Category: India

India’s abundant solar energy potential provides a clean and sustainable energy that can replace the extremely harmful, polluting and rapidly depleting conventional sources of energy. The development of policies and promotion of renewable energy will help India meet the solar target. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the current scenario of solar energy in India along with the challenges and trends of solar energy. A brief overview of developments taking place globally and how they can improve our future.

1. Introduction

Energy plays a crucial part in running our economy. The important part is how the energy is being generated. Even in 2020, we mostly depend on fossil fuels for most of the use cases. Some steps are taken toward green energy but are not so reliable or are quite costly. Apart from the problem of global warming, there is no abundant amount of fossil fuel to sustain future needs. We require energy in some form or other to fulfill our demands. The earth receives a lot of solar power, 173 thousand terawatts. Which is ten thousand times more power than the planet’s population uses. But the fact that billions of people don’t have access to a reliable electric grid. Most of them belong to the developing nation, and many of them are sunny. So the cost of solar energy is quite low in those areas. But still, there is no such development in those areas. Before discussing the causes we should understand how solar energy is produced.

Solar energy is generated through small solar cells, which are mainly made of silicon. A semiconductor which is the second most abundant element on earth. In a solar cell, crystalline silicon is a sandwich between two conductive layers. Each silicon atom is connected to its neighbor by four strong bonds, which keep electrons in place so no current can flow. A silicon cell uses two different layers of silicon. N-type silicon has extra electrons, and p-type silicon has extra spaces for electrons, called holes. Where the two types of silicon meet electrons can wander across the p/n junction, leaving a positive charge on one side and creating a negative charge on others. When a photon strikes the silicon cell with enough energy, it can knock an electron from its bond leaving a hole. The negatively charged electron and the location of the positively charged hole move freely around. However, due to the electric field at the p/n junction, they will only go one way. The electron is drawn to the n-side, while the hole is drawn to the p-side. The free electrons are collected by thin metal fingers at the top of the cell. From there, they flow through an external circuit, doing electrical work like charging a battery, before returning through the conductive aluminum sheet on the back. Each silicon cell puts out half a volt, but we can string them together in a module to draw more power. For example, twelve photo-voltaic cells can charge a cell phone. Electrons are the only moving parts in solar cells, and they all return from where they came. There is nothing to get worn out or used up, so the solar cells can last for decades. So, then what stops us from doing so? In this paper, we will attempt to understand the policies, trends, and challenges of solar energy in India. Many studies have shown that the position of India is suitable for cheap solar energy.

2. Solar demand in the market

Most of the energy demand is dependent on coal or fossil fuels. The increase in awareness about the environmental hazards due to greenhouse gases has pushed the development of alternative clean energy. Earlier the price of PV cells was high and gave a low efficiency whereas the energy generated through coal was cheap and easily available. But over the years, we have seen an exponential decline in the price of PV technologies. Some studies show that the price of solar panels has dropped by 80% since 2009 alone. This decrease in cost has boosted the PV installation. The costs of solar PV have seen a downward trend from 2010 to 2015, illustrating a drop in prices from 0.285 USD/kWh to 0.126 USD/kWh. A report published by the International Energy Agency in 2018 describes the low cost of PV tenders in countries around the world. The Levelized Cost of electricity was at a record low of 2.1 USD cents/kWh in Chile and Mexico while Europe saw the costs go down to 5 USD cents/kWh.

2.1 Development in solar

Over time we have seen a significant increase in the efficiency of solar panels. We have reached an efficiency of almost 20% and up to 45% in some cases. The rapid development and research in the area of solar technology have also reduced the cost per watt, thus increasing demand. Even though the cost per peak watt has decreased still we have not been able to shift to solar. Some steps must be taken by our government so that awareness can be increased along the way to shift from coal to solar or other renewable energy.

2.2 Future technology in solar

With all the development in solar, we can generate huge amounts of energy, but without a proper storage and distribution system, we are unable to efficiently use solar power. As the demand is quite high during the night. However, energy production is limited to daytime when abundant sunlight is available. To help supplement solar power technology, scientists are proposing the use of a new type of solar cell that can produce electricity at night through a radiative cooling mechanism. This technology is in its early phase and we can hope that in the future we can fully rely on solar technology.

3. Global solar power scenario

The Paris Agreement to decrease GHG emissions has given a push to the development of new and efficient renewable energy technology. Due to the continuous increase of greenhouse gases and pollution, many countries are moving toward renewable energy as an energy source. In 2013, approximately 19.1% of global total energy consumption was provided by renewable energy sources. Renewable energy has added approximately 58.5% of net additions of global power capacity, with significant progress in all areas of the world in 2014. At the end of 2014, renewable resources supplied 27.7% of the world’s total power generation capacities. The increase in capacity and rapid growth occurred in the renewable power sector, which is led by SPV, wind, and hydropower. With 153 GW capacities, China obtained the top rank in the world in renewable power installation in the year 2014. Along with China, the U.S., Brazil, India, and Germany are the top five countries in installed renewable energy capacity worldwide in 2019. The overall investment in clean energy is dominated by solar and wind energy. The global investment in solar energy has increased from 10.7 billion dollars in 2004 to around 141 billion dollars in 2019. Solar technologies have been steadily progressing towards new materials that will be much more efficient than current silicon cells. For example, the use of multi-junction cells with several layers that can harvest energy from different parts of the solar spectrum may dramatically increase solar power shortly. The global renewable energy sector employed 11 million people in 2018. As compared to 10.3 million people in 2017, based on available information. Employment remains concentrated in a handful of countries, with China, Brazil, the United States, India, and members of the European Union in the lead. Asian countries’ contribution remained at 60% of the global total. 3.6 million jobs are in the solar PV industry and 32 % of renewable energy jobs are held by women.

4. Solar power scenario of India

Economic growth is quite important for any counties development. With the increase in economic growth, energy demand also increases. The relationship between economic growth and energy demand is non-linear. Even today a large amount of electricity generation depends on coal.

Coal-fired plants generate 72% of India’s electricity. This, including the growth of coal-consuming industrial sectors like steel, is why the solid fuel source will continue to be integral to India’s economy in the next couple of decades. There is a high potential for the generation of renewable energy from various sources such as wind, solar, biomass, small hydro, and cogeneration biogas. The overall potential for renewable energy generation in the country as of 31.03.18 is estimated at 1096081MW (Table 1.3). This includes solar power potential of 748990 MW (68.33%), the wind power potential of 302251 MW (27.58%) at 100m hub height, SHP (small-hydro power) potential of 19749 MW (1.80%), Biomass power of 17,536 MW (1.60%), 5000 MW (0.46%) from bagasse-based cogeneration in sugar mills and 2554 MW (0.23%) from waste to energy. Over 4.5 million jobs will be created in the renewable energy sector over 25 years. India was ranked as the fourth most attractive renewal energy market in the world, in 2019. India has set a target of 450 GW of renewable power by 2030. This is the world’s largest expansion plan in renewable energy. As of 30 September 2020, the total installed capacity for Renewables is 89+ GW with the following break up:

• Wind power: 38 GW
• Solar Power: 36 GW
• BioPower: 10 GW
• Small Hydro Power: 5 GW

Solar capacity has increased by more than 11 times in the last five years from 2.6 GW to 28.18 GW in March 2019. 42 solar parks with an aggregate capacity of 23,499 MW have been approved in 17 states up to March 2019. Kurnool (1,000 MW) and Bhadla-II (648 MW) Solar Parks are fully operational. The largest Solar Park of 2,000 MW in Pavagada is under installation.

Karnataka and Rajasthan lead the installed solar capacity by 7.3 GW and 5.2 GW. India has approved around 36 solar parks to date, where Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Andra Pradesh have the most number of solar parks.

5. Trends and challenges of solar power

Solar energy seems to be a good alternative to conventional energy, but there are some challenges in achieving this. Following are some challenges faced to achieve complete solar dependence:

• Solar power is limited to daytime when abundant sunlight is available.
• The efficiency of the solar panel is still low. The most solar panel has an efficiency of 20%.
• The lower level of awareness.
• Lack of good policies from the government.
• The cost of the panel is high as well as the cost to store the energy produced during the daytime is high.

The awareness about the damages done by greenhouse gases and many developments are going on in solar energy. Here are some of the trends in solar energy.

Some study shows that the efficiency of the PV panel increased to 45%.

Some scientists have designed a prototype of a PV panel that can generate energy during the night.

Improvement in battery technology will also help in the storing and distribution of solar-generated electricity.

Many governments are taking some huge steps toward solar electrification.

6. Discussion

The government of India has taken some significant steps to improve solar dependency in India. Some studies have shown due to the rise in awareness of greenhouse gases, people are demanding cleaner energy sources. Even in 2020, the majority of our electricity generated comes from fossil fuels. The position of India makes it suitable for abundant cheap solar energy. But still, very small steps have been taken to implement it. A proper grid-like distribution system is required for better utilization of the energy generated. Some subsidiaries are provided by the government but this is not enough. The government must encourage local people to use solar roofs and aware them of the importance, and benefits of using solar energy. More discussion on the policies must be done.

7. Conclusion

This paper discusses the current solar scenario in India. Electricity production and distribution have always remained crucial for India, where the demand is increasing day by day. Till now coal remains a major source of electricity production. Our government has launched some schemes for solar power production, some of which have been successful. Educating people and promoting the use of renewable energy will boost the use of renewable energy. India’s policies have increased investment both local and foreign for different activities related to solar energy.

But most importantly without local R&D and manufacturing the cost of solar cannot be reduced. To achieve the Solar target we all have to take initiative.

8. References

1. Santosh Kumar Suman, Jameel Ahamad, “Solar Energy Potential and Future Energy of India: An Overview”,2018
2. Gautam Rainaa, Sunanda Sinha, “Outlook on the Indian scenario of solar energy strategies: Policies and challenges”,2019
3. Subhojit Dawn, Prashant Kumar Tiwari, Arup Kumar Goswami, Manish Kumar Mishra,” Recent developments of solar energy in India: Perspectives, strategies, and future goals”,2016
4. Malti Goel,” Solar Rooftop in India: Policies, Challenges and Outlook”
5. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Source India, Government of India. Available: 〈http://mnre.gov.in/mission-and-vision-2/achievements/〉.
6. Akshay Urja. Newsletter of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India 2010;4 (November–December (2–3)).
7. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/power/india-will-not-be-able-to-achieve-its-renewable-energy-targets-anytime-soon/articleshow/69286279.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
8. International Energy Agency, https://www.iea.org/policiesandmeasures, (2019), Accessed date: 23 July 2019.

Worldwide, at least 2.8 million people die every year because of being overweight or obese. 13% of the world’s adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese in 2014. Lancet findings also say, India is just behind US and China in this global hazard list of top 10 countries with highest number of obese people. They account for 38 million deaths in 2012, and the same number is expected to go 52 million by 2030.

Globalization has contributed significantly in economic growth of the country and introduction of new companies has created plenty of jobs where employees spending 60-70% of their time in offices. An Australian study shows that working adults spent up to one half of the workday sitting down implying occupational sitting is a main contributor to total daily sitting time (Brown WJ, 2003). During the job hours, sitting for prolonged hours adversely affecting the body which is not wired to be shiftless. Lack of movement slows digestion process by reducing the amount of food that is converted to energy and thus promoting fat accumulation results into overweight and obesity which further leads to many non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea and arthritis.

Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations says that although India’s economic boom has brought risein corporate profits and higher incomes for employees, it has also led to a surge in workplace stress and lifestyle diseases. ASSOCHAM’S corporate employees’ survey result says, 36%t of the sample population are suffering from obesity which is itself a risk factor for corporate employee working in sitting condition. The average office worker sits about 10 hours a day. There are all those hours in front of the computer, plowing through emails, making calls or writing proposals and eating lunch and even at home there are hours sitting in front of the TV or surfing the internet.

A private firm, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company conducted a survey with 1,100 working professionals in the age group of 23-35 years in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Goa. Study says, 45% of young professionals suffer from some kind of lifestyle disorder. The most widespread problem was chronic body pain (40%), obesity (20%).

In the past two decades, research on workplace psychosocial risk factors has produced a range of theoretical and empirical research (Theorell, T., 2000). An extensive range of health end points, especially cardiovascular diseases have been associated with the psychosocial work environment.

Research Gap

Journal of sports science published (Ross SE, 2016) a paper and said, currently no consensus exists across published literature reviews regarding the primary cause of the obesity and more research using advance measurement system is necessary. In context of organization behavior, there is also a gap in terms of studies, how corporate companies are creating enabling environment for their employees to adopt healthy habits, highlighted in a study (Jans MP, 2007), conducted in Netherlands where employees sit on average 7 hours in a day on and off the working place. On the other hand, in a systematic review, (Van Uffelen et al. 2010) found limited evidence on adverse association between occupational sitting and different health outcomes. Since Indian employee working in same company comes from very diverse background, proposed study was designed to understand how organizational behavior affecting the health of the employees.

Research Problem

Corporate employees are surviving in inflexible global competitive environment and maintain sedentary lifestyle to save their jobs and add pressure on their health. Due to increasing technological developments, work has become less physical and more mentally demanding, thereby often being more sedentary, most of the workforce sits throughout the day (Church TS, 2011). Optum’s studied a sample size of 200,000 employees and found that prolonged sitting has adversely affecting the health of employees and nation’s economy as well. Around 30 million people are overweight or obese in India and the direct and indirect cost of obesity-associated conditions in India is estimated to be nearly $13 billion by 2025. Obesity which contributes to higher levels of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and has been shown to limit substantially a person’s ability to work.

Objectives Of the study

• To identify the obesity risk factors among working adults in corporate sector
• To identify the occupational hazards in the organization causing health problems.

Research Methodology

An exploratory study was designed where respondents were recruited through two stage sampling method. A sample frame of corporate employees was identified through set inclusion criteria and further 200 sample unit was selected randomly from the sampling frame. This study collected the quantitative data and qualitative information of 200 employees working in multinational companies through a set of questionnaires. 3 points Likert scale was also used to measure the level of satisfaction in terms of services. After minimizing the data of 20 respondents having invalid responses, sets of 180 samples were evaluated through Descriptive statistical tool. During the first stage of identifying a sampling frame, following inclusion criteria were set and based on the 400 units in sampling frame, researcher has randomly selected 200 respondents. 20 respondents presented invalid response in questionnaire hence excluded from the study.

Inclusion Criteria for first stage sampling:

• Respondent working in corporate sectors
• Respondent having sitting job profile
• Respondent in age group of more than 30 years

Questionnaire Variables:

• Socio Demographic Data
• Psychosocial Occupational Hazards
• Health Determinants

Findings of the Study:

1. Socio demographic data

Out of total 180 respondents, more than 56% were in age group of 30-39 Years, while 11% were in age group of more than 50%. Total 82% of the respondents were married and more than 54% of them were at least graduate. All the participates were working in multinational company and having position in range of executive level to senior management level. Out of total respondents, 53% were working either in computer or engineering industry, 24% were from the research firm and rest of them selected form management consultant firms. On the last variables, 59% respondents were based in metro cities while rest in non-metro cities. 78% of the respondents were having experience of in rage of 3-7 years.

Total 67% respondents reported, working in shift works. Organization has rotation policy and employee agreeing to the slots, adhere to the plan. However, organizations have flexibility to shift the employee in different slots after mutual consent. Out of 67% respondents working in shifts, 43% reported convenient for the employee while 48% says, not convenient. On Likert scale 57% were satisfied with the shits jobs while 32% were dissatisfied. 11% of the respondents have chosen neutral response.

Workload

Employee stays for more than stipulated working hours in office. While exploring 76% reported that they spent equal or more than 2 extra hours in office at least 3 days in a week. On Likert Scale, out of those who spent extra hours in office, 63% where satisfied and 29% dissatisfied. Only 8 % of them chosen neutral response. On exploration, it came out that organization offers incentives and perks for extra working hours.

Organizational Facilities

In terms of office facilities, researcher asked on the satisfaction level, 62% respondents were satisfied with the infrastructure available for the employee. Those who were dissatisfied explained that the organizations have no standard sitting arrangements. Sitting in small Partitions are adversely affecting the health. 81% of the dissatisfied respondents expressed disappointment over the cafeteria within office. After exploration it has come that the cafeteria only offers tea/coffee and snacks. While asking on the facilities like yoga/indoor games within the office premises, 85% reported No.

Organizational culture and Functions

Organizational behaviors play a significant, often neglected role in cuing the behaviors of individuals. It is only organization that make decisions about the availability and quality of food items in cafeteria and whether employees receiveincentives to use cars but no incentives to use bicycles (Butland, B. Et. Al. 2007).Organization requires stringent communication system to inform and educate the employee on various aspects other than the training programmes. Researcher tried to understand in this study whether companies have a communication system (email/messaging/call/others) to educate the employee. 82% respondents reported there is no communication, employee receives on health and safety aspects. Only 39% of the respondents said the company has visuals in the office to highlight the health and safety among the employee. Only 8% employee reported that receive weekly/daily email on health and safety related topics through internal email. On exploration, 89% respondents said the company has health and safety policy, but adherence is limited. On Likert scale, 78% of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction in company’s health and safety program implementation plan. While 8% are satisfied with the facility and 14% has chosen neutral response.

Disease or signs of disease

Researcher has also explored if the respondent has developed any ailment or related signs during the professional working period. On multiple response option (Table-1), 32% reported about eye problems, 57% about overweight/obesity, 81% says about any form of stress. 75% reported gastric problem while less than 30% respondent reported about cervical and arthritis problem. Researcher has also collected data on smoking and drinking habits and 38% of the respondents found smoking everyday frequently while 32% said occasionally. Almost similar percentage 30% were among non-smokers. Around drinking habits, only 17% expressed that they drink frequently (At least once in a month), while 52% reported that they drink occasionally, and 31% respondents were among non-consumer. On exploration with frequent smoker and drinker, it has come out that work stress is one of the key reason, takes towards the addiction which is further becoming illness causing factors.

In addition to the direct adverse effect, obesity also generates indirect costs for employers by increasing workers’ compensation claims and related lost workdays (Osbye, Dement, and Krause 2007), absenteeism (Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, and Wang 2005; Ricci and Chee 2005), presenteeism (Ricci and Chee 2005), and disability in people aged fifty to sixty-nine (Sturm, Ringel, and Andreyeva 2004). In this study it was also reported that travelling to work is problem for majority of the employee. Most employers do not routinely measure presenteeism (a self-reported measure of diminished on-the-job work performance due to health or life problems), although acceptance of it as a concept is growing (Hemp 2004). Even without counting the cost of presenteeism, however, productivity costs attributable to obesity are significant. Indeed, analysts believe that the indirect costs of obesity may be greater than the direct medical costs (Wolf and Colditz 1998). This study has also come up with findings that facilities like yoga/indoor games within the office premises were not available as reported by 85% of the respondents.

Implications of the Study

Since India has diverse category of workforce in various multinational companies and currently has limited research on the organizational behavior and rise in obesity, this research aims to educate not only health practitioners but organizations as well whose having interest in improving the organizational behavior and the health of their workforce to increase work productivity. By doing the study, research will come up with the association among identified variables related to the employee and organization which is adversely affecting the health of the employee and organization as well.

To motivate the employee, companies will use the findings to develop healthy and employee friendly organizational space and culture. Employers many times lack the awareness, understanding, and experience that are required to design, implement, and evaluate a health promotion program within the workplace (Goetzel, 2001). This research will bridge the gap between employer and employee by examining health interventions within the workplace. In bridging this gap, both employer and employee benefit by reducing both direct and indirect costs as it relates to overall health and the cost associated with the risks of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes as it relates to obesity within the workplace.

Introduction

Social Psychology is the scientific study of understanding people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours in a social setting. The root of social psychology can be traced back to time when human beings started interacting with other .In a society, one’s behaviour and thoughts can be influenced by others functioning in it. The aim of social psychology is to understand such influences and the effects of such influences. The history of social psychology in India can be dated back to 1500 BC . India’s understanding of human beings and social interactions were influenced by religious scriptures,narratives,common sense conceptions, philosophical ideas of scholars and socio political events and movements. Religious texts like Rigveda , Manusmriti ,Mahabharata and Ramayana provide an insight into the socio-political and economical interactions of the earlier society . Classical Narratives like Panchatantra and Jatak Kathas used mythology and fantasy to show human interactions . The common sense wisdom included the rich insights of the society The Indian philosophy use to empathize on self development, morality and code of conduct . Dharma was the guide to social life while the western philosophers focussed on rationalism, existence, scepticism and materialism. There were several modifications to these ideas with the emergence of movements and reforms. Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda contributed new ideas to the society. Mahatma Gandhi’s understanding of human psyche and the concept of Ahimsa also became a part of Indian philosophy.

Social Psychology in India during Colonization era

The British Colonization brought a huge impact on the way individuals and communities in a society perceived themselves and others. It mainly involved asserting superiority and viewing themselves or others inferior. The class divide in the society was more evident during this time. The colonizers were viewed as superiors and even as models . Ideas were often modelled after the west as they were the major contributors to the field of Psychology then.

India’s first department of Psychology was established in 1916 in Calcutta University. The second department was established at Mysore University and third at Patna University. In 1924,the Indian Psychological Association was formed and the first Psychology Journal, the Indian Journal of Psychology ,was published. The 1920s witnessed more research and the first textbook in social psychology by Indian psychologists (R.K.Mukherjee & Sengupta,1928). The experimental investigations were modelled on the basis of works done by the west ,for e.g.: The study of group effects and performance (Sengupta & Singh) was based on experiments carried out by Allport et al. Other prominent works included studies on catastrophic situations and rumours. Allport claimed that French Philosopher August Comte should be credited for the emergence of Social Psychology . Comte coined the term la- moral ,a science of sociology with biology .It incorporated ideas about culture and individual interactions in the society .This was later criticized for its struggle to find an identity between sociology and biology.

Social Psychology in India during Post Independence era

The Post World War Two era psychologists researched on group morale, persuasive communication and prejudice. 1950’s was marked by increase in the influence of Gestalt school of Psychology. The works of Kurt Lewin,Muzaffer Sheriff and Solomon Asch incorporated Gestalt school into Social Psychology. Classical experiments like conformity, obedience and theories like cognitive dissonance were developed during this era. By mid 1960s ,it was noticed that attitude does not predict behaviour, which in turn led to the decline of attitude based research. In India, Post Independence saw growth of social psychology. The national concern focused on rebuilding and planning a new India. This influenced the field of Indian social psychology to research on development. Social psychologists like D.Sinha(1966,1983) urged other psychologists to focus on social change and development.

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) was established in 1969.It provided support for training and publications in psychology and other scientific disciplines. The first survey had a single chapter in Social Psychology (Rath,1972) . The second survey(Pareek,1980,1981) included various dimensions and aspects of social behaviour such as poverty, environmental issues, inequality, political processes and dynamics of social change. The further surveys expanded the field of research and included topics like social cognition, social influences, intergroup relations, social tensions ,topics on health ,social disadvantages etc. Indian institutes in 70’s and 80’s provided training programmes and MPhil in psychology. There was a significant growth in basic and applied psychology research.

Seminars were conducted to discuss the social problems and solutions. Post Independence also saw problems like communal riots following the partition. This provided a rich source for studying identity ,stereotypes and prejudice. The caste system in India was another unique source for understanding prejudice. Social psychology researchers also studied national as well intergroup conflicts. Motivation and achievement was another popular research topic. It was found that the root cause of underdevelopment in India was related to low need for achievement (McClelland, 1961). Poverty became important research area with government policies like Garibi Hatao in the forefront. It raised issues of justice and inequality. Such inequalities are due to lack of limited resources. Limited resources in a society affects the way people interact as one who engage in altruism and sometimes darker sides like manipulative behaviours .Environment and health was also studied during the era. Health research incorporated yoga and Ayurveda. It mainly studied how one’s mind affects physical health .

Social Psychology in the current era

Indian psychologists in the previous era faced the problem of identity while researching as majority of the works were modelled after works of western researchers . Many of the early Indian psychologists focused only on conceptual level of understanding. Today’s research has an identity of it’s own as there is more focus on the Indian perspective and incorporation of different cultures. It is now more popular and productive in the country with various social situations becoming the new normal. Psychology researchers find Social Psychology as more affordable and less sophisticated compared to experimental research.

The future of Social Psychology in India

Although social psychology as a field has grown over the years, it still needs some work. Several researchers have identified the flaws which are to be worked on while researching in the future. Proper representation of sample is still a problem in many current research works. The database should be expanded and more cultural aspects of the country should be included. Researchers should be also encouraged to make use of multiple perspectives.

Conclusion

The Three articles discussed the significance of Social Psychology in India through the history . Religious texts, narratives ,common sense ideas and other codes of conduct provided basic understanding of the human interactions in the earlier society. Colonization era reflected the perceived inferior of Indian researchers as most works were modelled after the west. The challenges followed by Independence and partition provided rich source of unique topics for research works. Indian researchers gradually expanded the scope of basic of applied research in the country with the need to focus on more questioning and solving of issues. Indian Social Psychology as a field has come far in terms of original ideas and achievements but the society which is gradually evolving which means the field of research should also evolve and grow.

References

1. Dalal, A. K., & Misra, G. (2002).Social psychology in India: Evolution and emerging trends.
2. In A.K. Dalal & G. Misra (Eds.), New directions in Indian psychology: Vol.1. Social psychology. Sage Publications India.
3. Pandey, J., & Singh, P. (2005).Social psychology in India: Social roots and development. International Journal of Psychology, 40(4).239253.https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590444000186
4. Verma, J. (2017, April 18-20). Social psychology scenario in India, importance of common sense understanding of social phenomenon in India and envisaging social representations theory in the coming times in India[Paper presentation]. European/International Joint Ph.D. in Social Representations and Communication 33rd International Lab Meeting, Rome-Italy

Energy is a prime requirement of our day-to-day life functioning and thus in general words energy is defined as the ability to do work. In the present world, energy plays a very important role in day-to-day life. In ancient times, wood and fossil fuels were often used as sources of energy. The amount of energy consumed is an indicator of economic growth and development, more the energy consumption, the more will be economic growth. Thus, energy is an important catalyst for economic growth and human development. Thus, energy is an important driving force of economic growth in all economies and it is a prerequisite to achieving sustainable social, economic, and environment-friendly development.

Presently, where the global economy shows a comparatively slower economic growth rate, the Indian economy, the world’s third-largest economy, is growing at a faster rate. In the last few decades, the Indian economy shows good growth, and it is interesting to note that India’s energy consumption has almost doubled since 2000. India ranked fourth largest energy consumer after the United States, China, and Russia, and is recognized as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and after China, India is the second most populous country in the world. Though about 18% of the world’s population lived in India, it uses only 6% of the world’s primary energy. India is currently experiencing a so-called power crisis. As India is on a path of rapid economic growth with rapid overall growth, it will need 3 to 4 times more energy than the total energy consumed today to meet the energy requirement for such a fast-growing economy, as well as climate change and various environmental problems.

Presently, the government is giving special focus on laying the infrastructure for the overall development of the country and power is the basic requirement for the overall development of the country. The power sector plays a very significant role in the growth of the Indian economy and it is growing at a rapid pace.

Renewable energy is energy that comes from such resources that are constantly replenished like sunlight, wind, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Renewable energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy options with the least carbon emissions or pollution. It has the potential to significantly reduce dependence on coal and other fossil fuels. By expanding renewable energy, India can improve air quality, reduce global warming emissions, create new industries and jobs, and propel the world towards cleaner, safer, and cheaper energy. Current and future global use of traditional sources of energy has put great pressure on environmental values, health, and society. Therefore, there is an urgent need to promote renewable energy in the current Indian power sector in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

Renewable sources of energy are clean and sustainable sources of energy because renewable energy is derived from natural sources like sun and wind. Today non-conventional sources of energy are depleting rapidly and only conventional sources of energy have the potential to meet the energy requirements in the future and only solutions to the energy crisis faced by developing countries like India. Renewable energy sources such as wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, ocean power, biomass energy, and fuel cell technology can be used to overcome the energy shortage in India. Today, renewable energy accounts for about 33% of India’s primary energy use. In recent years India emphasized on development of renewable energy technologies, and India is more serious about issues like carbon emissions, clean air, and a pollution-free environment.

The western part of Rajasthan has good potential for renewable energy generation, which can contribute to economic development on the one hand and maintain a clean environment on the other.

Thus, it is clear that renewable energy is the future, including for India’s economy and solving its power crisis.

To understand the level and trends of unemployment in India it is important to comprehend the relationship between unemployment with demographic transition structure and economic development in India (k., 2017)

Social scientists have argued over the impact of population growth on economic growth. The debate has oscillated from the “pessimistic view,” which explains that population growth restricts economic development (credited largely to Malthus), to the “optimistic view,” which says that population growth fuels economic growth (for example, Kuznets 1967). The debate seemed to have finally concluded in favor of the “neutralist view,” i.e., population growth does not matter for growth prospects.

Bloom and Williamson (1998) As countries pass through various phases of demographic transition from high fertility and high mortality to low mortality and low fertility, the age composition of a country‟s population changes accordingly. During this demographic transition, all countries have a demographic “window of opportunity” when the growth in the working-age population is greater than the growth in the total population. This bulge in the working-age population, the increase in the share of the working-age population in the total population, is referred to as the “Demographic dividend.”

This demographic dividend comes but once in the life of any nation. When the share of the population above 60 years goes over 10 percent of the total population, the UN defines that society as aging. China’s demographic dividend will be over in a few years; India’s is expected to continue till about 2040 (World Bank, 2012)

Vasant Gowariker (1994) characterized the Demographic transition as the following five steps, regardless of where it occurs: Step (i) – The crude death rate (CDR) declines, with no significant decline in the crude birth rate (CBR). Step (ii) – The Natural Growth Rate (CBR-CDR) increases; concurrently population increases. Step (iii) -The Natural Growth Rate reaches a plateau; the birth rate begins to decline significantly. Step (iv) – The Natural Growth Rate begins to decline; the birth rate begins to decline faster than the death rate. Step (v) – The Natural Growth Rate declines at a fast rate and ultimately becomes zero – the number of births equals the number of deaths; the population stabilizes. In India, four of the above five steps are already over and the fifth (and the final) step has started that in real terms defines the Demographic Transition.

Unemployment is bigger than a political party it is a national danger and a national scandal – Ellen Wilkinson

One of the persistent problems faced by the Indian economy is the ever-increasing unemployment rate. Every year it reaches its peak, and the repercussions follow. The last decade has seen a massive growth in unemployment as well as underemployment in both, the urban and rural sectors of India.

Though the education level in the recent years has improved, the skill development still needs attention. (Huggins,2008)

From the evidence produced, there has been longer-duration unemployment in the eastern region of the country in the last decade. However, the high-frequency unemployment rates put up by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed a rapidly rising unemployment in last year (2018-19).

According to the Investment Potential Index Report (IPIR, 2017), the share of agriculture in employment was 60 percent in 2000 which fell to 53 percent in 2010. It is expected to fall even further to 40 percent with more and more workers moving out of agriculture. With the New Manufacturing Plan and investments in the infrastructure sector doubling from $500 billion the industry sector (manufacturing, construction, mining, electricity, and water supply) is expected to absorb more than 60 million additional workers over the next decade. Also, the service sector which provided 22 million new job opportunities in the past decade (1999-2000 to 2009-10) is expected to expand even at a higher pace creating employment for around 60 million workers in the sector by 2022.

It is impossible to imagine a better India with such an insurmountable number of unemployed youths in the country. (UN Labour report,2012)

Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans- Kofi Annan

As per the projection of the National Commission on Population (NCP), the total population of India will be 1400 million in 2026, out of which the youth population will be 20% i.e., 280 million. The growth rate of the youth population is faster compared to any other age group. Youth unemployment is an important aspect of the ‘national unemployment problem’ (Visaria, 1998).

Unemployment can cause a person’s self-esteem to fall and a feeling of being a burden on their family and society might arise.

This potentially affects an individual’s personal life and the well-being of unemployed people, especially when one is unemployed for a sustained period. Further, it can lead to social isolation, decreased social contact, and a reduction in collective participation of individuals as they feel lonely and psychologically depressed. It often affects the mental health of people and they develop a pessimistic attitude toward life which can lead to involvement in negative activities or suicide (Emelie, Jeroen, & Finn, 2017).

In India many of the youth remain unemployed and some chronically unemployed. Employability will be low with a lack of education and skills. Young women in India face a higher risk of unemployment than men, in particular in urban areas. The problem of youth unemployment, particularly that of educated youth, is gradually becoming a major concern. In India, unemployment rates are rising. This can largely be attributed to a failure of the agriculture sector that forces workers to migrate and be part of the unorganized sector. Nor are employment opportunities in the manufacturing and service sectors growing. In India, young people are withdrawing from the labor force for the sake of education (Rangarajan, 2011).

In 2016, India’s GDP growth rate was 8.26%, a 0.26% increase from 2015. However, the GDP growth rate has been declining continuously since then (it was 5.024% in 2019). 1 Numerous reasons have been stated for the declining economic growth, ranging from demonetization to declining demands and rising NPAs. On the other hand, the unemployment rate stood at 23.4% in April 2020, which is the highest since 2016. This dramatic increase could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, nevertheless, the rates stabilized in October 2020 and stood at 6.98%. Unemployment in India has always been a major issue and with the prevailing COVID crisis, it can become more challenging.

There has been evidence in the past about how a recession affects the workforce. During the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, an estimated 22 million people lost their jobs, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The recession due to COVID-19 appears to be more serious than what we faced in the 2009 recession. The ILO has estimated that up to 25 million people might become unemployed worldwide due to the impact of COVID-19, ranging between 5.3 million job losses on a ‘low scenario’ and 24.7 million on a ‘high scenario’ (ILO, 2020).

There is a fear that COVID-19 recessions in India can take an extraordinary human toll that extends well beyond temporary earnings losses for unemployed workers. The studies on earlier recessions suggest that job loss during a downturn sometimes results in long-term unemployment and wage setbacks, deteriorating the health of unemployed workers and increasing poverty. These impacts are most troubling for low-income households, which are less well-positioned to cope with earnings losses during a recession, have no alternative earnings, and have no social security available (Papademetriou et al., 2010).

The threat of recession is particularly important for India, as the pandemic came at a time when the country was already facing a problem of economic slowdown. Sectors such as tourism, aviation, hospitality, and trade will be severely affected, and these sectors will be the first to face the impact. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and the services sectors are likely to be among the most affected due to reduced consumer spending. Fitch has cut the GDP growth forecast for India to 2 percent for the fiscal year ending March 2021, which would make it the slowest growth in India over the past 30 years (Business Today, 2020, April 3).

Economists considering the economic effects of demographic change have been more interested in Adam Smith, and his narrative of the power of the market, than in Thomas Malthusís dire predictions about population. Most economic analyses have examined the statistical correlation between population and economic growth and found little significant connection. Though countries with rapidly growing populations tend to have more slowly growing economies, this negative correlation typically disappears (or even reverses direction) once other factors such as country size, openness to trade, educational attainment of the population, and the quality of civil and political institutions are taken into account.

In other words, when controlling for other factors, there is little cross-country evidence that population growth impedes economic growth.

Studies suggest that the unemployment rate and real GDP growth rate are negatively correlated, this is by Okun’s law, which simply states that since there is a positive relation

Output and employment; as the output depends upon the amount of labor used in the production process, there will be a negative relation between output and unemployment because Total unemployment = Labor force – Unemployed. (Edward S. Knotek, 2007)

However, other studies have shown that Okun’s law need not necessarily hold well at the time of economic crisis. (Cazes, Verick, & Hussami, 2013) . Therefore, it’s possible that even if India witnesses a strong economic growth post-COVID-19 crisis, the unemployment rate in the country would still be higher, indicating a jobless recovery.

India’s development is considered to be capital and knowledge-intensive, and thus, requires inclusive growth. All-round economic growth is important to reduce illiteracy, poverty, and malnutrition.

(Mukherji, 2009) . There exists a relationship between these variables and unemployment, thus, improvement in one would have a significant impact on another.

Though there is ample literature discussing countries’ experiences of demographic transition and its impact on growth and unemployment (, Bloom and Williamson (1998) and Bloom and Canning (2004)),

There is little literature on differences in demographic transition across regions within a country which leads to increased youth unemployment among the nation.

This research paper will be covering mainly How this regional demographic transition impacts the growth of the country and creates many barriers to economic development by increasing youth unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, crime, mental issues, and brain drain following various social issues considering the current pandemic and past trends.

Introduction

Social Psychology is the scientific study of understanding people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviours in a social setting. The root of social psychology can be traced back to time when human beings started interacting with other .In a society, one’s behaviour and thoughts can be influenced by others functioning in it. The aim of social psychology is to understand such influences and the effects of such influences. The history of social psychology in India can be dated back to 1500 BC . India’s understanding of human beings and social interactions were influenced by religious scriptures,narratives,common sense conceptions, philosophical ideas of scholars and socio political events and movements. Religious texts like Rigveda , Manusmriti ,Mahabharata and Ramayana provide an insight into the socio-political and economical interactions of the earlier society . Classical Narratives like Panchatantra and Jatak Kathas used mythology and fantasy to show human interactions . The common sense wisdom included the rich insights of the society The Indian philosophy use to empathize on self development, morality and code of conduct . Dharma was the guide to social life while the western philosophers focussed on rationalism, existence, scepticism and materialism. There were several modifications to these ideas with the emergence of movements and reforms. Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda contributed new ideas to the society. Mahatma Gandhi’s understanding of human psyche and the concept of Ahimsa also became a part of Indian philosophy.

Social Psychology in India during Colonization era

The British Colonization brought a huge impact on the way individuals and communities in a society perceived themselves and others. It mainly involved asserting superiority and viewing themselves or others inferior. The class divide in the society was more evident during this time. The colonizers were viewed as superiors and even as models . Ideas were often modelled after the west as they were the major contributors to the field of Psychology then.

India’s first department of Psychology was established in 1916 in Calcutta University. The second department was established at Mysore University and third at Patna University. In 1924,the Indian Psychological Association was formed and the first Psychology Journal, the Indian Journal of Psychology ,was published. The 1920s witnessed more research and the first textbook in social psychology by Indian psychologists (R.K.Mukherjee & Sengupta,1928). The experimental investigations were modelled on the basis of works done by the west ,for e.g.: The study of group effects and performance (Sengupta & Singh) was based on experiments carried out by Allport et al. Other prominent works included studies on catastrophic situations and rumours. Allport claimed that French Philosopher August Comte should be credited for the emergence of Social Psychology . Comte coined the term la- moral ,a science of sociology with biology .It incorporated ideas about culture and individual interactions in the society .This was later criticized for its struggle to find an identity between sociology and biology.

Social Psychology in India during Post Independence era

The Post World War Two era psychologists researched on group morale, persuasive communication and prejudice. 1950’s was marked by increase in the influence of Gestalt school of Psychology. The works of Kurt Lewin,Muzaffer Sheriff and Solomon Asch incorporated Gestalt school into Social Psychology. Classical experiments like conformity, obedience and theories like cognitive dissonance were developed during this era. By mid 1960s ,it was noticed that attitude does not predict behaviour, which in turn led to the decline of attitude based research. In India, Post Independence saw growth of social psychology. The national concern focused on rebuilding and planning a new India. This influenced the field of Indian social psychology to research on development. Social psychologists like D.Sinha(1966,1983) urged other psychologists to focus on social change and development.

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) was established in 1969.It provided support for training and publications in psychology and other scientific disciplines. The first survey had a single chapter in Social Psychology (Rath,1972) . The second survey(Pareek,1980,1981) included various dimensions and aspects of social behaviour such as poverty, environmental issues, inequality, political processes and dynamics of social change. The further surveys expanded the field of research and included topics like social cognition, social influences, intergroup relations, social tensions ,topics on health ,social disadvantages etc. Indian institutes in 70’s and 80’s provided training programmes and MPhil in psychology. There was a significant growth in basic and applied psychology research.

Seminars were conducted to discuss the social problems and solutions. Post Independence also saw problems like communal riots following the partition. This provided a rich source for studying identity ,stereotypes and prejudice. The caste system in India was another unique source for understanding prejudice. Social psychology researchers also studied national as well intergroup conflicts. Motivation and achievement was another popular research topic. It was found that the root cause of underdevelopment in India was related to low need for achievement (McClelland, 1961). Poverty became important research area with government policies like Garibi Hatao in the forefront. It raised issues of justice and inequality. Such inequalities are due to lack of limited resources. Limited resources in a society affects the way people interact as one who engage in altruism and sometimes darker sides like manipulative behaviours .Environment and health was also studied during the era. Health research incorporated yoga and Ayurveda. It mainly studied how one’s mind affects physical health .

Social Psychology in the current era

Indian psychologists in the previous era faced the problem of identity while researching as majority of the works were modelled after works of western researchers . Many of the early Indian psychologists focused only on conceptual level of understanding. Today’s research has an identity of it’s own as there is more focus on the Indian perspective and incorporation of different cultures. It is now more popular and productive in the country with various social situations becoming the new normal. Psychology researchers find Social Psychology as more affordable and less sophisticated compared to experimental research.

The future of Social Psychology in India

Although social psychology as a field has grown over the years, it still needs some work. Several researchers have identified the flaws which are to be worked on while researching in the future. Proper representation of sample is still a problem in many current research works. The database should be expanded and more cultural aspects of the country should be included. Researchers should be also encouraged to make use of multiple perspectives.

Conclusion

The Three articles discussed the significance of Social Psychology in India through the history . Religious texts, narratives ,common sense ideas and other codes of conduct provided basic understanding of the human interactions in the earlier society. Colonization era reflected the perceived inferior of Indian researchers as most works were modelled after the west. The challenges followed by Independence and partition provided rich source of unique topics for research works. Indian researchers gradually expanded the scope of basic of applied research in the country with the need to focus on more questioning and solving of issues. Indian Social Psychology as a field has come far in terms of original ideas and achievements but the society which is gradually evolving which means the field of research should also evolve and grow.

References

1. Dalal, A. K., & Misra, G. (2002).Social psychology in India: Evolution and emerging trends.
2. In A.K. Dalal & G. Misra (Eds.), New directions in Indian psychology: Vol.1. Social psychology. Sage Publications India.
3. Pandey, J., & Singh, P. (2005).Social psychology in India: Social roots and development. International Journal of Psychology, 40(4).239253.https://doi.org/10.1080/00207590444000186
4. Verma, J. (2017, April 18-20). Social psychology scenario in India, importance of common sense understanding of social phenomenon in India and envisaging social representations theory in the coming times in India[Paper presentation]. European/International Joint Ph.D. in Social Representations and Communication 33rd International Lab Meeting, Rome-Italy

Worldwide, at least 2.8 million people die every year because of being overweight or obese. 13% of the world’s adult population (11% of men and 15% of women) were obese in 2014. Lancet findings also say, India is just behind US and China in this global hazard list of top 10 countries with highest number of obese people. They account for 38 million deaths in 2012, and the same number is expected to go 52 million by 2030.

Globalization has contributed significantly in economic growth of the country and introduction of new companies has created plenty of jobs where employees spending 60-70% of their time in offices. An Australian study shows that working adults spent up to one half of the workday sitting down implying occupational sitting is a main contributor to total daily sitting time (Brown WJ, 2003). During the job hours, sitting for prolonged hours adversely affecting the body which is not wired to be shiftless. Lack of movement slows digestion process by reducing the amount of food that is converted to energy and thus promoting fat accumulation results into overweight and obesity which further leads to many non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea and arthritis.

Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations says that although India’s economic boom has brought risein corporate profits and higher incomes for employees, it has also led to a surge in workplace stress and lifestyle diseases. ASSOCHAM’S corporate employees’ survey result says, 36%t of the sample population are suffering from obesity which is itself a risk factor for corporate employee working in sitting condition. The average office worker sits about 10 hours a day. There are all those hours in front of the computer, plowing through emails, making calls or writing proposals and eating lunch and even at home there are hours sitting in front of the TV or surfing the internet.

A private firm, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company conducted a survey with 1,100 working professionals in the age group of 23-35 years in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad, Gurgaon and Goa. Study says, 45% of young professionals suffer from some kind of lifestyle disorder. The most widespread problem was chronic body pain (40%), obesity (20%).

In the past two decades, research on workplace psychosocial risk factors has produced a range of theoretical and empirical research (Theorell, T., 2000). An extensive range of health end points, especially cardiovascular diseases have been associated with the psychosocial work environment.

Research Gap

Journal of sports science published (Ross SE, 2016) a paper and said, currently no consensus exists across published literature reviews regarding the primary cause of the obesity and more research using advance measurement system is necessary. In context of organization behavior, there is also a gap in terms of studies, how corporate companies are creating enabling environment for their employees to adopt healthy habits, highlighted in a study (Jans MP, 2007), conducted in Netherlands where employees sit on average 7 hours in a day on and off the working place. On the other hand, in a systematic review, (Van Uffelen et al. 2010) found limited evidence on adverse association between occupational sitting and different health outcomes. Since Indian employee working in same company comes from very diverse background, proposed study was designed to understand how organizational behavior affecting the health of the employees.

Research Problem

Corporate employees are surviving in inflexible global competitive environment and maintain sedentary lifestyle to save their jobs and add pressure on their health. Due to increasing technological developments, work has become less physical and more mentally demanding, thereby often being more sedentary, most of the workforce sits throughout the day (Church TS, 2011). Optum’s studied a sample size of 200,000 employees and found that prolonged sitting has adversely affecting the health of employees and nation’s economy as well. Around 30 million people are overweight or obese in India and the direct and indirect cost of obesity-associated conditions in India is estimated to be nearly $13 billion by 2025. Obesity which contributes to higher levels of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and has been shown to limit substantially a person’s ability to work.

Objectives Of the study

• To identify the obesity risk factors among working adults in corporate sector
• To identify the occupational hazards in the organization causing health problems.

Research Methodology

An exploratory study was designed where respondents were recruited through two stage sampling method. A sample frame of corporate employees was identified through set inclusion criteria and further 200 sample unit was selected randomly from the sampling frame. This study collected the quantitative data and qualitative information of 200 employees working in multinational companies through a set of questionnaires. 3 points Likert scale was also used to measure the level of satisfaction in terms of services. After minimizing the data of 20 respondents having invalid responses, sets of 180 samples were evaluated through Descriptive statistical tool. During the first stage of identifying a sampling frame, following inclusion criteria were set and based on the 400 units in sampling frame, researcher has randomly selected 200 respondents. 20 respondents presented invalid response in questionnaire hence excluded from the study.

Inclusion Criteria for first stage sampling:

• Respondent working in corporate sectors
• Respondent having sitting job profile
• Respondent in age group of more than 30 years

Questionnaire Variables:

• Socio Demographic Data
• Psychosocial Occupational Hazards
• Health Determinants

Findings of the Study:

1. Socio demographic data

Out of total 180 respondents, more than 56% were in age group of 30-39 Years, while 11% were in age group of more than 50%. Total 82% of the respondents were married and more than 54% of them were at least graduate. All the participates were working in multinational company and having position in range of executive level to senior management level. Out of total respondents, 53% were working either in computer or engineering industry, 24% were from the research firm and rest of them selected form management consultant firms. On the last variables, 59% respondents were based in metro cities while rest in non-metro cities. 78% of the respondents were having experience of in rage of 3-7 years.

Total 67% respondents reported, working in shift works. Organization has rotation policy and employee agreeing to the slots, adhere to the plan. However, organizations have flexibility to shift the employee in different slots after mutual consent. Out of 67% respondents working in shifts, 43% reported convenient for the employee while 48% says, not convenient. On Likert scale 57% were satisfied with the shits jobs while 32% were dissatisfied. 11% of the respondents have chosen neutral response.

Workload

Employee stays for more than stipulated working hours in office. While exploring 76% reported that they spent equal or more than 2 extra hours in office at least 3 days in a week. On Likert Scale, out of those who spent extra hours in office, 63% where satisfied and 29% dissatisfied. Only 8 % of them chosen neutral response. On exploration, it came out that organization offers incentives and perks for extra working hours.

Organizational Facilities

In terms of office facilities, researcher asked on the satisfaction level, 62% respondents were satisfied with the infrastructure available for the employee. Those who were dissatisfied explained that the organizations have no standard sitting arrangements. Sitting in small Partitions are adversely affecting the health. 81% of the dissatisfied respondents expressed disappointment over the cafeteria within office. After exploration it has come that the cafeteria only offers tea/coffee and snacks. While asking on the facilities like yoga/indoor games within the office premises, 85% reported No.

Organizational culture and Functions

Organizational behaviors play a significant, often neglected role in cuing the behaviors of individuals. It is only organization that make decisions about the availability and quality of food items in cafeteria and whether employees receiveincentives to use cars but no incentives to use bicycles (Butland, B. Et. Al. 2007).Organization requires stringent communication system to inform and educate the employee on various aspects other than the training programmes. Researcher tried to understand in this study whether companies have a communication system (email/messaging/call/others) to educate the employee. 82% respondents reported there is no communication, employee receives on health and safety aspects. Only 39% of the respondents said the company has visuals in the office to highlight the health and safety among the employee. Only 8% employee reported that receive weekly/daily email on health and safety related topics through internal email. On exploration, 89% respondents said the company has health and safety policy, but adherence is limited. On Likert scale, 78% of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction in company’s health and safety program implementation plan. While 8% are satisfied with the facility and 14% has chosen neutral response.

Disease or signs of disease

Researcher has also explored if the respondent has developed any ailment or related signs during the professional working period. On multiple response option (Table-1), 32% reported about eye problems, 57% about overweight/obesity, 81% says about any form of stress. 75% reported gastric problem while less than 30% respondent reported about cervical and arthritis problem. Researcher has also collected data on smoking and drinking habits and 38% of the respondents found smoking everyday frequently while 32% said occasionally. Almost similar percentage 30% were among non-smokers. Around drinking habits, only 17% expressed that they drink frequently (At least once in a month), while 52% reported that they drink occasionally, and 31% respondents were among non-consumer. On exploration with frequent smoker and drinker, it has come out that work stress is one of the key reason, takes towards the addiction which is further becoming illness causing factors.

In addition to the direct adverse effect, obesity also generates indirect costs for employers by increasing workers’ compensation claims and related lost workdays (Osbye, Dement, and Krause 2007), absenteeism (Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, and Wang 2005; Ricci and Chee 2005), presenteeism (Ricci and Chee 2005), and disability in people aged fifty to sixty-nine (Sturm, Ringel, and Andreyeva 2004). In this study it was also reported that travelling to work is problem for majority of the employee. Most employers do not routinely measure presenteeism (a self-reported measure of diminished on-the-job work performance due to health or life problems), although acceptance of it as a concept is growing (Hemp 2004). Even without counting the cost of presenteeism, however, productivity costs attributable to obesity are significant. Indeed, analysts believe that the indirect costs of obesity may be greater than the direct medical costs (Wolf and Colditz 1998). This study has also come up with findings that facilities like yoga/indoor games within the office premises were not available as reported by 85% of the respondents.

Implications of the Study

Since India has diverse category of workforce in various multinational companies and currently has limited research on the organizational behavior and rise in obesity, this research aims to educate not only health practitioners but organizations as well whose having interest in improving the organizational behavior and the health of their workforce to increase work productivity. By doing the study, research will come up with the association among identified variables related to the employee and organization which is adversely affecting the health of the employee and organization as well.

To motivate the employee, companies will use the findings to develop healthy and employee friendly organizational space and culture. Employers many times lack the awareness, understanding, and experience that are required to design, implement, and evaluate a health promotion program within the workplace (Goetzel, 2001). This research will bridge the gap between employer and employee by examining health interventions within the workplace. In bridging this gap, both employer and employee benefit by reducing both direct and indirect costs as it relates to overall health and the cost associated with the risks of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes as it relates to obesity within the workplace.

Energy is a prime requirement of our day-to-day life functioning and thus in general words energy is defined as the ability to do work. In the present world, energy plays a very important role in day-to-day life. In ancient times, wood and fossil fuels were often used as sources of energy. The amount of energy consumed is an indicator of economic growth and development, more the energy consumption, the more will be economic growth. Thus, energy is an important catalyst for economic growth and human development. Thus, energy is an important driving force of economic growth in all economies and it is a prerequisite to achieving sustainable social, economic, and environment-friendly development.

Presently, where the global economy shows a comparatively slower economic growth rate, the Indian economy, the world’s third-largest economy, is growing at a faster rate. In the last few decades, the Indian economy shows good growth, and it is interesting to note that India’s energy consumption has almost doubled since 2000. India ranked fourth largest energy consumer after the United States, China, and Russia, and is recognized as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and after China, India is the second most populous country in the world. Though about 18% of the world’s population lived in India, it uses only 6% of the world’s primary energy. India is currently experiencing a so-called power crisis. As India is on a path of rapid economic growth with rapid overall growth, it will need 3 to 4 times more energy than the total energy consumed today to meet the energy requirement for such a fast-growing economy, as well as climate change and various environmental problems.

Presently, the government is giving special focus on laying the infrastructure for the overall development of the country and power is the basic requirement for the overall development of the country. The power sector plays a very significant role in the growth of the Indian economy and it is growing at a rapid pace.

Renewable energy is energy that comes from such resources that are constantly replenished like sunlight, wind, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Renewable energy is one of the cleanest sources of energy options with the least carbon emissions or pollution. It has the potential to significantly reduce dependence on coal and other fossil fuels. By expanding renewable energy, India can improve air quality, reduce global warming emissions, create new industries and jobs, and propel the world towards cleaner, safer, and cheaper energy. Current and future global use of traditional sources of energy has put great pressure on environmental values, health, and society. Therefore, there is an urgent need to promote renewable energy in the current Indian power sector in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

Renewable sources of energy are clean and sustainable sources of energy because renewable energy is derived from natural sources like sun and wind. Today non-conventional sources of energy are depleting rapidly and only conventional sources of energy have the potential to meet the energy requirements in the future and only solutions to the energy crisis faced by developing countries like India. Renewable energy sources such as wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, ocean power, biomass energy, and fuel cell technology can be used to overcome the energy shortage in India. Today, renewable energy accounts for about 33% of India’s primary energy use. In recent years India emphasized on development of renewable energy technologies, and India is more serious about issues like carbon emissions, clean air, and a pollution-free environment.

The western part of Rajasthan has good potential for renewable energy generation, which can contribute to economic development on the one hand and maintain a clean environment on the other.

Thus, it is clear that renewable energy is the future, including for India’s economy and solving its power crisis.

To understand the level and trends of unemployment in India it is important to comprehend the relationship between unemployment with demographic transition structure and economic development in India (k., 2017)

Social scientists have argued over the impact of population growth on economic growth. The debate has oscillated from the “pessimistic view,” which explains that population growth restricts economic development (credited largely to Malthus), to the “optimistic view,” which says that population growth fuels economic growth (for example, Kuznets 1967). The debate seemed to have finally concluded in favor of the “neutralist view,” i.e., population growth does not matter for growth prospects.

Bloom and Williamson (1998) As countries pass through various phases of demographic transition from high fertility and high mortality to low mortality and low fertility, the age composition of a country‟s population changes accordingly. During this demographic transition, all countries have a demographic “window of opportunity” when the growth in the working-age population is greater than the growth in the total population. This bulge in the working-age population, the increase in the share of the working-age population in the total population, is referred to as the “Demographic dividend.”

This demographic dividend comes but once in the life of any nation. When the share of the population above 60 years goes over 10 percent of the total population, the UN defines that society as aging. China’s demographic dividend will be over in a few years; India’s is expected to continue till about 2040 (World Bank, 2012)

Vasant Gowariker (1994) characterized the Demographic transition as the following five steps, regardless of where it occurs: Step (i) – The crude death rate (CDR) declines, with no significant decline in the crude birth rate (CBR). Step (ii) – The Natural Growth Rate (CBR-CDR) increases; concurrently population increases. Step (iii) -The Natural Growth Rate reaches a plateau; the birth rate begins to decline significantly. Step (iv) – The Natural Growth Rate begins to decline; the birth rate begins to decline faster than the death rate. Step (v) – The Natural Growth Rate declines at a fast rate and ultimately becomes zero – the number of births equals the number of deaths; the population stabilizes. In India, four of the above five steps are already over and the fifth (and the final) step has started that in real terms defines the Demographic Transition.

Unemployment is bigger than a political party it is a national danger and a national scandal – Ellen Wilkinson

One of the persistent problems faced by the Indian economy is the ever-increasing unemployment rate. Every year it reaches its peak, and the repercussions follow. The last decade has seen a massive growth in unemployment as well as underemployment in both, the urban and rural sectors of India.

Though the education level in the recent years has improved, the skill development still needs attention. (Huggins,2008)

From the evidence produced, there has been longer-duration unemployment in the eastern region of the country in the last decade. However, the high-frequency unemployment rates put up by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed a rapidly rising unemployment in last year (2018-19).

According to the Investment Potential Index Report (IPIR, 2017), the share of agriculture in employment was 60 percent in 2000 which fell to 53 percent in 2010. It is expected to fall even further to 40 percent with more and more workers moving out of agriculture. With the New Manufacturing Plan and investments in the infrastructure sector doubling from $500 billion the industry sector (manufacturing, construction, mining, electricity, and water supply) is expected to absorb more than 60 million additional workers over the next decade. Also, the service sector which provided 22 million new job opportunities in the past decade (1999-2000 to 2009-10) is expected to expand even at a higher pace creating employment for around 60 million workers in the sector by 2022.

It is impossible to imagine a better India with such an insurmountable number of unemployed youths in the country. (UN Labour report,2012)

Unfortunately, very few governments think about youth unemployment when they are drawing up their national plans- Kofi Annan

As per the projection of the National Commission on Population (NCP), the total population of India will be 1400 million in 2026, out of which the youth population will be 20% i.e., 280 million. The growth rate of the youth population is faster compared to any other age group. Youth unemployment is an important aspect of the ‘national unemployment problem’ (Visaria, 1998).

Unemployment can cause a person’s self-esteem to fall and a feeling of being a burden on their family and society might arise.

This potentially affects an individual’s personal life and the well-being of unemployed people, especially when one is unemployed for a sustained period. Further, it can lead to social isolation, decreased social contact, and a reduction in collective participation of individuals as they feel lonely and psychologically depressed. It often affects the mental health of people and they develop a pessimistic attitude toward life which can lead to involvement in negative activities or suicide (Emelie, Jeroen, & Finn, 2017).

In India many of the youth remain unemployed and some chronically unemployed. Employability will be low with a lack of education and skills. Young women in India face a higher risk of unemployment than men, in particular in urban areas. The problem of youth unemployment, particularly that of educated youth, is gradually becoming a major concern. In India, unemployment rates are rising. This can largely be attributed to a failure of the agriculture sector that forces workers to migrate and be part of the unorganized sector. Nor are employment opportunities in the manufacturing and service sectors growing. In India, young people are withdrawing from the labor force for the sake of education (Rangarajan, 2011).

In 2016, India’s GDP growth rate was 8.26%, a 0.26% increase from 2015. However, the GDP growth rate has been declining continuously since then (it was 5.024% in 2019). 1 Numerous reasons have been stated for the declining economic growth, ranging from demonetization to declining demands and rising NPAs. On the other hand, the unemployment rate stood at 23.4% in April 2020, which is the highest since 2016. This dramatic increase could be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, nevertheless, the rates stabilized in October 2020 and stood at 6.98%. Unemployment in India has always been a major issue and with the prevailing COVID crisis, it can become more challenging.

There has been evidence in the past about how a recession affects the workforce. During the global financial crisis of 2008–2009, an estimated 22 million people lost their jobs, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The recession due to COVID-19 appears to be more serious than what we faced in the 2009 recession. The ILO has estimated that up to 25 million people might become unemployed worldwide due to the impact of COVID-19, ranging between 5.3 million job losses on a ‘low scenario’ and 24.7 million on a ‘high scenario’ (ILO, 2020).

There is a fear that COVID-19 recessions in India can take an extraordinary human toll that extends well beyond temporary earnings losses for unemployed workers. The studies on earlier recessions suggest that job loss during a downturn sometimes results in long-term unemployment and wage setbacks, deteriorating the health of unemployed workers and increasing poverty. These impacts are most troubling for low-income households, which are less well-positioned to cope with earnings losses during a recession, have no alternative earnings, and have no social security available (Papademetriou et al., 2010).

The threat of recession is particularly important for India, as the pandemic came at a time when the country was already facing a problem of economic slowdown. Sectors such as tourism, aviation, hospitality, and trade will be severely affected, and these sectors will be the first to face the impact. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and the services sectors are likely to be among the most affected due to reduced consumer spending. Fitch has cut the GDP growth forecast for India to 2 percent for the fiscal year ending March 2021, which would make it the slowest growth in India over the past 30 years (Business Today, 2020, April 3).

Economists considering the economic effects of demographic change have been more interested in Adam Smith, and his narrative of the power of the market, than in Thomas Malthusís dire predictions about population. Most economic analyses have examined the statistical correlation between population and economic growth and found little significant connection. Though countries with rapidly growing populations tend to have more slowly growing economies, this negative correlation typically disappears (or even reverses direction) once other factors such as country size, openness to trade, educational attainment of the population, and the quality of civil and political institutions are taken into account.

In other words, when controlling for other factors, there is little cross-country evidence that population growth impedes economic growth.

Studies suggest that the unemployment rate and real GDP growth rate are negatively correlated, this is by Okun’s law, which simply states that since there is a positive relation

Output and employment; as the output depends upon the amount of labor used in the production process, there will be a negative relation between output and unemployment because Total unemployment = Labor force – Unemployed. (Edward S. Knotek, 2007)

However, other studies have shown that Okun’s law need not necessarily hold well at the time of economic crisis. (Cazes, Verick, & Hussami, 2013) . Therefore, it’s possible that even if India witnesses a strong economic growth post-COVID-19 crisis, the unemployment rate in the country would still be higher, indicating a jobless recovery.

India’s development is considered to be capital and knowledge-intensive, and thus, requires inclusive growth. All-round economic growth is important to reduce illiteracy, poverty, and malnutrition.

(Mukherji, 2009) . There exists a relationship between these variables and unemployment, thus, improvement in one would have a significant impact on another.

Though there is ample literature discussing countries’ experiences of demographic transition and its impact on growth and unemployment (, Bloom and Williamson (1998) and Bloom and Canning (2004)),

There is little literature on differences in demographic transition across regions within a country which leads to increased youth unemployment among the nation.

This research paper will be covering mainly How this regional demographic transition impacts the growth of the country and creates many barriers to economic development by increasing youth unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, crime, mental issues, and brain drain following various social issues considering the current pandemic and past trends.

Does trade reduce conflict, or conflict reduce trade, or both, and why?

It is an open secret that in the 21st century sometimes impossible to avoid war. Where every country is against the war, violence and vehemence, trade comes for help. In international relations, it is worth to mention to establish peace everywhere, because of the consequences of the war are always victims suffers the pain of bereavement. As a spineless and constructive tool, it creates the peace, stability, and constructs trade-relations among different countries. And today, I will talk about the international trade between Pakistan and India to show that trade reduces conflicts. In my humble opinion it renews the relations between countries and encourages the others to do so.

First of all, I want to mention such a term as “Independence”. Everyone knows that independence reduces the conflicts. If we take an example of USA and China, we will see that they trade with each other’s for their interest, Pakistan and Iran despite being neighbors, have hard trade-relations that are not good-connected one. Let’s agree that exchanging goods is more beneficial than causing and creating the conflicts which can affect bot political and military cooperation. As the liberalism theory says trade is a vital tool for the promotion of peace. Pakistan and India trade example is one of the best examples that show the real importance of trade.

As many sources say, everything started because of Kashmir Issue. Both countries claimed that Kashmir is a part of their territory. As a result, the issue became the cause of the war in 1948, and trade-relations declined by 18-20%, but got improved until 1971. And again, because of the war trade-relations almost were equal to zero.

In fact, that number leaded both countries to sign the agreement in which railway passageways would be constructed for better trade-relations and goods-exchange. A decade later, Indian Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh visited Pakistan to make an agreement or creating and supporting bus-services between these two countries, and reducing the barriers. In 2004-2007 economic activities like making, providing, purchasing, or selling goods or services between both countries became better only due to agreements and diplomacy. And again, we can state that International Relations and Diplomacy are important parts of our world.

By trade-relations with India Pakistan export to India has increased from $156 million to $2 billion in 2014, which I think a great number for India.