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Laser surface melting (LSM) on sensitized austenitic stainless steel of cold‐work 25 per cent was carried out by using a continuous wave CO₂ laser of power 5kW and traverse speed 20mm/sec of the beam. The stainless steel was sensitized at 898K for 10, 20 and 50hr durations. ASTM A262 Practice A test was used to examine the microstructures of the specimens before and after LSM while single loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation (SL‐EPR) technique was used to quantify the degree of sensitization (DOS). A trend is noted between the cold‐work of stainless steel and the degree of desensitization by LSM.

Migration appears to be a determinant in health-care utilisation, particularly among the elderly in India. Ageing and migration are essential socio-demographic phenomena in the 21st century for developing and developed countries to establish better public health-care policies. This study aims to focus on the status and determinants of health-care utilisation among elderly migrants who have migrated after attaining the age of 45 and above.

This study used the data from the first wave of the longitudinal ageing study in India (LASI) in 2017–2018. Two outcome variables were used to examine the health-care utilisation, including in-patient and out-patient care. Binary logistic regression was used to explore the predictors of healthcare utilisation in terms of in-patient and out-patient care among the elderly migrant population.

A total of 82.9% of elderly migrants had visited out-patient care when they were sick, whereas 15.3% have used in-patient care. Enabling factors, such as wealth quintile and health insurance, and need factor, such as chronic disease and self-rated health, were more significant factors influencing the health-care utilisation.

This study contributes to our understanding of older migrants’ health-care utilisation. Focussing on this study’s outcome, policymakers and decision makers may consider improving older migrants’ access to health-care by raising their income level, offering local health insurance and health awareness programs.

This study aims to explore twin objectives. Initially, the study scrutinises the consequences of various pollution control acts and protocols signed by India to improve the air quality and then the study involves itself to investigate the aftermath of COVID-19 lockdown on the air quality of highly populated Mumbai city of India. The empirical analysis is facilitated by the application of Poirier’s Spline function approach on the secondary data compiled from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The corresponding structural shifting points are identified through the CUSUM of squares (CUSUMQ) test. The empirical results disclose that Kyoto Protocol and lockdown have positively influenced the air quality. This study ends with suitable policy prescriptions.

The paper provides a critical analysis of the relationship between the growth of informal manufacturing activities and environmental sustainability. The research is grounded in the context of global economic trends, focusing specifically on the impact of these activities in India. The study highlights the significant role of unorganized manufacturing enterprises in the Indian economy. These enterprises, while contributing notably to the GDP, also lead to increased material and energy use, raising concerns about environmental sustainability. The paper underscores the trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability, particularly in the context of informal sector industrialization. The findings suggest that higher economic growth, driven by the informal manufacturing sector, correlates with greater environmental degradation. This relationship is primarily due to increased energy consumption and carbon intensity. The paper posits that the growth of the informal manufacturing sector, especially in developing countries like India, leads to higher CO₂ emissions and environmental un-sustainability. This is exacerbated by the sector's significant reliance on energy sources like kerosene, contributing to higher carbon emissions. The analysis indicates a significant negative correlation between the growth of informal manufacturing activities and GDP, highlighting the environmental costs of such economic activities. The paper emphasizes the need for policy interventions to address the challenges posed by the informal manufacturing sector. It calls for policies that balance economic growth with environmental sustainability, considering the significant role of the informal sector in countries like India. The research presents a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved in achieving sustainable economic growth in the face of growing environmental concerns.

Kerala reported the first COVID-19 case on January 30. In order to stop the disease's spread in a heavily populated nation like India, the government declared a lockdown on 25 March 2020. Unexpected lockout caused wages for workers in the unorganised sector to stagnate, which led to reverse migration in India. During the first round of lockdowns organised by COVID-19, 43.3 million interstate migrants working in the informal manufacturing sector actually went back to their homes. This background encourages us to investigate how the COVID-19 epidemic affected male labour employment, with a primary focus on the unorganised manufacturing sector. The study takes into account the employment situation of male CWS in rural, urban and overall India. To investigate the aforementioned objectives, Poirier's Spline function approach has been used in the study. Relying on secondary data aggregated from ‘The Periodic Labour Force Survey’, Annual Report (2018–2019), (2019–2020), (2020–2021), the research comes to the conclusion that the work scenario for male CWS is more negatively impacted by pandemic in urban than rural areas. The paper ends with appropriate policy recommendations.

This chapter conducts a comprehensive examination of the influence of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the manufacturing sector in India, with a particular focus on the informal manufacturing sector's growth and expansion through subcontracting mechanisms. This analysis employs a general equilibrium approach to explore the ramifications of FDI inflows on the dichotomous sectors of manufacturing: the formal and informal. The influx of FDI into the formal sector is identified as a catalyst that propels these firms to enhance production and adjust their factor utilization, which in turn leads to an escalation in contractual employment. However, this surge encounters resistance from labour unions, which compels formal sector firms to enter into subcontracting arrangements with entities within the informal manufacturing sector. This transition proves to be advantageous for the informal sector, witnessing an uplift in both output and employment levels, thereby contributing to a decrease in overall unemployment rates and a potential uptick in wages. Moreover, this pivot towards subcontracting practices is posited to result in reduced carbon emissions emanating from the larger entities within the formal manufacturing domain. This chapter elucidates the dynamic interrelation between India's formal and informal manufacturing sectors as significantly impacted by foreign capital influx, emphasizing the critical role of subcontracting in enhancing the productivity and output of the informal sector. It advocates for governmental policies to support and bolster this interconnection. It also paves the way for future empirical investigations into the intricate dynamics of FDI, subcontracting, and their broader socio-economic impacts on the Indian economy.