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Eating together unites people and has a significant impact on their physical, social, and emotional development. This book looks at practices and traditions of sharing food prevalent among major religious communities in India, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam. Food insecurity is one of the major problems every country in the world is facing today because of increasing population, climate change, agrarian distress, wars and conflicts, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Including case studies from across India, this book examines the necessity and effectiveness of food-sharing practices in temples, mosques, and gurudwaras, among others. Emphasising the importance of these practices for the social and physical well-being of the most vulnerable sections of society, it showcases how traditional religious practices of food sharing have contributed to tackling hunger, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume also offers long-term solutions to address underlying issues which cause hunger and food insecurity. One of the first to study food sharing and alms-giving practices in India, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of sociology, anthropology, food studies, religion, security studies, political economy, public policy, and South Asian history and culture.

Chapter 1-Introduction -- Chapter 2-Evidences from climate change dynamics -- Chapter 3-Sustaining livelihoods for survival -- Chapter 4-Cultural influence for revitalizing health traditions and vulnerable environments -- Chapter 5-Holistic health for well-being -- Chapter 6-Summary and policy options

The technological changes of the 20th and 21st centuries, the growth of computer technologies, digital technologies and telecommunications have changed the way the state conducts its functions and delivers governance. Whether or not they have improved the welfare function of the state, the way governance is delivered has been altered. In this article, we discuss the application of electronic governance (e-governance) in Karnataka with the help of three case studies. We discuss the cases of land records management in rural and urban areas and initiatives in Bengaluru traffic management. The case studies indicate that e-governance improves service delivery and that there are points to be gleaned from the successful implementation of the same in Karnataka. Finally, we argue that while there is necessity for optimism regarding the application of technology in service-delivery functions, the overall digitisation of economy may be something qualitatively different.