South India Research Articles

Effectiveness of video-assisted teaching programme and mobile application on knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding management of common minor discomforts of pregnancy among primigravida mothers– A pilot study from South India

Pregnancy might lead to various physiological changes that may end up in a diversity of symptoms and frequently to gastrointestinal complaints, such as heartburn, nausea, vomiting, or constipation. With adequate information and timely care, the majority of mild problems that arise during pregnancy can be reduced.The main aim is to to evaluate the efficacy of video-assisted teaching programme and mobile applicationin improving primigravida women' knowledge, attitudes, and practices about how to handle common pregnancy discomforts.A quantitative research approach with the one group pre-test and post-test design was adopted to conduct this pilot study among a total of 20 primigravida mothers attending the PHC Centre by purposive sampling technique who were administered with video-assisted teaching having the contents on knowledge, attitude, and practice aspects regarding management of various minor discomforts of pregnancy. Knowledge, attitude, and practice were measured using structured tools at the baseline (day 1) and after the administration of video-assisted teaching with mobile app-based follow-up education on day 15. We analysed the data with descriptive to describe the variables, paired t-test to test the effectiveness, Karl Pearson’s correlation for the relationship, and Chi-square to find the association. Knowledge, attitude, and practice all showed statistically significant improvements following the implementation of the video-assisted teaching program and mobile application.The research findings indicated that video-assisted teaching along with a mobile app in their own language was found useful method of educating primigravida mothers to increase their knowledge and to generate favorable attitudes regarding the management of minor discomforts during pregnancy.

Conceptual differences about willingness of body donation among southern, eastern, central and northern population of India: Single centered approach

: Cadaveric dissection cannot be compensated by virtue table concepts or computerized learning aids. The present study was aimed to evaluate the conceptual differences and perceptional clarity about willingness of body donation relevant to regional practice among four inter-state population of India. The study objectives focused to assess the understanding level about general and special concepts and attitudes about body donation in Southern, Eastern, Central as well Northern parts of India and to compare differences about the concepts of understanding and willingness about body donation between four inter-state populations.A cross-sectional single center study with a differential rating scale questionnaire was conducted. Four hundred participants equally divided among four medical colleges of Southern, Eastern, Central and Northern India were the samples. All ethical principles for human research were followed. Completing a special course of ethical training and non-willingness to participate in the study were regarded as the criteria of a subject to get excluded from the study.The given questionnaire was completed by various participants from different zones: eastern, western, central and southern. We found significant difference in the educational level of the participants across various zones. Unsurprisingly, most likely due to the literacy rate, participants from the south are much more familiar with ‘body donation’ for research and education compared to participants from other three zones. Provisions to improve the body donation should concentrate on multi-directional tasks.

The Date of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya and Emergence of Śaivism as a Popular Religion in South India

The Date of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya and Emergence of Śaivism as a Popular Religion in South India

Species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of Burkholderia cepacia complex isolates in clinical infections: Experience from a tertiary care hospital, Southern India

PurposeBurkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) is a diverse group of environmental bacteria associated with opportunistic infections. The identification of Bcc using conventional methods poses challenges. Bcc infections are difficult to treat due to intrinsic antibiotic resistance. The study aimed to investigate the species distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical Bcc isolates. MethodsA total of 153 Bcc isolates obtained from clinical samples were analysed. Species identification was carried out using automated methods, including MALDI-TOF MS and VITEK2. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disc diffusion method. ResultsBurkholderia cenocepacia (70.5%) emerged as the most prevalent species, followed by Burkholderia contaminans (9.8%) and Burkholderia cepacia (7.2%). Ventilator-associated pneumonia (38.6%) was the most common infection, followed by sepsis (28.1%). Co-existence of Bcc with other pathogens in many cases suggested potential co-infection scenarios. Antimicrobial susceptibility revealed that ceftazidime, co-trimoxazole and meropenem were the most effective drugs, while levofloxacin proved to be the least effective. Moderate susceptibility was noted to minocycline, with 4.6% of isolates exhibiting multi-drug resistance. ConclusionThis study provides valuable insights into the prevalence, clinical associations, and antibiotic susceptibility of Bcc in India. It highlights the importance of Bcc as a nosocomial pathogen, especially in vulnerable patient populations. The findings contribute to understanding Bcc infections, their distribution, and emphasize the necessity for accurate identification methods in clinical settings.

Metal partitioning in sediments and risk assessment of a ramsar site-Cochin estuary, South West India

Geochemical partitioning of sediment bound metals in Cochin estuary were determined by sequential extraction to unravel the processes controlling their distribution, mobility and contamination status. Most of the metals recorded higher content at residual and exchangeable fractions. Abundance of Cd, Zn and Mn in bioavailable form (promoted by surface adsorption on fine grained sediments) was sourced to industrial operations, municipal sewage and agriculture effluents. Pyrite formation effectively controls the fraction distribution of redox sensitive elements- Mn and Fe. Scavenging by Fe-Mn oxide was dominant process regulating the accretion of metals -Zn, Ni, Cr, Co, Cd, Mn whereas organic matter complexation facilitate the accumulation of the metals-Mn, Co, Cu and Zn. Contamination due to Zn and Cd was substantiated by enrichment factor (range for Zn: 4.42–57.22; range for Cd: 0.02–0.37), contamination factor (range for Zn: 0.51–22.19; range for Cd: 3.30–60.67 and geoaccumulation index (range for Zn: 0.10–4.45; range for Cd: 0.66–12.18). Elevated PLI (Range: 0.19–1.58) indicated metal inputs from anthropogenic activities. Potential ecological risk values >40 implied that Cd, Zn and Pb can induce risk to the ecosystem.

Optimizing Antibiotic Treatment for Diabetic Foot Infections: A Study From a Tertiary Public Healthcare Center in Puducherry, South India

Optimizing Antibiotic Treatment for Diabetic Foot Infections: A Study From a Tertiary Public Healthcare Center in Puducherry, South India

Climatology of thermodynamic indices and background synoptic conditions responsible for severe convection during pre‐ to post‐monsoon seasons over Indian region

AbstractTo investigate the mechanisms responsible for severe convection linked with a variety of mesoscale, synoptic systems over the Indian region, a preliminary analysis is conducted. Using IMD RSRW/Reanalysis (ERA5)/Lightning (TRMM LIS) products both local‐scale thermodynamics and large‐scale background conditions responsible for the major lightning hot spots in different seasons are investigated. In the pre‐monsoon season, high lightning activity over NE Indian region is due to moisture intrusion by south‐westerly at lower levels (warm air advection), along with mid‐level north westerlies (cold air advection) which favour the low‐level convergence and upper‐level divergence. SCS over south India are mainly attributed to wind discontinuity over the region. During monsoon season major lightning activity in NW India is due to the presence of heat low and the rest of the country less intense SCS activity is evident due to high wind shear conditions in connection with low‐level (westerly) and upper‐level (easterly jet stream). In the post‐monsoon season, major lightning in south India are due to the prevailing north‐easterlies and in north India, the activity is attributed to the passage of western disturbance (WD). Station plot analysis suggests the varied distribution of thermodynamic indices season/region‐wise due to the diverse background forcing. Correlation analysis between the lightning and thermodynamic indices suggests that more skillful indices are KI (~0.7 to 0.8), precipitable water (PPW) (~0.8) (pre‐monsoon, monsoon) and (PPW) (~0.8), convective available potential energy (CAPE) (~0.6) in post monsoon over respective lightning hot‐spot regions. Independent verification using Wyoming data/reanalysis for different case studies suggests that monitoring the monthly thresholds of highly correlated indices provides a helpful proxy to operationally forecast the severe convective systems (season/region). Mean Equivalent potential temperature, and mixing ratio in mixed layer has shown reasonable association with the lightning occurrence over all lightning hot spot regions which are implemented in the IMD GFS and IMD WRF models.

Effect of the Protein Kinase B (PKB) Gene on the Carcinogenesis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the South Indian Population

Effect of the Protein Kinase B (PKB) Gene on the Carcinogenesis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the South Indian Population

Piloting Pulse Producer Support System Through ICT Enabled Services for Enhanced Climate Resilience

Background: In peninsular India, the frequency of climate-related risks is significantly lowering agricultural productivity and farmers’ standard of living. Reducing losses in the agriculture sector requires precise and timely weather information, weather based advisories on crop production, protection and post-harvest. Disseminating agromet advisories directly to the farmers using ICT tools allows farmers to adopt appropriate corrective measures, minimize loss and ensure climate resilient agriculture. In this sense, the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University established an Automated Agromet Advisory Web cum Mobile App (TNAU-AAS) in 2018, which sends location, crop and stage specific agromet advisories directly to farmers’ mobile App. Methods: TNAU-AAS App was evaluated in pulse crops as “Piloting pulse produce support system through ICT enabled services” between 2019 and 2021 in three TNAU centers under three different eco systems namely irrigated (Coimbatore), rice fallow (Aduthurai) and rainfed (Kovilpatti). Pulse growing farmers were registered in this smartphone application for agromet advisory based response farming. Result: The TNAU-AAS App had delivered approximately 10-12 advisories to each farmer, tailored to their unique crop and stage during the cropping period. Survey results inferred that the farmers received timely notifications on their mobile phones, 2-3 days in advance, which assisted them in preplanning. Occurrences of pests and diseases were well aligned (68-83%) with TNAU- AAS recommendations and the climate vulnerability of non AAS farmers is more than AAS farmer. According to partial budget analysis, the irrigated, rice fallow and rainfed black gram farmers have gained Rs. 2800, Rs. 2300 and Rs. 1900 per ha, respectively. It is concluded that the ICT-enabled agromet advisory system guarantees timely alerts, boosts labor and land productivity, lowers input loss and shields crops from weather-induced pests and diseases as well as climatic variability risk.

Laparoscopic modified e-tep repair of concomitant inguinal and ventral hernias.

Laparoscopic hernia repair in recent times has gained the most acceptance among both the surgical community and the patient groups, as it has proven benefits of lesser postoperative hospital stay and less pain scores. The incidence of both inguinal and ventral hernias has increased significantly in the present days. Various methods have been postulated by different surgical groups for repairing the same but no there is no standard consensus on managing concomitant inguinal and ventral hernias. The conventional e-TEP requires an extensive dissection with increased operative time. We present our experience in managing cases with both inguinal and primary M2/M3 and W1 ventral hernias with or without divarication of recti using a modified up to down approach for inguinal hernia followed by down to up approach for the ventral hernia, from a tertiary care center in South India. We managed 16 cases with simultaneous incidence of inguinal and primary M2/M3 and W1 ventral hernias with or without divarication of recti between January 2022 and November 2023. Institute ethical committee clearance and informed consent was obtained from all the 16 patients. They were all subjected to an extra peritoneal repair of both the hernias. All the demographic data, intraoperative data, postoperative complications and follow up were digitally stored. All patients were followed up for six months after surgery. Out of 16 patients, 15 were males and 1 was female. The mean age was 48years and the mean BMI of all the patients was 29.2kg/m2. The postoperative recovery was smooth in all patients and being discharged within 24h after surgery. The pain scores of all patients were significantly lower than patients who underwent intraperitoneal repair. e-TEP hernia repair is gaining popularity and has amused the hernia surgical community. Our method of e-TEP RS repair in cases with concomitant inguinal and primary M2/M3 W1 ventral hernias with or without divarication helps in addressing both the hernias in the extra-peritoneal space. Our technique reduces the area of dissection needed for mesh placement and preserves the integrity of abdominal musculature in the upper abdomen when compared with the conventional technique. It further allows extension of the e-TEP inguinal space into the Rectro rectus space without much alteration in the port arrangement allowing simultaneous repair of groin and umbilical hernias. Good knowledge of anatomy and laparoscopic skills are pertinent for safe and effective hernia repair by this technique.

Compliance of Surgical Care in Patients with Carcinoma Endometrium in a Tertiary Care Centre in South India, to European Society of Gynaecologic Oncology (ESGO) Quality Indicators

Compliance of Surgical Care in Patients with Carcinoma Endometrium in a Tertiary Care Centre in South India, to European Society of Gynaecologic Oncology (ESGO) Quality Indicators

Response of ion velocities of daytime ionospheric wavenumber-4 to solar activity observed by ROCSAT-1 and DEMETER

The electron/ion density/temperature and ion velocities observed by the ROCSAT-1 and DEMETER satellites are used to examine the daytime wavenumber-4 (WN4) feature in the equatorial/low latitude ionosphere during various months and solar activity levels of 1999–2010. A moving median process has been employed to isolate WN4 features and calculate their amplitudes, while the upward ion drift is used to estimate electric fields. The ROCSAT-1 and DEMETER ion density, ion temperature, and ion velocity generally yield prominent WN4 features over the center of Pacific Ocean, the west side of South America, the center of the Atlantic Ocean, and Southern India. The correlation coefficient between the deviation of ion density and upward ion drift is significant during high solar activity of 1999–2004, while it approaches to zero during low solar activity of 2004–2010. This confirms that the longitudinal variation of the upward ion drift is essential during high solar activity, and the associated amplitude of dynamo eastward electric field is in the range of 0.10–0.14 mV/m, which is 15–19% of daily dynamo electric field. By contrast, the deviation of the ion density and the northward field-aligned ion flow show a clear anti-correlation which yields a maximum coefficient in August during low solar activity but no correlation during high solar activity. These indicate that the longitudinal variation of the meridional field-aligned ion flow could play an important role during low solar activity, and its amplitude is in the range of 10.44–13.91 m/s, which is 10–13% of the ambient ion flows.

Ayurveda is on the Way to Open the Golden Door of Indian Tourism through Panchakarma - A Review

ABSTRACT Over the years, Ayurveda, the science of healing and regeneration, has become increasingly popular throughout the world. Numerous Ayurvedic centres are expanding nowadays, as they are one of the primary tourist attractions in the southern region. India is becoming a popular destination for medical tourism due to a number of draw factors, including easy accessibility, affordable and high-quality medical care, beautiful vacation spots, etc. The best place is in South India, which is also the nation's centre of health. The boundaries and opportunities of Ayurvedic tourism have undoubtedly expanded with the recognition of Ayurvedic healing on a national and worldwide level. With any fortunate, India will be the world's top choice for high-quality medical facilities within the next several years. Ayurveda was supposedly bestowed upon humanity by the gods to enable us to live long, healthy lives free from illness. Nearly every tribe in India swiftly embraced ayurveda, and it soon started to spread to nations like Afghanistan, China, and Iran. Panchakarma can provide a long-lasting or permanent treatment for multi-system disruptions. Panchakarma is becoming a vital component of medical travel. Therefore, the government ought to actively support the growth of Panchakarma travel. This review discusses the many facets of ayurvedic travel to India, including Panchakarma, its development, and current trends. Keywords-Ayurveda, Tourism, Panchakarma, health .

Evaluation of urban flood susceptibility through integrated Bivariate statistics and Geospatial technology.

Flood disasters are frequent natural disasters that occur annually during the monsoon season and significantly impact urban areas. This area is characterized by impermeable concrete surfaces, which increase runoff and are particularly susceptible to flooding. Therefore, this study aims to adopt Bi-variate statistical methods such as frequency ratio (FR) and weight of evidence (WOE) to map flood susceptibility in an urbanized watershed. The study area encompasses an urbanized watershed surrounding the Chennai Metropolitan area in southern India. The essential parameters considered for flood susceptibility zonation include geomorphology, soil, land use/land cover (LU/LC), rainfall, drainage, slope, aspect, Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The flood susceptibility map was derived using 70% of randomly selected flood areas from the flood inventory database, and the other 30% was used for validation using the area under curve (AUC) method. The AUC method produced a frequency ratio of 0.806 and a weight of evidence value of 0.865 contributing to the zonation of the three classes. The study further investigates the impact of urbanization on flood susceptibility and is further classified into high, moderate, and low flood risk zones. With the abrupt change in climatic scenarios, there is an increase in the risk of flash floods. The results of this study can be used by policymakers and planners in developing a preparedness system to mitigate economic, human, and property losses due to floods in any urbanized watershed.

Estimating above-ground biomass of trees outside forests using multi-frequency SAR data in the semi-arid regional landscape of southern India

Estimating above-ground biomass of trees outside forests using multi-frequency SAR data in the semi-arid regional landscape of southern India

GIS-based groundwater potential zonation and assessment of groundwater quality and suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes in the Shanmughanadhi river basin, south India

To develop a specific watershed scenario, the quantity and quality of groundwater resources must be assessed and monitored locally. In the present study, an attempt has been made to identify possible groundwater potential zones, determine the quality of groundwater resources in this region, and evaluate their suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. This goal has been achieved with the combined use of the weighted index overlay analysis (WIOA), groundwater quality index (GWQI), Remote Sensing (RS), and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. The proposed study area, Shanmuganadhi, is marked with superior rainfall, oscillating temperature, and runoff with litho-units encompassing charnockite (CHK) and hornblende biotite gneiss (HBG). Over-abstraction of groundwater and intensive agricultural practices have resulted in declining and degrading water quantity and quality in this area. The resulting integrated thematic map has been classified into five groundwater potential zones, namely poor, low, moderate, high, and very high, covering 3.2, 45.49, 15.3, 27.9, and 8.1% area, respectively. Sixty groundwater samples were collected during the pre-monsoon (PRM) and analyzed for major Physico-chemical parameters. From the water quality index assessment, over 28.0% of the samples fall within the “excellent,” 8.0% “good” and 4.0% “poor” in CHK, followed by 5.71% “excellent,” 48.57% “good,” 37.14% “poor,” 5.71% “very poor” and 2.87% “unsuitable” for drinking purposes in HBG terrain of this region. Irrigation indices also demonstrated that most of the groundwater samples in the CHK and HBG exposed zones exhibited good classes for irrigation purposes, as evidenced by the SAR and %Na+. The outcome, which shows the research area's groundwater potential zones, is beneficial for improved groundwater resource planning and management. It is concluded that for larger-scale groundwater-quality investigation and assessment, the groundwater quality index-making approach (GWQI) is more practical and dependable. Water planners and decision-makers may find it helpful in effectively controlling and monitoring groundwater quality at the basin or watershed scale. Reducing urban land use and natural runoff from farms can help prevent water contamination in some regions. To ensure the safe use of groundwater, long-term monitoring of these groundwater was suggested.

Unraveling the Genetic Basis of Combined Deafness and Male Infertility Phenotypes through High‐Throughput Sequencing in a Unique Cohort from South India

AbstractThe co‐occurrence of sensorineural hearing loss and male infertility has been reported in several instances, suggesting potential shared genetic underpinnings. One such example is the contiguous gene deletion of CATSPER2 and STRC genes, previously associated with deafness‐infertility syndrome (DIS) in males. Fifteen males with both hearing loss and infertility from southern India after exclusion for the DIS contiguous gene deletion and the FOXI1 gene mutations are subjected to exome sequencing. This resolves the genetic etiology in four probands for both the phenotypes; In the remaining 11 probands, two each conclusively accounted for deafness and male infertility etiologies. Genetic heterogeneity is well reflected in both phenotypes. Four recessive (TRIOBP, SLC26A4, GJB2, COL4A3) and one dominant (SOX10) for the deafness; six recessive genes (LRGUK, DNAH9, ARMC4, DNAH2, RSPH6A, and ACE) for male infertility can be conclusively ascribed. LRGUK and RSPH6A genes are implicated earlier only in mice models, while the ARMC4 gene is implicated in chronic destructive airway diseases due to primary ciliary dyskinesia. This study would be the first to document the role of these genes in the male infertility phenotype in humans. The result suggests that deafness and infertility are independent events and do not segregate together among the probands.

Measurement and analysis of change in research scholars’ knowledge and attitudes toward statistics after PhD coursework

BackgroundKnowledge of statistics is highly important for research scholars, as they are expected to submit a thesis based on original research as part of a PhD program. As statistics play a major role in the analysis and interpretation of scientific data, intensive training at the beginning of a PhD programme is essential. PhD coursework is mandatory in universities and higher education institutes in India. This study aimed to compare the scores of knowledge in statistics and attitudes towards statistics among the research scholars of an institute of medical higher education in South India at different time points of their PhD (i.e., before, soon after and 2–3 years after the coursework) to determine whether intensive training programs such as PhD coursework can change their knowledge or attitudes toward statistics.MethodsOne hundred and thirty research scholars who had completed PhD coursework in the last three years were invited by e-mail to be part of the study. Knowledge and attitudes toward statistics before and soon after the coursework were already assessed as part of the coursework module. Knowledge and attitudes towards statistics 2–3 years after the coursework were assessed using Google forms. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was also sought.ResultsKnowledge and attitude scores improved significantly subsequent to the coursework (i.e., soon after, percentage of change: 77%, 43% respectively). However, there was significant reduction in knowledge and attitude scores 2–3 years after coursework compared to the scores soon after coursework; knowledge and attitude scores have decreased by 10%, 37% respectively.ConclusionThe study concluded that the coursework program was beneficial for improving research scholars’ knowledge and attitudes toward statistics. A refresher program 2–3 years after the coursework would greatly benefit the research scholars. Statistics educators must be empathetic to understanding scholars’ anxiety and attitudes toward statistics and its influence on learning outcomes.

Deciphering multi-temporal scale dynamics in the concentration, sources and processes of near surface ozone over different climatic regions of India.

This study aims to investigate the factors influencing seasonal and long-term (2003-2021) changes in the near surface ozone (850 hpa) concentrations over different climatic sub-regions of India. Detailed comparison of daily (2019-2021) near surface ozone values of ERA-5 and CAAQMS (Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations) ground-based measurements revealed that ERA-5 is temporally in phase with CAAQMS measurements falling indifferent climatic sub-regions of India. ERA-5 near surface ozone shows statistically significant long-term (2003-2021) positive trends [2-4 percent per decade (ppd)] over most of the climatic sub-regions, over Indo-Gangetic Planes (IGPs), Southern and Central India trends are particularly strong. Trends were also estimated for each season separately, which were largely positive (2-6 ppd) over Central and Southern India in the Autumn and Winter seasons. Extensive climatological analysis reveals that the reversal of winds in the Indian monsoonal system plays a vital role in such trend patterns across the Indian subcontinent. South-westerly winds from June through September presumably bring ozone deficit air of marine origin, thus causing a dilution effect while the North-easterly winds during late Autumn and early Winters plausibly bring ozone-rich air from the stratospheric-tropospheric efflux dominated Himalayan region. It allows near surface ozone enhancement over Central and Southern India. Seasonal Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that precursor gases (CH4 and NO2) and climatic variables especially specific humidity (SH) are the primary drivers of near surface ozone variability in the Winter season, while in Spring, climatic variables like boundary layer height (BLH), temperature (T) and SH have a significant role. Principal component regression (PCR) reveals a long-term increase in near surface ozone levels mostly dominated by precursor concentration over IGPs and Southern sub-regions. Whereas, BLH, T and SH significantly explain near surface ozone trends over North-eastern and Coastal India.

Re-evaluating soil moisture-based drought criteria for rainfed crops in peninsular India

Background: Peninsular India, being completely under the influence of monsoonal climate, suffers crop yield variability due to rainfall distribution-induced soil moisture constraints. Timely and appropriate assessment of this rainfall and soil moisture-induced crop yield variability serves as a key for exemplary relief assistance. Per cent available soil moisture (PASM) is one among several drought declaration indices followed by stakeholders in India for declaration of drought, needs re-evaluation as the existing criteria in unable to capture the yield loss due to ineffective classification of PASM categories. This study attempts to revise the agricultural drought classes by PASM based on relationships established between yield of major rainfed crops of the study region and PASM.Methods: Analysis of yield variability due to PASM was carried out based on long term observations in experiments conducted at five dry farming locations (Akola, Parbhani, Kovilpatti, Ananthapuramu and Bengaluru) of peninsular India. The average yield for each category of PASM was calculated and tabulated for regression analysis. The PASM versus yield in each group was correlated and regression equations were developed if significant positive correlations were established.Results: The range of available soil moisture to obtain at least 50 percent of optimum yield in cereals (maize: 26 and finger millet: 52.9 PASM), pulses (pigeon pea: 37.2 PASM), oilseeds (soybean: 26.8 to 30.5, groundnut: 53.8 to 61.7 PASM) and commercial crops (cotton: 26.3 PASM) was 26–61 percent.Conclusion: The revised PASM-based drought classes (0–50 severe; 51–75 mild and 76–100 no drought) would help in drought declaration and precise identification of drought-hit areas for meaningful relief assistance. However, there is further investigation is needed to include a soil component for further fine-tuning of the criteria.