{"title":"Overview of Agricultural Subsidies in India and Its Impact on Environment","authors":"Aarti Deveshwar, Saloni Panwar, Saloni Panwar","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.33","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.33","url":null,"abstract":"Agriculture is vital to India's economic development, providing food security to over 1.4 billion people and employing 58% of the population, while contributing 19-20% to GDP. The government's spending on the agricultural sector has been increasing annually, reaching Rs. 1,25,036 crores in 2023, up from Rs. 1,22,836 crores in 2022. The government provides various forms of agricultural subsidies, both direct and indirect, aimed at spurring growth in the sector. However, the efficacy of these subsidies in achieving intended outcomes remains questionable. This paper provides an overview of agricultural subsidies in India by examining the allocation of funds under different schemes. It also analyzes the different types of subsidies and impact on the environment. The study utilizes secondary data from government and research publications. The findings suggest that while agricultural subsidies help the sector, mismanagement hampers their reach and effectiveness for farmers and the environment. Subsidies have both positive and negative environmental externalities. The paper argues that improved targeting of subsidies is critical to maximize benefits for farmers and minimize unintended consequences. More focused allocation can enhance the efficiency of public expenditure on agricultural subsidies and make them more ecologically sustainable. The study provides insights into reforming India's agricultural subsidy regime to balance productivity, equity, and sustainability concerns.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140992827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring Cost Effective Fleet Electrification Possibilities for Public Transit Services in Kutch Region","authors":"Mamta L Prajapati, Nipa A. Desai","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.20","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.20","url":null,"abstract":"The extensive use of fossil fuels in transit buses has led to both environmental problems and fuel scarcity. Renewable energy has emerged as a potential solution to mitigate these issues. Many countries worldwide have already adopted renewable energy to address these challenges. Similarly, the Indian government has initiated e-vehicle adoption in various sectors through subsidies to reduce dependence on conventional fuels. This research investigates two key areas: Fuel consumption dependency and air quality impact assessment for diesel-operated public buses (GSRTC) and Exploring fleet electrification possibilities. The recent significant rise in fossil fuel costs has exposed the inherent conflicts between achieving net-zero goals, ensuring energy security, and maintaining affordability. This research employs a three-stage energy modeling methodology: Route energy planning, charging infrastructure planning and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis. This study explores the potential for fleet electrification at the Mundra depot, aiming to replace existing diesel-powered internal combustion engines (ICEs) with environmentally friendly electric vehicles (EVs). A total of 18 buses from the Mundra depot, covering 22routes with 103 trips, were surveyed. An optimal route requiring minimal energy was prioritized. Based on this and a minimum state-of-charge requirement of 25%, five buses were chosen for further study. An analysis of annual capital costs for both ICE diesel and electric buses was conducted, considering bus capitalization, battery capitalization, charging infrastructure, and annual operation costs. The findings revealed that the TCO for an EV bus is significantly lower than that of a diesel bus (49.64 Rs/km vs. 72.80 Rs/km).","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140990108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mapping long-term Transformation of Wetlands and Annual Rainfall Variability in Madhubani District (1975-2022).","authors":"Sonu Kumar Das, Manu Raj Sharma","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.22","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.22","url":null,"abstract":"In addition to supporting a rich biodiversity, wetlands serve as ecosystems that connect aquatic and terrestrial settings. They also play a critical ecological role by providing essential supplies. According to the National Wetland Atlas (2010), Bihar has a total of 21,988 wetlands with a total area of 4,03,209 hectares. These wetlands exhibit great range of floral and faunal diversity with large number of endemic species. The present paper endeavors to map the natural wetlands of Madhubani district of North Bihar and assess their evolving hydro-physiographic characteristics. The study area is endowed with numerous small wetlands as it receives high average annual rainfall in Bihar. This study primarily emphasizes on identification of wetlands and their spatial-temporal assessment during the period 1975-2022 by utilizing datasets from various sources like topographical maps, satellite imageries, and other ancillary data. It uses geospatial tool like Arc Hydro and indices like Topographic Wetness Index (TWI) and Normalized Difference Wetness Index (NDWI) for identification and spatial-temporal assessment of wetlands during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season. The study finds that despite being one of the rainiest districts of Bihar, the annual rainfall trends in Madhubani is decreasing. This has impacted upon the water quality, productivity, biodiversity and annual recharge of wetlands of Madhubani. Its entire geographic region has thus been significantly reduced as a result. Other important factors like accelerated anthropogenic intervention, land use changes and process of urbanization have contributed towards rapid transformation of floodplains of Madhubani District. These changes may affect future water potential of the region and thus threaten sustainability in the region.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140993299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Experimental Study for Air Temperature Distribution in a Conditioned Room Using Various Vertical Locations of Conditioned Air Ducts","authors":"Sunil M Mahajan, V. Bartaria","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.39","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.39","url":null,"abstract":"The Air distribution phenomenon is most useful in thermal environment study and its effectiveness. The main aim of this investigation is to examine and discover the thermal properties of the inside area and its thermal environment. The experimental work for research was studied at the first-floor lab of the government women’s polytechnic, Bhopal. The experiment was conducted in the summer and winter seasons in a closed-conditioned room with the arrangement of a conditioned air discharge duct. The conditioned air was discharged through the circular pipe duct which was set vertically. The duct has arrangements to discharge the air through various vertical positions as the lower duct (L), middle duct (M), and upper duct (U). This experimental work investigates supply air velocity and vertical temperature variation effectiveness inside said test room. The experiment results were collected with lower, middle, and vertical duct opening conditions respectively. The vertical temperature variation and air velocity at the outlet of the duct were noted with considerable points at 1 m from each inside the test room space. The outcome of the results shows the indoor thermal environment and vertical temperature distribution were affected by the discharge air duct position and supply air velocity. The temperature profile vertically impacted when the measuring test point position was near the discharge air duct and it became quite consistent in respective measurements from a large distance.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141128739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Optimization and Characterization of Biochar Obtained from the Weedy Biomass of Calotropis gigantea Using Vacuum Pyrolysis","authors":"Poonam Poonia, Loveena Gaur","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.7","url":null,"abstract":"The excessive growth of invasive weeds causes adverse economic and environmental effects. In the present study, invasive weed Calotropis gigantea was pyrolyzed under optimized parameters of 450° and 50-100 mm particle size for 1.00 hour of reaction time for biochar production. The biochar was characterized by the presence of a high carbon content of 64.65% and low H/C and O/C molar ratios of 0.08 and 0.15, respectively. The biochar was observed with high surface area of 99.91m2/g and pore volume of 0.0398cm3/g along with mineral fractions such as K-1.33%, Na-1.17%, Mg-1.05%. Strong FTIR bands were observed at 1994.1 cm-1, 1110 cm-1, and 745 cm-1, representing allenes (R 2C=C=CR 2), aryl alkyl ethers (R – O – R), and aromatic (C–H) bending. All these parameters indicate its potential in the applications such as carbon sequestration, climate change mitigation, environment pollutants adsorption (both organic and inorganic), and soil improvement.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140990578","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Future of Agriculture in A Carbon Constrained World","authors":"Sathwik Raj, Aditya Suresh, Shoaib Khan, Mareddy Harinath Reddy, Kapil Patidar","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.25","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.25","url":null,"abstract":"In a world grappling with the far-reaching consequences of climate change and a growing imperative to lower emissions of greenhouse gases, agriculture’s potential finds itself at a critical juncture. This paper explores the intricate dynamics of agriculture in a carbon-constrained world, presenting a nuanced analysis of the multifaceted challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. With a focus on sustainable practices, carbon sequestration, and innovative technologies, this study elucidates the pathways through which agriculture can transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future. From precision farming and agroforestry to advanced breeding techniques and digital agriculture, a spectrum of strategies emerges to mitigate the carbon footprint of agriculture while concurrently enhancing productivity and food security. Moreover, the paper underscores the indispensable role of policy frameworks, international cooperation, and public-private partnerships in ushering in a transformative era for agriculture that aligns harmoniously with global climate goals. This review explores carbon foot printing methodologies in agriculture and their implications for sustainable practices. Additionally, it highlights role of carbon foot printing in informing decision-makers, examines emerging trends like precision agriculture, and addresses associated challenges. This review identifies these gaps and offers recommendations for future research. In elucidating these key themes, this paper advances to a thorough comprehensive understanding of the imperative to embrace innovation and sustainability as guiding principles for the future of farming in a carbon-constrained world.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140993995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Distribution of Recent Benthic Foraminifera from the Outer Channel in and Around Gabakund Sea Mouth of Chilika Lagoon","authors":"Kirti Ranjan Mallick, Pravat Kumar Nayak, Subhasish Prusty","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.29","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.29","url":null,"abstract":"Chilika (19°28’ to 19°54’ N; 85°54’N to 85°38’ E) lagoon situated in the east coast of India is considered to be one of the largest tropical coastal brackish water bodies in Asia. The unique setup of 60 km long narrow strip of sand barriers and swampy islands separating the area from the sea with few mouths of interconnections in the east and draining of tributaries of the river Mahanadi in the west while its environmental condition governed by tidal inflows and the southwest monsoon.The study of features of benthic foraminiferal tests, morphology, and abundance shed light upon paleoclimatic changes like monsoon variability, salinity, temperature, etc. Ten sediment samples were collected from the outer channel of Chilika lagoon in and around the Gabakund area and processed for species level study and SEM imaging following standard procedures. Sand dominates as the substrate towards the mouth at Gabakund area and silty to clayey sand towards the southern part of the Outer Channel. A total of 13 genera of benthic foraminifera belonging to 36 species were documented at the sampling stations. In the current study the species diversity and richness on the basis of the physico-chemical attributes of sea and river water incursion during pre-monsoon time in the outer channel of the lagoon is reported. In this region calcareous benthic foraminiferal are dominant while few agglutinated foraminifera have found their unusual niche.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140993738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Actinomycetes as a Possible Source of Bioremediation of Heavy Metal Cadmium from Contaminated Soil","authors":"Tasnim Musani, Mousumi Das","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.26","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.26","url":null,"abstract":"Annually, a significant volume of chemicals, encompassing fertilizers and pesticides, is administered to agricultural soils. Using pesticides and fertilizers, agricultural practices contribute to heavy metal Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) pollution. Heavy metals and pesticides are high at the peak of ecological contaminants, presence of this has introduced grave risks to the health of the population and agronomics. Among heavy metals, cadmium (Cd) is recognized for its high mobility in various environmental settings. Cd has a deleterious effect on plant phenotypic, cytotoxicity (e.g., lowering chlorophyll concentration and limiting photosynthetic effectiveness), and metabolic activities (e.g., chlorosis and necrosis). Microbial bioremediation by using microorganisms is one of the secure, pure, cost operative and eco-friendly technology for decontaminating polluting sites as compared to physical and chemical techniques. Among microbes, Actinobacteria hold a paramount position, serving as key players in numerous biological processes, utilize toxins as carbon source and turn into high concentrations of pesticides, chemical complexes and heavy metals into commercially viable antibiotics, enzymes, proteins, and plant growth promoting hormones. This study is an effort to explore the potent cadmium resistance actinomycetes to reduce cadmium levels to enhance degradation. For this purpose, 53 actinomycetes strains were tested for heavy metal resistance and tolerance to Cadmium against different concentrations. After secondary screening Four potent isolate have the potential to grow at 1000 mg/L concentration of Cadmium in the medium. When they are able to grow on heavy metal containing media it could be beneficial for reduction and elimination of toxic metals from contaminated environment. When it comes to achieving a suitable level of metal tolerance, this potent powerful actinomycetes strain Streptomyces pactum have been identified to be promising.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140993554","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interrelationship Among Soil Parameters and their Alteration with Seasonal Changes in the Soil of Bawal Town, Haryana","authors":"Pushpa Yadav, Soma Sharma","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.30","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.30","url":null,"abstract":"Soil is the backbone of agriculture and original source of nutrient that are needed by plants and crops to grow and survival. It is governed by various factors like anthropogenic and natural factors. In this study we aim to interpret the effect of climatic changes mainly seasonal variations on the soil health of Bawal industrial area. Samples were collected at the depth of 15 cm, from three different sites in three different seasons; summer, winter and monsoon. Samples were analyzed for pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Organic matter (OM), Available nitrogen (N), potassium (K), phosphorus (P) Magnesium (Mg) and Sodium (Na). Results revealed that the OM, K, P, and Na concentration of the soil were found to follow the order; winter>rainy>summer. In contrast to this, Soil pH and Mg content were reported their highest concentration in summer followed by winter and least in monsoon season. EC and N content were found to follow the order; rainy season > winter > summer. Statistical analysis concluded the significant variation in physiochemical parameters of soil with variation in seasons except pH and EC (in summer and winter season). Interdependency of soil parameters was interpreted using multiple linear regression and results highlight that, Soil pH and Mg content were showing a significant linear regression with R2 (0.890). Na showed a significant R2 with K (0.855), P (0.827) and OM (0.803). Nitrogen content had found to show good regression with EC and soil pH. Organic matter and Potassium were also reporting significant R2 values (0.931). Soil fertility was found to get affected by climatic change but the variations could be utilized by cultivating the suitable crops according to soil parameter contents in a particular season.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140990619","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sustainable Management Technique for Recalcitrant Leaf Litter of Mesua Ferrea L. in Avenue Plantations","authors":"Nirigi Linggi, Ajay Bharti, S. S. Singh","doi":"10.12944/cwe.19.1.16","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.12944/cwe.19.1.16","url":null,"abstract":"Avenue plantation produces a significant amount of leaf litter throughout the year, and sustainable management is a primary concern in various establishments. Mesua ferrea L. (MF) is a widely grown avenue tree species that produces enormous amounts of leaf litter throughout the year. The litter remains undecomposed in natural conditions for a long time (2-3 years), requiring labour-intensive management. The rate of decomposition, nutrient dynamics and microbial species involved in the decomposition process has been studied by the modified litterbag method in natural conditions using intact and shredded MF leaf litter. The results of the study revealed 50% biomass loss from intact and shredded MF leaf litter within 120 days as compared to the negligible biomass loss in the control treatment. The percentage of nutrients released followed the same pattern as biomass loss for intact and shredded MF samples. The decay constant values were observed as 1.99, 1.92 and 0.33 for shredded, intact and control treatments, respectively. Penicillium with 12 isolates was recorded as the most dominant cellulose-degrading fungi during the decomposition of MF leaf litter. The study observed that the embedding of shredded MF leaf litter in soil significantly reduced the time required for the decomposition of litter. It is concluded that embedding shredded MF leaf litter in the soil can enhance rapid decomposition while improving soil fertility. The proposed technique may be employed in the sustainable management of MF leaf litter in particular and other litter in general.","PeriodicalId":10878,"journal":{"name":"Current World Environment","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140990592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}