Information and Communication Technologies have transformed the way the world lives and thinks. Education, especially, Distance Education is no different. While the technologies per se are an important factor, the social milieus in which these technologies are implemented are equally important. Technological convergence in the Indian context surely has to account for "Old Generation Technologies" on their platform as much as new technologies. The vibrant interface between social and technological issues in the Educational field is an important area of discourse. The current paper discusses these and many more issues in ample detail.

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One of the key factors that has helped the state of Tamil Nadu to make significant progress in the health sector, especially in maternal health, is an enabling political environment in the state that has prioritised programmes for the welfare of women and children, irrespective of the party in power. This article reviews 10 key innovations in maternal health and tribal health introduced in the state of Tamil Nadu from 2005–2006 to 2020–2021. The specific questions addressed are as follows: what are the special innovative schemes introduced by the state of Tamil Nadu to promote maternal health? Whether and to what extent utilisation of public delivery system for maternal services has increased over the past 15 years or so? The overall impact of these initiatives on the maternal health of the state is assessed by analysing two indicators: trends in maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and financial burden due to delivery in public and private facilities. MMR in the state of Tamil Nadu is steadily falling—from 111 in 2004–2006 to 60 in 2016–2018. While average out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) during delivery in the public sector has increased from ₹2,454 in 2014 to ₹3,465 in 2017–2018, in the private sector, it has increased from ₹32,182 in 2014 to ₹34,635 in 2017–2018. OOPE in private facilities is nearly ten times higher than OOPE in public facilities, in both rural and urban areas. While the overall status of maternal health has improved significantly in the state, there are wide variations within and across districts. However, significant improvements in the overall health status can be achieved only if such inequities are reduced systematically, and efforts are being made to reduce such inequities.

The feeding habits and reproductive biology of red-toothed triggerfish Odonus niger (Ruppell, 1836) was analysed from 449 specimens collected from the Karnataka coast of the south-eastern Arabian Sea. Of the total stomachs examined, only 54 (12%) were empty and 395 contained food remains. The diet comprised crustacean remains (48.0%), zooplankton (21.4%), algae (16.5%), fish remains (6.1%) and cephalopod remains (5.3%) along with partially digested matter (2.3%) and detritus (0.4%). The species was found to be a generalist feeder and an omnivore. The overall sex ratio between males and females (1: 0.44) was significantly (P < 0.05) different. Histological examination of the ovaries indicated asynchronous ovarian development in females, with males maturing earlier than females. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) patterns of males and females, and the presence of ripe ovaries and spermatozoids suggested that April–May is the peak spawning period. The absolute and relative fecundity estimates ranged from 16,464–312,420 eggs and 251–2812 eggs g−1 respectively. Fecundity was positively correlated with total length and body weight. The biological information on diet composition and reproductive traits provided for the first time in this study can facilitate conservation, management and sustainable exploitation of this species in the study area.

The maturity, sex ratio, gonadosomatic index (GSI) and fecundity of Coryphaena hippurus was investigated from 347 specimens collected along Karnataka coast, south-eastern Arabian Sea from August 2017 to May 2018. Overall sex ratio of 1:3.5 (male:female) indicated dominance of females in the fishery and differed significantly (p<0.05) in all the months, except in January, May and December. The fork length (FL) at 50% maturity (Lm50) was estimated at 47.5 cm for both males and females. The pattern of GSI and maturity stages suggests peak spawning activity in August-September. However, the incidence of fishes capable spawning all through the year in varied proportions implied that spawning activity occurs throughout the year. The absolute fecundity estimates varied from 1,00,298 eggs for a female of 53.5 cm FL to 6,15,267 eggs for female of 113 cm FL with an average fecundity of 3,18,446 eggs per female. Thefecundity of fish increased with body length and weight as well as with gonad weight. The biological information on maturation, reproductive cycle, spawning periodicity and fecundity of C. hippurus in the tropical Arabian Sea could be useful for developing appropriate management tools and conservation strategies for this commercially important fish species.