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Challenges and Solutions in Implementing NEP 2020 in Engineering Education
The implementation of educational best practices in the current scenario of demand for progressive, futuristic education with employable skills expected from formal education, especially engineering is examined here. The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) introduced by the Ministry of Human Resource Development Government of India intended to align education with the changing employment landscape with demand for skill sets, and the conducive global ecosystem for emergence of startups and entrepreneurship, thus imparting the essence of lifelong learning. The NEP 2020 aims to employ more learning with increased practice through real-time problem skills with critical thinking, creative thinking capability and interdisciplinary approach to adapt to the ever-evolving technological development. The paper provides a broad overview on how an Institution has evolved innovative practices in curriculum that ticks most checkboxes of progressive engineering education and delves into a model for embodying the underlying policy ideas of NEP 2020 too, in the realm of undergraduate engineering programmes. The intertwining of the initiatives taken by the progressive introduction of the model in an engineering Institution incidentally serves to meet the aspirational objectives of NEP 2020. Further, the thrust areas at the progressive Institution over years are seen to blend synergistically with many thrust areas propounded in NEP 2020. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Kennedy Andrew Thomas, Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry and Joseph Varghese Kureethara; individual chapters, the contributors. -
The Changing Trends in International Education in India: A review
The demand for international exposure and education is skyrocketing in India, mainly due to demographic changes, growth in IT, media exposure, broadening of career prospects, global opportunities, cultural exposure, adaptability, and the need for problem-solving skills in multicultural, global industries. Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) are also responsible for providing an opportunity to equip students to be successful in complex, global work settings through integrating international perspectives in education. The paper aims to study and understand the trends among the inbound and outbound students in Indian HEIs in the past few decades. The pandemic has affected both kinds. Above all, the new National Education Policy (NEP 2020) focuses on the attainment of global standards for Indian HEIs and attempts to attract more inbound international students to Indian HEIs. The chapter explores the internationalisation trends India has experienced and will also share the prospective trends in higher education's internationalisation in India based on the new National Education Policy 2020. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Kennedy Andrew Thomas, Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry and Joseph Varghese Kureethara; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Meta-Teaching on Leveraging the Metaverse for Definitive Efficiency in Learning in Higher Education
One of the most intriguing results of the technology revolution over the past ten years has been virtual reality (VR). This experience is set to be enhanced by the metaverse, the next major technological revolution of our time. The metaverse delivers a fully immersive 3D digital experience that blends virtual and real worlds. The idea is interpreted as the future of the internet, it will allow users to interact with one another in a 3D virtual environment, through gaming or collaborating on projects. In the education sector, metaverse will play a vital role in overcoming learning limitations. Activities that occur in remote locations in the real world can now take place virtually. With VR, students are fully immersed in a simulated environment, free from distractions which enhances the student's ability to learn. Scientific studies show that VR improves spatial memory and cognition. Visual learning can boost student's understanding of more complicated subjects, concepts and languages by allowing them to learn from a first-person perspective and observe everything happening around them. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Kennedy Andrew Thomas, Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry and Joseph Varghese Kureethara; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Imparting Life Skills Through Psychoeducation Among 1st-year University Students to Cope Better with Campus Culture
Psycho-education is an interactive, skill-based programme for all first-year undergraduate students. It serves as a platform for visibility and helps facilitate changes in their preconceived notions about counselling and to end the stigma attached to mental health. Psycho-education sessions are a way to build a comfortable space in a new environment. The main objective is to empower students to handle new phases of life, create awareness of life skills and discuss youth-relevant topics such as managing time, coping with stress, relationships, self-esteem, body image, resilience and addictions. The current probe is designed to assess the awareness of life skills among first-year undergraduate students imparted through Psycho-education sessions to cope better with university life. Modules are designed in such a way that life skills are imparted in a supportive environment. Participatory methods were used. The data analysis showed an improvement in adjusting well to campus culture. The interventions after that led to a surge in the number of students approaching the counsellors for personal counselling. Additional research needs to be undertaken on life skills in higher education, which is apparent from the fact that most universities have no counsellors, and less importance is given to the student's well-being and mental health. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Kennedy Andrew Thomas, Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry and Joseph Varghese Kureethara; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Skill Enhancement is an Essential Aspect of the Emerging Curriculum to Resolve the Talent Crunch and Foster Entrepreneurship Among Young Graduates
Human capital management is one of the most important aspects of the booming economies in the current scenario. However, a problem faced over the last decade is the lack of skilful employees required by the industries in the changing market trends. The World is rapidly progressing with innovation and technological advancements from time to time. Our young graduates need to gear up and gain momentum to match the ever-changing needs of the new business models. The biggest challenge in many countries is recruiting skilful resources, resulting in a recent Talent crunch and another important problem is a shortage of entrepreneurs. When these issues are discussed, it is very important to bridge the gap and make the path to success clear by transforming human capital into skilful capital, which could be achieved by redesigning the curriculum and tailoring it to integrate academic knowledge with industry interface. This paper is an attempt to highlight the importance of Curriculum design in improving the skills for employability and entrepreneurship among students to bridge the gap between the industry, job seekers and the role of educational institutions in building an individual's employability and growth, as they are the prime sources of skills and knowledge. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Kennedy Andrew Thomas, Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry and Joseph Varghese Kureethara; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Introduction
Beginning The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in 2013, a significant development in higher education, in addition to several other initiatives such as the introduction of the New Methodology by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), the New Education Policy (NEP2020) and technological challenges of the COVID pandemic in the current times, Indian higher education has been undergoing a profound transformation, especially intending to revamp, through policy changes, upgrading and enhancing quality, ranking, research, bridging the skill gap, technological innovations and global perspectives. There is an urgent need to understand the evolving dynamics and emerging perspectives that appear to challenge the higher education system in India. The conference intends to draw attention to those key stakeholders in the present context to realise the anticipated drive towards overhauling the higher education system in India. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Kennedy Andrew Thomas, Joseph Chacko Chennattuserry and Joseph Varghese Kureethara; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Cybersecurity Implications for Digital Competence
This chapter explores the critical role of cybersecurity in enhancing digital competence within agile and hierarchical organisational structures. It provides a theoretical framework connecting digital skills, technology, and cybersecurity, emphasising their collective importance in modern business environments. The chapter examines how agile organisations prioritise adaptability in addressing cybersecurity threats, while hierarchical organisations rely on structured processes to ensure security and compliance. The chapter identifies each structures strengths and challenges in integrating cybersecurity through comparative analysis. It further discusses the future of digital competence, highlighting how cybersecurity drives digital transformation and impacts operational performance. Best practices and recommendations are provided for organisations to integrate cybersecurity effectively, ensuring long-term resilience and sustainability in an evolving cyber landscape. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Festus Adedoyin; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Digital Competence and Operational Performance in Agile and Hierarchical Organizations
This chapter examines the profound impact of digitalization on supply chain operational performance, emphasizing the integration of advanced technologies and strategic approaches essential for organizational success. It highlights the critical role of digital competence - including IoT, AI, blockchain, and predictive analytics - in enhancing supply chain efficiency and decision-making. The chapter discusses how digitalization influences critical operational metrics such as cost, efficiency, speed, and responsiveness and identifies current trends like cloud computing, big data analytics, and edge computing while addressing adoption challenges. A comparative analysis of agile versus hierarchical supply chains reveals distinct impacts of digitalization on each structure. Emerging technologies such as quantum computing, 5G, and autonomous systems are expected to revolutionize supply chain operations further. The chapter underscores the necessity of digital competence for maintaining a competitive edge and offers strategic recommendations for leveraging digital transformation to achieve superior operational performance and sustainability. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Festus Adedoyin; individual chapters, the contributors. -
For Food and Livelihood: Rethinking the Role of Agriculture in Indias Capitalist Development
In India, agriculture continues to provide a source of livelihood to almost half of the employed labour force, and recent evidence (over the last 15 years) clearly indicates that the income from farming is grossly inadequate for basic sustenance for the vast majority of the agrarian population. We start our analysis by establishing some salient features of Indian agriculture, which are key in foregrounding any serious discussion on the subject. First, based on the framework proposed by Dorin, Hourcade and Benoit-Cattin, India is shown to be a country in the so-called Lewis trap zone with a simultaneous increase in agricultural population (albeit at a decreasing rate) and a growing divergence in income between agriculture and the non-agricultural sector over the last 50 years. It is argued that this phenomenon can be understood as one of perverse structural transformation in opposition to the virtuous Lewisian path that is based on the historical trajectory of Western European economies. Second, despite the persistence of low levels of productivity in most segments of agriculture, India has emerged in recent years as a food-surplus country in a net sense with significant food exports. As mentioned earlier, this self-sufficiency in food production has been achieved in a period when the majority of the farming community has undergone severe impoverishment due to the economic unviability of crop production. Based on these two observations, the chapter argues for a fundamental rethinking of agricultures role in the long-term development process in a labour-surplus economy such as India. Unlike the classical/Lewisian process of structural transformation, which is predicated on a rapid rate of labour transfer out of agriculture in combination with a corresponding increase in agricultural productivity, agriculture in countries such as India is likely to play a critical role in providing the means of social reproduction for a large mass of surplus humanity in the foreseeable future. This livelihood function of agriculture, along with its essential role in supplying food for the rest of the economy (which is in line with the Mellor-Johnston thesis), constitutes the defining elements of the future of agriculture in typical labour-abundant economies such as India. The challenge, however, is to improve the economic and ecological conditions under which agrarian livelihoods are reproduced. This will involve a fundamental change in societys recognition and valuation of the functions that farming performs and remunerating farmers appropriately for these functions. This transfer of resources to agriculture should not be seen as a mere subsidy for agriculture but as fair compensation for its essential economic and ecological services. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Sejuti Das Gupta, Shouvik Chakraborty and Taposik Banerjee; individual chapters, the contributors. -
The Informal Sector in India: Neo-dualism and Dual Policy Response
While the Indian economy grows steadily, its transformation reveals a disturbing pattern. Despite a continuing shift of labour out of agriculture, most of the employment expansion in the non-agricultural sector is concentrated within the low-income-generating informal sector. Dominant discourses consider that this prevalence of the informal sector (and informal employment in general) could be mitigated through economic growth complemented by some institutional reforms. However, our detailed observations on India show that the informal sector is expanding in tandem with the overall capitalist growth driven by the formal sector. We found that an expansion of the formal sector engenders a spread of informality along with its dual (intra-sectoral) tendencies of progression and persistence. While the formal sector-linked relatively large-sized informal firms are progressing, the vast petty-informal segment is trapped in stagnancy. This scenario calls for product-specific cluster formations involving millions of rural-urban petty informal firms. The clusters could be a collective and cohesive instrument to resist the aggressive formal sector dominated by big capital. On the other hand, the formal sector-linked advanced segment of the informal sector can be developed by inducing such linkages. Thus, a dual intra-sectoral trend necessitates a dual policy response. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Sejuti Das Gupta, Shouvik Chakraborty and Taposik Banerjee; individual chapters, the contributors. -
The impact of AI and agile HR on talent acquisition and onboarding in the service industry
The high speed and competition levels in the service sector make it imperative to have a workforce that is capable of responding to rapid change. This research studies the synergistic impact of the utilization of Artificial Intelligence and Agile Human Resources in the service sector in enhancing the talent acquisition and onboarding process. Transforming the present study into a quest to see how these two transformative forces interact in the quest for identifying their potential for increasing efficiency and effectiveness, along with the employee experience. It investigates how AI can contribute to Agile HR in order to make talent acquisition easier. This involves using AI-based tools in talent sourcing, candidate screening, and assessment, and automating other routine tasks in order to set HR free for more strategic activities. The study also investigates the application of AI in personalizing onboarding, improving employee engagement, and accelerating time-to-productivity. Best practices and challenges are identified by analyzing case studies of service organizations that successfully put both AI and Agile HR into practice. This paper covers the ethical issues associated with AI and the requirement for human judgment in the process of talent acquisition and onboarding. Ultimately, the chapter will contribute to an understanding of how AI and Agile HR can combine in order to build a competitive advantage for service organizations. This will involve the optimization of talent acquisition and onboarding in a manner that enables the building of high-performing teams in order to deliver better customer satisfaction and drive business growth. 2026 Pushan Kumar Dutta, Amarnath Padhi, Sulagna Das, Vinod Kr Sharma and Poshan Yu. All rights reserved. -
HR 4.0: Integrating AI and automation in human resource development
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation within Human resource development (HRD) under the concept of HR 4.0 are revolutionizing HR practices by enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making. These technologies transform key HRD processes such as training, talent management, and employee engagement, driving organizational success. This study systematically reviews the integration of AI and automation practices within Human resource development under the concept of HR 4.0. It examines how these technologies are transforming HRD practices, including training, talent management, performance evaluation, and employee engagement. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature from library data from published electronic and printed databases, the study identifies key trends, benefits, and challenges associated with artificial intelligence and automation techniques in Human Resource Development practices. The narrative synthesis of findings reveals the profound impact of these technologies on improving efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making in HRD processes. Furthermore, the review highlights ethical considerations, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias, and offers practical insights for HRD practitioners aiming to leverage AI and automation effectively. It also recognizes research gaps and suggests future research directions to further explore the potential of Artificial Intelligence and automation in enhancing human resource development. 2026 Pushan Kumar Dutta, Amarnath Padhi, Sulagna Das, Vinod Kr Sharma and Poshan Yu. All rights reserved. -
Neuro-Divergence and COVID-19 Pandemic: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis on the Experiences of a Mother of an Autistic Child
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered how the experience for neuro-divergent individuals as well as their caregivers has been. A neuro-divergent person refers to a person with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or, more generally, to someone whose brain processes information in a way that is not typical of most individuals. In India, where gendered parenting is the norm and can significantly influence childrens development and functioning, it becomes imperative to examine the narratives of mothers of neuro-divergent children. The present case study has been undertaken to study the phenomenon of neuro-divergence in the context of the caregivers especially the mothers experience during the pandemic. The mother of an autistic child was telephonically interviewed to collect the experience of how she navigated through the complexities of the pandemic with her neuro-divergent child. The transcribed data were analysed by reflexive thematic analysis. The reflexive thematic analysis yielded six themes such as resilience in adversity, struggles with social isolation and educational support, adaptation and creativity, advocacy for change, hope and resilience, and newfound relationship. During the pandemic, the lack of physical, and social interaction, community support, and a sense of loneliness experienced during the challenging circumstances of the pandemic served as a bane to the overall experience. In the context of the findings, it is suggested that further research be conducted on the narratives of caregivers, systemic challenges serving as hindrances to the development of neuro-divergent individuals and the rise of caregiver burden due to gendered parenting among the neuro-divergent community. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Sonali Mukherjee and Swati Pathak. -
Impact of COVID-19 and Social Distancing Measures on Married Women: A Qualitative Enquiry
Considering the World Health Organizations declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic, governments worldwide implemented lockdowns and social distancing measures to contain the spread. Despite these critical measures, the pandemic exacerbated gender inequality, particularly impacting women. With schools and workplaces closed and heightened concerns for family members health, women shouldered increased family responsibilities, leading to numerous physical and psychological health challenges. Married women, in particular, faced amplified burdens. This study aims to delve into the experiences of married women during the pandemic. Twenty married women within the age range of 2245 years residing in the northern part of India were telephonically interviewed about their experiences during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. The interviews recordings were transcribed manually and analysed using thematic content analysis. The emerging themes -emotional and psychological impact, social impact, workload impact, and coping mechanisms -shed light on both the positive and negative outcomes of the pandemic. The results revealed that both working and non-working married women encountered emotional, psychological, and social challenges such as anxiety, social isolation, increased intimacy, and workfamily conflict due to heightened domestic responsibilities resulting from the confinement of each family member at home. However, women reported that habituation and forced adjustments became their primary coping mechanisms. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Shalini Mittal, Tushar Singh, Harleen Kaur, Rahul Varma, Sreeja Das, Yogesh Kumar Arya, Sunil K. Verma, Shivantika Sharad, Divya Bhanot, Udisha Merwal, Aishwarya Jaiswal, Benkat Krishna Bharti, and Bhawna Tushir. -
Unveiling the Future of Business Success: Integrating Environmental and Sustainable Criteria through Business Cases
This chapter explores how environmental and sustainable criteria can enhance organizational success in rapidly changing economic and societal trends. It also focuses on future value creation. The continuing fight is leading to the obsolescence of traditional tools for management due to the increased level of competition, rapid rates of change, and time compression in society. To address urgent demands for sustainability, this research examines the blending of ecological and sustainable standards with corporate objectives, illustrating how businesses can benefit from such integration. The existing business practices are presented with evidence showing their impact on the environment and society, thereby stressing the need for sustainability measures that ensure long-term success. Through an exploration of peer-reviewed literature on this topic, a variety of ways are examined. Different companies can incorporate these criteria into their operations by an analysis of best practice followed by market leaders that involve setting clear objectives and identifying key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress. In addition, the chapter investigates the strategies that corporations need to implement in order to adopt environmental integrity principles within their company policies, such as renewable energy sources, intelligent buildings and circular economy models, as well as other solutions that can reduce their ecological footprints, leading to organizational excellence. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Sonal Trivedi, Balamurugan Balusamy, Krishnaraj Nagappan, Dinesh Krishnan Subramaniam and Daniel Arockiam; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved. -
Behind the Fallout: Environmental Strategy and Innovation Gone Awry
Innovation and environmental strategy play vital roles in addressing the issues of ecological preservation and sustainability. This chapter explores the complicated nature of these concepts, along with their benefits and risks. It also aims to uncover practical lessons from its identified failures. The chapter provides an overview of innovation and environmental strategy, emphasizing their importance in today's environmental and business landscapes. It also explores the central theme of the study: the failure of innovation and environmental strategy to address the challenges of sustainability. Secondly, the chapter explores the various causes of environmental strategy malfunctions. Through a combination of case studies and analysis, it is possible to learn about the common traps, such as poor execution and resource limitations. Thirdly, the chapter focuses on the relationship between innovation and the environment, shedding light on its potential and also the obstacles it encounters in case studies of unsuccessful approaches. The impact of regulation and environmental policy on corporate strategy is explored in the fourth section, which considers how such changes can affect existing approaches, offering practical insights through case studies. Next, the importance of collaboration and communication is emphasized, in which case studies show how poor stakeholder engagement can affect the outcome of an environmental strategy. The sixth section of the chapter tackles the technological issues that can arise when implementing an environmental strategy. It delves into the cases where technological obstacles have resulted in failures. Next, the effect of culture on environmental initiatives is explored. This shows how short-term thinking and resistance to change can either hinder or support initiatives. The eighth section focuses on improving environmental strategies. It offers suggestions on identifying and rectifying issues with such approaches, emphasizing the significance of learning from failures and continuous improvement. Finally, there is a summary of the chapter's findings and a comprehensive overview. This emphasizes how important it is to learn from failures in environmental approaches, offering suggestions for future research. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Sonal Trivedi, Balamurugan Balusamy, Krishnaraj Nagappan, Dinesh Krishnan Subramaniam and Daniel Arockiam; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved. -
Unofficial Bilingualism in English-Only Policy Context: A Postmethod Pedagogy for Difficult Circumstances in Rural Government Schools of Tamil Nadu
This chapter introduces and explains the phenomenon of Unofficial Bilingualism in government-run English-medium schools in rural Tamil Nadu, India. It delineates instances of using the mother tongue to navigate language learning challenges in schools with an official English-only policy. It studies three schools in the Salem district of Tamazil Nadu using a qualitative research framework, with classroom observation and telephonic interviews with teachers as primary research methods. Using thematic analysis of recorded classroom observation of three teachers use of L1 in the English classroom and in-depth, semi-structured telephone interviews with rural government schoolteachers across Tamil Nadu, the study grounds the phenomenon of Unofficial Bilingualism within the conceptual framework of Difficult Circumstances in ELT (West, 1960; Smith, 2011; Anderson, 2021) and explains it as a form of Postmethod Pedagogy (Kumaravadivelu, 2001, 2006). It explains the use of L1 in the classroom, despite official policy mandating teachers not to, and provides theoretical justification to legitimise the use of L1. The chapter argues for making Unofficial Bilingualism official and discusses its implications for classroom policy and teacher education, reconciling classroom practice with official policy. The study has implications for medium of instruction, language policy and teacher education. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Uma Pradhan and Mohini Gupta; individual chapters, the contributors. -
Higher Education in Maldives amidst the Pandemic: An Intersectional Approach to Digital Education
The Covid-19 outbreak upended the core foundations of societies across the globe, leading to dramatic shifts in knowledge, attitudes, and values. The education sector, known for its traditional classroom model, had to adapt quickly. However, the pandemic's impact varied widely due to social, cultural, economic, geographic, and gender factors. Amid such inequal pandemic disruptions, Maldives presents a unique case as an upper-middle-income economy with diverse higher education (HE) opportunities. The pandemic pushed Maldives towards digital education, capitalizing on pre-existing capabilities. The study employs an intersectional feminist approach to the gender digital divide, seeking to understand how the rapid adoption of digital education in Maldives' higher education institutions (HEIs) has unfolded during the pandemic. The analysis reveals deeply entrenched gender norms that have had a disproportionate impact on women students and lecturers in HEIs. Factors like unpaid domestic labour and care work, lack of suitable home space, absence of psychological support, and reinforcement of gender roles have primarily widened the gender digital divide in digital education during the pandemic. Moreover, local, social, and cultural attitudes further exacerbate this divide signifying a pressing need to re-evaluate women's roles in HEIs in the post-pandemic world. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Padma Rani, Bhanu Bhakta. -
Unleashing the Potential: How Influencers Drive Digital Content Marketing
Digital content marketing has revolutionized the marketing landscape, and influencers have emerged as powerful drivers in this realm. Digital content marketing (DCM) is marketing information that is valuable for consumers, which is created, distributed, and managed in a virtual space to engage current and potential consumer bases. An influencer is an individual who influences a broad segment of the target audience. They shape audience attitudes through blogs, tweets, and videos using social media. This demonstrates the power of an individual where an influencer markets the product/services of a particular firm via digital platforms. DCM exhibits the power of the content where the content is marketed via digital platforms. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of influencers on facilitating digital content marketing. This study employs the exploratory research synthesis method to gain insights into the current body of research concerning influencers and digital content marketing. Additionally, a case example is employed to shed light on how influencers play a role in driving digital content marketing. 2025 selection and editorial matter, Subir Bandyopadhyay and Bikramjit Rishi. -
Groundwater Exploitation in India for Quenching Thirst and Supporting Water for Food: Uncontrolled Anthropogenic Water Demands and Reliance Leading to Eco-crime
The extent of groundwater reliance in India for agriculture and drinking water is enormous, making the country the most groundwater-reliant and exploiting country in the world. This water source supports the drinking water supply and irrigation in the country. The hydrogeological, climatic and legal factors contribute to this extensive reliance on groundwater. These current groundwater legal frameworks based on land-water nexus with a robust property rights framework lead to uncontrolled extraction, resulting in a surge of over-exploited zones in the country. Despite attempts by the courts to regulate water governance using principles like public trust and precautionary principles and the attempts of the State to enact new legislations that move away from this property rights linked land-water nexus regime in groundwater regulation, the current legislative framework that controls groundwater extraction in the State adopts a curative approach. The land-water nexus in groundwater not only exaggerates the inherent socio-economic divide between water users but also threatens the groundwater sources and their sustainability, impairing the ecosystem balance. This chapter examines this dilemma, where the groundwater legal framework-inspired exploitation leads to depletion of groundwater resources and aquifers. This chapter argues that uncontrolled exploitation without concern for the rights of aquifers constitutes an instance of eco-crime, and this anthropogenic encroachment over the ecosystem spaces should be categorised as an element of eco-crime. This chapter adopts a socio-legal approach and provides insights from the experiences gathered from the arid State of Rajasthan, India. 2026 selection and editorial matter, Shanthakumar Sanjeevi and Dhanya S, individual chapters, the contributors.