Central Electrochemical Research Institute

Yadav S.

This article offers an introduction to Marxian economics for the uninitiated student or instructor. It first places Marxian economics within the surplus approach and ties Marx’s economic analysis with his theory of history, that is, historical materialism. The concepts of class, mode of production and antagonism are introduced. The article then discusses Marx’s analysis of capitalism. This is performed by first introducing the reader to the labour theory of value and then to the circuit of capital. The conflict between capital and labour and the conflict between capital and capital are explored around the question of technological change and innovation. This is followed by a brief discussion of the capitalist crises in the Marxian framework, after which the article concludes by presenting two strands of debate within Marxian economics.

AbstractControlled and optimized heterogenic interfacial coupling is the key to enhance the electrochemical performance. Herein, for the first time, telluride‐based Co9S8/CoTe2 heterostructure is reported as a bifunctional catalyst for energy‐efficient H2 generation. Detailed investigations suggest that the heterogenic interfacial coupling leads to superior bifunctional electrochemical performance of the Co9S8/CoTe2 heterostructure. Furthermore, it displays excellent hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) performance at industrial‐level current density (500 mA cm−2 @ 338 mV) using an electrochemically neutral carbon paper substrate. The overall hydrazine electrooxidation‐assisted water splitting (OHzWS) cell performance of the Co9S8/CoTe2 heterostructure couple is 10 mA cm−2 @ 0.22 V, which is 1.60 V less than the conventional overall water splitting. Band energy profiles of Co9S8/CoTe2 heterostructure reveal an n‐n type heterojunction formation between Co9S8 and CoTe2 phases. The work function difference between the phases results in an impulsive electron flow from the CoTe2 to the Co9S8 phase and the creation of a built‐in electric field. This prompts the electrochemical kinetics of HzOR and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by enabling faster charge transport at the interface. Furthermore, DFT supports the experimental findings, and Gibbs's free energy profile for HzOR studies indicate that the Co9S8/CoTe2 heterostructure interface is favorable for HzOR compared to Co9S8 and CoTe2.

AbstractIntroducing foreign elements into a crystal lattice could trigger phase transformation, serving as an excellent means to fabricate highly electrocatalytic phases. NiCo2S4 is a notably electrocatalytic thiospinel phase, normally synthesized via a two‐step route and rarely explored for electrocatalytic hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR). This work reports one‐step hydrothermal synthesis of NiCo2S4 and CuCo2S4 and their performance for HzOR and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Time dependent syntheses suggest formation of (M, Co)9S8; M═Ni/Cu phase, followed by conversion to the respective thiospinel phase. Computational study validates that the incorporation of Ni into Co9S8 disrupts its stability and induces the formation of a stable bimetallic thiospinel phase. Even without the assistance of metal foam substrate, NiCo2S4 displayed remarkable activity for HzOR requiring potentials of 153 and 350 mV to afford current densities of 10 and 500 mA/cm2, respectively. Furthermore, NiCo2S4 showed good activity for OER, providing 10 mA/cm2 at 290 mV. For hydrazine‐assisted H2 production, the two‐electrode setup, NiCo2S4||Pt/C attained a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at 140 mV, which is 1.39 V less than that required for conventional water electrolyzer (1.53 V). Long‐term durability of NiCo2S4 for both HzOR and OER at high current densities highlights the suitability of the catalyst for practical applications.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is India’s rural employment guarantee programme that provides 100 days of work to each household and mandates payment of wages within 15 days of completion of work. MGNREGA has been subject to many technological interventions purported to improve efficiency and transparency. Many of these interventions were introduced without any consultation or scientific piloting resulting in violation of workers’ rights. We focus on two digital interventions. Firstly, in the financial year 2021–22, wage payments of workers were segregated based on their caste. Notwithstanding delays in wage payments, we find there is a statistically significant difference in the time taken to process payments across caste. This provides an empirical corroboration of how this move created caste tensions at worksites. Just in our sample, the compensation as per law that is payable to workers due to delays by the union government alone is ₹399 million. This is neither acknowledged nor paid. Secondly, we demonstrate that there is no statistically significant difference either in timely payment of wages or in payment rejections between the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) and the standard account-based methods. Our analysis is based on 31.36 million transactions across 10 states from financial year 2021–22 crawled from the programme’s Management Information System. This is the first large-scale data-based evidence debunking officially stated claims of timely payments due to ABPS. We also examine official government circulars, documents retrieved using Right to Information responses combined with our immersive fieldwork to underscore our findings. In summary, we argue that any digital technology introduced in MGNREGA or any other social policy must be done through a consultative process, independent audits, giving centrality to workers’ rights.

AbstractDuring the COVID‐19 pandemic, youth across the globe took outstanding initiatives to support their communities. From distributing food and oxygen to raising funds via digital platforms, young people demonstrated their potential in times of crisis. This commentary explores how youth civic engagement surged during the pandemic, driven by digital activism, community‐led initiatives, and institutional collaboration. The scoping review highlighted the importance of Positive Youth Development (PYD) in fostering leadership skills and social responsibility among youth, while also exposing challenges like the digital divide and the risk of armchair activism. Drawing from examples in India, where youth‐led initiatives and government recognition played a crucial role, this commentary discusses how civic participation can be a force for positive change, provided it is adequately supported and inclusive of diverse backgrounds.

Small-scale fisheries play an important economic, social and cultural role in coastal Karnataka even today despite being subjected to several natural and anthropogenic stressors for a long time. They are neglected or even outright discouraged in the state’s fisheries policymaking, and their contributions to the state’s fish supply and their role in livelihood creation do not receive the due recognition. This paper is premised on the recognition of emerging stressors that pose a threat to the viability of small-scale fisheries. The impacts of these stressors have implications not only for the environment but also for nutrition, particularly among vulnerable populations, and the overall socio-economic stability of coastal communities that rely on fishing as a livelihood. The goals of this paper are to provide a thorough review of literature around these stressors, and to describe how these are being played out in coastal Karnataka. Among these stressors, we delve in depth on the new Blue Economy policy of India since it is likely to have severe antagonistic effects in combination with other anthropogenic stressors. Our opinion is, Karnataka has already started witnessing many of these ramifications of interventions/stressors and the coastal landscape of the state is set to be transformed over the next couple of decades or so. Small-scale fisheries of the state are likely to be some of the most impacted communities from these interventions.

Science education literature states that fostering students’ and teachers’ knowledge of NOS has shifted from being a desirable goal to an essential one. This article focuses on the development of NOS conceptions among MA Education students. To develop those conceptions, the researcher designed various learning activities in the context of ‘research of history on DNA’. Seven students were observed and audiotaped while working in groups in this classroom qualitative study. Before the intervention, pre-test on ‘views on science’- Chen (2006) and group discussions held with participants indicated that their NOS conceptions were basic. After 7 sessions, a post-test was administered to students asking to justify NOS conceptions. These conceptions: scientific knowledge is tentative, laws are generalizations or universal relationships, theories are inferred explanations of nature; and that science is empirically based, socio-culturally embedded, and creative. Classroom discourses and responses to a post-test indicated that participants justified some NOS conceptions very well and some not so very well. It also argues that HOS offers potential for improved learning of NOS.

In March 2017, the Uttarakhand High Court granted legal personhood to the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, along with their tributaries, marking a significant development in India’s recognition of nature’s rights. This decision came shortly after New Zealand’s Te Awa Tupua (Whanganui River Settlement Act) 2017, which recognised the Whanganui River as a legal entity. While New Zealand’s legal recognition was the result of decades of negotiations, culminating in statutory enactment for a single river, India’s approach was through judicial conferment, a more expedited process which lacked in-depth deliberation. In contrast to the approaches in India and New Zealand, which focus specifically on the rights of rivers, Ecuador and Bolivia have integrated nature’s rights into their constitutions, elevating environmental protection to a constitutional obligation for all of nature. This framework seeks to balance ecological integrity with human interests but faces significant enforcement challenges due to competing development priorities. Although the Supreme Court of India later overturned the Uttarakhand High Court’s ruling as ‘legally unworkable,’ the Indian discourse on the rights of nature can still draw valuable lessons from New Zealand’s Te Awa Tupua enactment and the constitutional recognition of nature’s rights in Ecuador and Bolivia. These examples highlight both the potential and the challenges of granting legal personhood to nature, offering important insights for shaping future policies in India. By synthesising these experiences, this casenote calls for a deeper societal connection to nature, urging a shift in perspective from conquerors to caretakers, and fostering a sustainable and just coexistence with the natural world.

Thousands of farmer-producer companies (FPCs) have been registered in India due to national and state policies. Given their resource-constrained environments, most FPCs face myriad challenges and are struggling to become viable. While the policies provide for incubation support for FPCs, the level of support has been inconsistent and inadequate. This paper proposes a framework for classifying FPCs and their differing incubation needs and advocates for a stronger incubation ecosystem for FPCs, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. It also suggests prioritising incubation support for an oft-overlooked category of FPCs with the potential for generating remunerative returns.

Abstract The Rushikulya beach in eastern India is considered to be an important rookery (nesting site) for a species of migratory marine turtle, the olive ridleys Lepidochelys olivacea, because it is one of a handful of sites around the world where an arribada or mass-nesting event occurs. During an arribada, thousands of ridleys nest simultaneously over a small section of the beach, and several weeks later, millions of hatchlings emerge from these nests and crawl into the sea. Given the uniqueness of this phenomenon, conservation programmes have emphasised the monitoring and protection of ridleys during an arribada. In Rushikulya, this involves an assemblage of multiple actors, including biologists, their local assistants, and staff of the Odisha Forest Department. In this article, I use the concept of ontological choreography, drawn from multispecies scholarship, to focus attention on how members of this assemblage bring together different ontological orders, mainly nature and the individual self, to protect the ridleys. Further, I use this concept to direct attention to the hybrid nature of conservation practice—that it can simultaneously be affective, embodied, performative, sensory and technical. Overall, this article demonstrates how multispecies approaches can enrich social studies of conservation.

Kumar V.

India’s ability to conduct large-scale modern scientific exercises such as decennial population censuses with clockwork precision and unparalleled regularity is widely regarded as a source of collective national pride. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the regular schedule of the census, and it is not clear when the indefinitely postponed 2021 Census will be held. The present study uses this pause to explore the evolution of the Census of India and examine the quality of its data over the past few decades followed by a discussion of potential reforms including rationalisation of schedules to adapt the exercise to meet emerging challenges.

Glaciers are one of the vital proxy indicators of contemporary climate change. In recent times, there has been a general trend of glacier retreat; however, the glacier’s reaction to climate change is variable within the Hindu Kush (HK) and Karakoram region. Considering the significance of this region’s glaciers to water availability, changes in glacier area and volume, climate change impacts, and their socio-economic impacts on the habitations living downstream, it becomes critical to evaluate the response of glaciers to climate change at a local level in this region. We present the response of glaciers of the Rongdo basin, eastern Karakoram region, to climate change for the last five decades based on the study carried out using satellite data and field observations. By analysis of the remote sensing data from CORONA, US Military Agency Photograph, Landsat series of satellites, and ASTER DEM, we created a detailed and updated inventory of the glaciers in the Rongdo basin and derived glacier area information for different time periods. Results exhibit that some of the glaciers in the study area have increased while others decreased over time, with a total deglaciation of 6.8% over the last decades. In general, glaciers indicate an inverse relationship between glacier size and area loss. However, there has been a state of expansion in the glacier cover that started somewhere after the 1990s to 2000 and continued up to 2020, thereby corroborating the Karakoram anomaly at a local level in concurrence with the earlier studies.