India is home to over one-third of all undernourished children worldwide, and it ranks 94th out of 107 nations in the Global Hunger Index 2020. Instability in production and market risks make agriculture a risky business and directly affect farmers’ income levels, thereby impacting food security. This review aimed to understand various features of different crop insurance policies in India and to analyze the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’s (PMFBY) impacts on Indian farmers. A literature search was performed in all popular databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, AGRICOLA, AGRIS, and Google search engines, as well as annual Indian government reports. The keywords “Crop Insurance” OR “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana” OR “National Agriculture Schemes” AND “India” were searched to obtain relevant articles. By using cumulative data, we conducted a multiple regression analysis and a model was developed to estimate the effects of insurance characteristics on farmer coverage for the years 2017–2018 and 2018–2019. Agricultural insurance coverage under PMFBY remained low in terms of the number of farmers insured, the area insured, claims paid, and total farmers benefited. Compared to other schemes, the beneficiary and claim premium ratios were substantially lower under the PMFBY. The multiple regression analysis showed that farmers’ premiums have a significant effect on the number of farmers insured over time, although the subsidies do not have a significant influence in farmers’ insurance participation. Delays in claim settlement, the complexity of the system, and a lack of awareness among farmers are the major weaknesses of the PMFBY. Greater use of digital media could help spread awareness of these schemes among farmers.

Background: The increasing prevalence and subsequent mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among Indian prisoners are often ignored by policymakers. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to analyze the rising burden of Noncommunicable Diseases in Indian prisons and estimate the pooled prevalence of depression among Indian prisoners. Methods: A total 9 studies were chosen in accordance with PRISMA guidelines that investigated the burden of NCDs in Indian prisons and were published between January 2010 and August 2022. Statistical analysis was performed in STATA Version 16 software, and the funnel plot was used to identify publication bias. Results: A total of 167 articles were identified, and 9 were included in this analysis. The pooled prevalence of depression among prisoners was 48.78% (95% CI, 27.24–70.55%). According to the review, prisoners showed a significant prevalence of moderate to severe depression, dental caries, poor periodontal condition, and suicide ideation. This study is the first to analyze NCDs prevalence among Indian prisoners. Poor mental and dental health standards and the virtual absence of healthcare facilities necessitate governmental actions to boost inmates’ health. It is essential to develop preventative interventions for this extremely isolated and vulnerable group in addition to diagnosing and treating noncommunicable diseases. Conclusions: Our study findings will enable decision-makers to structure and develop appropriate preventative and curative programs for inmates’ general wellbeing.

India’s export potential to other SAARC nations (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) was calculated with the help of gravity model of exports using panel data methodology (pooled model, fixed effect model and random effect model) by taking the time period 1981-2005. To find out the convergence and divergence of India’s exports to SAARC members, speed of convergence was used. Moreover, study has also tried to find whether there is convergence of the actual data towards the estimated equilibrium. The study reveals that there was presence of convergence in India exports with SAARC countries and in the other words, actual India’s exports to SAARC countries converged towards the estimated export potential. Among SAARC countries, India’s export potential exists for Maldives, Bhutan, Pakistan and Nepal. India is the only SAARC member that shares land border with four members and sea border with two. No other SAARC country shares a common border with each other. In terms of trade, commerce, investments etc., India is a source of potential investment and technology and a major market for products from all other SAARC members. Therefore, it is essentially in India’s interest to put her weight behind SAARC.  Â

Globalization and the development of modern technologies have led to the emergence of service trade. The success of Indian information technology (IT) has changed perception of globe about India and has captured the attention of the globe as it seems a paradox that a developing economy is emerging as a global hub for software exports. In the past three decades, the contribution of the Indian IT industry to national income, employment generation and offsetting the current account deficit is remarkable. In this consideration, the present study is an attempt to analyse the technical efficiency of the IT industry of India during the period 2000–2016 by applying panel data stochastic frontier analysis approach. The study reveals that foreign capital, age and profit ratio have a significant impact on mitigating the technical inefficiency of the IT industry while the research and development (R&D) expenditure has turned out statistically insignificant in determining efficiency. Indian IT industry is mostly driven by service exports which are not survivable in the long run. The study suggests that the Indian IT industry has to transform itself from low value-added to high value-added, from service-driven to product-driven.

The present study attempts to examine the structural changes in Indian merchandise exports to Asia during the period 1980–2016 by using Constant Market Share (CMS) analysis. The index values of the CMS analysis suggest that India has mostly maintained and strengthened its export market share primarily in resource-based and low tech/labour-intensive products. Major technology-intensive exports include organic chemicals and dyes and colouring materials to all its export destinations in Asia. The market effect result shows a positive impact on India’s export performance which suggests that India has diversified its exports to South Asia, Southeast Asia and West and Central Asia. However, market adaptation effect result shows negative impact in East Asian market which means that India is lacking in adapting the import structure of this market. JEL Codes: F1, F14, F43, L6, O53