Feature Article

This paper focuses on the causes of ecosystem degradation. Historically, poor communities have been identified as among the key degrading agents. The thesis of this paper is that such communities do not voluntarily destroy the resource base which is the source of their livelihoods and provides them sustenance. Therefore, the damage that they visibly cause is induced by institutional failure.

As part of the global phenomenon of trade liberalization, Nepal embarked on market-oriented trade reforms in the mid-1980s. These efforts intensified in the early 1990s after the restoration of a democratic system. Nepal's accession to the WTO in 2004 and commitment to comply with many conditions related to restructuring tariff rates and opening the economy in general and the services sector in particular further augmented that process.

South Asia experienced the second-highest economic growth rate among the different regions of the world between 2000 and 2008, including in recent times of economic recession. However, this economic growth has not been accompanied by any notable improvement in the economic position of women in South Asia. The ratio of female to male earnings and economic activity rate has barely improved during these eight years, the share of vulnerable employment in total female employment in South Asia has not decreased significantly.

Knowledge of the bionomics of mosquitoes, especially of disease vectors, is essential to plan appropriate vector avoidance and control strategies. Information on biting activity of vectors during the night hours in different seasons is important for choosing personal protection measures. This study was carried out to find out the composition of mosquito fauna biting on humans and seasonal biting trends in Goa, India.

Several studies have raised the suspicion that the body mass index (BMI) cut-off for overweight as defined by the WHO may not adequately reflect the actual overweight status. The present study looked at the relationship between BMI and body fat per cent (BF %) / health risks (hypertension and type 2 diabetes) in male residents of Lucknow city, north India to evaluate the validity of BMI cut-off points for overweight.

In 2008, India’s Labour Ministry launched a hospital insurance scheme called Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) covering ‘Below Poverty Line’ (BPL) households. RSBY is implemented through insurance companies; premiums are subsidized by Union and States governments (75 : 25%). We examined RSBY’s enrolment of BPL, costs vs. budgets and policy ramifications.

Over several centuries, leprosy had remained a dreaded, incurable disease. Patients were viewed with abhorrence, ostracized and subjected to inhuman treatment. Today, the stigma and prejudice against leprosy have reduced considerably, and the ravages of the disease are rarely seen in the community. This has been possible due the availability of effective drugs to cure the disease, access to technology for early diagnosis, prevention and repair of deformities, as well as increased awareness in society about leprosy. (Editorial)

The present study tries to explore the factors that influence the growth, performance, and development of IPR attitude of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector of Punjab. The aim of the present research is to examine the technology management strategies of manufacturing SMEs, primarily on the basis of use-based classification.

Actors at the local, national and global level, through their policies, institutional structure and processes, influence livelihood decisions irrespective of geographical setting. The introduction of intellectual property rights (IPR) under the WTO regime demonstrates how decisions taken at an international level affect millions of livelihoods across the globe. This has necessitated national governments to introduce new laws and legislation such as the enactment of Geographical Indications Act of India in 1999.

A dye-sensitised solar cell (DSSC) is a thin film cell that uses thin layers of photosensitive organic dye deposits on a substrate to produce power from solar energy. In 2011, this technology took several important steps towards cost effective commercialisation, with major industrial players such as Tata Steel Europe (formerly the Corus Group) signing an agreement with Australia-based Dyesol, one of the original innovators of DSSC, for developing the world's largest dye-sensitised photovoltaic (PV) module, by printing a continuous series of dye-sensitised PV coatings on steel bars.