Where the sciences and the humanities read each other.

Climate Economics · Renewable Energy · Sustainable Development

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Climate change has increasingly become an economic challenge that affects growth, investment, productivity, and long-term development. In the context of India's vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, this study examines the impact of renewable energy adoption, climate resilience, and green investment on economic growth during 2000–2024. Using an ARDL approach with Bounds testing and Error Correction Modelling, the findings reveal that renewable energy is the strongest driver of long-run growth, while climate resilience and green investment contribute positively to sustainable economic development.

Public Finance · Tourism Economy · Small Business Taxation

Dinesh Sharma, Dr. Nikhil Bhardwaj

India's Goods and Services Tax (GST), introduced in July 2017, aimed to simplify indirect taxation and create a unified market. For the numerous small cafes, dhabas, and regional food providers operating in the hills of Himachal Pradesh, however, the practical experience has been considerably more complex. Using primary survey data from 60 respondents across Shimla, Manali, and Dharamshala, the study finds that over half of establishments remain unregistered under GST and 50% report declining profitability. Compliance difficulty strongly correlates with diminished long-term sustainability (r = 0.922, p < 0.001), and a regression model explains 85% of the variance in sustainability through compliance difficulty and government support adequacy. The paper argues for region-sensitive policy reforms tailored to hill-state food economies.

Rural Development · Climate Resilience · Sustainable Livelihoods

Dr. Nikhil Bhardwaj, Eshan Gambhir

Apple farming serves as the socioeconomic backbone of Himalayan communities, providing income, employment and regional identity. However, climate variability, erratic precipitation and rising temperatures have disrupted productivity and quality, posing severe livelihood challenges. Despite their economic significance, apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh often face financial exclusion, limited institutional access and inadequate financial and climate literacy. This research promotes sustainable livelihoods among high-altitude apple farmers through an integrated approach encompassing financial inclusion, financial literacy and climate-aware literacy, using a mixed-method, multi-stage sampling framework across selected districts of Himachal Pradesh with descriptive statistics, logistic regression and PLS-SEM.