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The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
Full text linkAnthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions significantly impact the middle and upper atmosphere. They cause cooling and thermal shrinking and affect the atmospheric structure. Atmospheric contraction results in changes in key atmospheric features, such as the stratopause height or the peak ionospheric electron density, and also results in reduced thermosphere density. These changes can impact, among others, the lifespan of objects in low Earth orbit, refraction of radio communication and GPS signals, and the peak altitudes of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. Given this, there is a critical need for observational capabilities to monitor the middle and upper atmosphere. Equally important is the commitment to maintaining and improving long-term, homogeneous data collection. However, capabilities to observe the middle and upper atmosphere are decreasing rather than improving
Teacher education and inclusion: Post-pandemic potentials and possibilities
No full textGlobally, policies and national governments’ initiatives are inspired by the goal of quality for all children and a vision of greater social justice. However, the means of achieving this goal, fuelled by new public management discourses, are often simplistic and mechanistic. Literature also points out that inclusive education is a complex, multilayered notion. It has to be perceived from specific socio-cultural contexts and is imbued with meanings construed within those contexts. Hence the intent and purpose of policy directives have to be contextualized and teachers have to be involved in the process of meaning-making in curriculum reform processes. The countries of South Asia are grappling with equitable provisioning of quality education to a large population even while engaging with a largely neo-liberal form of governance and regulations, a comparative perspective offers a broader understanding of the national, regional, and international developments in teacher education. Drawing from empirical and conceptual research on teacher education for inclusion from a social justice perspective, this paper analyzes the status of teacher education in the countries of South Asia. It attempts to synthesize what the comparative perspective offers in terms of the potential and possibilities of teacher education for inclusion within the region, in the post-pandemic context
Are Plants Conscious? Vegetal ‘Being’ in the Caraka Saṁhitā
No full textThis study discusses notions of plant consciousness within the classical Ayurveda text, the Caraka Saṁhitā (CS) and its ideas on vegetal ‘being’. Drawing extensively from Cakrapāṇidatta’s commentarial gloss on the CS, the Āyurvedadīpikā, it begins by pointing to two frequently conflicting conceptualizations and positions ascribed to plants within the text: (a) plants as material agents of therapy and (b) plants as sentient and conscious ‘beings’. Then, drawing upon the CS’s suggestion that the property of consciousness can be inferred from sentience, the paper investigates Cakrapāṇidatta’s position that plants are not only sentient but also capable of some degree of self-awareness. It then proceeds to ask whether plants may be considered as possessing ‘minds’, situating this discussion within the broader epistemic framework of the CS’s theory of sparśa. In conclusion, the study discusses the implications and challenges of such notions of plant being in view of the text’s overwhelming dependence on a herbal pharmacopeia
NIAS-DST Training Programme on 'Advanced Technologies for Urban Development' 17-21 February 2025
No full textSharing the Joy of Observing Nature: A Study of Nature Walks in India
Full text linkNature Walks (NW) - a group of people exploring sites of ecological importance with an experienced guide and involved in informal discussions about various topics is a recognized method to improve environmental awareness and responsible behaviours of the non-experts. In the last decade, themed and non-themed NW got much popularity in India. The present study explored various dimensions of NW conducted in India following newspaper analysis, internet and social media studies, and the examination of academic publications. A participatory study of the 15 NW organised in the city of Bangalore was also conducted. Our results revealed a growing public and media interest in NW in India. However, very few websites and social media handles dedicated to this informal social activity were observed. Furthermore, the majority of academic publications containing the words nature walk used it in the context of tourism, and not even a single study focusing only on these events conducted in India was available in the literature. The organizers aimed to share knowledge about nature, raise conservation awareness, engage in scientific inquiry, and promote citizen science projects by conducting NW. Curiosity, science learning, conservation, enjoyment, opportunity for socialization and network formation, well-being and photography attracted participants to these events. The need for conducting integrated research on NW in India and formulating guidelines and policies to sustain the contributions from such events to the areas of health and wellbeing, environmental awareness and conservation and promotion of tourism without losing its essence - the informality- is discussed under the light of the results obtained
Exploring urban water-energy nexus: A case study of thermal power plants in Raichur and Ballari districts in Karnataka
No full textThe paper provides a coupled framework of the water-energy nexus for the water-stressed Indian cities, weaving together multiple interlinked facets, such as the demand for drinking water, water withdrawal patterns, water-related challenges in Thermal Power Stations (TPSs), and the benefits of using treated wastewater in TPSs. An integrated approach is suggested for maximizing the benefits of wastewater reclamation, while reducing the environmental impacts of inefficient water usage, specifically in TPSs, the largest water users in the industrial sector. This is particularly important for a developing country like India that faces declining water availability due to a growing population without commensurate increases in water-use efficiency. Currently, India is the third largest electricity generator in the world, with coal-fired TPSs accounting for more than 78% of the total generation (1715 TWh in 2021). This presents a case for an integrated approach to reduce freshwater consumption in TPSs located in the proximity of cities by using treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants (STPs). The integrated approach for utilizing wastewater in TPSs is a promising tail-pipe initiative that can address multiple targets under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 in conjunction with other interlinked Goals and their targets. The findings highlight that the suggested sustainable water management practices would lead to enhanced availability of potable water for the city dwellers, thereby addressing multiple targets under SDG 6 along with a few other consequential dimensions including affordable electricity
Manipur’s perpetual turmoil and India’s act east policy: A sociological perspective
Full text linkThis paper highlights the significance of India’s Act East Policy in driving economic transformation
and development in Manipur, a state grappling with pressing challenges such as youth unemployment,
poverty, and underdevelopment—ultimately impacting its overall well-being. Blessed with favourable
resources such as human capital, bio-resources, and a geographically strategic position, Manipur offers
its access to a vast market in Southeast Asian countries. However, the state is currently gripped by
violence and frozen conflict. Since May 3, 2023, the conflict fuelled by manufactured grievances has
been allowed to persist unchecked. The weak and ineffective state response has rendered the
indiscriminate violence, untold sufferings and killing of innocent civilians serving as a grim reminder
of Manipur’s painful history of human suffering dating back to the 1950s. Given Manipur’s entrenched
sociological challenges including a legacy of political instability, civil unrest, and ethnic insurgency
violence, the weakness of the state apparatus emerges as a major impediment to fully leverage the
opportunities presented by India’s Act East Policy. Without effective governance, security, and
stability, Manipur risks being unable to harness Act East Policy’s potential for economic progress and
development
Urban Migration, Skilling, and Employment in the New Service Economy
No full textThe Skill India policy (2015) aimed to address India’s skill deficit and to connect unemployed youth to the job market. However, the research reported in this chapter revealed that most skill training programmes offer mainly short-term courses that produce insufficiently skilled workers and provide access mainly to low-wage, low-end and insecure service sector employment. While many training organisations aim to place rural youth in urban jobs as a means of poverty alleviation or economic mobility, the study showed that available service sector jobs did not provide sufficient income to sustain migrant workers in the city. The policy brief proposes several interventions, such as better designed courses leading to more sustainable employment, or a period of hand-holding after job placement enable youth to find a foothold in urban life and employment
Case for an Asset-Based Indicator of Vulnerability
No full textThis policy brief critically evaluates the conventional methods of measuring poverty in India, based on current consumption. While these estimates effectively explain current poverty, they do not capture chronic poverty or households’ ability to withstand economic shocks. An asset-based approach is more effective in capturing these aspects. Therefore, this brief advocates for using both a consumption-based measure of current poverty and an asset-based measure of vulnerability to provide a comprehensive understanding of the different dimensions of poverty