The NITI Aayog (lit. 'Policy Commission'; abbreviation for National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and fostering cooperative federalism through the involvement of State Governments of India in the economic policy-making process using a bottom-up approach. Its initiatives include "15-year road map", "7-year vision, strategy, and action plan", AMRUT, Digital India, Atal Innovation Mission, Medical Education Reform, agriculture reforms (Model Land Leasing Law, Reforms of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act, Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index for ranking states), Indices Measuring States’ Performance in Health, Education and Water Management, Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Rationalization of Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Skill Development, Task Forces on Agriculture and up of Poverty, and Transforming India Lecture Series.It was established in 2015, by the NDA government, to replace the Planning Commission which followed a top-down model. The NITI Aayog council comprises all the state Chief Ministers, along with the Chief Ministers of Delhi and Puducherry, Lieutenant Governors of all UTs, and a vice-chairman nominated by the Prime Minister. In addition, temporary members are selected from leading universities and research institutions. These members include a chief executive officer, four ex-official members, and two part-time members.
This investigation deals with enhanced plasma wakefield amplitude generated using two co-propagating laser pulses in homogeneous plasma. The configuration consists of a seed pulse, followed by a trailing pulse, both linearly polarized and sharing identical laser parameters. The enhancement in wakefield amplitude corresponding to fixed spatial separation is optimized for various pulse widths and intensities of the seed and trailing lasers. Analytical modeling and particle-in-cell simulations reveal that the maximum amplification in wakefield amplitude is obtained when spatial separation equals the plasma wavelength (λp). The spatial intervals between laser pulses critically influence the wakefield amplification. These findings confirm that the two co-propagating lasers scheme provides a promising route toward stronger plasma wakefield excitation, potentially important for various applications.
Traditional Medicine (TM) plays a vital role in global health systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that a significant proportion of the world’s population relies on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine for primary health care, prevention, and well-being. WHO also acknowledges its important contribution to universal health coverage, people-centered care, and resilient health systems worldwide. Within this global context, Ayurveda stands as one of the oldest, continuously practiced and codified systems of TM, deeply embedded in India’s cultural, scientific, and intellectual heritage. In recent decades, the growing global demand for holistic and preventive healthcare has renewed interest in Ayurveda products, therapies, and technologies. Simultaneously, the expansion of Intellectual Property (IP) rights regimes has generated complex debates regarding the patentability of Traditional Knowledge (TK)-based innovations. While patent systems are designed to incentivize novelty and inventive activity, they often struggle to accommodate knowledge systems that are collective, historically documented, and publicly accessible. This review critically analyzes the patentability landscape of Ayurveda innovations by examining the legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks governing IP protection. It evaluates recent policy developments, particularly India’s Guidelines for Examination for Ayush Related Inventions , identifies key commercialization barriers, and proposes future pathways for innovation-driven IP protection through scientific validation, value addition, interdisciplinary research, and a stronger innovation ecosystem. The analysis highlights that Ayurveda has considerable potential to generate globally competitive patentable innovations when supported by robust scientific evidence, enabling policies, and responsible commercialization, while preserving its TK and foundational principles.
Body image concerns, mental health disorders, and obesity are highly prevalent among young adults and can significantly influence eating attitudes during the college years. To study the prevalence of disordered eating attitudes, body shape concerns, common mental health disorders, and obesity among college-going students, and to find out their inter-relationship. This cross-sectional study collected data from 311 participants (186 males; 125 females) aged 18–23 years. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their demographics, eating attitudes, body shape concerns, and common mental disorders. Four somatometric measurements were recorded according to the ISAK protocol for assessing adiposity levels. Spearman’s rho assessed the association, and logistic regression identified the risk of possible disordered eating behavior. Males reported higher EAT-26 (p = .042) and dieting scores (p = .019), as well as higher adiposity indices, including waist circumference (p < .001) and body mass index (p = .009), than females. Greater prevalence of high perceived stress (p = .002), severe anxiety (p = .032), high WC (p = .018), and waist-to-hip ratio (p < .001) was reported among females. Body shape concern was significantly positively correlated with disordered eating attitudes among both sexes (p < .001). Females with elevated body shape concerns were eight times more likely to report disordered eating attitudes, whereas males were four times more likely (p < .001). BMI (p = .002), WC (p = .012), and WHtR (p < .001) significantly predicted the risk of disordered eating attitudes among males, whereas anxiety (p = .033) predicted the risk among females. Young adults constitute a critically vulnerable yet underrecognized group for eating and weight-related disorders, underscoring the urgent need to strengthen screening, prevention, and intervention efforts. Future research and public health initiatives must adopt gender-sensitive frameworks that acknowledge the unique pathways through which both sexes experience and express eating-related psychopathology.
