Ravenshaw University

India’s Vision 2047, popularly known as Viksit Bharat @2047, represents an ambitious national roadmap to transform India into a developed, inclusive, and sustainable nation by the centenary of its independence. This research article critically analyses the core pillars of the vision, including economic growth, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, technological advancement, and governance reforms. The study adopts a qualitative analytical approach based on policy documents, scholarly literature, and secondary data sources. It examines four major objectives: fostering inclusive economic growth, strengthening social infrastructure, promoting sustainable environmental practices, and enhancing technological innovation and governance efficiency. The findings indicate that while India possesses significant demographic and technological advantages, challenges such as regional inequality, climate vulnerability, and institutional gaps persist. The study concludes that achieving Vision 2047 requires integrated policy implementation, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and continuous monitoring. Strategic recommendations are proposed to strengthen institutional frameworks, promote innovation, and ensure equitable development.

Low-light (LL) stress caused by persistent cloud cover during the Kharif season significantly reduces rice (Oryza sativa L.) grain yield (GY) by limiting photosynthesis, impairing assimilate production, and affecting reproductive development. To dissect the genetic basis of LL tolerance, 192 diverse rice genotypes were evaluated across contrasting light environments (LL and normal light under Rabi and Kharif seasons) and genotyped using a high-density 44K single nucleotide polymorphism array. Integrating phenotypic and genomic data enabled a multi-tiered analysis from quantitative trait locus (QTL) discovery to gene identification and haplotype dissection. Genome-wide association analysis identified 305 QTLs associated with GY and 11 related traits, including 148 LL-specific and 32 stable QTLs expressed across both seasons. Forty-two candidate genes were localized within major QTL intervals, and 12 were identified as hub genes based on their key roles in photosynthesis, light perception, hormone signaling, and starch biosynthesis. These included Gn1a, OsPsbS1, OsAGPL2, OsLhcb1, OsAUX1, OsSBDCP1, OsNPF5.16, OsPHYA, OsPHYB, OsGIF1, HY5, and OsYUC11. Expression profiling confirmed stronger induction of OsPHYA (∼2.5-fold) and OsPsbS1 (∼2.8-fold) in LL-tolerant genotypes like Purnendu and Swarnaprabha compared to susceptible lines. Haplotype analysis revealed several superior alleles, such as PHYA-Hap2 and OsPsbS1-Hap3, that were consistently associated with higher spikelet fertility, greater grain number, increased biomass, and improved GY under LL, with top-performing haplotypes enhancing yield by 12%-18%. Genotypes carrying these haplotypes (e.g., Purnendu, Swarnaprabha, and Chamarmani) represent valuable breeding donors. Overall, this study provides the first genome-wide identification of LL-specific haplotypes in rice, together with biologically validated hub genes. These findings offer actionable genomic targets and donor resources for developing LL-resilient, high-yielding cultivars suited to changing climate and light-limited environments.

This paper critically examines how pandemic literature, particularly Lawrence Wright's The End of October (2020) and The Plague Year (2021), serves as a cultural lens to explore the convergence of technology, gender dynamics, and media law in times of global health crises.The primary objective is to understand how literary and journalistic narratives both reflect and challenge structural inequalities exacerbated during pandemics, with special emphasis on the Indian socio-political context.Methodologically, the study employs a close textual analysis of Wright's works, supported by interdisciplinary frameworks from feminist theory, media law, and public health discourse.It interrogates how the texts render visible the disproportionate gendered impacts of pandemics, highlight the role of digital surveillance and misinformation, and critique institutional responses shaped by patriarchal and technocratic governance.The findings reveal that The End of October contrives a plausible viral outbreak that prefigures real-world events, demonstrating how fiction can pre-emptively critique institutional vulnerabilities.In contrast, The Plague Year offers a journalistic dissection of real events, underscoring how truth and narrative collide in shaping public understanding.Both texts collectively foreground how pandemic realities magnify pre-existing disparities-especially in access to healthcare, technological agency, and legal protections for women and marginalised communities.The results underscore that pandemic narratives function not merely as records of crisis, but as ethical and political commentaries that demand rethinking the legal and technological infrastructures governing public life.The study concludes that reading pandemic literature through the lens of gender and law opens new avenues for equitable policy discourse in postpandemic societies.

ABSTRACT Processed rice, known for its high glycemic index (GI) value, is considered a risk component for non‐communicable diseases, like type 2 diabetes. People consuming milled rice in their staple diet, along with sedentary lifestyles, are more prone to modern lifestyle‐related diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. Rice with high resistant starch (RS) and low GI digests slowly, resulting in lower postprandial blood glucose levels. Apart from amylose content (AC) in rice grain starch, linear chains of amylopectin also impact the rate of starch digestibility. To understand the effect of amylose and amylopectin linear chains on the rate of starch digestibility, biochemical analysis was done to estimate the GI, RS, and AC in 110 milled rice genotypes. A significant variation was observed in GI (54.76–67.00), RS (0.40%–2.19%), and AC (4.82%–25.52%). Out of 110, three rice genotypes (IG 72, IG 23, and IG 40) were selected for the molecular analysis of two genes, granule bound starch synthase I ( GBSSI ) and pullulanase ( PUL ), based on their contrasting AC, RS, and GI values. A low GI (54.76) rice IG 23 was identified, where a single nucleotide substitution (“G” instead of “C”) in the endosperm‐specific motif (AACA) under the promoter sequence of PUL gene was found. This mutation most likely leads to overexpression of the PUL gene in IG 23, enhancing amylopectin branch trimming and accumulation of longer amylose‐like linear structures, thus lowering the GI value. However, the highest expression of GBSSI and PUL genes was observed in the mid stage of grain development in all the genotypes. These results highlight the importance of identifying rice genotypes with low starch digestibility, which may be suitable for consumption by diabetics or people prone to diabetes, and developing molecular markers for a breeding program to develop such rice cultivars.

Women’s entrepreneurship is important for achieving faster and more inclusive growth. However, women’s journey to becoming entrepreneurs is not smooth, as they face many societal, economic and organisational challenges. Additionally, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in general and women-owned MSMEs in particular. So, this study has attempted to figure out the determinants that influence women entrepreneurs’ attitudes towards managing the enterprise during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and also highlighted various measures adopted by these entrepreneurs to overcome the mental stress caused by the pandemic. Using a structured interview schedule, 256 sample women entrepreneurs have been surveyed from five different parts of Odisha state for the study. Results are analysed using descriptive statistics and an econometric tool, namely ordered probit model. Various social, financial and operational factors have been taken as predictors and women entrepreneurs’ attitudes towards enterprise management during the pandemic (women entrepreneurs’ attitude) have been taken as the response variable in the study. Findings of the ordered probit model show that predictors like enterprise’s loan status (Loanstat), credit management status (Cremngt), operational status (Entoper), availability of raw materials (Rawmat), internet access (internet) and entrepreneurial skill (Bussiskill) have influenced the response variable. Marginal effects of the predictors on the response variable with different categories have also been estimated. However, based on the findings, the study suggested certain policies that may guide non-governmental organisations (NGOs), development practitioners and the government while framing any policy for incentivising women entrepreneurs, mostly during difficult times.

Purpose Migrant workers constitute the backbone of real estate and construction sectors, yet remain marginal within public policy frameworks that prioritize physical assets over social systems. This article advances a novel conceptual framing of migrant labour as living infrastructure, arguing that workers’ housing, mobility and welfare are integral to project delivery, alongside land, materials and finance. Study Design/Methodology/Approach The study adopts a mixed-method empirical design conducted between 2020 and 2024, covering the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery period. Data were collected from six major urban construction projects in India and the Gulf region. Methods included semi-structured interviews with 120 migrant workers, 20 contractors and 10 policymakers, supplemented by documentary analysis of labour codes, housing schemes and digital welfare platforms. Findings The analysis reveals three persistent dynamics. First, fragmented governance and weak enforcement undermine labour protections. Second, construction systems rely structurally on informal housing and multilayered subcontracting that externalize welfare costs. Third, selective inclusion through digital registration platforms systematically excludes highly mobile workers. Together, these dynamics generate workforce instability, heighten compliance risks for firms and disrupt project timelines. Originality/Value The article contributes original theoretical value by reframing migrant workers as living infrastructure within construction management and urban policy scholarship, moving beyond narratives of precarity toward infrastructural citizenship. Research Limitations/Implications The study focuses on selected projects in India and the Gulf, limiting generalizability across regions. Future research could extend the framework to other labour-intensive sectors and comparative national contexts. Practical Implications Integrating worker welfare into project planning can improve workforce stability, regulatory compliance and delivery efficiency. Social Implications Recognizing migrant labour as living infrastructure supports more inclusive urban development and strengthens social sustainability in rapidly expanding cities.

Abstract Genome-editing applications in biological organisms rely on a limited set of naturally occurring enzymes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming protein design. Here, building on the AI-designed nuclease OpenCRISPR-1, we establish the plant-optimized AI-designed editors (PAiD) as a versatile genome-editing platform in plants. PAiD supports NHEJ-mediated indel generation, adenine and cytosine base editing, and prime editing, with robust performance across multiple loci comparable to SpCas9. These results highlight the translational potential of AI-designed nucleases for plant genome engineering.

Abstract C 4 photosynthesis evolved through adaptive changes in key metabolic enzymes that enhance carbon fixation efficiency, yet transferring such traits into C 3 crops has met limited success. Using precision prime editing, we introduced an evolutionarily conserved single amino acid substitution (Arg→Gly) into phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in rice. Edited plants exhibited enhanced PEPC activity in the presence of the feedback inhibitor malate, increased chlorophyll content, elevated photosynthetic rates under ambient CO 2 , and increased seed size and weight. Remarkably, seeds from the edited lines showed simultaneous enrichment of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), and protein, hereafter referred to as ZiP rice. This work demonstrates that a single, evolutionarily guided residue change can reprogram core carbon metabolism in a C 3 crop, enabling concurrent improvements in photosynthesis and grain nutritional quality.