This book portrays India as a representative of post-colonial democratic republic states with a parliamentary form of federal-structured government and analyzes the critical challenges faced by such states in generating broadly shared economic well-being and quality of life. The reader is shown how creating and utilizing physical, human, financial, and social assets under the aegis of public policies help achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide a global framework to move toward a more equitable, peaceful, resilient, and prosperous society by 2030. It not only addresses how the state’s capacity has long been linked to the available economic resources, but also unfolds how the political system thus evolves to crucially determine the capacity of the state to implement its programs. The chapters of this book are particularly focused on judging the state’s capacity amid the neo-liberal ascendancy that has been triggered by the opening up of both the domestic and external economy, significantly initiated since 1991 and popularly known as the economic reforms in India. Examined here is the potency of the public policies of the country in fulfilling the sustainable development agendas, the specificity of which places the state at the heart of its execution, unlike many other versions of development that would be executed in parallel with or without states’ action. This work book has three principal foci facets within the broad swath of discussions covered by different chapters: (1) It critically examines how successful remains the public policies in mobilizing the population is mobilized to the next orbit of income, employment, education, and health consequent to amid the existing considerable magnitude of social and economic inequalities while achieving “equity” has always been the declared agenda in the post-reform public policy frameworks; (2) It traces the rationality of the transformation of the public policies and welfare strategies during the post-reform period in terms of motives, goals, and coverage to achieve the SDGs; and, (3) It reviews specific post-reform policies in terms of their potency to stimulate the system in addressing sustainable development. and upholding the state’s dominant and structuring intervention to resolve the existing inequalities and ensure that society develops amidst a harmonious world reconciled with nature.

This book acquaints the reader with the critical changes in India's economy and society amidst the unprecedented pandemic outbreak of COVID-19, which has been devastating by breaking all prior records of illness and fatality. The present crisis is shown to be more than an acute health hazard as it carries with it other threats associated with the economy, society, culture, psychology, and politics. The dynamic driving forces that have a significant bearing on life, space, and time are explored, providing a basis on which social scientists can understand the prevailing equations and project the unforeseen future to contribute to a policymaking mechanism. The Indian scenario presented here takes into account how the COVID-19-induced lockdown of transport services, closing of factories, and restrictions on mobilization have caused the economy to face a recession, affecting mostly the unorganized sector. Travel restrictions and quarantines affecting hundreds of millions of people have left Indian factories short of labour, causing havoc in the production system. Semi-skilled jobholders have lost their employment, and the country has witnessed the plight of large pools of migrant labourers returning on foot to their homelands hundreds of miles away with their families and belongings. Contributors to this volume are drawn from diverse disciplines, displaying the solidarity of academic knowledge in a physically divided world. This common platform is provided to the practitioners of relevant academic disciplines under the umbrella of regional sciences - a forum for the exchange of ideas that may be effective in the sustainable management of the crisis and a way forward after it is mitigated. Thought-provoking discussions regarding different facets of the crisis are relevant not only to the current times but also to being prepared for the unforeseen post-COVID economic and societal order.

Efficiently using data structures to collect, organise and retrieve information is one of the core abilities modern computer engineers are expected to have. This student-friendly textbook provides a complete view of data structures and algorithms using the Python programming language, striking a balance between theory and practical application. All major algorithms have been discussed and analysed in detail, and the corresponding codes in Python have been provided. Diagrams and examples have been extensively used for better understanding. Running time complexities are also discussed for each algorithm, allowing the student to better understand how to select the appropriate one. Written with both undergraduate and graduate students in mind, the book will also be helpful with competitive examinations for engineering in India such as GATE and NET. As such, it will be a vital resource for students as well as professionals who are looking for a handbook on data structures in Python.

Analysts and policy makers articulate growing concerns on whether China's rapid rise will remain peaceful or become confrontational. To understand Chinese grand strategy, this USAWC International Officer author draws on its long history and classical thinkers to offer four main arguments. First, China is highly sensitive to its periphery (that is expanding), where it demands preeminence. Second, the measure of internal stability within China has major bearing on its strategic conduct. Third, traditional Chinese caution for strategic overreach is changing, as it projects interests in distant continents, albeit, with greater emphasis on diplomacy and trade. Fourth, reclaiming the status of a great power by rectifying the failings of initial encounters with the West is a dominant motive, in China's changing strategic calculus from national interest to international influence.

Providing in-depth coverage, this book covers the fundamentals of computation and programming in C language. Essential concepts including operators and expressions, input and output statements, loop statements, arrays, pointers, functions, strings and preprocessors are described in a lucid manner. A unique approach - 'Learn by quiz' - features questions based on confidence-based learning methodology. It helps the reader to identify the right answer with adequate explanation and reasoning as to why the other options are incorrect. Computer programs and review questions are interspersed throughout the text. The book is appropriate for undergraduate students of engineering, computer science and information technology. It can be used for self-study and assists in the understanding of theoretical concepts and their applications.