Rural Parts Of India Research Articles

Firearm Injuries in Children: Four-year Experience from a Rural Tertiary Care Centre of Northern India.

Firearm injuries (FAIs) continue to be a global public health problem possessing substantial emotional, physical and financial burdens on hospital resources. Although FAIs are rare in children, their incidence is gradually increasing. The aim of this study was to evaluate various aspects of FAI in children that were managed at a tertiary care centre located in the rural part of India. This clinical observational study of children <18 years of age, all due to FAI, was conducted at a tertiary care centre located in the rural part of India. Data of all children admitted with FAI over 4 years from January 2016 to December 2019 were collected. Recorded data included age, sex, motive (intentional/unintentional) and circumstances leading to injury, type and license status of firearm used, time of injury, pre-hospital care, mode of transport to hospital, duration between injury and arrival to hospital, body parts and organs injured, trauma scores, management, complications, length of hospital stay and outcomes. The recorded data were entered into a worksheet and analysed. Out of 283 cases of FAI admitted, only 24 were children with age <18 years (8.48%). The mean age was 12.66 years (male:female = 2.4:1). Sixteen were intentional (66.67%) and eight were unintentional (33.33%). The family feud was the most common reason in case of intentional FAI (43.75%), and mishandling was the most common reason in case of unintentional FAI. Country made gun was the most common firearm used (62.5%). The chest and upper back were the most common sites of injury (54.16%). Intercostal drainage tube insertion was the most common surgical procedure performed (33.33%). There were three mortalities (12.5%). The present study found that intentional FAIs in children were more common than unintentional FAIs with family feuds and mishandling being the most common causes, respectively. The unlicensed country-made gun was the most common firearm causing injury in children.

Spatial prevalence and associated risk factors of childhood diarrhea: A cross-sectional study in rural Indian context

Diarrheal disease is the most prevalent health issue among children under the age of five, contributing to a staggering toll of approximately 525,000 deaths worldwide each year. Despite its devastating consequences, it is essential to note that this disease is both preventable and treatable. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of childhood (under 5 years) diarrheal disease in rural parts of India and identify relevant factors associated with diarrheal disease, encompassing maternal, household, environmental, and individual-level characteristics. In addition, the study highlights the spatial distribution of diarrheal disease across India, identifying hot-spot and cold-spot regions, along with the associated risk factors. The study utilized secondary data extracted from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey, conducted in India between 2019 and 2021 (N=161,368). Binary logistic regression analysis and spatial clustering techniques, specifically utilizing Global Moran&amp;rsquo;s I, were employed to achieve the study&amp;rsquo;s objectives. The findings revealed that diarrhea cases are more prevalent among the poor, rural, and children of Muslim families, as well as among those residing in environments lacking hygienic or adequate sanitation facilities and in households without floors, walls, or roofs built with concrete material. The highest prevalence is observed in the eastern and western parts of India. Necessary interventions are required to reduce diarrhea cases among children under the age of five in rural Indian areas. Given the vector-borne nature of this disease, public awareness of the importance of maintaining fresh and clean drinking water facilities is imperative.

Making frugal innovations inclusive: A gendered approach

When an innovation meets the needs of customers with low purchasing power, typically located in emerging markets, it is considered a frugal innovation (FI). While frugal innovation subserves the development objectives in any country, it could also serve as a tool for enhancing the lives of marginalized sections of any region. Prior research has been sparse in understanding the role of FIs in inclusive development. The current study attempts to explore whether the frugal innovation process has the potential to enhance the empowerment and well-being of marginalized women. It uses the framework proposed by Vossenberg (2018) to examine the contributions of FIs to the empowerment and well-being of women and the role of institutions in mitigating gender inequality. Interviews of 25 marginalized women were conducted in various rural parts of India, which is one of the largest emerging economies and is considered the hotbed of frugal innovations. Using this primary data, we tested the Vossenberg model and have proposed a new outcome “Developing Resilience”, as an extension of the model. In addition to the already existing contribution of frugal innovation to sustainability, our analysis highlights that frugal innovation directly contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number 5 related to Gender Equality. The study offers recommendations to industry practitioners and policymakers to make their strategies and policies more gender inclusive. It also makes a case to reconsider market assumptions about women's usage of frugal products as well as re-examine the existing governance structures to make them more encompassing and effective.

Bakrichhap Agro Tourism and Natural Products Private limited (BATNPPL): a case for community based entrepreneurship promoting integrated rural development

Learning outcomes The learning outcome of this study is to bring to the table of a wider intellectual audience, a unique model of community-based entrepreneurship, which is working wonders with its unique selling points (USPs) in promoting sustainability and conserving the ethos of villages and, at the same time, generating livelihoods through traditional farming techniques adopted by the rural population residing in the Himalayan region of India.The proposed case study can be used as a replicable model in other parts of rural India and other emerging economies to start and scale up a similar “integrated rural development model” through effective policy advocacy and public–private partnerships and to develop sustainable farmlands and livelihoods for rural India. It has a definite potential to be used as a pedagogical tool in postgraduate programmes offering courses in microfinance, financial inclusion, social and community entrepreneurship, sustainability, entrepreneurship, community development finance and rural immersions and public policy. Case overview This case study is set in the backdrop of 2023 having been declared by the UN as the International Year of Millets and India being the homeland for millet cultivation. The objective of the case study is to bring to the table of a wider intellectual audience, a unique model of community-based entrepreneurship operating in the Himalayan region of rural India. The community-based entrepreneurship model works on the USP of promoting sustainability and conserving the ethos of villages and generating livelihoods through traditional farming techniques. This case study traces the journey of Roopesh Rai (protagonist and the founder of Bakrichhap), the community-based entrepreneur and his challenges in setting up the enterprise. The narrative is built in the light of a series of interviews with Rai, the main protagonist and the founder of Bakrichhap, as well as the people of Goat village by Komal, a post-doctoral fellow in the area of community-based enterprises (CBEs). Through this narrative, the case writers’ endeavour was to understand how CBEs such as Bakrichhap were providing a means of integrated rural development in the hilly region of Uttarakhand, India. Also, how such enterprises were thereby curbing distress migration, unemployment and a large-scale erosion of the cultural heritage and traditional and indigenous farming techniques of the land. In the first seven years of the operations of this uniquely curated CBE, Rai endeavoured to iron out many bottlenecks. This case study also highlights the gamut of challenges faced by community-based entrepreneurs like Rai in designing strategy for growth and expansion. What strategy should Bakrichhap follow for expansion to the other regions of the country? Should all the three existing verticals of the enterprise be scaled up parallelly or should each individual vertical be expanded one after the other in a phased manner? Stemming out from the main dilemma of strategic expansion were the related issues of funding (finance) and the formation of an effective team (HR). Study level/applicability This case study can be used in undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes offering courses in microfinance, financial inclusion, social and community entrepreneurship, sustainability, entrepreneurship, community development finance and rural immersions and public policy. Research methods This comprehensive case study is written by using the triangulation of data collected through a series of personal interviews, website information, news articles, personal observation and field visits. The research design used is single case (holistic; Yin, 2003, 3rd edition). The timeline of this case study is 2021 to 2022 and place is Nag Tibba, Uttarakhand, a Himalayan state in North India. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Case code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

Impact of Interaction between Single Nucleotide Polymorphism of XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3 with Tumor Suppressor Tp53 Gene Increases Risk of Breast Cancer: A Hospital Based Case-Control Study.

At present very little information is available on combined effects of DNA repair genes with tumor suppressor gene polymorphisms and their association with cancer susceptibility. No such association studies have been carried out with breast cancer or any other cancer from India. Present study was conducted to study the combined effects of SNPs of XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3 with Arg72Pro and Arg249Ser SNPs of TP53 gene in risk of BC in rural parts of India. The polymorphisms of Arg194Trp, Arg280His, Arg399Gln of XRCC1, Arg188His of XRCC2 and Thr241Met of XRCC3 with Arg72Pro and Arg249Ser of TP53 gene polymorphisms was studied by polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The association among the polymorphisms with breast cancer risk was studied by Odds ratio within 95% confidence interval and SNP-SNP interaction were confirmed by logistic regression analysis. The results of genotype frequency distribution of XRCC1, XRCC2, XRCC3 genotypes showed positive association between XRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism and BC risk (OR=4.54; 95% CI: 3.36- 6.15; p<0.0001). Also the heterozygous genotypes Arg188His of XRCC2 (OR=1.58; 95% CI: 1.13- 2.21; p=0.007) and Thr241Met genotype of XRCC3 (OR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.44- 3.13; p=0.0001) were associated with BC risk. The combination of heterozygous Arg280His genotype of XRCC1 along with Arg72Pro genotype of TP53 increased the risk of BC (OR=4.53; 95% CI: 2.85-7.20); p<0.0001). Similarly, the combined effect of heterozygous Arg/His genotype of XRCC1 with heterozygous Arg/Ser genotype of TP53 at codon 249 showed significant association with increased BC risk (OR=5.08; 95% CI: 2.86-9.04); p<0.0001). The findings derived from our study concluded that the heterozygous variant Arg280His genotype of XRCC1 and Thr241Met polymorphism of XRCC3 in combination with heterozygous arginine72proline genotype and heterozygous Arg249Ser polymorphism of TP53 showed significant association with breast cancer risk in Maharashtrian women.

Understanding the Acceptance Pattern of UPI in New Normal: A Study in Rural Districts of West Bengal

The UPI is an entirely new concept which has changed the entire banking systems. It provides on-the-go services regarding funds transfer with added security, which is adopted throughout the country. Recently, COVID-19 pandemic shook the entire world, which rose due to contamination. Therefore, physical payment systems ceased slowly and digital payment systems such as IMPS, NEFT etc. among these payment systems, UPI (unified payment systems) emerged as an entirely revolutionary payment method. However, despite of the added features, previous studies have shown that the UPI adoption is very slow in the rural parts of India. Literatures show that there has been very few research on the acceptance pattern of UPI in the rural districts of West Bengal. Hence, the present study is an attempt to understand the factors which affect the acceptance/non-acceptance of UPI payment systems. The present study is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the factors are identified, and in the second stage, these factors were tested for biasness in various demographic factors. Findings suggest that rewards, convenience, and technological factors are biased among occupation, education and location demographics respectively.

The Role of "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" in the Development of Sanitation Environment (with Special Reference to Gram Panchayats of Tumkur District)

Some great scholars analysed that “For every human being potable drinking water, sanitation and healthy hygiene practices are important to sustain healthy life. Sanitation and Hygiene have direct link to the heath of humans, and if the proper health is maintained then the economic condition of the country will absolutely improve gradually”. One of the recent scheme has implemented i.e Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Swachh Bharat Mission i.e. Clean India Mission, a national level campaign, Launched on October 2014 by the Government of India is a major step towards the protection of degrading environment. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan came into existence to ensure that each and every citizen of India should get the access to these basic necessities. Our study therefore highlights the key issues which may act as a hindrance to the progress of this Abhiyan in rural parts of India. The objectives of the study include maintenance of sanitation, usage of toilets, Hygiene practices. The methods of the study is based on both primary and secondary data. The sample size for the study is 50 respondent from Yalanadu and Heggere Gram panchayat, Chikkanayakanahalli and Tumkur Taluk, both Talukas of Tumkur district of Karnataka state. A questionnaire is designed to determine the present sanitation and hygiene status of the Gram panchayat. Compared to the previous schemes, Present scheme has improved 20%, but yet to reach the target. Present study analyzed that the scheme is yet to reach their goal due to technical incomplete construction, improper utilization of individual household toilets, Anganavadi and school toilets, improper maintenance of liquid and solid waste management.

Gram-negative Late Onset Neonatal Sepsis in a Tertiary Care Center From Central India: A Retrospective Analysis.

Neonatal sepsis has been a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity globally. Late onset sepsis is on the rise mostly due to better health care services and improved survival of premature neonates. Gram-negative sepsis has emerged as a major public health problem constituting significant morbidity and mortality. There is limited data on gram-negative late onset sepsis from the central part of India, therefore this study was conducted at a tertiary care center from rural part of India. To determine the clinical profile and outcome among neonates with gram-negative late onset sepsis. It is a retrospective analysis conducted among neonates with gram-negative late onset sepsis at a tertiary care center from central India. All neonates below 28 days of age suspected to have late onset sepsis were enrolled in the study. The data for the period of January 2019 to December 2021 was collected and analyzed using software SPSS version 29. The outcome variables studied were discharge (good outcome) and death (poor outcome). In the present study, overall prevalence of gram-negative late onset sepsis was 4.8%. Respiratory distress (52.2%), seizure (18.9%), jaundice (15.6%), and lethargy (15.6%) were common clinical symptoms among neonates with sepsis. The most common organism isolated was Klebsiella spp. (36.7%) followed by Acinetobacter spp. (31.1%) and E. coli (17.8%). Low gestational age (n = 20 vs n = 7, P = .002) and low birth weight (n = 33 vs n = 4, P = .02) were associated with poor outcomes in neonates with gram negative LOS. The overall mortality rate was found to be 30% among neonates with gram negative sepsis. The prevalence of gram-negative sepsis was found to be 4.8%. Factors associated with poor outcome in gram-negative sepsis were low birth weight, and prematurity. Klebsiella spp. was found to be a common cause of gram-negative LOS, therefore, the empiric antibiotic policy must provide coverage against these micro-organisms.

Need of community-based palliative care in rural India and factors that influence its sustainability: a comprehensive exploration using qualitative methodology in rural Puducherry, India.

The existing palliative care services in India are concentrated in urban areas, attached to tertiary care hospitals. This poses issues relating to access and equity for people in rural locations and with low socioeconomic status. A Community-Based Palliative Care (CBPC) service named Sanjeevan has been initiated in Puducherry, a union territory of India to provide physical, social, psychological, and emotional support to incurably ill people, including older adults living in rural areas. To understand the social mechanisms that underpin the implementation of CBPC in rural parts of India and the challenges to its sustainability. Qualitative research using focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). Community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was used in this study, and descriptive analysis was done. Through CBPR it was possible to document and interpret local knowledge on the community concerns and assets along with the experiences of the community members. Purposive sampling was used to identify vocal participants involved in patient care and areas of the Sanjeevan program such as financial management, administration, and community mobilization. Seven KIIs and four FGDs were conducted, with 7-8 participants in each. The analysis indicated the need for a CBPC and the factors enabling its establishment. The findings revealed capacity building, resources for palliative care services, and the existing social structure of the community being the main challenges that need to be overcome for better penetration of CBPC services into society. Demand generation through sensitization and administration of services based on the need and regular follow-up remains the key strategies for the sustainability of the program. The CBPC program like 'Sanjeevan' adopted in the rural area of Puducherry can be cited as an example and can be replicated in other rural settings with similar sociocultural characteristics to support people living with end-stage diseases.

225 (PB-049) Poster - Home based care for terminal cancer patients: study from rural part of India

Introduction & Aim: Cancer is one of the common causes of death worldwide after heart disease. Home care of the terminal cancer patients is very difficult and various challenges during their terminal stage. Our goal is to give a pain free good quality of life in these advanced stage cancer patients. Objective of this study is to identify the main difficulties in achieving the above goal in a rural village setting in India.

Electrification and performance analysis of hybrid PV solar/wind energy system for remote and hilly area of Uttarakhand (India)

The need of electricity increases day by day, due to increase in population. With LPG cylinder rates touching stratospheric heights even though new LPG connections have been provided in the remote villages of Uttrakhand, people have no money to purchase the cylinders. Therefore it becomes a necessity to provide uninterrupted power to each family in each locality including remote and tribal’s of Uttarakhand so that they can cook their food on induction tops instead of shifting back to smoky ways of producing fire. This Paper is for analysis of power supply using Solar and Wind hybrid energy system in belts that lie in north-east of Uttarakhand. This area includes some part of Dehradun, Tehri, Pithoragarh, Champawat, Bageshwar, Almora, some part of Nainital and Rudraprayag. There are some hilly/tribal areas where population is less than 30 persons per square kilometers. People in such areas live in scattered homes. The entire area having mountainous topography results in very costly supply of electricity to each and every home. Further continuous supply of electricity to these remote areas of Uttarakhand is also a big challenge. Hybrid Solar PV and Wind Energy is very useful for these areas. For rural area of Uttarakhand it plays a major role to fulfill the requirement of energy. Electrification of households in rural areas and isolated regions results in balanced economic development. India grows with a high population growth rate of 0.95 % in current year but still parts of rural India and isolated regions do not have the accessibility to electric power. This study focuses on the feasibility study of a hybrid PV-Wind-Energy power system for rural electrification in Uttarakhand.

Can statistical and entropy-based features extracted from ECG signals efficiently differentiate the cannabis-consuming women population from the non-consumer?

Cannabis as bhang is one of the most widely used recreational products in many parts of rural India. Many women who consume cannabis take it secretly due to societal fear. Consumption of cannabis may result in several short-term and long-term health conditions. Hence, detecting the cannabis-consuming women population is needed to avoid its associated health conditions early. The heart rate variability features have been earlier used for analyzing cardiac health; however, the high computational complexity of the method is a disadvantage. The current study hypothesizes that the statistical and entropy features obtained from ECG segments can efficiently differentiate the cannabis-consuming population from the non-consumer in women population. For this purpose, significantly different features were employed as input to various machine learning (ML) models, and the performance of the ML models was evaluated. The results showed that the Gradient Boosted Tree (GBT) model provided the optimal performance (mean accuracy: 75.9%) among the ML models used. The statistically significant features and the higher classification accuracy of the GBT ML model support our presumed hypothesis.

Applying Circulating and Ecological Sphere (CES) Concept for Post-Pandemic Development: A Case of Hingna Tahsil, Nagpur (India)

COVID-19 has become one of the most significant events in the history of globalization. The prolonged ‘lockdown’ adopted across various countries in the world as a countermeasure for containing the spread of the virus profoundly brought forth socio-economic and infrastructural vulnerabilities in urban as well as rural parts of India. While urban and rural areas have been greatly studied with respect to the environment, human health, safety, livelihoods, associated risks, etc., in the context of pandemics, many of these studies seldom accommodate their interdependency as a pragmatic approach to planning. This is observed to be primarily due to the dynamic and diverse nature of interactions coupled with the development disparities between rural and urban areas, thereby adding complexity to development decision making. The present study, therefore, applies the lens of the circulating and ecological sphere (CES), introduced by the Japanese government for the localization of resource flows between urban–rural regions, to consider possible alternative development approaches to achieve smooth transitions during pandemics through the case study area located in Hingna tahsil in the Nagpur Metropolitan Area, India. The methodology uses the critical examination of rural–urban linkages amidst the crisis through key-informant surveys involving representatives from local governments. Using this feedback and spatial analysis tools, the research identifies probable entry points in post-pandemic regional planning. The research contributes to understanding the impact of spatial development during pandemics through ground-based evidence. The findings from this research highlight the need to manage rural dependencies on urban areas and underline the potential of the rural–urban linkage as an approach, acknowledged and emphasized through CES, for managing such regional-scale hazards. The investigation concludes with the discussion and future research scope for achieving the pronounced needs reflected through the study.

Performance of Neurodevelopment Questionnaire among School Children across Optimal and High Birth Weight in a Rural Cohort of Northern India

Background: Neurodevelopmental outcomes up to 6 years of age were observed to be negatively associated with birth weight. Limited evidence exists for its association with high birth weight in rural parts of India. Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the performance of Denver Development Screening Test II (DDST-II) questionnaire among children with high birth weight (&gt;3500 g) and normal birth weight (2500–2999 g) in an established birth cohort in the rural area of Himachal Pradesh, India. Materials and Methods: A birth cohort study was carried out from April 2021 to March 2022 in an established birth cohort of children. Participants with birth weight from 2500 to 2999 g were considered as the not-exposed and more than 3500 as the exposed group. Neurodevelopmental assessment was done by DDST-II, and its overall score along with seven domain scores was compared. The association was measured by adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 379 and 377 participants in the nonexposed and exposed groups were enrolled, respectively. Exposed group observed with significantly more mean age (9.0 years) as compared to the not-exposed (8.6 years) group. Multivariate analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of covariance for observation-based neurodevelopmental assessment found that except for mentioning the correct use of items (cup, chair, and pencil) and for their action in case of cold, tired, and hungry, all domains have discriminatory value for a statistical difference between the not-exposed and exposed group. Linear regression analysis observed a significant association between DDST-II score and exposure (aOR: 2.3; 95% CI: 0.8–3.4) after adjusting for gender, age, years of schooling, and body mass index. Conclusion: High birth weight (&gt;3500 g) was observed with a better performance of DDST-II with a significant association.

Ziziphus mauritiana Lam attenuates inflammation via downregulating NFκB pathway in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages & OVA-induced airway inflammation in mice models

Ethnopharmacological relevanceZiziphus mauritiana Lam leaves were utilized in treating asthma, diabetes, inflammation, and hepatic diseases in Indian traditional medicine. The leaves were used as an edible vegetables in rural parts of India. Aim of the studyThe aim is to prove the anti-inflammatory activity of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam leaves against LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages and OVA-induced airway inflammation in mice through its attenuation mechanism in the NFκB signalling pathway. Materials and methodsTerpenoids present in MEZ were quantified using U(H)PLC analysis. MEZ at 50 and 100 μg/mL were tested against LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The concentration of NO, ROS, and cytokines was quantified from the cell culture supernatants. OVA-induced asthma in mice was adopted for screening airway inflammation. MEZ at 250 and 500 mg/kg was tested for airway hyperresponsiveness, leukocyte counting, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and TNF-α), lung histopathology, and various inflammatory gene expressions in lungs for NFκB signalling pathway in asthma. ResultsTerpenoids like betulin, betulinic acid, oleanolic acid, and ursolic acid were quantified from U(H)PLC analysis. MEZ at higher doses reduced the NO, ROS, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. MEZ at 500 mg/kg significantly reduced AHR and also decreased total and differential leukocytes. MEZ also reduced the expressions of ICAM, VCAM, and Muc5C genes. Histopathological analysis revealed MEZ significantly reduced the leukocyte infiltration and mucus hypersecretion in the lungs. MEZ suppressed lung inflammation by inhibition of p65 mediated IκB-α translocation in the NFκB signalling pathway. ConclusionFrom these findings, MEZ significantly reduced airway inflammation by inhibiting NFκB mediated inflammatory pathway. Hence, this study proved that Ziziphus mauritiana Lam has anti-asthmatic potential in Indian traditional medicine.

Occurrence of Diarrheal Disease among Under-Five Children and Associated Sociodemographic and Household Environmental Factors: An Investigation Based on National Family Health Survey-4 in Rural India.

Diarrheal disease is a significant public health problem leading to mortality and morbidity among children aged 0–59 months in rural India. Therefore, the rationale of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and environmental predictors associated with diarrhea among under-five children in rural India. A total of 188,521 living children (0–59 months) were studied from the National Family Health Survey-4, (NFHS-4) 2015–2016. Bivariate and binary logistic regression models were carried out from the available NFHS-4 data for selected sociodemographic and environmental predictors to identify the relationship of occurrence of diarrhea using STATA 13.1. In rural India, children aged 12–23 months, 24–35 months, 36–47 months, and 48–59 months were significantly improbable to suffer diarrheal disease. Children of the female sex, as well as children of scheduled tribes (ST) and other backward classes (OBC), were less likely to experience diarrhea. The disease was more likely to occur among children of scheduled castes (SC); Muslim or other religions; children belonging to central, eastern, and western regions; children with low birth weight; as well as children with improper stool disposal and rudimentary roof materials. In the rural parts of India, sociodemographic and household environmental factors were most influential. Effective community education; improved handwashing practices; pure water supply; and proper waste disposal, including building and utilizing latrines, would help reduce the burden of diarrheal disease in children.

EXPLORING THE VARIOUS FACTORS IMPACTING THE PATIENT SATISFACTION OF THE RURAL HEALTHCARE CENTRES OF WEST BENGAL PERTAINING TO MANPOWER PLANNING: A STUDY

The rural healthcare system of India has many lacunas. The entire world today is grappling with the spreading COVID 19 pandemic and the rural parts of India is one of the worst affected parts. There is a particular structure of the rural healthcare system of India which comprises of Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and the Sub Centres. All of this healthcare units have got certain manpower requirements; however, it is seen that in majority of the cases, there is a shortage of manpower especially in the Community Health Centres and the Primary Health Centres.

Ease of Doing Business State Ranking: Analysing the Impact of Business Reform Action Plan on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Among Top and Emerging States

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are considered a crucial part of the Indian economy. They contribute significantly to the country’s GDP and conduces social growth through inclusive development. The rural parts of India are getting an upliftment with the help of growing MSMEs. The Government of India (GoI) takes several initiatives to support the MSMEs, and one such step was taken in the year 2014. In respect to that, GoI proposed a framework in 2015 that would evaluate the ease of doing business (EoDB) among Indian states. The initiative was taken to create more favourable entrepreneurial ecosystem across all Indian states. This paper tries to analyse the impact of Business Reform Action Plans (BRAPs) on the increase/decrease of MSMEs in the top and emerging states. States ranked as top achievers and achievers in EoDB ranking (2016–2017 and 2017–2018) are considered the top performing states, and fast-moving states are considered emerging states for the analyses. Some states show a positive relation between BRAP scores and MSMEs count, but some have contrary results. BRAP actions of top and emerging states with no point scoring are studied to determine which actions contribute to growing MSMEs. For this, the reports of BRAP published by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade were studied. The results revealed four major action plans: commercial dispute resolution enablers, construction permit enablers, labour regulation enablers and availability of land, influencing the increase/decrease of MSMEs in Indian states/union territories (UTs).

Falls among Elderly in a Rural Community: Incidence and Determinants

Background: Falls are one of the emerging public health issues and a barrier for active aging. There is a scarcity of studieson incidence of falls among elderly population which provide information on real burden from rural part of India. Hence,the study was undertaken to find out the incidence of falls and determinants among elderly population.Materials and Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out by involving 260 elderlies in a primary health centrearea of Bengaluru by using simple random sampling technique over a period of one year. Data was collected regarding,socio-personal characteristics, substance use, co-morbidities and self-perceived health status using interview method andassessment of housing conditions was also undertaken. House visit was conducted to explain the purpose of the studyand to distribute falls dairy. Telephonic interview was undertaken to collect history of falls and related information oncein three months and at the end of one-year elderly were revisited to confirm the falls. All the data was analysed using Epiinfo 7.2.2.1.Results: The incidence of falls among elderly was 48.2%. The socio-personal characteristics such as age group ≥70 years(p&lt;0.001), low/medium standard of living index (SLI) (p=0.03), poor/average self-perceived health status (p=0.001),provision of separate living room (p=0.0006) and location of bathroom and toilet outside the house (p=0.04) wereassociated with falls.Conclusion: The incidence of falls among elderly was more compared to previous studies and associated with advancedage, poor income, poor self-perceived health status, living alone in separate room and location of bathroom and toiletoutside the house.

Association of genetic polymorphism in Vitamin D receptor and Paraoxonase I genes with type II diabetes mellitus patients in rural South Western Maharashtra

Background: Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is increasing at an alarming rate in urban as well as rural parts of India. Change in life-style, dietary habits, aging, environmental factors contribute to developing this disorder, T2DM is a polygenic disorder which involves large number of genes interacting with each other and the environment to manifest itself phenotypically. Aims and Objectives: In the present study, we investigated the association of Vitamin D receptor (VDR) and Paraoxonase I (PON I) gene polymorphisms with T2DM patients among rural population in South western Maharashtra. Materials and Methods: The study groups included healthy non-diabetic control group (n = 120), non-obese diabetic group (n = 120), obese diabetic group (n = 120) from the same geographical region. The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) amongst these groups were studied using Polymerase chain reaction- restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for VDR and PON I genes. Results and Conclusion: Amongst the studied genes VDR SNP rs1544410 [OR 0.24 (0.1-0.63); P 0.005] and Paraoxonase I SNP rs854560 (OR 0.47 (0.26-0.84); P 0.015) had a protective effect against T2DM for non-obese individuals. Whereas only VDR SNP rs1544410 [OR 0.025 (0.003-0.91); P 0.001] had a protective effect in case of obese individuals. The findings suggest greater gene-gene interaction and gene-environment interactions influence the phenotypic outcomes of genetic polymorphisms.