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Child sexual abuse prevention involving mothers: A Quasi-experimental study with Protection Motivation Theory-based intervention
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide problem. The safety of children is everybody's responsibility. Parental and family involvement is crucial in the CSA prevention process. Parental lack of knowledge may increase the risk of abuse among children. Educating parents is crucial as children are mostly dependent on them. The role of mothers in educating children on CSA is of relevance as they are identified as more sensitive and responsible caregivers. The present study aimed to promote knowledge and attitude towards CSA prevention among mothers through a psychoeducation program. A pre- and posttest design (n = 67) was used with an intervention based on Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). A CSA knowledge and attitude scale was developed for the assessment of the participants for the study. There were significant changes in knowledge and attitude among the participants after the intervention. The prevention of CSA will be effective with knowledge gains after the PMT-based intervention. The intervention programs that involve mothers in CSA education have benefits. The findings of this study can be helpful to incorporate public health approaches to devise evidence-based parental programs in community settings. 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. -
Influence of higher-order modes on ferroconvection
Using Fourier representations, an elaborate study of regular cellular-convective and chaotic motions in a ferrofluid is made. Investigation is made on the adequacy or otherwise of the minimal mode in studying such motions. Higher-order modes are also considered by adding modes (vertical/horizontal/combined extension). For higher modes, the extensions yield a dynamical system of order greater than three. The characteristic features of extended ferromagnetic-Lorenz models are analyzed using the largest Lyapunov exponent(LE), second largest LE, bifurcation diagram, and phase-space plots. The effect of additional modes on critical modal-Rayleigh (infinitesimal and finite-amplitude ones) numbers and the Rayleigh number at which transition to chaos occurs are examined to report features of ferroconvection hitherto unseen in previous studies. As both horizontal and vertical modes are increased, our findings infer that the dynamical system displays advanced onset of regular convection and delayed chaotic motion. Vigorous-chaotic motion is seen on adding vertical modes, whereas on adding horizontal modes, intense chaos appears with decreased intensity for large values of the scaled Rayleigh number. Most important finding from the study is that as modes are increased (vertical/horizontal), the transition from regular to chaotic motion is greatly modified and leads the system to a hyper-chaotic state. Conventionally, the chaotic or hyper-chaotic state is intermittent with a periodic/quasi-periodic state but it can be retained in the chaotic or hyper-chaotic state by considering moderate values of the Prandtl number and/or by bringing in the ferromagnetic effect. 2022 Author(s). -
Efficiency Wage and Productivity in the Indian Microfinance Industry: A Panel Evidence
Enhanced productivity remains a crucial agenda for firms to attain cost and competitive advantages in the market. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of efficiency wage (EW) on the productivity of microfinance institutions (MFIs) with respect to their dual objectives, namely, outreach (depth and breadth) and financial sustainability. Unbalanced panel data of 179 Indian MFIs were collected over the period 20102018 from the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) market platform (now obtainable from the World Bank catalogue). Under a static model setting (fixed effects model), the observed relationship between EW and MFIs productivity is mixed. On the one hand, EW exhibits a strong and statistically significant positive relationship with the breadth of outreach, even after considering various control variables and alternative proxies of EW. On the other hand, EW shows no positive influence on the MFIs depth of outreach; rather, it results in a mission drift of MFIs, with the poorest of the poor being neglected (weak and insignificant for proxy of EW). Concerning the financial sustainability of MFIs, EW exhibits a positive and statistically significant effect, except for the profitability dimension when an alternative proxy of EW is used. A two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) performed to limit endogeneity problems also validates most of our findings. The outcomes of this study could help MFIs managers in designing appropriate financial packages to enhance MFIs productivity and subsequently attain the dual objective of outreach and sustainability. 2022 SAGE Publications. -
Capacitive dominated charge storage in supermicropores of self-activated carbon electrodes for symmetric supercapacitors
The present work demonstrates a systematic study of pore size and specific surface area (SSA) of biomass-derived carbon and the choice of electrolyte concentrations affecting charge-storage mechanism (surface controlled and diffusion controlled) and electrochemical behaviour. Porous nanocarbons derived from Caesalpinia Sappan pods were synthesized by pyrolysis at 400, 600, and 800 C. Pyrolysis at 800 C was found suitable for the self-activation mechanism which formed bimodal porous nanocarbons with a high SSA of 675 m2/g. A maximum specific capacitance of 261.8 F/g at 0.5 A/g in 5.0 M KOH was observed for electrode materials synthesized at 800 C. The highlight of the study is the porous nanocarbon synthesized at 800 C which was found to possess micropores of size 0.71.0 nm playing a pivotal role in enhancing capacitance. The effect of electrolyte concentration on capacitance and charge storage mechanisms was also analyzed. A diffusion-controlled self-discharge model is established for supercapacitor devices. The single cell can power a red LED for 15 min; exemplifying the sustainable strategy of the utilization of abundant bio-waste to efficient energy storage devices. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Progress in bio-based biodegradable polymer as the effective replacement for the engineering applicators
The development of biopolymers has significantly touched each and every sphere of human life due to their eco friendliness and biodegradability. In recent decades, the production of biopolymers gained profound attention due to the serious environmental concerns and threat to the non-renewable resources. The increased use of synthetic plastic in biomedical and engineering applications stays as a major threat to environment when these xenobiotics enter the food chain and soil upon their careless discharge after use. The significant material properties of plastic has made it as an inevitable part in our day to day life, but the concern over the environment directs the research focus on searching and developing biopolymers and bio composites as sustainable alternatives for their synthetic counterparts. Biopolymers of commercial interest can be majorly produced intracellularly by microbes or can be extracted through chemical or biological methods from plant and animal based substrates. The potential candidates with high market value with specific reference to biomedical engineering and tissue engineering include as polyhydroxyalkanoates, cellulose, chitosan and chitin, hydroxyapatite, and pectin. Despite of having high degree of biocompatibility, the major hurdle that retracts their widespread use commercially is attributed to the cost of production. This can be tackled out by exploiting cheap raw materials like agro waste as substrate and by employing green approaches over solvent based conventional extraction methods. The reduction in the material properties of purified biopolymers restricts their widespread application especially in the fabrication of thermoplastic blends. This can be resolved by production of bio composites with improved properties than their parent biopolymers. The current review focuses on the recent developments in biopolymer science especially with regard to its application in engineering majorly biomedical and tissue engineering. This study throws light on the biosynthetic pathways, extraction methods and applications of commercially important biopolymers. Furthermore, the challenges, limitations, and future prospects in the production and commercialization of biopolymers is briefly discussed in this review. 2022 Elsevier Ltd -
Design and Optimization of Friction Stir Welding of Al-Cu BUTT Joint Configuration using Taguchi Method
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding technique in which the joint quality was predominantly subjected to heat formation throughout the metal welding process. The weld joint produced from FSW was better than the other fusion welding process. In this research, the base plates AA6101 and C11000 of 5 mm thickness were joined using the hardened oil-hardened non-shrinkable steel(OHNS) tool by the FSW method. The design of experiment (DOE) was used to optimize the input parameters such as tool rotational speed (rpm), feed rate (mm/min), and tool pin offset (mm) on output parameter ultimate tensile strength (UTS). The design of experiment (DOE) was carried out by employing a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, three factors, and three levels for obtaining a quality joint with good strength. The results of nine trial runs from the Taguchi experimental approach were formulated and analyzed using the statistical tool analysis of variance (ANOVA) using MINITAB 19 software. ANOVA analysis was employed to find the contribution of the input parameters toward the output. The optimized input process parameters will help to create effective weld joints. This study revealed that tool pin offset towards softer metal at medium tool rotational speed would create joints with the highest UTS. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was applied to investigate the structural changes in the FSW of Al-Cu joints. 2022, Books and Journals Private Ltd.. All rights reserved. -
What is Remembered in Pandemic: A Commentary on the Mediated Memories of Piety in COVID-19
The paper explores how the experiences of the present pandemic are shaped by the memories of popular religious piety during past pandemics and epidemics. Taking insights from the works of Astrid Erll and Reinhart Koselleck, the process remembering-imagining system within the context of the pandemic is discussed by tracing the reemergence of pandemic deities and narratives of piety in India. Using digitally documented and disseminated narratives on piety emerging during COVID-19, an attempt is made to understand how these narratives shape the experiences, responses, and collective memory of the pandemic. Through a discussion of the shift in the imagination of political leadership and the moral responsibilities of the community, an attempt is made to highlight the mode in which the narratives on piety shape the contours of a time that is otherwise unimaginable. The mediated memories of popular religious piety make it possible to remember similar crisis times and to imagine and reinstate the social order that is threatened by this sudden unimaginable crisis. The paper thus argues that within the context of India, popular religious piety, though often overlooked, becomes a significant part of making sense and shaping the experiences of the pandemic time. 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. -
Garlic peel based mesoporous carbon nanospheres for an effective removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solutions: Detailed isotherms and kinetics
Biowaste based nanoadsorbents have gained much attention in the recent times for wastewater decolourization owing to their low cost, high surface area and high adsorption capacities. In the present research, garlic peel based nanoparticles (GCNP) were synthesized at different temperatures by a one step pyrolytic green approach for the effective removal of cationic dye, malachite green from the aqueous medium. The surface properties of Garlic nanoparticles were elucidated by N2 adsorption- desorption and all the GCNP samples were found to exhibit Type IV(a) isotherm indicating the presence of mesopores in carbon matrix. Using BET calculations, highest surface area (380 m2/g) was obtained for GCNP synthesized at 1000 ?C. Characterization of nanoparticles was done by XRD, EDAX, SEM and FTIR studies before and after the dye treatment. Adsorption studies conducted using different parameters like contact time, concentration and pH and dosage of adsorbent showed removal efficiency above 90% for the contact time of 70 min. Best adsorption experimental results were obtained for GCNP synthesized at 1000 C ascribable to its high surface area, higher total pore volume (0.26 cm2/g) and higher carbon content. Four adsorption isotherm models were used to validate batch equillibrium studies and the results showed data in good agreement with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms with maximum Langmuir adsorbtion capactiy to be 373.7 mg/g. Kinetic modelling of the data showed best fit with the Pseudo second order model with rate constant value of 48.726 g mg?1 min?1. Regenerative studies were conducted conducted upto 6 cycles. Also the GC nanoparticles were tested for their compatibility in membrane form wherein, removal efficiency results were obtained for GCNP anchored in polyvinyl difluoride (PVDF) and polysulfone (PSF) membrane matrix for dye adsorption. 2022 Elsevier B.V. -
Blockchain with deep learning-enabled secure healthcare data transmission and diagnostic model
At these times, internet of things (IoT) technologies have become ubiquitous in the healthcare sector. Because of the increasing needs of IoT, massive quantity of patient data is being gathered and is utilized for diagnostic purposes. The recent developments of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (DL) models are commonly employed to accurately identify the diseases in real-time scenarios. Despite the benefits, security, energy constraining, insufficient training data are the major issues which need to be resolved in the IoT enabled medical field. To accomplish the security, blockchain technology is recently developed which is a decentralized architecture that is widely utilized. With this motivation, this paper introduces a new blockchain with DL enabled secure medical data transmission and diagnosis (BDL-SMDTD) model. The goal of the BDL-SMDTD model is to securely transmit the medical images and diagnose the disease with maximum detection rate. The BDL-SMDTD model incorporates different stages of operations such as image acquisition, encryption, blockchain, and diagnostic process. Primarily, moth flame optimization (MFO) with elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), called MFO-ECC technique is used for the image encryption process where the optimal keys of ECC are generated using MFO algorithm. Besides, blockchain technology is utilized to store the encrypted images. Then, the diagnostic process involves histogram-based segmentation, Inception with ResNet-v2-based feature extraction, and support vector machine (SVM)-based classification. The experimental performance of the presented BDL-SMDTD technique has been validated using benchmark medical images and the resultant values highlighted the improved performance of the BDL-SMDTD technique. The proposed BDL-SMDTD model accomplished maximum classification performance with sensitivity of 96.94%, specificity of 98.36%, and accuracy of 95.29%, whereas the feature extraction is performed based on ResNet-v2 World Scientific Publishing Company. -
Finite Element Analysis of Hybrid Skin Sandwich Composite
Sandwich structured composite is a particular classification in composite materials. This type of structure has been mainly used in recent studies because of its high specific strength, low density, and stiffness. It is increasingly more commonly employed in structural designs due to its features and performance. The sandwich composites used in this investigation are made of aluminium alloys and areca fibre. The sandwich composites face sheet comes in a variety of thicknesses. The adhesive skin layer is also varied to investigate the effect of using natural fibre. The sandwich composite is subjected to 3 point bend test. The modal analysis is investigated using the finite element method. The 3D model of sandwich composites is modelled using solid works 2020. Using Altair Hyper Works, the boundary conditions and meshing is carried out. ANSYS Mechanical APDL is used to analyse the sandwich composites. This investigation analyses the behaviour of composite sandwich beams. 2022, Books and Journals Private Ltd.. All rights reserved. -
Investigation on window opening behavior in naturally ventilated hostels of warm and humid climate
A window is an inevitable element of a naturally ventilated building, and its usage improves indoor environmental conditions. Various research has presented window opening behavior models, stating that it may vary with region, climate, season, building type and many more environmental and non-environmental factors. Major studies in India relied on survey data and were not focused on continuous monitoring. Limited occupants behavior studies have been reported in warm and humid climatic zones, specifically in hostel buildings. Also, a realistic description of occupants window opening behavior is require for more accurate evaluation of building performance using energy simulation. Therefore, there is a need to study the window opening behavior to predict the indoor environment more accurately by using energy simulation tools. In this context, a one-year field research involving questionnaire survey, physical observation, and monitoring was conducted in different hostel buildings in Tiruchirappalli, India. Logistic models were developed to predict the window state in hostel buildings in warm and humid region based on physical observational and long-term monitoring data. It is found that window use is influenced by season, time of the day, weekdays, floor level, buildings orientation, user type, and gender. Results also showed that insects and animal menace (snakes, squirrels, lizards, mosquitoes etc.) impede window opening behavior. The study also presented a logistic model for window opening behavior based on outdoor environment conditions for simulation modeling. 2022 Elsevier B.V. -
Compositionally Homogeneous Soft Wrinkles on Elastomeric Substrates: Novel Fabrication Method, Water Collection from Fog, and Triboelectric Charge Generation
Functionality and stimuli-response of natural and artificial elastomeric materials depend significantly on the morphology of their surfaces. Structural transformability and tunable responsiveness of wrinkles on elastomeric materials can enable numerous applications in flexible electronics, optics, and adhesives. Currently existing fabrication techniques rely on sophisticated instrumentation, complex experimental setups, and expensive reagents. These methods are limited in terms of mechanical robustness of the wrinkles produced. Here, a simple, inexpensive, scalable, and reproducible strategy, making use of buckling instability for the creation of soft surface wrinkles on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), is presented. PDMS with lower elastic modulus is spin-coated onto a mechanically stretched film of PDMS with a higher elastic modulus. Thermal curing followed by the release of prestrain resulted in the formation of wrinkles in the top layer of the PDMS. The hydrophobic soft surface wrinkles with compositional homogeneity exhibit efficient fog water collection and triboelectric charge generation useful for the preparation of triboelectric nanogenerator devices. Furthermore, the substrates show high mechanical stability and mechanoresponsive optical behaviors. The simplicity and general applicability of the method presented here is expected to establish a promising pathway toward the formation of soft wrinkles in other elastomeric systems also, facilitating important applications in various fields. 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH. -
Establishment of Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. callus and optimization of cell suspension culture for the production of anti-Parkinsons drug: L-DOPA
It has become a huge challenge to satisfy the emerging demand for levo-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), an anti-Parkinsons drug in the international drug market. This is attributed to the conventional methods of extraction from the natural sources of Mucuna spp., which has a low germination rate, less viable seeds, and an irritating, itching trichomes on the pods. The need for an alternative method with continuous supply of L-DOPA without affecting the natural biodiversity has been achieved through in vitro procedures. However, there has not been a systematic approach to optimize the cultural conditions for the maximum productivity. Hence, in this study, we aim at optimizing the cultural conditions for high biomass and L-DOPA production. Various plant growth regulators such as auxins (indole acetic acid, indole butyric acid, picloram [Pic], naphthalene acetic acid, and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), cytokinins (kinetin, benzylaminopurine, 2-isopentenyl adenine, and thidiazuron), and their combinations have been experimented to figure out the best combination to induce callus. At the same time, various factors such as growth kinetics, different media (MS, Gamborgs-B5, Chus-N6, and Nitsch and Nitsch), media strength (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0X), effect of different macro elements and their strength (0, 0.5,1, 1.5, 2, and 3X), inoculum density, different hydrogen ion concentration (pH), ammonium/nitrate concentration, different sucrose concentrations (010%), and other carbon sources have been investigated in detail for optimizing the cell suspension culture. It was found out that 0.5 mg/L Pic gave the best results for callus induction. With respect to biomass, 6-week growth period (135.7 g/L fresh weight [FW]), 1.0X MS media (126.87 g/L FW), 1.5X magnesium sulfate (266.3 g/L FW), ammonium/nitrate ratio of 21.57/18.8 mM (131.4 g/L FW), pH of 6.0 (129.47 g/L FW), 100 g/L of inoculum (222.2 g/L FW), 3% sucrose concentration (125.6 g/L FW), and 3% glucose (183.4 g/L FW) as other carbon sources were found to give the highest biomass. In terms of L-DOPA production, 3-week growth period (5.90 mg/g dry weight [DW]), 0.5X B5 medium (4.27 mg/g DW), 2.0X calcium chloride (5.06 mg/g DW), ammonium/nitrate ratio of 21.57/18.8 mM (3.44 mg/g DW), pH 6.5 (4.02 mg/g DW), inoculum density of 30 g/L (4.79 mg/g DW), and 2% sucrose (5.17 mg/g DW) resulted in a higher L-DOPA yield. 2022 Rakesh and Praveen. -
Decoding the X-Ray Flare from MAXI J0709-159 Using Optical Spectroscopy and Multiepoch Photometry
We present a follow-up study on the recent detection of two X-ray flaring events by MAXI/Gas Slit Camera observations in soft and hard X-rays from MAXI J0709-159 in the direction of HD 54786 (LY CMa), on 2022 January 25. The X-ray luminosity during the flare was around 1037 erg s-1 (MAXI), which got reduced to 1032 erg s-1 (NuSTAR) after the flare. We took low-resolution spectra of HD 54786 from the 2.01 m Himalayan Chandra Telescope and the 2.34 m Vainu Bappu Telescope (VBT) facilities in India, on 2022 February 1 and 2. In addition to H? emission, we found emission lines of He i in the optical spectrum of this star. By comparing our spectrum of the object with those from the literature we found that He i lines show variability. Using photometric studies we estimate that the star has an effective temperature of 20,000 K. Although HD 54786 is reported as a supergiant in previous studies, our analysis favors it to be evolving off the main sequence in the color-magnitude diagram. We could not detect any infrared excess, ruling out the possibility of IR emission from a dusty circumstellar disk. Our present study suggests that HD 54786 is a Be/X-ray binary system with a compact object companion, possibly a neutron star. 2022. The Author(s). Published by the American Astronomical Society. -
The convective heat transfer analysis of the casson nanofluid jet flow under the influence of the movement of gyrotactic microorganisms
Jet flows provide an effective mode of energy transfer or mass transfer in industrial applications. When compared to traditional cooling through convection, jet flows have high heat and mass transfer coefficients. Further, the devices equipped with jet flow provides efficient use of fluid and also offers enhanced heat and mass transfer rates. Hence in this study, the jet flow of Casson nanofluid containing gyrotactic microorganisms that stabilises the nanoparticle suspension is discussed. To control the fluid from outside external magnetic field is imposed. The model with these characteristics are useful in the appliances like coolants in automobiles, nuclear reactors, micro-manufacturing, metallurgical process etc. Such a model is created by employing PDE, which are then transformed into a system of ODE. The DTM is employed to obtain the solution to system of equations, and the results are interpreted using graphs. It is perceived that the velocity of the nanofluid flow is decreased because of the increased yield stress created by the greater values of the Casson parameter. As a result, the temperature profile is found to be increasing. Meanwhile, it is observed that for increased value of chemical reaction parameter diminishes the nanoparticle concentration. The motile density is found to decrease for increase in the Peclet number and the bioconvection Schmidt number. Further, the thermophoresis improves the temperature and concentration profile of the nanofluid. 2022 Indian Chemical Society -
Being socially responsible: How green self-identity and locus of control impact green purchasing intentions?
This paper investigates the influence of green self-identity (GSI) and two attributes of locus of control, namely external environmental locus of control (ExLOC) and pro-environmental locus of control (PELOC), to predict perceived consumers effectiveness (PCE) on green purchase intentions (GPI) using attribution theory. For this study, data from 391 Indian consumers were analyzed using PLS-SEM via SMARTPLS version 3.2.9. Results show that GSI positively influences both ExLOC and PELOC. Furthermore, both aspects of locus of control are significant positive predictors of PCE and have partial mediation roles. The results not only imply comprehensively expound the process of green buying intentions of consumers through self-identity but also addresses the process of attribution. The study applied the Importance Performance Map Analysis (IPMA) to compare the relative importance and performance of three antecedents (i.e., ELOC, GSI, and PCE). The finding is of utmost importance for practitioners and public authorities to design more focused strategies to increase GPI among the masses to enhance the sales of green products. 2022 The Authors -
Assessing transmission excellence and flow detection based on Machine Learning
Excellence in transmission can be assessed in optical transport networks before providing any additional connections or upgrading the connections. Generally, the Physical Layer Model (PLM) is used to assess the transmission quality which has high probability in uncertainty and inaccuracy due to the circumstances of physical layer. The network efficiency is directly proportional to the margins. If the margins getting increases in the PLM, the efficiency of the network decreases. Maintaining the excellence in transmission is the biggest challenge when the margins getting increased. Other significant factors for excellence in transmission is scalable, minimum latency with maximum speed and energy efficient. Photonic switching is a hopeful solution for handling these challenges. Machine learning technique is proposed to assess the excellence of transmission and flow detection. ML-E and Precedence based scheduling algorithms are proposed for excellence of transmission and flow detection respectively. The proposed techniques justify variations, uncertainties in kits like fiber dilution, dispersion and optimizes PSON (packet switched optical network). Simulation results are demonstrated and the proposed work results indicates that it can outperform a benchmark in all aspects. 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature. -
Preparation, characterization, and electrochemical properties of PEO/PVDF blend films
This paper reports the electrochemical properties of PEO, PEO/PVDF10, and PEO/PVDF30 blend films, The XRD spectra reveal the structural properties of the blend and, FTIR spectra provide the chemical interaction between the blends, and observed FESEM images of PEO/PVDF blend film shows the porous with spherulite grain structure and AFM images gives the surface topology. The thermal stability, melting point, and decomposes of the polymer blend film were examined through TGA, DTA, and DSC. CV curve shows the proper oxidation and redox reaction involved in the blend film, these results provide the prepared polymer blend film is a good candidate for used to the separator in energy storage applications. 2022 Elsevier B.V. -
Impact of COVID-19-Related Distress on Anxiety and Depression of College Students
The current study explores the impact of COVID-19 related distress factors on the mental well-being of college students. For the purpose of the study, mental well-being is measured through the depression symptoms and general anxiety levels of the students. The study used judgemental sampling to identify the respondents of the study. The final sample consisted of 147 respondents and the data was analysed on SPSS. The results suggested that while COVID-19 distress factors were not significant in predicting the level of depression symptoms experienced by the students, the general anxiety levels were significantly impacted by the distress factors. The findings are particularly useful for the teachers and institutions working to connect and teach through online platforms. 2022, Commonwealth of Learning. All rights reserved. -
FISCAL PERFORMANCE OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS (PRIs): AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH IN PRE AND POST-BIFURCATION PERIOD
The effectiveness of democratic decentralisation depends on the financial strength and independence of the local bodies. Financial autonomy is vital to reap the full potential benefits of decentralisation as the transfer of funds, functions, and functionaries will enable local bodies to be institutes of self-governance and not just delivery mechanisms. In the context of persistent fiscal distress across the local bodies, an attempt is made to empirically examine the fiscal performance of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Andhra Pradesh during 2010-11 to 2017-18, i.e. pre- and post-bifurcation periods of the State. The fiscal autonomy and the revenue dependency of PRIs across all three tiers in the State during the same period was also analysed. The study finds that the fiscal autonomy of top tiers, i.e. Mandal Praja Parishads (MPPs) and Zilla Praja Parishads (ZPPs) is negligible in both periods, while Gram Panchayats showed relatively better fiscal autonomy in both periods. 2022 National Institute of Rural Development. All rights reserved.