged and developed for use by government enterprises across the country. CollabFiles helps officials and staff of Government of India (GoI) to create and collaborate on documents and spreadsheets using web and mobile devices. Several innovative steps were taken to design this platform such as using principles of Enterprise Architecture (EA) to arrive at solution architecture, Single Sign-On (SSO) authentication ensuring secured access, interoperability with other government applications, secured storage at government cloud, a robust archival policy and a firm Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) plan. It shares details of the pioneering approach to develop a sustainable platform, meeting the needs of government officials on a day-to-day basis. The paper gives the current status of implementation, defines critical success factors for effective roll-out, and also discusses how certain challenges were addressed. It also discusses more advanced features to be incorporated to enhance the user experience. CollabFiles is currently operational pan-India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-induced lockdowns have increased the importance of technology in education. Though access to technology as well as availability of the internet remain a major concern for a lot of children in the global south, children with intellectual disabilities are disadvantaged even more as most of the e-content is developed keeping in mind the average learner. Unstructured interviews were conducted with children with intellectual disabilities studying in government schools in Haryana as well as their teachers and parents. Thematic analysis of the interviews was conducted to understand the use-patterns of mobile phones by children with intellectual disabilities. Findings suggest that these children are learning to use mobile phones on their own or with some support and are able to navigate the complexities of these smartphones quite well. They use these devices mostly for their entertainment. This paper then reflects on the need and strategies to develop these technologies in ways that they can be used as effective tools for teaching children with intellectual disabilities, especially in the inclusive education system in developing countries. The paper reflects on the need to develop technology and tools using flexible and exploratory designs to enhance the learning processes for children with intellectual disabilities from the lower income strata. This study highlights the importance of being able to use mobile phones by children with intellectual disabilities belonging to low income families. Following this, the article argues for designing of mobile phones suitable for use by children with intellectual disabilities using playfulness and explorations, and Building e-content keeping the elements of playfulness and exploration which can enhance the learnings of this group of students which is often ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general insurance industry in India, established in the late 19th century, has undergone significant transformations including nationalization and liberalization. Despite recent challenges, it is projected to grow at a CAGR of 15% over the next five years, aided by technological advancements like digitalization, AI, Blockchain, and Data Analytics. Digitalization, AI, Blockchain, and Data Analytics have significantly impacted the insurance industry. These technologies have streamlined processes, improved customer experience, increased efficiency, and enabled better risk assessment and fraud detection. The study aims to understand the new face of the Indian general insurance Industry and comprehend the technological and general reforms of recent times. The research adopts a cross-sectional design to investigate the evolving Indian general insurance industry. Primary data is gathered through structured questionnaires, with statistical analysis employed for interpretation. The findings reveal a positive impact of technology and digitalization on the Indian general insurance industry. However, there is a need for better communication with those who express uncertainty or perceive no significant impact. The study also highlights a diverse range of information sources used by individuals to stay informed about changes in the general insurance industry. Key suggestions include incorporating advanced technological solutions for personalized policies, leveraging technology for streamlined processes, enhancing customer services through digital technologies, and launching awareness and educational initiatives. The study acknowledges limitations such as restricted time for data collection and analysis, potential response bias due to flexibility in data collection methods, and feasibility issues that may have resulted in missed research papers or books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In evaluating the making of the language provisions of the Indian Constitution, this paper tries to argue that the idea of Constitutional parity of languages in the Indian polity of a secular nation was overlooked, in contrast to the Constitution's ethos of recognizing and respecting the diverse religions of the land. The Constitution has failed to consider languages as yet another cultural artefact, like religion. By proposing a mono-linguistic model of 'official language', the provisions actually gave way for a 'national' language in disguise, while also valuing and promoting Hindi's Sanskritic roots, thereby assuring Sanskrit a role and visibility in the future of the modern, new-born nation. Finally, the paper tries to propose that the lack of linguistic parity in the legal realm, in terms of state's recognition and patronage, impact the growth and expansion of languages negatively, by exploring the specific case of Bhojpuri language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the intersection of neoliberalism, development communication, and climate justice in India, particularly under the Modi regime. It examines how neoliberal ideologies leverage dominant communication paradigms reflecting class dominance, biopolitical control, and a unified national identity rooted in religion. This form of communication extends to policies related to climate justice with India conceptualised and communicated as a monolithic entity or a nation-state with a homogenous belief system that prioritises development over climate concerns, reinforced through binaries prevalent in global climate justice negotiations. This nation-centric approach to climate justice marginalises the views of vulnerable communities in climate justice. While taking a critical view of environmental movements, this article advocates alternative paradigms of communication through a bottom-up approach and identifies conditions and institutions that promote transformative climate justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Government of India offers various schemes for various classes of citizens. Most of the application forms of schemes to be filled are in English and it is observed that monolingual individuals find it difficult to access and fill the forms. This paper addresses the challenges faced by monolingual individuals in India, particularly the elderly, people with impairments, and those from marginalized communities. The proposed work is to create an interactive system called "Dhvani" voicebot, specifically designed for the Kannada language. It helps users in identifying suitable government schemes and fills forms in English. The proposed system is developed using the RASA chatbot framework and NLP techniques to comprehend user utterances. RNN and SVM algorithms are employed to ensure smooth conversation flow and interaction with the users. To enhance scheme suggestion accuracy, a knowledge graph is created, containing relevant data on government schemes. The intent classification model achieves an accuracy of 97%, indicating its ability to accurately understand user intentions. The integration of a knowledge graph improves the accuracy of scheme identification and suggestion to users. The system automates the process of filling out government scheme forms based on user inputs. Dhvani voicebot system presents a practical solution to address the challenges faced by monolingual individuals in accessing government schemes in India. The high accuracy of intent classification and the use of a knowledge graph contribute to the system's effectiveness. The study suggests that this system can be extended to other languages. An automated tool called "Dhvani" will solve the problem of aged, illiterate and physically challenged persons filling forms in post offices and banks. Most of the schemes, pension funds, cash withdrawal, cash deposit is through these organizations. So. the tool makes the process easier for the above mention persons without the help of others. An intent recognition and interactive tool developed in Kannada Language which is widely spoken in Karnataka, India. The digital resources available in Kannada Language is very sparce. Use of technology like interactive tool, Knowledge graph, RNN and SVM are used in the development of the tool. Government scheme recommendation interactively makes the users to choose the scheme faster in an interactive way. The form is filled automatically and can be edited to rectify mistakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study conducted on the Need for Social work interventions in the Emergency Department (ED) at a large tertiary care center in India. The emergency department is an important social work intervention point for individuals with various psychiatric, medical, and social needs who have little or no additional interaction with social services. Social workers are specially trained to understand the impact of social factors on health outcomes and provide interventions that address social barriers to improving health and accessing community resources; social workers are well prepared to provide services in the emergency department. However, limited research is available to understand the impact of psychosocial services in the emergency department. We aimed to identify areas which require integrated social work services and coordination to address the psychosocial issues within the ED. Interviews with 10 healthcare workers are analyzed thematically. Recurring themes throughout the interviews confirm the need for providing social work interventions to ensure the medical, psychological, and social care needs in the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on critical theoretical perspectives and ethnographic field research related to HIV/AIDS in northern India, this paper argues for a cultured-centered approach to stigma reduction interventions and communication practices that are based on an assessment of larger social and structural processes on the one hand and the lived experiences and narratives of people living with HIV (PLWH) on the other. This paper suggests that while the complex nature of stigma, particularly as it relates to HIV/AIDS, makes it difficult to understand and respond to, this problem is further exacerbated by a largely individual and behavior-centered research that still dominates the field of Health Communication. Such research sees human cognition as the main source of stigma and underplays issues of power, structure, domination, and control. More specifically, and with concrete examples from the everyday lived experiences of PLWH – such as their experiences within family and health-care settings, this paper demonstrates how power and structure deeply impact their lives and remain central to their experience of (and resistance to) stigma, thus opening up space for alternative theorizing and practices in Health Communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the concept of migration and the mechanisms of survival in Benyamin Daniel’s Goat Days. It also helps us recount the abuses endured by migrant labourers from different Asian nations, especially India, to the affluent Gulf states. These employees migrated for financial and economic reasons in order to offer a better life and a bright future for their family. The research sheds light on Najeeb, the novel's protagonist, and his trip from India to the Arabian Gulf, and how it changed from a sweet dream to a frightening nightmare. The investigation attempts to uncover hidden truths concerning labour maltreatment in Gulf countries. The paper also intends to explore Najeeb's survival mechanisms, such as acculturation, language and communication, and faith. The research concludes by emphasising the importance of attempting to embrace another culture and learning its language, as well as the importance of faith in overcoming great challenges, such as those faced by the protagonist, Najeeb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan and India are at war since their inception and independence: literally and verbally. It is the latter that most often leads to the former according to Pearce and Cronen's communication theory Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). This paper studies the repetitive and destructive patterns of communication between Pakistan and India, especially on important occasions such as their independence days' celebrations. The warring tones and armed conversation across the borders have aggravated the political tension between the two nuclear neighbours. The paper concludes that by applying CMM's principles of dialogic and cosmopolitan communication, the two hostile states can avert the imminent danger of a nuclear war, and can achieve a peaceful and friendly coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to analyze the quality characteristics of Open Access Journals (OAJs) in Library and Information Science (LIS) published in India. The study assesses three OA journals, namely. International Journal of Information Dissemination and Technology (IJIDT), International Journal of Library and Information Studies (IJLIS), and International Research: Journal of Library and Information Science (IRJLIS). The analysis is performed in two parts. The first part is qualitative. The researchers measured parameters like basic information pertaining to the selected journals, publication trends, composition of the editorial board, and quality measures such as peer review and indexing. The second part of the analysis deals with citing journal sources, where the researchers evaluates the quality of citations received by the selected journals. The finding of the study reveals that all three OAJs established themselves as preferred sources to publish LIS research articles. The analysis of citing sources reveals that 73% of the citing journals are OAJs only. The results also show that only 50% of journals are from the core LIS subject, and the majority of the citing journals are from India. The study also revealed that there are many citing OA journals in the domain of LIS, which is not indexed in leading indexing and abstracting databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The recent COVID-19 pandemic like situation has killed a large numbers of people and caused havoc across the world. With the aim of providing the COVID-19 related updated information about facilities, availability, utilization of COVID-19 related resources like vaccines, hospitals, beds, oxygen to the people and preventing its surge, many websites were developed for health guidance to the general masses. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to investigate the accessibility and usability of websites providing COVID-19 information in India. METHODS: This study evaluates the 38 websites providing COVID-19 information in India using automated tools. RESULTS: It was found that digital healthcare information is far from accessibility conformance and none of the websites conformed to web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 completely. The website adhered to understandability with average errors of 2.8 while less compliant to perceivability with average errors of 30.5. It was also found that most of the websites were mobile friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Speech–language pathologists are often involved in the assessment and management of communication, cognition and swallowing deficits in people with Parkinson's. However, speech–language pathologists' self‐perceived competency levels in serving people with Parkinson's remain elusive, especially in the Indian context where there is an increasing disability burden due to Parkinson's disease. Additionally, the challenges faced by speech–language pathologists in India to provide efficient services to this population are unidentified. Aims: To determine speech–language pathologists' self‐perceived competence and challenges faced when providing services to people with Parkinson's in India. Methods & Procedures: A survey questionnaire was sent to speech–language pathologists through emails and social media asking them questions to evaluate self‐perceived competency in serving people with Parkinson's and to identify the challenges to their service delivery. A total of 69 speech–language pathologists responded to the survey. Outcomes & Results: The majority of respondents reported to be competent in dealing with various domains of assessment and management of people with Parkinson's. Although competent, they reportedly faced a few challenges during their service delivery. Conclusions & Implications: This study provides an insight into the speech–language pathologists' self‐perceived competency in serving people with Parkinson's in India, and also identifies the challenges related to interprofessional service delivery. The findings of the study have educational and clinical implications. What this paper adds: The study delineates speech–language pathologists' self‐perceived competency in working with people with Parkinson's in India, a nation that is seeing a constant rise in the incidence of Parkinson's disease.The study the unique challenges within India to speech–language pathologists' service delivery for people with Parkinson's, thus having educational and clinical implications in Parkinson's disease care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Telehealth was first used in 1998 and refers to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to provide rehabilitation services at a distance. In 2014, the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) acknowledged telehealth as an appropriate service delivery model for occupational therapy (OT) services. The WFOT published a telehealth position statement, which defined telehealth as "the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to deliver health-related services when the provider and the client are in different physical locations." Objective: The purpose of this review was to analyze the empirical studies on teletherapy in OT over the past 20 years in India and then propose recommendations for future research. This review study was guided by the following research question: What literature exists on telehealth in OT in India? Study Design: A review of literature. Methods: A systematic process was used to search the literature for this review. First, the data sources were identified. The database included Scopus, PubMed, Eric, Emerald, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect, and gray literature (books, unpublished papers, doctoral dissertations, etc.) was done using Google Scholar. Quantitative and qualitative studies were included in the review using Petticrew and Roberts (2006) as the basis. The next step included criteria for assessing the quality of the studies. The search keyword strings were "occupational-therapy" AND "teletherapy," OR "tele rehabilitation," OR "telehealth," OR "virtual-therapy," OR "online-therapy," OR "teleconsultation" AND "India," which appeared in the title, abstract, or keyword fields. The third step included data interpretation and analysis findings. The publication descriptor data were summarized after critical appraisal, study period, research theme, and research method. Certain criteria were followed to select the studies like, only full text journal articles available in English, studies that were produced from January 2001 to December 2021. Recurring themes were identified from the empirical research. Results: We went through all the databases (PubMed, Scopus, Eric, Emerald, EBSCO, Science Direct, and APA Psycinfo) where the total number of identified articles from the searches of these databases was 2260. Duplicate references were removed. We further excluded articles by reading the title, abstracts, and complete articles of the study. The final number of articles in the analysis was five. Conclusion: This study helped to identify the gaps with the intent to inform practice, policy, and future research by comprehensively synthesizing evidence to map a broad, complex, or emerging field of telehealth in OT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical framework that is of practical use to those who are coaching for enhanced communication in the contact centre industry.Design/methodology/approach The conceptualization of this framework has emerged after several years of working, as an applied linguist and consultant in this industry.Findings The interdisciplinary framework proposed in this paper draws on the adult learning theory, on language assessment and applied linguistic practices and studies carried out looking at how competency is developed at work. It proposes four levels of competency from novice to expert with the attendant coaching approach to best target the needs of communications coachees in this industry.Research limitations/implications Implications for improved coaching practices in the contact centre industry where there is heavy investment in coaching on the floor. Research limitations are that although there is strong anecdotal evidence that this framework and approach to coaching is effective, the authors need to carry out a large-scale study showing business impact.Practical implications The implications for coaching practitioners are that they have an informed theoretical framework upon which to base their coaching activity. This provides a more targeted approach to the needs of coachees of different levels of experience.Social implications As a result of effective coaching, particularly at the early stages of working in a contact centre, the level of attrition may drop thus providing employees with work in a supportive environment.Originality/value No previous study has looked at how theoretical studies in adult learning and applied linguistic practice can inform communications coaching in this industry. It has also involved the quality assurance specialists in collaborating and contributing to this model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the visibility and demand for communication for development (C4D) related careers and functions in the development sector in India. Differentiating between information and communication functions that constitute C4D, the empirical study, based on analysis of popular job websites in the sector, reveals that while the combined share of information and communication job positions account for a miniscule proportion of the overall new openings in the sector, the visibility of communication specific jobs is particularly inconsequential. Corroborating this finding further by triangulating responses from both employers and employees in the sector, the paper calls for the need to acknowledge the relevance of trained communication personnel in programme planning, implementation and evaluation. The paper contends that contrary to popular perception in the field, information and communication functions in the sector need specialised skill sets, and professionals trained in the discipline are better suited for the purpose. Pointing out some key areas where professionals trained in information and communication particularly suit in the development sector in India, the paper argues that the sector should open up the space for such professionals. Academic and training centres need to respond by providing the right type of perspective and training as required by the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In exploring the role of mediated noise in socio-political discourse, this paper discusses how noise as an element of the communication model with interruption as its fixed meaning needs reconsideration. Against the backdrop of criticism by the media critics and analysts about high decibel debates in broadcast media, this paper critically analyses the centrality of mediated noise in the political and public discourse in India. Noise, it argues, has emerged as a political device and a discursive weapon employed by the dominant stakeholders, capable of steering discourse and manipulating the public opinion that diverts attention from the pressing issues and emphasizes the political wrangling between the stakeholders while disrupting the discursive process. It underscores how dominant groups produce, manage, and mediate noise as a part of their discursive strategy that simulates constructed sincerity and its unquestionable existence. It is shown that meticulously crafted and stage-managed debate panels in broadcast media are aimed at creating a visual spectacle and are driven by commercial and political interests rather than the concern for informed discourse and debate. Noise, in this sense, is a sound that persuasively refers to its significance, as it creates a realm of discursive ambiguity and undermines a discursive process and its subsequent knowledge. Thus, noise is argued to be a form of discursive violence that manifests in the form of voices that distort the facts, dismiss, or deride a narrative, suppress opposing viewpoints, negate the possibility of discussion, and sabotage opportunities for discourse by creating an atmosphere of fear and violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India is one of the countries with the highest number of kids under the age of 18 years. This paper adds value in understanding the usage in the current covid scenario. The research objectives for the current study are to examine how young kids in India use their time on internet for varied purposes, to study how young kids find the websites that are of interest to them and to examine how young kids obtain information about sensitive issues. A cross-sectional web survey was conducted to examine the various aspects of the use of the Internet and traditional media (television/radio/magazines/newspapers/billboards) among kids in India. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire. The sampling method used in the study was purposive sample (522 kids). Internet emerged as the first choice of media for kids for all the nine selected activities that include homework, shopping, restaurant/food-ordering, travel and tour, information search, health related information, weather forecast, entertainment, and news/current events. Girl respondents as compared to boys have consumed Internet at a higher rate for learning about the fashion (trends) and health related issues such as seeking preventative health care and specific information about medical issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Quality of childcare can predict a child's emotional and behavioural adjustment throughout the life span. Furthermore, this has major implications for child development and mental health in the long-term. Parents often face major challenges while providing childcare especially during the early years of a child. Aim: This paper describes specific parental concerns in raising a toddler from a mental health developmental perspective. Methods: The study was conducted in urban Bengaluru, India under an exploratory research design using semi-structured interviews. Ten parents participated in the study. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Four major themes emerged. The first theme was related to the formation of parental beliefs about parenting which identified several sources such as parenting practices witnessed during childhood, childhood experiences and influence of culture, mass or social media. The second theme to emerge was on concerns related to toddlers which parents had difficulties in understanding as well as managing, specially navigating through sleep and feed pattern, identifying developmental needs and making a meaning of toddlers' communication styles and content. The third theme showed parental concerns which consisted of areas such as parental stress, physical exhaustion, lack of time for each other or toddler, lack of information about handling toddlers and absence of validation of parental efforts. The final theme was on their current parenting practices with their toddlers which showcased controlling styles, play time but low on quality, inappropriate responses to toddlers' emotions or behaviours and several culturally practiced measures which were not validated scientifically. Conclusion: The pre-existing belief among parents about parenting and toddlers' specific behaviours influence parenting practices. The understanding of the parental challenges is beneficial in developing an appropriate parenting programme focussing on strengthening psychological capacities of toddlers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with "A Comparative Analysis of Kasaragod Marathi and Native Marathi: Exploring Kinship Terms" and the Marathas represent a tribal community predominantly residing in the Kallar and Panathadi panchayats located within the Kasaragod district, the northernmost district of Kerala. They are also present in regions such as Coorg, Madikkeri, and Sullia in Karnataka. The majority of their settlements are situated in the eastern hills of the Kerala district. The Marathas communicate using a language known as Marathi, which lacks a written script and differs from the Marathi language spoken by the people in the state of Maharashtra, India. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the kinship terms used in the Marathi language and determine whether there are any similarities with the indigenous Marathi kinship terms in Maharashtra. The objectives of the study are as follows: ⚫ To conduct a comprehensive examination of the similarities and differences between Kasaragod Marathi and native Marathi, with a specific focus on the distinct characteristics and variations in kinship terms used within the Marathi language spoken in the Kasaragod region. This analysis aims to shed light on the unique aspects of kinship terminology in Kasaragod Marathi and its divergence from the native Marathi language. ⚫ To investigate the influence of the Malayalam and Kannada languages on Kasaragod Marathi. It aims to identify the specific linguistic features that have been influenced by these neighbouring languages. ⚫ To investigate the impact of migration on the Kasaragod Marathi language, specifically focusing on the phenomenon of word loss or lack of words as a result of migration. This objective aims to identify the specific linguistic challenges faced by the Kasaragod Marathi-speaking community due to migration, including the loss or reduced usage of certain words or expressions, and how this has influenced the overall language vitality and preservation efforts in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper intends to demonstrate how teaching and research of political communication have some inherent flaws in India. There is a huge amount of research literature available in the field of political communication in relation to communication campaigns, alternative strategies, populism, public relations, etc. But on the other hand, there is also a research gap in this literature cornering the ideological asymmetries, which makes media debates in India very complex and contradictory at the same time. Within the broad discussion about media debates and political communication, this paper confines its scope to the inquiry of political debates in print, visual and social media. Inconsistencies and irregularities in the comparison of political behavior in India, in relation to the general description of political communication are explicit in the existing research. This gives space to the formulation of research problem in teaching/research of political communication in the Indian context. The paper will investigate the questions that emerge out of the formulated research problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a long time Communication has been widely acknowledged as a significant component in scholarly treatment of development discourse. There however seems to be a persistent disconnect between such academic theorisations and the real field level situation as communication continues to remain in the periphery in programme planning and interventions of donor agencies as well as implementing NGOs in India. Drawing from the experiences in two prominent but diverse national level development organisations, this paper argues that communication in practice is still poorly understood and practiced in the sector. Rather than erroneously equating communication with information and apparent image building exercises of NGOs, the paper argues that it needs to be seriously seen as the key to a community's empowerment by enabling their people's participation in development initiatives that concerns them and their destiny. The paper calls for communication to be brought to the centre stage of institutional intervention policies and programmes and suggests possible means to do so. In particular, it argues for the need to carve out a central role of communication for development professionals in the country's third sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the significance of persuasive communication skills in entrepreneurship in the contemporary business environment of Odisha. It examines the arenas where persuasive communication is considered most relevant for an entrepreneur. It also assesses the entrepreneurs' comfort level in using English as a business language, and their perception of the relevance of alternative training modes for improving their persuasive communication skills. In this paper, a comparison is drawn between the perceptions of the entrepreneurs of Singapore and those of Odisha with regard to the importance of the persuasive communication skills in business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street plays are a popular traditional medium of communication and entertainment in India. The objective of this paper is to communicate our experience about using street plays to raise awareness about children's eye health in a South Indian setting. Based on our experience of the prevailing misconceptions about children's eye health in our community, we selected some topics and prepared a blueprint of the scripts. We hired professional troupes who further refined these scripts into traditional street play scenarios by adding traditional songs, humor, and dialogues in the local dialect, leaving adequate room for improvisation during actual play. After a few rehearsals, we finalized the actual plays. Then, these were enacted in different parts of the city on different occasions, over a span of 3 years. In this descriptive paper, we share our experience of this exercise so that others may try and replicate this initiative in their areas. We found that the street plays were well attended by the people indicating the popularity of this medium in local communities. At the end of the street plays, a sample audience was interviewed about what they understood from the sessions, and most of them could reproduce the key messages. We found that instead of training our own staff, hiring a professional troupe was a more practical choice. Overall, it was a fruitful exercise in terms of the number of people that our plays reached out to effectively. Thus street play is an effective and popular means of disseminating eye health messages in our communities., Competing Interests: None

The paper discussed an original collaborative project in the area of intercultural business communication and cross-cultural understanding. Persuasive digital technologies were used to enable intercultural competencies among students across two different courtiers in teams and helped them find ways to work harmoniously with the people having different cultural backgrounds. Methodology - The task involved selection of commercial ads (preferably national ones), in which students were expected to find cultural differences in the interpretation between the two countries, India and Austria. Findings were presented in a form of short reports. Finding - The paper concluded that collaborative projects can be used as an effective tool for developing cross-cultural competencies among students. Implications - This article provides the rationale for using collaborative projects for better understanding of the cultural diversity in classrooms. Future Research - The present research may initiate more researches in the area of developing structured exercises like the one mentioned for practical understanding of cultural diversity, better methods for providing interfaces among different cultural groups, selecting standard software packages, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As planners and policymakers in cities around the world struggle to attract and retain public transit users, this paper explores strategies to promote transit adoption in contexts where the odds are stacked against transit. Using travel behavior data from India's National Capital Region – one of the most congested metropolitan areas globally that is experiencing unprecedented growth in personal vehicle ownership and plummeting transit ridership – this study analyzes the choice of intra-urban (metro) rail over personal car for commute trips within a specific population sub-group that is fast adopting the personal car and exiting the transit market. The objective of this mode choice analysis that employs both logistic regression modeling and the propensity-score matching technique is to identify multi-modal service quality/performance factors that determine metro rail vs. car choice, and thereby recommend efficient and effective interventions for inducing car-to-transit switches in addition to retaining existing transit riders. Results suggest that increasing metro rail's travel time competitiveness relative to car (particularly for long distance commuters), service frequency and safety level, and raising car parking cost at the destination can increase the likelihood of choice of metro rail over car in the study context. Interestingly, increase in traffic congestion and travel time unreliability of the car mode are not expected to automatically boost the demand for metro rail use, all else equal. As the momentum towards more car adoption continues, this study shows that deteriorating traffic conditions may not push drivers out of cars; rather, public transit has to step up and pull drivers out of cars. For planners and policymakers, this study indicates that rather than passively waiting for driving conditions to worsen, they should proactively invest in transit service quality improvements. This study also highlights the importance of communicating service changes to the traveling public in order to efficiently translate interventions to behavior changes, given the dissonance between travelers' perceptions of multi-modal travel conditions and actual travel conditions. This paper further demonstrates that analysis of travelers' perception errors, including variation in error across travelers, is important for accurately modeling travel behavior changes in response to interventions. The findings add to the literature on mode choice analysis, and provide strategic advice for transit agencies in India and across other comparable contexts globally. • This study suggests ways to promote car-to-transit switches in fast-growing economies. • Regression analysis and propensity-score matching used to determine drivers of transit choice. • The importance of investing in fast, frequent and safe transit, and the role of parking cost are highlighted. • Traffic congestion and unreliability will not automatically boost transit demand. • Value of information communication and recognizing travelers' perception errors are underscored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the era of patient centered healthcare, patients are educated, more aware and demanding than ever. However, there is a significant misalignment between patients and doctors due to improper communication resulting in broken patient-doctor therapeutic relationships and degraded quality of healthcare. This suggests that patients have a greater and mature role to play in their healthcare. The paper aims to fill this gap by studying the contribution of patients in their healthcare through patientdoctor communication in selected Indian multispeciality hospitals. Qualitative multi-case study was steered and in-depth interviews of thirteen patients, twelve doctors were conducted along with the secondary data analysis of more than 600 pages of the documents from the official websites of the sample hospitals. Grounded theory three level coding revealed the themes of contribution of patients in through effective communication. The results indicate that patients contribute to their healthcare through effective communication by demonstrating association with doctors, reflecting reciprocally, resolving communication challenges and supporting their overall treatment process. The paper extends the literature on patient's contribution in their healthcare. It presents clear and succinct implementable implications and distinctive ways in which patients cooperate with the doctors, work mutually, improves communication and strengthen their overall healthcare process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Poor discharge communication is associated with negative health outcomes in high-income countries. However, quality of discharge communication has received little attention in India and many other low and middle-income countries., Primary Objective: To investigate verbal and documented discharge communication for chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) patients., Secondary Objective: To explore the relationship between quality of discharge communication and health outcomes., Design: Prospective study., Setting: Three public hospitals in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala states, India., Participants: 546 chronic NCD (chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease or diabetes) patients. Piloted questionnaires were completed at admission, discharge and five and eighteen-week follow-up covering health status, discharge communication practices and health-seeking behaviour. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between quality of discharge communication and health outcomes., Primary: Patient recall and experiences of verbal and documented discharge communication., Secondary: Death, hospital readmission and self-reported deterioration of NCD/s., Results: All patients received discharge notes, predominantly on sheets of paper with basic pre-printed headings (71%) or no structure (19%); 31% of notes contained all the following information required for facilitating continuity of care: diagnosis, medication information, lifestyle advice, and follow-up instructions. Patient reports indicated notable variations in verbal information provided during discharge consultations; 50% received ongoing treatment/management information and 23% received lifestyle advice. Within 18 weeks of follow-up, 25 (5%) patients had died, 69 (13%) had been readmitted and 62 (11%) reported that their chronic NCD/s had deteriorated. Significant associations were found between low-quality documented discharge communication and death (AOR = 3.00; 95% CI 1.27,7.06) and low-quality verbal discharge communication and self-reported deterioration of chronic NCD/s (AOR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.25,0.83) within 18-weeks of follow-up., Conclusions: Sub-optimal discharge practices may be compromising continuity and safety of chronic NCD patient care. Structured protocols, documents and training are required to improve discharge communication, healthcare integration and NCD management., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Adolescence, the transition period between childhood and adulthood, is a period of great risks and possibilities. Teen years comprise a period of intense growth not only physically but also morally and intellectually. The adolescence has traditionally been portrayed as a state of internal civil war. In the period of revolutionary change, social competence refers to the social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors that child need for successful social adaptation. So in this critical period of change, parents have to deal their child with proper guidance, love, and sympathy to enable his or her to tackle various problems of adolescence of his or her life. This may successfully bring about the welfare of the society and help the child to grow into the distinct individual. In this paper, an attempt is made to explore the connection between parental role and development of social competence among adolescents using effective tools covering various dimensions. A sample of 160 adolescent students of various schools of Ajmer district of India in the age group of 13 to 18 years was randomly selected covering male-female students, rural-urban students, and students of government and private schools. Tools developed for parental role scale and social competence scale were administered. Various statistical techniques were applied on the data collected. ANOVA test results show that three groups of parental role, e.g., higher parental role group, average parental role group, and lower parental role group, significantly differ in achieving social competence. Based on the findings, the paper presents educational implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The dominance of a digital wave is being felt in every sphere of the industry, and has been a big boon for online shoppers today. However, companies tend to ignore a section of their customer base, i.e. those who are visually impaired; although there are well-established standards set by WCAG 2.0 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Although most e-commerce companies in India conform to these guidelines, as per the recommendations from the Indian government; however ironically; these are not accessible by the blind. OBJECTIVE: This paper specially focuses on the list of problems that the visually-impaired in India face while trying to access e-commerce sites, as most of the sites haven't conformed to the WCAG 2.0 guidelines. METHOD: Qualitative analysis through the Repertory technique by Kelly in which, the grid developed for different constructs addressing various problems faced by such users in accessing e-commerce websites. FINDINGS: From the findings, it is evident that these visually impaired people are extremely open to gaining access towards the companies' strategies, as they also want to be a part of the main segment of the society, and would in turn be a strong contributor to the profits of the companies, if they're taken seriously. The findings also have a series of managerial as well as social implications. CONCLUSION: Further, the study also looks at lending some suggestions through which, marketing managers would be able to look into this prevailing problem, and thereby address the same, while enhancing their level of engagement with this specially-enabled client base. This would result not only in adding profits to the business at large, but also ensure customer satisfaction and delight, albeit the fact that they're differently abled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The spread of COVID-19 from Wuhan to the global countries has a direct association with human mobility. Perhaps, human mobility increases the hazards of COVID-19 due to its communicable characteristic of human-to-human transmission. Thus, the volume of migrants and migration may have a significant role in the outbreaks of COVID-19 in any country. Given that India homes more than 45 crores of migrants, the present study aims to examine the linkages between migration flows and COVID-19. Design/methodology/approach: The present study has used secondary sources such as data sharing portals, census, news and media reports and Web sources. The updated COVID-19 data was retrieved from the www.covid19india.org, whereas migration rates were analysed from the D-series of census 2011. Findings: Nearly 23% of total inter-state migration occurred for the livelihood only. The numbers of cases have raised much earlier and faster in migrant's destination states than in migrant's origin states. Further, as shown in the scatterplots, that positive association between "COVID-19 and in-migration" is found to be more robust than "COVID-19 and gross-migration". On the other hand, the migrant's origin states are also experiencing a rapid increase of COVID-19 cases due to large numbers of returning migrants. These return-migration flows have created major administrative, social and public health challenges, particularly in the origin states, and as a whole in India. Originality/value: This paper has potential to help policy planners to identify the COVID-19 vulnerability of various states in respect to the migration perspectives. Moreover, it also enhances the understanding to establish the linkage between COVID-19 outbreaks and migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this qualitative study is to analyse the role of in-branch efforts of banks on migrating customers from branch banking to digital banking in India. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with bank executives representing senior management from public and private sector banks in India. Qualitative content analysis technique was used to analyse the data. Varieties of responses received during interviews were clubbed into four main themes based on data reduction, display, and conclusion-drawing processes. In-branch communication with customers, digital transformation of the branch, customer-centric initiatives, and redefined role of branch staff hold the potential to bridge the customers' migration to digital banking. The paper suggests that the key identified factor in improving digital banking acceptance in India is the requirement of integrated cultural and organisational changes at the bank's level to gain the customers' confidence and trust in digital banking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-Economic factors have an immense impact on the awareness levels amongst the poor and the underprivileged sections of society. Social security schemes are vital for providing critical financial support to the families in case of sickness, medical expenses or death of an income earner. This paper studies how socio-economic factors affect the likelihood of being unaware of the various Jansuraksha schemes. Primary data collection for the study was done through the survey method, using a structured questionnaire, carried out amongst 1,854 respondents across the various states of India. The findings of the study reveal that those who would be highly eligible, i. e. drivers, workers, students, low-income earners, were the least aware about these the various government schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micronutrient deficiencies, majorly iron, iodine, vitamin-A, pose a serious threat to public health in many developing countries, including India. A surfeit of nutrition and health programs was developed to address micronutrient malnutrition in India, covering many aspects of lifecycle. The importance of nutrition education and communication is emphasized in public health nutrition policies. Concomitantly, there is a surge in various interventional studies with the integration of nutrition education and communication. However, there is a lack of clarity on the overall impact of community level nutrition education/communication interventions on micronutrient (mal)nutrition in India, which may be due to the lack of critical evaluation of the nutrition education/communication components in these studies. Given this background, this article reviews the studies conducted in the last two decades in India. This systematic review identified and analyzed the studies that aimed to use nutrition education and communication as intervention methods to promote micronutrients’ intake and status among various age groups. Using four online databases and systematic library search, research articles published from 1994 to 2016 were collected based on pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Data on general information, intervention, and key outcome measures were extracted. Inferences from findings of studies were drawn; factors that contributed to the success or failure of the interventions were analyzed by developing a framework. Systematic internet and library search resulted in 1250 published papers. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 19 research papers (with five studies covering nutrition education + supplementation; one study with nutrition education + supplementation + psychosocial intervention and the rest only education/communication) were selected for the review. This paper discusses the contextual factors in the area of intervention, audience targeted, methods of communication used, messages delivered, and outcomes thereof. It suggests that integrated multiple strategies may work and a critical examination is needed to address macro and micro issues of micronutrient-related communication for developing sustainable communication interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]