Global Goals and Local Institutions: Understanding PRIs in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

The Agenda 2030 – Sustainable Development Goals, offers unprecedented scope for local governance institutions to contribute towards global sustainability. Local Government Institutions are the best-placed to connect global priorities to local communities. Local governments play a vital role in turning the global vision of SDGs into a local reality. Local communities and stakeholders are crucial partners implementing and realizing the aspirations of the Agenda 2030 as they know individual and collective needs and capacities best (Steiner A.,2017). In this context, the paper attempts to explore the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions (Rural Local Government Institutions in India) in achieving sustainable development goals. The paper tries to bring out the scope and challenges of PRIs in the context of attaining the SDGs. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00003.

Environmental injustice and its manifestations in Africa and its relation to race, class, marginalization and Poverty

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, colour, ethnicity, or income in relation to development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. That is, all groups of people, including racial, ethnicity, religious or socioeconomic groups should bear a proportional share of both positive environmental benefits and the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies. Despite this, environmental injustice is manifested in different parts of Africa in many ways like transnational toxic wastes dumping, natural resource exploitation and the like. This paper tries to explore the manifestations of environmental injustice in different parts of Africa and its relation to marginalization and poverty. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2019.00003.7 &nbsp

Gandhian Idea of Nai Talim in Contemporary India: Possibilities and Challenges

Quality education encourages social development and reduces social inequality and is a means to attain gender equality. Education fosters tolerance and contributes to a more sustainable society. It prepares people with knowledge, skills and self-reliance, which open avenues for expanding opportunities for employment and overall development of an individual. It gives people a voice and increases a nation’s productivity and competitiveness, which is an instrument of social and political progress. Mahatma Gandhi’s vision about quality education focuses on learning basic skills and all-round development of human personality that includes physical, intellectual, and spiritual development, a key component of quality education. Buniyadi Shiksha, ‘Basic Education’ also known as Nai Talim, was the foundation of educational practices as envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi. It was introduced in 1937 at Wardha and subsequently became known as Wardha Scheme or Basic National Education. It focuses on developing qualities that are necessary for building a non-violent sustainable society. The idea was firmly against exploitation and centralization. India is committed to achieving the goals as mentioned in the Agenda 2030 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ensuring quality education is a crucial development goal that India seeks to achieve. In this backdrop, the paper argues that Nai Talim or Wardha Scheme could be a road map for an egalitarian and empowered Indian society. A major challenge India faces today is that whether our present education pattern capable of building a sustainable society. Does it provide the younger generation with the required knowledge base to become a responsible and conscious citizen? The paper will analyse the basic principles of Nai Talim in terms of educational curriculum and pedagogy and examine its role in contemporary India. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00002.

Food Adulteration in Contemporary India: Emerging Trends and Remedies

Food Adulteration can be defined as the practice of adulterating food or contamination of food materials by adding few substances which are collectively called the adulterants. Adulterants are the substance or poor quality products added to food items for economic and technical benefits. Addition of these adulterants reduces the value of nutrients in food and also contaminates the food, which is not fit for consumption. Food adulteration rate in India has almost doubled over the last 5 years according to data sourced from FSSAI annual reports. Food adulteration rate in India stood at 13% in 2011-12 which increased to 23% in 2016-17. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to explain the emerging trends of food adulteration in India and its remedies. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00008.

The treaties of free trade (FTA) and exports of aggro-industrial products in Peru

The research has been developed in order to provide significant contributions to the Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and exports of agro-industrial products, for which the methodology of scientific research was used, an instrument that served to develop important aspects of the work. The study carried out the compilation of information about different perspectives regarding the development of the variables: Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and exports; As for the field study, the technique of the survey, with its instrument the questionnaire was made up of 14 questions that were answered by the managers of the exporting companies of agro-industrial products, wH0 gave their different points of view. The FTA currently benefits different sectors that analyzed by statistical graphs and interpretations; they allow then, that the hypotheses raised and contrasted arrive at the conclusions and recommendations of the work. Finally, the research concludes with the contributions, which were fully achieved, facilitating the recommendations, which are considered viable and practicable; In addition, the extensive bibliography is added, as well as the corresponding annexe. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2019.00006.

Higher Education in India: Measures for Consolidating the Quality of Teaching

This paper examines select micro-level considerations as it portrays the strategies for academic excellence in the country’s higher education sector. What light does the etymology of the two words – ‘university’ and ‘college’ – throw on the soul of the respective jurisdictions? A “university” is by definition an entity of universalistic values: the term (university) traces its origin to the word “universe”. Recourse to the internet in tracing the etymology of the word is an exciting exercise. One rudimentary hint one draws from this search is that a university is a community of masters and scholars who are devoted to the search for truth. Likewise, the word “college” which is, etymologically, a derivative of “collegial”: in using the word “collegial” reference is in essence to that which involves shared responsibility, as among a group of colleagues. A college is thus an institution committed to the values of collegiality. The emphasis is that teachers and students, of the entity called college, relate with each other as peers, not superior and subordinate. This stresses ‘horizontality’, ‘exchange’ and ‘give and take’ between the two players: namely, the teacher and the student. This elevates teaching into a demand-driven process where the teacher tailors the inputs to suit the needs of the student. In other words, does not allow teaching to degenerate into a ritual. This pictures the teacher as a missionary in the domain of knowledge-creation and knowledge-dissemination.      In that background, the paper focuses first on the matters that determine the quality of the teacher-student interface. Three issues warrant a specific mention as one looks for the means to underline what it takes to elevate the level. These are as under: Topic-wise Reading-list, Lecture-end Feedback, and Tutorials, Home-Assignments and the availability of the course-instructor for consultation beyond the class-hours The paper focuses next on the dire need to launch a country-wide campaign to translate the classics of the respective disciplines in the Hindi and Regional Languages. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00001.

Effect of Religion and Education on Fertility in the EAG States in India: Evidence from NFHS-4

The study seeks to explore the relationship between the level of education of women and its influence on the fertility in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states of India. In addition, the interplay of education and fertility is further affected by religion, which acts as the determinants of fertility. The birth intervals, age at first birth, desire for another child are major determinants of fertility which are taken into consideration for the study. It is pertinent to understand how the level of education and religion of an individual affects the fertility and to what extent. The broader objective of the study is to determine the association between education, religion, and fertility and to further examine the proximate factors that influence the fertility of a woman. The study utilizes the Demographic and Health Surveys, that includes basic information about the household and women in the childbearing ages. This study focuses on the survey of women in reproductive age which would provide active information about fertility. The population defined in the study are the north Indian states that are categorized as EAG (Empowered Action Group) states. Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the variation in the relationship between fertility and individual and state-level characteristics. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00005.

Linking education with Health: Lessons from children of migrant construction labourers in India

Children accompanied by migrant families in India are less often allowed to exercise their rights due to social, economic and political factors in an urban locale. There is a law preventing child labour and many interventions were being implemented to protect these vulnerable children. One of the recent campaigns is the ‘schooling of migrant children’ initiated by many government schools and non-governmental organizations across the country. With this concept, this paper was performed a media content review of various interventions implemented to address schooling of migrant children of construction labourers and the review revealed a very grim picture of the complexity of the issue. The interventions were taken three different approaches; (i) children were directly mainstreamed into the government school driven by local government (ii) bridge schools were driven by non-governmental organizations for the children of first-generation learners and those discontinued their learning due to family migration. Bridge schools are found in various forms such as tent school, worksite school, moving school, study centres and community schools, finally (iii) seasonal hostel model for migrant children mainly at the source of migration. The content review arises the following discussion points: (i) what is the objective of the schooling of migrant children? (ii) what is the impact of the schooling of migrant children on the under-five children or mainly their younger siblings below under-five years age? (iii) is there any curriculum for bridging the learning gap? (iv) besides education, are health and nutrition being considered essential for the improvement in learning outcome? and (v) is the tracking mechanism effective enough to continue schooling of the migrant children? This paper recommends the following policy implications: a compulsory bridging programme for migrant children, compulsory health-checkup and supplementary nutrition along with education and inter-state partnership in addressing schooling of migrant children. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00007.

Integrating culture in various initiatives for achieving sustainable development goals

Culture is not only the treasure of knowledge, values and meanings that affect everyone’s life but also describes the way humans live and interact with each. Cultural rights, diversity and creativity are core components of human and sustainable development. Placing Culture at the heart of sustainable development will ultimately develop a relationship between culture and sustainable development in two ways: firstly it will involve the development of the cultural sector (i.e. heritage, creativity, cultural industries, crafts, cultural tourism); and secondly, it will ensure that culture has its rightful place in all public policies, mostly those related to education, the economy, science, social inclusion and international collaboration. So there is a need for integrating culture in the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Although none of the 17 SDGs emphases exclusively on culture but its various targets has clear references to cultural aspects like • Target 4.7 ensures that all learners attain the knowledge needed to promote sustainable development through education • Target 8.3 addresses the promotion of development-oriented policies that support creativity and innovation. • Targets 8.9 and 12.b refer to the need to plan and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism, including through local culture • Target 11.4 highlights the need to strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. This paper is based on secondary sources like government websites, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reports, United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions, journals (national and international accessed online), books, articles etc. and aims to compile such efforts of the UNESCO and Government of India for integrating culture in various initiatives for achieving Sustainable Development Goals. Some of such initiatives included in the paper are UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) Scheme, Government of India’s Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan’s component of culture education, HRIDAY Scheme, Swadesh Darshan Scheme and PRASAD Scheme. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2020.00006.

Local Climate Change in Trujillo City Peru

Results of climatic changes occurred in the city of Trujillo, Peru, attributed to the influence of the coastal irrigation Project, which transformed the desert ecosystem through a carpet of crops. We observed strong increases environmental temperature, humidity and evapotranspiration, changes that mean to leave the denomination Project Chavimochic the city of "Eternal Spring" to Trujillo. DOI: 10.5958/2347-6869.2019.00007.