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This book examines the politics of rural development with special reference to watershed development interventions in the desert province of Rajasthan in India. Watershed development (and rainwater harvesting) is one of the most significant rural development interventions in rainfed areas of India since the early 1990s. A range of developmental actors including the state watershed department, international donors, NGOs and grassroots organisations are involved in sponsoring watershed development projects. Using multi-sited ethnography and conversational interviews with the deliverers as well as recipients of development, the book compares and contrasts the watershed interventions of the state and two different kinds of NGOs in Rajasthan. While conventional studies on watershed development have focused on the evaluation of 'success' or 'failure' of particular projects, whether implemented by the state or NGOs, the book moves beyond this narrow analytical gaze to look at the roles, agendas and interests of multiple development agencies, often partnering together and sometimes competing with each other as part of, what the author calls, the 'watershed development regime'. Taking cue from watershed development and water conservation projects over the last two decades, the book engages with the larger question of 'how' of delivering development. It examines the complex processes of cooperation, competition, negotiations, contestations and conflicts between different stakeholders, including the agents of development and differently positioned rural social groups in the context of Rajasthan. The book demonstrates that the recent interventions in watershed development and rainwater harvesting have considerably shaped the politics of development in Rajasthan in a number of ways: by becoming a site for the remaking of the 'state' and its internal relations, by disturbing the local hegemony in the countryside, by creating new relations of patronage between diverse agents and recipients of development, by increasing the associational capacity as well as creating new conflicts (intra and inter village), and by initiating competition and cooperation between the various agents of development over control of local resources and power.

This book examines the politics of rural development with special reference to watershed development interventions in the desert province of Rajasthan in India. Watershed development (and rainwater harvesting) is one of the most significant rural development interventions in rainfed areas of India since the early 1990s. A range of developmental actors including the state watershed department, international donors, NGOs and grassroots organisations are involved in sponsoring watershed development projects. Using multi-sited ethnography and conversational interviews with the deliverers as well as recipients of development, the book compares and contrasts the watershed interventions of the state and two different kinds of NGOs in Rajasthan. While conventional studies on watershed development have focused on the evaluation of 'success' or 'failure' of particular projects, whether implemented by the state or NGOs, the book moves beyond this narrow analytical gaze to look at the roles, agendas and interests of multiple development agencies, often partnering together and sometimes competing with each other as part of, what the author calls, the 'watershed development regime'. Taking cue from watershed development and water conservation projects over the last two decades, the book engages with the larger question of 'how' of delivering development. It examines the complex processes of cooperation, competition, negotiations, contestations and conflicts between different stakeholders, including the agents of development and differently positioned rural social groups in the context of Rajasthan. The book demonstrates that the recent interventions in watershed development and rainwater harvesting have considerably shaped the politics of development in Rajasthan in a number of ways: by becoming a site for the remaking of the 'state' and its internal relations, by disturbing the local hegemony in the countryside, by creating new relations of patronage between diverse agents and recipients of development, by increasing the associational capacity as well as creating new conflicts (intra and inter village), and by initiating competition and cooperation between the various agents of development over control of local resources and power

The non-governmental development organization (NGO) sector in India has seen unprecedented growth in the recent past. A whole range of NGOs are not just 'demanding' development from the state but also 'delivering' development in the Indian countryside. While popular interest in the role of the non-governmental development sector is growing, it is not complemented by ethnographic studies which explain how local NGOs evolve and change over time. What happens when grassroots NGOs expand their capacities, resources and power to consolidate their position in the development regime? This article addresses these questions on the basis of the organizational life history of a local NGO in the desert state of Rajasthan. Based on new data on NGO practices in the arena of natural resource development over a span of four decades, the author argues that grassroots organizations working without the constraints of tight budgeting schedules and time-plans do alter local power relations and caste-based discriminations, and have the potential to end exploitative relations of patronage. But in their quest of delivering development services 'professionally' and rapidly, they face the challenge of increasing the bureaucratization of the organizational structure and functioning, and the creation of new relations of patronage that serves the purpose of NGO self-preservation.

Social media, unlike other resources, is nowadays an organizational resource. The reason can be attributed to its vast and extensive usage in sharing relevant information within a group and its influence on communication and organizational dynamics. The study investigates the role of individual social media self-efficacy (SMSE) and social media participation (SMP) on E-Leadership self-efficacy (ELSE). It further explores the mediating role of individual social media collective efficacy (SMCE) and SMP on SMSE and ELSE. Data for the study were collected from the employees of ITES firms in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Pune, India by the online survey method. A total of 478 respondents who were actively engaged in social media activities such as sending and sharing relevant information on different social media groups were included. Structural Equation Modelling followed by mediation analysis was conducted using AMOS 22 and Process Macro software, respectively, to analyse the structural and mediation relationship among the different constructs. The findings confirmed the positive influence of SMSE and participation on collective efficacy and e-leadership efficacy. The study extends the current literature and integrates social media self, collective efficacy, and participation to investigate ELSE in the perspective of IT organizations.

The state of Himachal Pradesh reflects hilly region and is known for pleasing weather at some stage in the yr. It even reviews heavy blizzard in the course of the wintry weather months. The climate of Himachal alters with the change of altitude. Landslides can occur in H.P and mountains during the monsoon season, deforestation, road slicing, terracing, and changes in agricultural output vegetation increased the hazard of geologically young and now not so strong steep slopes in various Himalayan grades at a rapid rate in recent years. In the present study the investigation was conducted on the four-lane NH- 154 Pathankot to Mandi and number of landslides was observed. It was found that Rainfall causes the majority of landslides, according to research. The largest no. of landslides were recorded in winter season in Kangra followed by Joginder Nagar. Dharamshala is more prone to landslides whereas in Post monsoon highest landslides were recorded in Mandi. The present study shows the relationship between rainfall, temperature patterns and landslides.it also focuses on the preventive measure that government should take in order to prevent such hazards.

ABSTRACTThe rural poor in India have long experienced corruption, exclusion from welfare schemes and the denial of rights. Critical accounts of development policy and practice advocate the need for pro‐poor governance reforms as well as effective mobilization of the poor for exercising their rights and entitlements. However, there is a dearth of empirical work which examines the following questions. What are the dynamics of such mobilization strategies in the environment of pro‐poor governance reforms? How do they affect local power relations from the perspective of the poorest social groups? And what are the challenges involved in sustaining struggles led by civil society organizations on behalf of the poorest and against petty corruption? This article addresses these questions in the context of a grassroots mobilization of Musahars (a Dalit caste group) in Bihar, one of the poorest provinces in India, which has recently initiated pro‐poor governance reforms. It explains what has or hasn't worked (and why) for the Musahars, in terms of their dealings with public officials. The authors argue that pro‐poor governance reforms and welfare schemes on their own are not sufficient; both grassroots mobilization and political will of the ruling dispensation are also necessary.

Over-tourism is a multifaceted topic as it seeks to connect the social, cultural, economic, and environmental aspects to high tourist numbers. The recent surge in tourism, pushed by the pandemic fatigue and easing of lockdowns, has led to revenge tourism resulting in an excessive number of tourists visiting popular tourist destinations, forcing the Government to step in to regulate the load. This study empirically analyzes the tourist perceptions of the hill stations of Northern India, in specific to assess the infrastructure availability and socio-cultural impacts of tourist numbers and their correlation. The hill stations to be studied were selected based on the number of tourists and the type of hill stations- Nainital (Lake destination), Shimla (Developed State Capital), and Mussoorie (Small hill station popular for weekends). The study looks beyond the often-researched topic of economic development due to tourism. 260 responses to self-administered questionnaires from recent tourists to these destinations were analyzed quantitatively and results suggest that there is an inadequacy of infrastructure to meet the rising tourist numbers and an adverse socio-cultural impact was observed on the local population. There is also a correlation between inadequate infrastructure and socio-cultural impacts. This research will provide useful insights to the policymakers for designing efficient strategies for tourism development and destination management keeping in view the sustainability of the destination along with the well-being of local communities and the environment in view.

<p>Standoff photoacoustic spectroscopic technique has been studied for the detection of hazardous molecules adsorbed on surfaces and in vapour/aerosols form in open air. Detection and identification of components in explosive mixtures in trace amounts is very challenging by any point or standoff spectroscopic detection technique. Discusses detection and identification of such components using standoff laser photoacoustic spectroscopic technique. Laser photoacoustic spectra of various trace molecules in the mid-infrared spectral band 7 μm - 9 μm have been recorded in vapor, aerosol, liquid forms as well as samples adsorbed on surfaces such as plastic and cloth. Pulsed quantum cascade laser is modulated at a frequency of 42 kHz resonant with that of microphone. Hazardous chemicals/explosives adsorbed on plastic and cloths surfaces were detected from a standoff distance up to 1.5 m. The sensitivities were found to be 20 μg/cm2, 20 μl liquid and 1.0 ppm corresponding to solid, liquid and vapour phases respectively. The chemicals/explosives used in the study were PETN, DNT, Acetone, and DMMP. Our study suggests that the photoacoustic technique has high selectivity and sensitivity for the trace detection and be used for screening of suspicious objects for security applications as a handy product.</p>