The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is a research institute in New Delhi that specializes in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development. Established in 1974, it was formerly known as the Tata Energy Research Institute. As the scope of its activities widened, it was renamed The Energy and Resources Institute in 2003.
Sustainable public procurement (SPP) is increasingly recognized as a policy instrument for advancing sustainable consumption and production, yet evidence from federal developing countries remains limited. This paper examines how environmental, socio-economic, and governance objectives are integrated into public procurement across national and sub-national levels in India, one of the world’s largest federal procurement systems. Using a multi-level governance framework, the study analyses procurement policies and institutional documents from 37 policy units, including the Union Government, 28 states, and 8 union territories. The findings reveal a clear asymmetry in SPP implementation. Governance and socio-economic objectives, particularly digital procurement and preferential procurement for micro, small, and medium enterprises, are widely institutionalized across levels of government. In contrast, environmental criteria remain fragmented, largely voluntary, and weakly embedded in procurement practice. India’s case is distinctive in demonstrating how strong governance infrastructure and inclusive procurement mandates can coexist with limited environmental integration in a federal developing-country context. The study contributes to SPP literature by showing how multi-level governance shapes procurement outcomes and constrains environmental mainstreaming. It also highlights the unrealized potential of public procurement as a demand-side instrument for sustainability, drawing on industrial ecology concepts such as life-cycle thinking and systemic feedback loops. The findings offer policy-relevant insights for other federal developing countries seeking to strengthen environmental integration in procurement while leveraging existing governance and socio-economic strengths.
The present study is conducted to understand the rainwater chemistry at three different locations in India during the Southwest monsoon season from June to September 2018. The rainwater samples were analyzed for the pH, conductivity, along with the major anions (F−, Cl−, NO2−, NO3−, SO42−), and cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, NH4+, K+, Na+). The mean pH and conductivity shows a significant heterogeneity in rainwater samples with alkaline nature at Jaipur (7.09 and 43.46 µS/cm) and Varanasi (7.31 and 55.42 μ µS/cm) whereas acidic nature at Dhanbad (5.10 and 31.98 µS/cm). Moreover, the ionic compositions of rainwater were found to be drastically different at all the three stations, which are also reflected in the neutralization of rainwater. Neutralization factors of Ca2+, NH4+ and Mg2+ ions suggest that Ca2+ was the major neutralizing species in rainwater at Jaipur and Varanasi (but not at Dhanbad), with high neutralization factors of 3.10 and 2.65, respectively. The correlation among the measured ionic species indicates a significantly high correlation between SO42− and NO3−, Ca2+ and Mg2+ and Na+ and Cl− ions at all the three stations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to identify the possible sources of rainwater constituents, explaining the crustal dust, biomass burning, fossil fuel combustion, agricultural emissions, and coal burning as possible sources of observed ions in rainwater. Further, the air mass back-trajectory clusters were also computed to estimate terrestrial influence on rainwater chemistry over these regions. Results suggest that the contribution from both local and regional sources significantly influenced monsoonal rainwater chemistry.
Binding of FUL with SOC1 promoter is necessary for promoting floral transition. Structural insights on mechanisms of binding can be exploited to modify DNA–protein interactions. In polyploid Brassicas, naturally diverse homologs of FUL proteins and SOC1 promoters likely regulate flowering time by way of complex interactions patterns. The dynamics of these, however, remain unexplored. Herein, we report natural structural variation among 51 FUL homologs from 25 Brassicaceae species and 3 BjuSOC1promoter homeologs. The 5’-distal deletions of BjuSOC1promoters with diverse TFBS profiles, exhibited differential GUS activity. Genetic complementation of soc1-2 mutant with BjupSOC1: AtSOC1 constructs revealed differential strength of promoter homeologs, manifesting as variable potential of flowering and AtSOC1 levels. Despite structural variation, docked FUL:pSOC1 complexes, depicted similar binding affinity stabilized by both conserved and unique residues. Molecular dynamics simulations highlighted impact of mutations on interactions. Root Mean Square Deviation revealed conformational flexibility of docked FUL: pSOC1 complexes, while Root Mean Square Fluctuation values demonstrated structural flexibility of FUL proteins bound to SOC1 promoters. The MM-GBSA-based binding free energy parameters and interaction mapping showed that mutations in FUL proteins and SOC1 promoters are compensatory permitting conservation of interaction potential. Yeast one-hybrid assays validated in silico interaction patterns. This study is essential since interacting amino-acid and nucleotide residues can be modified to design novel alleles of FUL and SOC1 with enhanced binding potential to achieve early flowering, a key agronomic trait.
Fungal pigments have gained attention as eco-friendly and versatile materials for green nanotechnology because of their varied chemical structures, inherent redox properties, and strong metal ion-binding capabilities. These pigments, such as polyketides, azaphilones, melanins, and carotenoids, can function simultaneously as reducing, capping, and surface-functionalizing agents, facilitating the environmentally friendly production of metallic nanoparticles without the use of harmful chemicals. This review provides a critical overview of recent progress in the production, extraction, and application of fungal pigments for nanoparticle synthesis, focusing on the mechanistic roles of pigment functional groups in metal ion reduction, nanoparticle nucleation, growth, and stabilization. The impact of pigment chemistry and reaction conditions on the nanoparticle size, shape, crystallinity, and colloidal stability was thoroughly examined. Additionally, this review highlights the emerging biomedical, environmental, and industrial applications of pigment-mediated nanoparticles, emphasizing their biocompatibility and functional adaptability. Key challenges, such as variability in pigment yield and composition, limited mechanistic validation, lack of standardized synthesis protocols, and insufficient toxicity assessment, are critically analyzed in this review. Finally, future directions are outlined, emphasizing the importance of process optimization, omics-guided pigment discovery, and comprehensive safety evaluations as crucial steps toward the scalable and reliable use of fungal pigment-mediated nanoparticle synthesis in sustainable nanotechnology.
In recent decades, research on urban heat islands (UHIs) has surged as this phenomena have become integral to urbanization, particularly in the context of varying climate zones. Despite numerous studies, there remains a lack of comprehensive critical research into the diverse aspects of UHIs. This study aims to provide an extensive literature review focusing on key UHI aspects, including assessment methods, with particular emphasis on the influence of different climatic conditions. The review covers a range of techniques and approaches for studying UHIs, highlighting the limitations and challenges posed by specific climates. Key topics include observational methods, field measurements, thermal remote sensing, and the development of algorithms and modeling approaches. The review explores how these methods are applied across various climate zones, such as tropical, temperate, arid, and continental regions, noting the unique challenges and insights each climate presents.Additionally, the review delves into different modeling approaches for studying UHIs at various scales, from micro to mesoscale, and assesses their effectiveness in different climatic contexts. This includes evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of these models in capturing UHI dynamics, particularly in complex urban environments with diverse weather patterns. The primary objective is to examine major UHI research areas, focusing on identifying the most effective mitigation strategies tailored to specific climatic conditions. Topics include UHI intensity estimation, influencing factors such as land use and urban morphology, and the relationship between UHIs and other climatic variables. The review also discusses the impact of mitigation strategies, such as urban greening and reflective materials, and their applicability in various climates, considering scenarios of climate change and urbanization.The review includes global literature to identify research gaps, particularly in the context of different climates UHI studies. It suggests areas for further exploration in India, focusing on region-specific strategies that consider the country’s diverse climatic zones. This systematic review not only maps existing research gaps but also proposes effective mitigation strategies for UHIs in Indian cities, emphasizing the need for climate-specific approaches to enhance urban resilience and improve the quality of life in urban environments.
