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This paper aims to understand the incorporation of sustainability methods of construction through the study of a low-cost housing Tamil Nadu Housing Board settlement in a locality in Chennai, India. Such a study helps to arrive at proper design decisions and incorporate a participatory approach involving the residents to enable the developers, here the decision-makers of the government, cater to the local interests.

First, a survey was conducted to understand the local conditions and people’s aspirations. Along with this, the parameters pertaining to a green housing were derived and compared with the needs of the locals, to arrive at the most influencing parameters by decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory model (DEMATEL) analysis.

The study finds that parameters viz. “ensuring basic services” and “social inclusivity” happen to be the causal factors that seem to influence the needs of the locals. These factors therefore can guide the future plans to redevelop the settlement or construct similar settlements in a more sustainable way.

This paper is a unique study to combine the twin pillars of low-cost housing and sustainability, which helps in developing settlements that are conducive to the city’s socio-developmental requirements as well as respectful of the natural environment. Further, the analysis conducted through DEMATEL method could essentially guide the decision-maker to tackle urban challenges in the most locally suitable and sustainable approach.

This study aims to provide and illustrate the application of a framework for conducting techno-economic analyses (TEA) of early-stage designs for net-zero water and energy, single-family homes that meet affordable housing criteria in diverse locations.

The framework is developed and applied in a case example of a TEA of four designs for achieving net zero-water and energy in an affordable home in Saint Lucie County, Florida.

Homes built and sold at current market prices, using combinations of well versus rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems and grid-tied versus hybrid solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, can meet affordable housing criteria for moderate-income families, when 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are at 2%–3%. As rates rise to 6%, unless battery costs drop by 40% and 60%, respectively, homes using hybrid solar PV systems combined with well versus RWH systems cease to meet affordable housing criteria. For studied water and electricity usage and 6% interest rates, only well and grid-tied solar PV systems provide water and electricity at costs below current public supply prices.

This article provides a highly adaptable framework for conducting TEAs in diverse locations for designs of individual net-zero water and energy affordable homes and whole subdivisions of such homes. The framework includes a new technique for sizing storage tanks for residential RWH systems and provides a foundation for future research at the intersection of affordable housing development and residential net-zero water and energy systems design.

This study examines the adoption drivers of scale-appropriate mechanization in Nepal's maize-based farming systems. The authors also assess the contribution of scale-appropriate mechanization to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of zero hunger (SDG2) and no poverty (SDG1).

Propensity score matching and doubly robust inverse probability-weighted regression adjusted methods were applied to estimate the effects of mini-tiller adoption. These methods control the biases that arise from observed heterogeneities between mini-tillers users and nonusers.

The study findings show that farm size, labor shortages, draft animal scarcity, market proximity, household assets and household heads' educational level influence the adoption of mechanization in Nepal. Mechanized farms exhibited enhanced maize productivity, profits and household food self-sufficiency. Reduced depth and severity of poverty were also observed. Nevertheless, these effects were not uniform; very small farms (≤0.41 ha) facing acute labor shortages benefited the most.

The study results suggest that policymakers in developing nations like Nepal may wish to expand their emphasis on scale-appropriate mechanization to improve farm productivity and household food security, reduce poverty and contribute to the SDGs.

This first-of-its-kind study establishes the causal effects between scale-appropriate farm mechanization and SDG1 (no poverty) and SDG2 (zero hunger) in a developing nation.

This paper aims to explore the ways in which religious tourism in India fosters religious tolerance.

The paper uses a conceptual apparatus derived from the basic structure of religious tourism comprising motivation, journey and destination, to understand various aspects of tolerance. Tolerance, with the implicit meaning of diversity and pluralism, is examined at two levels – intra-religion and inter-religion – using field investigations from three Hindu pilgrimage sites, namely, Vrindavan, Tuljapur, Shegaon and review of one Muslim site called Ajmer Sharif. These sites exhibit a range of combinations, sectarian traditions within Hindu and their interactions with others, including Muslims and foreigners.

Each of the sites provides different sets of opportunities for the “others” to get exposed to religious and cultural aspects. It is found that tolerance within the Hindu sects and with non-Hindus from other religious faiths is a function of their engagement with cultural performances and participation in the religious tourism economy in a pilgrimage site.

On a broader level, this paper argues that conceptualising tolerance within a social and cultural sphere helps in a better understanding of tolerance and identifying areas within religious tourism where it can be promoted. A conscious effort to promote tolerance through religious tourism will add value to religious tourism and help it thrive.

This study acclaims the social entrepreneurship based on cow rearing experiential tourism in Himachal Pradesh. This study aims to illustrate the role of indigenous cows in the Indian society, especially in the Northern Mountain regions by taking Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh as an exemplar. This study highlights the relevance of experiential tourism that elucidates on the basis of cow tourism pertaining to health, mental and spiritual rejuvenation. Lastly, the paper is an attempt to integrate social entrepreneurship and cow tourism highlighting the relevance of experiential economy in empowering the local community.

The case study elucidates on the whence of Swadeshi Kamdhenu Gaushala (SKG), an initiative of Mr Rishi Dogra and Mr Rajesh Dogra, their immaculate micro-management and its benefits to the local community. It highlights how SKG is uplifting the socio-economic standards of the local villagers and providing a distinctive learning experience of indigenous knowledge to visitors. This study is qualitative in nature that uses narrative analysis of secondary data to recognise the importance of indigenous Indian cows, and case study analysis of interviews of SKG proprietors to understand the micro-management, production of organic products and community engagement in their social entrepreneurship.

The SKG is not only helping the local community in their livelihood but also creating value and positioning to the place on the tourist map. This study sheds some light on the importance of cow products in sectors such as agriculture, green energy and for human health and nutrition. The study also crystallizes the challenges faced by the cow rearers, at last the paper sorted out the benefits of cow tourism and how it can result in community empowerment and development.

The case study on SKG helps us in understanding the importance of social entrepreneurs in community empowerment and also the intervention of tourism in the sector that can bring new and different vertical to the tourism industry with experiential learning of the tourist, which results in knowledge sharing about the benefits of Indian cows and helps in creating and placing such destinations on tourist maps. This study attempts towards contributing to the existing knowledge, highlighting the benefits of social entrepreneurship and cow tourism for the society in general and local community in particular.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ultrasonic vibration (UV) and tool pin profile on mechanical properties and microstructural behaviour of AA7075-T651 and AA6061-T6 joints was analysed.

The joints were fabricated using three different tool pin profiles such as cylindrical, square and triangle. For each tool pin profile, two different UV powers of 1.5 kW and 2 kW were used.

On both the advancing and retreating sides of the weld, the thermo-mechanically affected zone has the lowest microhardness. In all joints, the tensile fracture locations match to the minimum hardness values. Field emission scanning electron microscope fractography of tensile tested specimens reveals heterogeneous modes of brittle, shear and ductile fracture. Three-point bending analysis was performed to determine the ductility and soundness of the weld joint. The acoustic softening effect of UV, as well as the static and dynamic ratio of tool pin profile, plays an important role in determining the material flow and mechanical behaviour of the joint.

Dissimilar aluminium joining fascinates many applications like aircraft, aerospace, automobiles, ship building and electronics, where fusion welding is a very intricate process because of the deviation in its physical and chemical properties.

From this study investigation, it is found that the square pin profiled tool with 2 kW UV power produces metallurgical defect-free and mechanically sound weld with maximum tensile strength, hardness and bending load of 297 MPa, 151HV and 3.82 kN, respectively.

This paper aims to examine the traditional business communities and family businesses of India, their emergence and sustained growth.

The authors analyze the role of business communities in family businesses of India and identify business communities that have still sustained and marked a global presence.

Business communities such as Marwaris have the knack for business activities and are leaders of family businesses in India today, who have sustained their past success and continue to create new histories. Other traditional business communities such as Parsis, Sindhis, Chettiars and Gujarati banias have not been able to sustain much. Possible reasons were switching to white-collar jobs, taking up diplomacy and other professions, inter caste marriages, international migration in search of business and Indian government policies.

This study provides a useful source of information for academics, policy-makers and economists.

Traditional business communities populate the list of family businesses that have marked their global presence. This paper identifies various factors that are responsible for the growth and sustainability of these business communities.

The study clarifies the role of business communities in domestic economic development.

The paper explored traditional business communities of India and assessed their role in family businesses of India that currently mark a global presence.