Family Planning Policies and Sex Selective Abortions in India: Does the former elevate the latter?

The implementation of the Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994 in a patriarchal country like India does not necessarily eliminate sex-selective abortions. The prevalence of a higher preference  of sons in India can be identified in previous  studies. Over the years a drastic fall in Total  Fertility Rates both in urban and rural areas of India can be observed along with various     inventions of sex determination techniques.    All this has resulted in a decline in child sex  ratio across the country. China is a great example of a country with alarming gender imbalances, which emerged due to similar changes in Total Fertility Rate, level of son preference and diagnostic techniques along with the implementation of the One-Child Policy, which made the gender imbalance even worse. The population explosion in India has forced several state governments to consider the implementation of a Two Child Policy. The relationship between Sex Selective Abortions (SSA) and Family Planning Policies is not a well-established phenomenon in India as per several studies that have been conducted as of today. Our objective in this paper is to see whether the stringent implementation of nation-wide Family Planning Policies will lead to a rise in sex selective abortions in India. Further we would also like to analyse how in India by imposing a Family Planning Policy like a one or a two-child policy will the Child Sex Ratio (age 0-6) get affected? To achieve these objectives, we have used the NFHS-4 reports as our data sources

Analysing the Differential Performances of Indian States in the Tourism Sector : (1947-early 2020)

Tourism is an ever evolving and a dynamic industry which can play a crucial role in increasing income and in providing employment opportunities in an economy. India especially with its rich heritage, culture and geographical landscapes has always had immense potential to become a leading tourist destination. Presently the major types of tourism prevalent in India are Medical Tourism, Rural/ Natural Tourism, Religious Tourism and Historical& Educational Tourism. In 2018-19, the tourism sector contributed around 5% to India’s GDP. However with the health shock of Covid-19, the tourism sector has taken a major hit since early 2020, with several people losing their jobs in the tourism and hospitality sector when different states imposed lockdowns and took various measures to curb the pandemic. As restrictions in each state eased during the first wave of the pandemic, different states in India adopted various policies to revive the tourism industry. But to understand the effectiveness of these policies in each state/ UT, one needs to investigate the baseline at which the Tourism industry was before the pandemic hit the country. This paper attempts to look at the differential performances of states and UTs of India in tourism by categorizing them into various types of tourism between 1947 until March 2020.This paper aims to act as a base for further analysing the impact of this pandemic on Tourism across states in India