Rapid urbanisation has led to a dramatic increase in sewage sludge production. There are limited methods of managing sewage sludge along with high energy and monetary investment. A cost-effective, environment-friendly, and sustainable solution needs to be developed for the management of sewage sludge. In the current study, sludge from the Jagjeetpur sewage treatment plant (STP) had been collected, composted, and characterized during January and February 2022. A comparison of STP sludge compost and compost made from farmyard manure showed the presence of essential agricultural nutrients in them, due to which they find application for plant growth. Two products, Jaivik Poshak and Jaivik Prom, containing farmyard compost, were compared with the amended version of the same, containing compost from STP sludge instead of normal compost. The results showed that the modified Jaivik Poshak was the best for maintaining pH and increasing electrical conductivity. The available nitrogen in the soil upon its application increased by 1.6 times ($p<0.001$) with respect to control, and it brought about 100% tomato seed germination within sixteen days. The above finding has been validated by goodness of fit value, factor analysis, and hierarchical analysis. The product, modified Jaivik Prom increased organic carbon content and brought about 5.81 and 8 times the enhancement in available phosphorous ($p<0.001$) and potassium ($p<0.001$) content in soil, respectively, with respect to the control set. The heavy metal content in the soil as a result of all types of treatment was within the permissible limit. This study thus proves that sludge from STP may be used for agricultural uses after proper fortification and testing to convert waste to wealth along with environmental sustenance.

The Ganga basin is witnessing accelerated deterioration of agricultural fields, with severe soil erosion leading to nutrients leaching into the river, wreaking havoc on the river's ecosystems. Many Ganga River management plans have been implemented in the past, but a more coordinated and integrated effort that tries to implement basin management strategies with technology preparedness considered critical for the preservation of agricultural regions had been lacking. The Namami Gange Program (NGP) is a first of its kind integrated conservation mission pillared on sustainable water management policies and practices, launched in 2014. Unfortunately, scientific literature on its overall functioning and progress is almost non-existent. This review presents its overall functioning, critically analyses its associated components, and presents case studies, pilot studies, along with analytical critiques. An objective analytical evaluation of the NGP has been provided concluding with sectoral interventions. We have concluded that the ambitions for boosting energy production, irrigation, manufacturing, and expanding the river as an inland waterway interfere with the Ganga cleanup because they are both part of the growth strategy pushed by the administration.

Elements of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) like stress, depression and anxiety are significant contributors to the global burden of disease. Even though they affect people at all socioeconomic levels, most of those in the low-income and middle-income populations lack access to efficient psychological and pharmaceutical interventions. One potential solution to this issue is the application of indigenous low-intensity psychological interventions like Yagna Pathy. The current cross sectional pilot study includes a total of 426 heterogenous group of people suffering from Stress, Anxiety and Depression (both in normal and diseased range) received Yagna pathy for 30 days. The severity of the stress, anxiety and depression was evaluated using a validated depression, anxiety, and stress (DAS) score questionnaire. A significant association (chi square, p < 0.001) was found between the mental healing with gender and activity status of the participants. Strong inter-correlation (R²> 0.7; p < 0.001) among features of stress, anxiety and depression also proved the manifoldness of the CMD. Improvements in DAS scores demonstrate the effectiveness of a well-directed Yagna practice maintained for a predetermined amount of time in managing stress, anxiety, and depression. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of the responses was also found to be “ excellent”. Therefore, the study showcased that indigenous practices like Yagna Pathy could effectively minimize the severity of CMD. This approach is non-medicated, non-invasive, and cost-effective, making it a practicable therapy for global implementation.