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The purpose of this paper is to study Indian aspects of policy convergence in the context of budgetary linkage of two nationalized flagship programs – Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Integrated Watershed Management Program (IWMP). Therefore, in lieu of inter-departmental convergences; issues related to water resource development of Jharkhand’s (India) rain-fed areas were addressed.

Centered on policy convergence strategy, present study applied comprehensive review and analysis approach for formulation of research base. A conceptual framework was thus designed for analytical purposes and therefore advancing toward conjectural knowledge base.

Application of inter-departmental policy convergence strategy suggested ample opportunities for optimal water resource development. Presence of abundant wage labor, rich indigenous water management techniques, tested replicable models, under-harvested rainwater potential, etc., appeared as catalysts of policy convergence. Yet, State’s lack of inter-departmental coordination and grass-root institutional framework will continually challenge policy convergences in absence of good governance.

An initiative of Indian government; MGNREGA has received international attention due to its wider coverage including natural resource management, besides guaranteed wage employment. Targeted at freshwater management discourse of Jharkhand; present paper reviewed prospective inter-departmental policy convergence strategy within various arena of MGNREGA, by exploring associated scopes and challenges. Similarly for cost effectiveness, related to maintenance and lift-irrigation demands of rain-fed area development; the present study suggested optimum utilization of inter-departmental funding linkages for development of sustainable water resources.

Addressing probable complexities of climate change on rural livelihoods, food security, and poverty reduction, requires mainstreaming of cross-sectoral interventions and adaptations into existing frameworks. Indigenous communities due to their isolation, reluctance to current practices, and knowledge deprivation are difficult to reach by many developmental programs. The purpose of this paper is to identify relevant adaptations from indigenous rural Jharkhand (India), applicable to improving livelihoods through integrated natural resource management (NRM). Prospects of rainwater harvest and management for supporting local rural livelihoods were also examined.

Tested and applicable models of participatory research methods widespread in sociological research were used. Focussed group discussions and structured interviews were conducted for primary data collection from micro-watershed units of this study.

In-situ soil and water conservation methods showed increased availabilities of freshwater both for food and non-food consumption in the area. Construction of rural infrastructure and land husbandry practices improved agricultural productivity and resulted in subsequent reductions in women's drudgeries. Culture fishery provided ample scope for livelihood diversification, food and nutrition security of households. Overall, micro-watershed area developmental approach improved food and nutrition securities, generated employment opportunities, improved agricultural productivity, diversified livelihoods and were widely accepted by communities.

Creating greater sense of ownership among grass-root communities was an important thrust behind the success of this particular project. By entrusting tribal communities with fund management, rural planning, and execution of various interventions, a successful replicable model was produced, which has wider community implications extending beyond societies and geographies.

The Abdur Razzaque Ansari Memorial Weavers Hospital (ARAM) came into effect on 7 April 1996, and is dedicated to the people of Jharkhand and weavers. To deal with the issues of inequity in healthcare services, ARAM was founded for the extension of affordable healthcare services to the needy in and around the area of Jharkhand. Visualised by a great social worker and legend Abdur Razzaque Ansari, it has been successfully run by his eldest son Mr Sayeed Ahmad Ansari for 28 years. This research uses mainly a case-study approach through secondary data from the hospital website and other websites citing ARAM and its functions. Consent to use data for the study was obtained from Mr. Sayeed Ahmad Ansari. Primary information was collected through the patients who availed facilities from the hospital. They were interviewed through a semi-structured questionnaire each taking 30-40 minutes. Taken over by Medanta Group on 8 July 2015 (earlier being managed by Apollo Hospitals Group for 20 years), it is the first super speciality community hospital in Eastern India. Treating over 50,000 patients yearly with state-of-the-art medical equipment and providing discounts to lower-income groups, people from the weaver’s community, freedom fighters and members of ICSI have intrigued people from these sections for affordable treatment and facilities in and near Jharkhand. With a 200 bed-capacity, nine different disciplines and 12 departments spread across the city of Ranchi, the hospital caters to a massive population at a much-subsidised rate. Reaching out to rural villages through free medical camps and awareness campaigns, the hospital showcases how a successful model of healthcare cooperative can be replicated accordingly in similar developing and underdeveloped regions.

Market-driven skill development initiatives are essential in India as a large segment of its educated workforce is unemployed or unemployable, with little or no job skills. The “Skill India Mission” aims at endowing the youth with skills that can increase their employability and productivity in jobs. The success of the Mission depends on State-level initiatives in tandem with the Mission. This paper analyzes the impact of job offers extended to the youth of Jharkhand State as an outcome of State-level skill development initiatives. Its broad objective is to assist the Government in the delivery of skill-based training programs.

Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered across various districts of Jharkhand to capture the perceptions of trainees and training centers. The final sample of 498 had attended training in apparel, retail, security, automotive, food and beverage service, IT/ITES, electronics and construction.

Statistical analysis reveals a significant increase in the economic status of trainees after joining jobs. Other findings include apathy toward migration, a mismatch between skills gained and jobs, and a dearth of qualified trainers.

The authors recommend counseling and attitudinal restructuring of the youth, designing multi-skill training programs and promoting entrepreneurial spirit. The authors also propose a stakeholder-based approach for curriculum development to fill the demand–supply gap of training and ensure better trainee retention. The Government could benefit by focusing the skilling programs on the career adaptability of trainees. Skill development and vocational education and training may not operate in silos. Training programs could be planned to be conducted jointly through ITIs and State-level training institutions under the Skill India Mission.

This research could increase the effectiveness of skill development initiatives across India, thereby improving the socioeconomic status of the youth thus trained. The authors emphasize developing a people-centric perspective in skilling, shifting attention from the existing industry-driven approach, to strike a balance between the demand and supply sides. This perspective can optimize skill development initiatives by reducing the gap between employment demand and skill development.

In low-income economies agriculture plays an important role in promoting economic growth and reducing poverty. Agricultural growth achieved through diversification toward the higher value crops enhance income and mitigate risk. The present study focuses on one of the eastern Indian states namely “Jharkhand”; where agriculture is the mainstay for the 80% of its rural population. The state per-capita income is below the national average; however, it has registered an impressive growth, especially in the agriculture sector in the last one decade. In this study, the authors attempt to identify the components in sources of agricultural growth; the authors also estimate the determinants of overall agricultural growth.

The study is based on the secondary data from 2000–2001 to 2015–2016. This paper first decomposes the agricultural growth into area, price, yields (technological improvement) and diversification effects through the method of growth accounting approach. Secondly, the study employs the new classical growth model through the ordinary least square (OLS) to examine the determinants of overall agricultural growth.

The author's findings indicate that there has been a shift in cropping patterns from the cultivation of cereals to non-cereals in the state during the study period. Among the major crops, the area under pulses cultivation has increased by 19% from 2000–t2002 to 2014–2016. The increase in area under cultivation and the diversification in favor of higher-value crops have been the major reasons for the accelerating overall agricultural growth in the state along with improvements in technology. The study reveals that increased use of fertilizer per hectare, capital formation and road density are the main determinants of high agricultural growth in the state.

The study is based on secondary data and based on one state. A primary study to complement this could have been better. The limited data available for some of important variables related to mechanizations are also a limitation of the present study.

Several studies have analyzed the diversification and agricultural growth in India. With our best knowledge this kind of study has not been done so far for the state of Jharkhand in eastern India.

There has been a substantial increase in the implementation of programmes that aim to enhance the livelihoods of rural people by organizing them into groups, emphasizing women towards achieving women empowerment, which is one of the key goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study aims to assess the impact of participation in self-help groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) on the political empowerment of rural tribal women in India.

This study is based on primary data collected using a multistage random sampling method. Field research is conducted in the state of Jharkhand, primarily focusing on women belonging to the scheduled tribe category. The propensity score matching technique derives the results using the psmatch2 command in STATA.

The results show a significant positive change in women's access to voting rights, awareness of various government schemes and entitlements, political awareness and participation, campaigning during elections and leadership positions after participation in SHGs under NRLM.

The existing literature indicates that research on the empowerment of tribal women through participation in SHGs is scant. This study makes a novel contribution by examining the effectiveness of participation in SHGs under NRLM on the political empowerment of tribal women in rural India. This study will provide significant insights to the government, policymakers, practitioners and researchers working on SHGs and tribal women’s empowerment.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-06-2023-0489

This study aims to assess the impact of participation in self-help group (SHG) on the psychological empowerment of rural tribal women.

Primary data was collected using multistage random sampling from the rural women of Jharkhand, India. The propensity score matching method was adopted using the psmatch2 command in STATA.

The results show a significant positive change in women’s self-esteem, self-confidence, self-efficacy, autonomy, knowledge and skills, reduction in agony and quality of life after participation in SHG. This reveals that participation in SHG has a significant positive impact on the psychological empowerment of rural tribal women.

Despite the numerous studies on rural women’s empowerment, there is little evidence of literature focusing on the impact of participation in SHG on psychological empowerment, specifically in the tribal context. This study primarily focuses on women belonging to the scheduled tribe category of Jharkhand, one of the poorest states of India.

Purpose – This study investigates the sociodemographics, late entry to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and clinical markers associated with AIDS-related mortality.

Methodology/Approach – Applying retrospective cohort design, 960 medical records of people who died of AIDS, from October 2006 to December 2014, were accessed from the ART center at tertiary health care center of Ranchi (India).

Findings – With useable data from 889 medical records revealed that the majority of people who died of AIDS consisted of married males in the age group of 19–40 years who were truck drivers, migrant laborers, and of rural origins. The median survival period was below 3 months following the ART. Males and people on the pre-ART group had a shorter survival period than their counterparts. Early mortality was associated with lower CD4+ T cell counts, the third or fourth clinical stage, ambulatory or bed-ridden functional status, and poor medication adherence.

Research limitations/implications – This study was limited to the analysis of AIDS deceased people only; it did not compare the survival duration with living people on ART. The lower CD4+ T cell counts and medication adherence, being strong predictors of mortality, can be addressed to attain higher survival rates of people who have AIDS.

Originality/Value of Paper – This is the first study conducted in the tribal-populated region, covering a large sample of 889 cases. Unique findings of this study update the existing data on AIDS-related mortality.

The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that enable citizens to adopt e-government services in India.

The study uses a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews.

The study reveals novel e-government adoption factors, namely, auxiliary facilities, corruption avoidance, transparency and fairness in process, customer support, connectedness and forced adoption, previously unexplored in e-government adoption literature. In addition, the results highlight 17 e-government adoption factors that strengthen the findings from previous literature.

This study was qualitative in nature, and rather than generalization, the focus was explicitly on obtaining an in-depth understanding. The sample used was sufficient for the purpose of this study and allowed reasonable conclusions to be drawn; however, it cannot be considered representative of a vast country like India. Academicians and information systems researchers can use these findings for further research.

The findings of this study provide useful insights into the decision-making process of e-government services users in India and similar emerging economies. These findings can be important for government officials tasked with providing e-government services.

Previous studies in the context of e-government adoption, so far, have tried to integrate adoption factors from previous technology adoption models. Hence, these studies have not been able to capture the complete essence of e-government characteristics. In addition, there are limited studies in e-government adoption in the Indian context.