Role of municipal councillors in the implementation of social protection schemes for children—A case of Ahmedabad,India

The 74th constitutional amendment paved the path for strengthening of local governments in India, by devolution of functional and financial powers. The elected local representatives (municipal councillors), as the closest link of the Government to the citizenry, are expected to be the bearers of information regarding the needs and priorities of the people they represent. They can become the champions for effective implementation of service delivery schemes designed locally or at higher levels of governance. This study examines the designated and perceived roles of municipal councillors in the context of the implementation of social protection schemes for children in the city of Ahmedabad. Based on the information collected through personal interviews with a sample of 18 municipal councillors over 4 months, the study brings out the stark absence of designated roles for councillors and the limited perceived role in information dissemination. Councillors’ political ambition, experience, and access to the executive machinery come out to be the most critical determinants of the effectiveness of limited mediation role played by councillors to ensure faster delivery of benefits or inclusion of beneficiaries. The need for institutional strengthening and capacity building at the local level also gets substantiated by the analysis.     

Foot‐march: Large‐scale mobilization for a public cause or a tool for fanning political ambition

We present the case of an awareness campaign, strategically crafted by a local student political leader, based on a national level policy for urban poor and marginalized, in the city of Ahmedabad in India. The campaign, designed in the form of a foot‐march, was aimed at mobilizing the urban poor, but with a clear ambition of gaining visibility for political mileage. This study reinforces that the mediation role taken up by local leaders transcends the traditional policymaking, in democracies with blurred boundaries between the state and citizens. Further, in local governance structures, with weak participatory spaces for the poor, foot‐marches have the potential to become an extended invited participatory space.     

Digital reconstruction of fragmented tooth remains in forensic context

Forensic odontology majorly focuses on the identification of victims through the analyses of oral and para-oral structures.Exposure to high temperatures and trauma can occur in mass disasters and may lead to the fracturing and fragmentation of teeth.These fragments may become very fragile and easily damaged while handling.Conventional methodologies such as the use of transparent nail polish,hair spray,cyanoacrylate or adhesives have been used to stabilise the fragmented pieces.This study introduces a new and innovative digital technique that utilises three-dimensional surface scanning(3DSS)and rapid prototyping techniques to reconstruct fractured portions of the teeth.The results of qualitative congruency analysis suggest that over all variance of morphological error(0.0526±0.05)mm.These results imply that the reconstructed 3D model can be used for various morphometric analyses.