Environment studies Unit-I for B.Com, BBA, BA, B,Sc - I year, B.Tech

What is Environment ?
• The term is derived from a French word
‘Environ’ which means ENCIRCLE.
• Scientifically Environment means all of the
outside forces, events, and things that act on a
thing. The environment is everything that is
around something.
1
BALASRI PRASAD KAMARAPU
M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)
LECTURER IN MANAGEMENT

????
WHY WE HAVE TO STUDY
‘ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES’
????
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Supreme Court in it’s judgment has made learning of the
subject mandatory at under graduate level (1991).
University Grants Commission has directed all affiliated
institutions to compulsorily teach the subject, for all the
branches of Graduation.
Osmania University has introduced the subject at I year level
as a core subject, in compliance with UGC directive .
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Definition
• Environmental studies deals with every issue that
affects an organism.
• It is essentially a multidisciplinary approach that
brings about an appreciation of our natural world
and human impacts on its integrity.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Scope
• Everything around us forms our environment
and our lives depend on keeping its vital systems
as intact as possible.
• Modified heavily by human beings!
• Our dependence on nature is so great that we
cannot continue to live without protecting the
earth’s environmental resources.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Non-Renewable resources, such as minerals and
oil are those which will be exhausted in the
future if we continue to extract these without a
thought for subsequent generations.
• Renewable resources, such as timber and water,
are those which can be used but can be
regenerated by natural processes such as
regrowth or rainfall.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Importance
• It is an integration of several subjects that
include both Science and Social Studies.
• We live in a world in which natural
resources are limited. Water, air, soil,
minerals, oil, the products we get from
forests, grasslands, oceans and from
agriculture and livestock, are all a part of
our life support systems.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• We cannot expect Governments alone to manage
the safeguarding of the environment, We need to
do it ourselves.
Activity
• Think of all the things that you do in a
day. List these activities and identify
the main resources used during these
activities.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

ECOSYSTEM
• An ‘Ecosystem’ is a region with a specific and
recognizable landscape form such as forest,
grassland, desert, wetland or coastal area.
• The geographical, climatic and soil characteristics
form its non-living/ abiotic component.
• The living part of the ecosystem is referred to as
its living/biotic component.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Ecosystems are divided into terrestrial or land
based ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems in
water.
• All the living organisms in an area live in
communities of plants and animals. They interact
with their non-living environment, and with each
other at different points of time for a large
number of reasons.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

The living community of plants and
animals in any area together with
the non-living components of the
environment such as soil, air and
water, constitute the
ecosystem.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Ecosystems are however frequently disrupted by
human actions which lead to the extinction of
species of plants and animals that can live only in
the different natural ecosystems.
• Some species if eliminated seriously affect the
ecosystem. These are called ‘keystone’
species.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

PRODUCERS, CONSUMERS
AND
DECOMPOSERS
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Every living organism is in some way dependent
on other organisms.
• Plants are the ‘producers’ in the ecosystem as
they manufacture their food by using energy
from the sun.
• The herbivorous animals are primary consumers
as they live on the producers.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Carnivorous animals, or secondary consumers,
live on herbivorous animals.
• Decomposers or detrivores are a group of
organisms consisting of small animals like worms,
insects, bacteria and fungi, which break down
dead organic material into smaller particles and
finally into simpler substances that are used by
plants as nutrition.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

FOOD CHAINS, FOOD
WEBS
AND
ECOLOGICAL
PYRAMIDS
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

The food chains
• When herbivorous animals feed on
plants, energy is transferred from plants
to animals.
• Carnivorous animals feed on other living
organisms.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

The food webs
• In an ecosystem there are a very large number of
interlinked food chains. This forms a food web.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

The ecological pyramids
• The producers, utilize energy directly from sunlight
and convert it into matter. A large number of these
organisms form the most basic, or first ‘trophic
level’ of the food pyramid.
• The herbivorous animals that eat plants are at the
second trophic level.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• The predators that feed on them form the third
trophic level.
• Only a few animals form the third trophic level.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

ENERGY FLOW
IN THE
ECOSYSTEM
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Every ecosystem has several interrelated
mechanisms that affect human life.
• These are:
 Water cycle
 Carbon cycle
 Oxygen cycle
 Nitrogen cycle and
 Energy cycle.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Biodiversity
• Biological diversity deals with the degree of nature’s variety
in the biosphere.
• The differences in genes among the individuals of a species.
• Genetic diversity: Each member of any animal or plant
species differs widely from other individuals in its genetic
makeup.
• Example: Each human being is very different from all
others.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Species diversity: The number of species of plants
and animals that are present in a region constitutes
its species diversity.
• Natural undisturbed tropical forests have a much
greater species richness.
• At present there are about 1.8 million species on
earth.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Ecosystem diversity: There are a large variety of
different ecosystems on earth, which have their
own complement of distinctive inter linked species
based on the differences in the habitat.
• Distinctive ecosystems include forests, grasslands,
deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes and the sea etc.
• An ecosystem is referred to as ‘natural’ when it is
relatively undisturbed by human activities, or
‘modified’ when it is changed to other types of
uses, such as farmland or urban areas.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

HOTSPOTS OF BIODIVERSITY
• Most of the biodiversity hotspots occur in tropical
forests. They represent just 2.3% of Earth's land
surface, but between them they contain around
50% of the world's endemic plant species.
• Examples: Coral reefs in Indian waters surround the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep
Islands, the Gulf areas of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY
• Due to the overuse or misuse of natural ecosystems
‘unsustainable’ resource-use, once productive
forests and grasslands have been turned into
deserts and wasteland have increased all over the
world.
• Scientists have estimated that human activities are
likely to eliminate approximately 10 million species
by the year 2050.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Much of this mega extinction is related to human
population growth, industrialization and changes in
land-use patterns.
• Loss of species occurs due to the destruction of
natural ecosystems, either for conversion to
agriculture or industry, or by over-extraction of
their resources, or through pollution of air, water
and soil.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Excessive firewood is collected from the forest.
Increasing human population
Introduction of exotic weeds
Overharvesting of fish
 Poaching
are some of the major threats of
Biodiversity.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY
In-situ conservation:
• Biodiversity at all its levels can be best preserved In-
situ by setting up ‘Protected Areas’ like National
Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• species cannot be protected individually as they are
all inter dependent on each other. Thus the whole
ecosystem must be protected.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• There are 589 Protected Areas in India of which 89
are National Parks and 500 are Wildlife Sanctuaries.
• Examples: The Great Himalayan National Park,
Dachigam Sanctuary, Kaziranga National Park,
Manas Sanctuary, Desert National Park, Gir
Sanctuary etc,.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Ex-situ conservation:
• When an endangered species is so close to
extinction, they are taken outside its natural habitat
in a carefully controlled situation such as a botanical
garden for plants or a zoological park for animals,
where there is expertise to multiply the species
under artificially managed conditions.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

WATER CONSERVATION:
• As deforestation and desertification spreads due to
extensive changes in land use the once perennial
rivers are becoming increasingly seasonal.
• It’s over use and misuse due to various activities
that waste water or cause pollution has led to a
serious shortage of potable drinking water. Thus
water conservation is linked closely with overall
human well being.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

RAINWATER HARVESTING:
• Manage rain water in such a way that it is used at
the source.
• If as much water as possible is collected and stored
this can be used after the rainy season is over.
• Another way of using rooftop rainwater harvesting
is to collect it so that it percolates into the ground
to recharge wells.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

WATERSHED MANAGEMENT:
• The management of a single unit of land with its
water drainage system is called watershed
management.
• This includes soil and water management and
developing vegetative cover.
• The first technical step is to take appropriate soil
conservation measures.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Allowing grasses and shrubs to grow and by
planting trees which hold the soil and prevents it
from being washed away.
• several small check dams are built which together
hold back larger amounts of water.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Causes, Effects & Control measures of Air
Pollution
• Air pollution began to increase in the beginning of
the twentieth century with the development of the
transportation systems and large-scale use of petrol
and diesel.
• Pollution due to auto-exhaust remains a serious
environmental issue.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

What is air pollution?
• Air pollution occurs due to the presence of undesirable
solid or gaseous particles in the air in quantities that are
harmful to human health and the environment.
• Pollutants that are emitted by natural events (for example,
dust storms and volcanic eruptions) and human activities
(emission from vehicles, industries, etc.).
• Examples: Carbon oxides(CO and CO2), nitrogen oxides,
sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds(mostly
hydrocarbons) and suspended particulate matter.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Effects of Air Pollution:
• Prolonged smoking or exposure to air pollutants can
overload or breakdown these natural defenses
causing or contributing to diseases such as lung
cancer, asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
• Elderly people, infants, pregnant women and
people with heart disease, asthma or other
respiratory diseases are especially vulnerable to air
pollution.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Pollutants that are produced in the atmosphere
when certain chemical reactions take place among
the primary pollutants are called secondary
pollutants. Eg: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, carbonic
acid, etc.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Control measures for air pollution:
• Air pollution can be controlled by two fundamental
approaches: preventive techniques and effluent
control.
• Devices for removal of pollutants from the flue
gases though scrubbers, closed collection recovery
systems through which it is possible to collect the
pollutants before they escape, use of dry and wet
collectors, filters, electrostatic precipitators, etc.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Water Pollution
Causes:
• Disease-causing agents (pathogens) which include
bacteria, viruses, protozoa and parasitic worms that enter
water from domestic sewage and untreated human and
animal wastes.
• Oxygen depleting wastes are organic wastes that can be
decomposed by aerobic (oxygen requiring) bacteria.
• Inorganic plant nutrients are water soluble nitrates and
phosphates that cause excessive growth of algae and other
aquatic plants.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Measures:
• Setting up effluent treatment plants and treating
waste through these can reduce the pollution load
in the recipient water.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Root Zone Process involves running contaminated water
through the root zones which absorb oxygen from the
surrounding air through their stomatal openings.
• The oxygen enters the root zone and creates conditions
suitable for the growth of numerous bacteria and fungi.
• These micro-organisms oxidize impurities in the
wastewaters, which finally comes out is clean.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Solid Waste Management
• The term municipal solid waste (MSW) is generally used to
describe most of the non-hazardous solid waste.
• Control measures of urban and industrial wastes: An
integrated waste management strategy includes three main
components:
Source reduction
Recycling
Disposal
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Incineration is the process of burning municipal solid waste
in a properly designed furnace under suitable temperature
and operating conditions.
• Vermi – Composting: All dead and dry leaves and twigs
decompose and are broken down by organisms such as
worms and insects, and is finally broken down by bacteria
and fungi, to form a dark rich soil-like material called
compost.
• This compost can be used as a manure for farms and
gardens.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Global warming:
• About 75% of the solar energy reaching the Earth is
absorbed on the earth’s surface which increases its
temperature.
• The rest of the heat radiates back to the
atmosphere. Some of the heat is trapped by
greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide.
• As carbon dioxide is released by various human
activities, it is rapidly increasing. This is causing
global warming.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Ozone layer depletion:
• The ozone layer in the upper atmosphere absorbs the sun’s
ultraviolet radiation, preventing it from reaching the earth’s
surface.
• In the 1970s, scientists discovered that chemicals called
chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs, which were used as
refrigerants and aerosol spray propellants, posed a threat
to the ozone layer.
• The destruction of the ozone layer is seen to cause
increased cases of skin cancer and cataracts.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

DISASTER MANAGEMENT:
FLOODS, EARTHQUAKES, CYCLONES
• Among all the disasters that occur in the country, floods are
the most frequently occurring natural disasters.
• Earthquakes are considered to be one of the most
destructive natural hazards. The impact of this
phenomenon occurs with so little warning that it is almost
impossible to make preparations against damages and
collapse of buildings.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Disaster management is a multidisciplinary area in which a
wide range of issues that range from forecasting, warning,
evacuation, search and rescue, relief, reconstruction and
rehabilitation are included.
• A mitigation program must ensure effective partnership
between Government, scientific, private sector, NGOs and
the community.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

THE WILDLIFE PROTECTION ACT
• This Act passed in 1972.
• Deals with the declaration of National Parks and
Wildlife Sanctuaries and their notification.
• It prohibits hunting of all animals specified in
Schedules I to IV of the Act.
• Plants that are protected are included in schedule
VI.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• A person who breaks any of the conditions of any license or
permit granted under this Act shall be guilty of an offence
against this Act. The offence is punishable with
imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years
or with a fine of Rs 25,000 or with both and may extend to
six years and a fine of Rs 25,000.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

FOREST CONSERVATION ACT
• Forest Conservation Act of 1980, which
was amended in 1988.
• The Act gave the Government and Forest
Department the power to create Reserved Forests,
and the right to use Reserved Forests for
Government use alone, the use of resources by
local people was controlled.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• In 1992, the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the
Constitution furthered governance through
panchayats. It gives States the ability to provide
power to the local panchayats to manage local
forest resources.
• The Forest Conservation Act of 1980 was enacted to
control deforestation.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Penalties for offences in Reserved Forests:
No person is allowed to make clearings or set fire
to a Reserved Forest.
Cattle are not permitted to trespass into the
Reserved Forest.
collecting any forest product is punishable with
imprisonment for a term of six months, or with a
fine which may extend to Rs.500, or both.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

THE WATER (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF
POLLUTION) ACT
• The Government has formulated this Act in 1974 to
be able to prevent pollution of water by industrial,
agricultural and household wastewater that can
contaminate our water sources.
• The main objectives of the Water Act are to provide
for prevention, control and abatement of water
pollution.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• The Central Government and State Governments
have set up Pollution Control Boards that monitor
water pollution.
• An individual or organization that fails to comply
with the directions given in the subsections of the
law can be convicted or punished with
imprisonment for a term of three months or with a
fine of Rs.10,000 or both and in case failure
continues an additional fine of Rs.5,000 everyday.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

THE AIR (PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF
POLLUTION) ACT
• The Government passed this Act in 1981 to clean up our air
by controlling pollution.
• Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) have been set up by
Government to measure pollution levels in the atmosphere
and at certain sources by testing the air.
• The presence of pollution beyond certain limits due to
various pollutants discharged through industrial emission
are monitored by the Pollution Control Boards set up in
every State.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

HUMAN RIGHTS
• Several environmental issues are closely
linked to human rights. These include the
equitable distribution of environmental
resources, the utilization of resources and
Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Environmental issues are closely linked to human
rights:
Equity
Nutrition, health and human rights
Intellectual Property Rights
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Women and Child Welfare
• Women constitute 48 per cent of the total
population of the country.
• The development of women has been receiving
attention of the Government of India from the First
Plan.
• In 1953, the Central Social Welfare Board was set up
which acts as an Apex Body at the Centre to
promote voluntary action at various levels,
especially at the grassroots, to take up welfare-
related activities for women and children.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• In 2nd to 5th Plans priority was given to women’s
education, and launching measures to improve
material and child health services, supplementary
feeding for children and expectant and nursing
mothers.
• The Sixth Plan adopted a multi-disciplinary
approach with special emphasis on the three core
sectors of health, education and employment.
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

• Examples of Schemes for Women and Child:
Swayamsidha
Swashakti Project
Child Development Services Scheme (CDS)
Swavlamban
Rashtriya Mahila Kosh
Swadhar
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M.B.A, NET, (Ph.D)

Environment studies Unit-I for B.Com, BBA, BA, B,Sc - I year, B.Tech

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