Assam Research Articles

A Brief Introduction of the Turi Language of Eastern India

This article presents a brief introduction to the North Munda (Austro-Asiatic) language Turi, spoken by some 1,500 speakers throughout the Indian states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. After a brief introduction to the ethnic Turi group, we present a skeleton grammar of the Turi language as spoken in northwestern Odisha state, where it is still being learned by children as their home language. We then discuss the position of Turi within the Kherwarian (North Munda) group by comparing our lexical data for Turi with that for twelve other Kherwarian varieties as given in Kobayashi et al. (2003), using the software COG from the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Our results suggest that Turi is a sister language to all of the dialects of Santali and that it together with these forms the Santali-Turi branch of Kherwarian. We end with a discussion of the possible consequences of these results for the linguistic and ethnic prehistory of eastern central India.

Geographic disparities and determinants of full utilization of the continuum of maternal and newborn healthcare services in rural India

BackgroundTo further reduce maternal and neonatal mortality, it is essential for mothers and newborns to fully utilize all essential services within the continuum of maternal and newborn care. However, research on maternal and child health services in India has not sufficiently examined geographical disparities in the full utilization of these services and the factors influencing the full utilization, particularly in rural areas. This study aims to address this critical gap.MethodsUtilizing data from 130,312 mothers collected in the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019–21), this study employed spatial analysis to uncover geographical disparities in the full utilization of the continuum of maternal and newborn healthcare services in rural India. Additionally, binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with this utilization.ResultsIn rural India, 54.3% mothers recieved four or more antenatal care visits, 88.6% received skilled birth attendance, and 75.5% of mothers and 79.8% of newborns received postnatal care within 48 hours of birth. However, only 43.5% mothers-newborn dyads in rural India utilized all four services of the continuum of maternal and newborn healthcare. There were significant geographical disparities in the full utilization of the continuum of maternal and newborn healthcare services. Hotspots were primarily identified in districts of southern states, western Maharashtra, and central Odisha, while cold spots were evident in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Assam, and Nagaland, as well as in the Empowered Action Group states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. Key determinants influencing the full utilization of the continuum of care in rural India included maternal education, household wealth, parity, health insurance coverage, and exposure to mass media. Specifically, the odds of fully utilizing the continuum of care were significantly lower among women without formal education (adjusted odds ratio = 0.60, 95% CI = 0.56–0.65), those from the poorest wealth quintile (0.65, 0.61–0.69), and mothers with six or more children (0.42, 0.37–0.47), compared to mothers with higher education, those in the richest wealth quintile, and mothers with a single child, respectively. Additionally, mothers from the southern region were more than twice as likely (2.11, 1.99–2.20) to fully utilize the continuum of healthcare services compared to mothers from the northern region.ConclusionThe significant geographical disparities in the full utilization of maternal and newborn healthcare services in rural India highlight the necessity for tailored, region-specific interventions. Future programs should focus on addressing the barriers to care by prioritizing vulnerable groups, including those who are poor, uninsured, less educated, adolescents, and women with high parity.

Tectonic anabranching of Brahmaputra River system: implications on survival of world’s largest inhabited river island Majuli

Brahmaputra is a large, tropical, trans-boundary river with high sediment load and has the unique distinction of possessing both largest and smallest inhabited river islands. Majuli is the largest inhabited river island situated in the Indian state of Assam and bounded by Brahmaputra on the south, Subansiri River on the northwest, and the Kherkatia River (anabranch of Brahmaputra) on the northeast. The island was formed during a flooding event in 1750 with a sudden change in the course of the Brahmaputra from a low energy meandering to a high energy braided river and subsequent capture of one of its tributaries. The island is a part of the Brahmaputra alluvium squeezed between active Himalayan and Indo-Burmese orogenic belts in an intricate tectonic regime. The dominant flow path of Brahmaputra is controlled by the crustal scale reorganization in this part of the world. The tectonic factors that controlled the anabranching process and created the island, is at present acting as the destroyer of the same by the means of unabated erosion. The erosion pattern of the two rivers viz. Brahmaputra and Subansiri were studied and areas with marked selective erosion have been found. From a combined study of satellite imaging, bathymetric survey and mapping, it is found that the lobate shaped erosions in the study areas are restricted to traces of the tectonic elements related to the Himalayan thrust system through which the rivers are trying to anabranch.

FIRST RECORD OF THE GENUS FOLIABITUS ZHANG ET MADDISON, 2012 (ARANEAE: SALTICIDAE) FROM INDIA

The jumping spider Foliabitus weihangi Lin et Li, 2020 is new for Assam State and the genus Foliabitus Zhang et Maddison, 2012 is recorded from India for the first time.

Adivasi (Tea Tribe) worldviews of living close to wild Asian elephants in Assam, India.

In Assam state, northeastern India, human-elephant conflict mitigation has included technocentric measures, such as installation of barriers, alternative livelihoods, and afforestation. Such measures treat conflict as a technical problem with linear cause-effect relations and are usually ineffective over the long term because they do not consider how historical conditions have shaped present interactions between humans and elephants. Human-elephant encounters in South Asia, including in Assam, have arisen from colonial and postcolonial land-use policies, ethnic relations, and capital extraction. To disentangle these relations, we conducted ethnographic fieldwork in Udalguri district of Assam among the Adivasi (Tea Tribe) to examine their interactions with wild elephants. Through socioecological ruptures, caused by displacement and deforestation, Adivasi (Tea Tribe) and elephant lives have intersected through space and time. Adivasi (Tea Tribe) life narratives and observations of daily encounters with elephants revealed that their interactions are multifaceted and motivated by multiple factors. Myths and oral testimonies revealed that the community has created conceptualizations of the elephant by closely observing their behavior, especially their movements, diets, vocalizations, and interactions with humans. These conceptualizations are filled with vignettes of shared marginalized lives, caused by the loss of homeland, food poverty, and uncertain ways of living. The empathy, expressed by the Adivasi (Tea Tribe), highlights ways of living with elephants that are affective and reach beyond technocentric interventions. For Adivasi (Tea Tribe) members, cohabitation could thus be achieved by living close to elephants as uneasy neighbors. Concepts of cohabitation, we suggest, could be harnessed to inform conservation policy and bring into focus the critically important-and yet often underutilized-values, encompassed by bottom-up, place-centric understandings of what elephants are and how coexistence may be possible in increasingly anthropogenic landscapes.

Exploring Antimalarial and Cytotoxic Activities of Hibiscus cannabinus and Corchorus capsularis Extracts Through In-Vitro and In-Silico Approaches.

Malaria is an infectious disease, endemic to tropical and sub-tropical regions causing half a million people's deaths every year. Bioactive compounds derived from medicinal plants are used to treat malaria disease and its complications. H. cannabinus and C. capsularis are two edible medicinal plants widely cultivated throughout the state of Assam in India. In this study, in-vitro and in-silico investigations were performed to explore the anti-malarial activity of the plant extracts against Plasmodium falciparum with its validation of hemocompatibility on human RBC. We report H. cannabinus and C. capsularis extracts possess highly potent antimalarial activity against Plasmodium falciparum with IC50 values of 3.80 ±0.3 and 7.90 ±0.8 µg/mL, respectively. The plant extracts showed growth inhibition of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells, no toxicity on non-cancerous Vero cells, and no hemolytic activity on human RBCs. The GC-MS analysis detected bioactive compounds 2-pyrazoline-3-carboxylic acid; 5-hydroxy-1-(4-methyl benzoyl)-5-phen 5-oxo-1-phenyl-4H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid; 9-oximino-2,7-diethoxyfluorene; and nonane-diamide, n, n'-di-benzoyloxy in H. cannabinus; and, (+)-sesamin; tetrahydropyran-4-carboxylic acid, 4-phenyl-, (3-chloro-4-methylphenyl; and safrole in C. capsularis. In in-silico study, antimalarial compounds in the extracts were predicted to have good binding affinities with docking score of <-7.5kcal/mol on Falcipain-2, and Cytchrome c2 proteins that promotes thegrowth and invasion of P. falciparum.

Infant Mortality among the Tea Garden Workers in Upper Assam: Insights from a Field Survey

Infant mortality rate is an important indicator that reflects not only the health status of the infant but also the well-being of society as a whole. The north-eastern state of Assam is one of the states having the highest number of maternal and infant deaths within the country. For the first time, infant mortality in Assam registered a decline to 31.9 compared to the national average of 35.2 per 1,000 live births (NFHS-5). Though the overall rank of the state in terms of infant mortality has improved (from the 34th position to the 25th position), it is not enough and is not evenly distributed across the communities within the state. Human rights violations are particularly prominent among the tea garden workers of Assam and are mostly seen against the Adivasi children and woman, which is reflected by high maternal and infant deaths. The study aims to determine the factors responsible for infant mortality among tea garden workers by using primary data collected from 300 women workers across tea gardens in the Sonitpur and Tinsukia districts of Upper Assam. The binary logistic regression method is used for the analysis. It was observed that among the six probable factors, namely educational qualifications of the mother, marriage age of the mother, daily working hours, daily wage as tea garden labour, total number of births and the source of drinking water, the following three factors—namely the total number of births, age at marriage and the source of drinking water—are found to be the significant determinants of infant mortality among the tea garden labourers of Assam. JEL Codes: I12, I15

Climate Extremes Walking Together: Evidence from Recent Compounding Climate Hazards after Remal

On May 26, 2024, Tropical Cyclone (TC) Remal made a devastating landfall along the coastal regions of India and Bangladesh. The sequence of devastating events began with prevailing heatwaves, followed by the cyclone’s landfall and subsequent heavy rainfall coupled with early onset of monsoon led to floods, landslides, and the resurgence of hot spells. It illustrates the complexity of managing such cascading effects of compound climate hazards. Multisource Earth Observation (EO) data with Google Earth Engine (GEE) was used to study the dynamics of Remal and its cascading impacts. IbTracks, INSAT-3D, GPM, Sentinel-1, and PlanetScope were involved in analyzing the cyclone's progression and impacts. Remal's slow progression extended the impact of the cyclone as it hovered over Bangladesh for more than 50 hours. As observed from the GPM data, the right side of the cyclone's path experienced more extensive and severe flooding than the left. Flood extent mapping using the Sentinel-1 data and Otsu thresholding depicted Jogipara, Assam in India and Jashore, Narail, and Khulna in Bangladesh as among the worst affected regions. Additionally, the early onset of the monsoon and the triggered cyclonic rainfall in the area led to landslides in Assam and Meghalaya during this period. The present study advocates the usage of multisource EO data and GEE for quick assessment of compound hazards started Remal. The study also highlights the need for a deeper understanding to develop a more robust district disaster management plan integrating EO data for actionable disaster risk reduction strategies for TC.

National Borders among Families: Removal and ‘Bare Life’ in India

This paper is about the state-driven process of ‘migrant ‘illegality’ (Genova 2002) and its impact on the life of Bengali speaking residents in the Assam state of India. While the movement of people across borders between India and present-day Bangladesh has been historical and complex, this ethnographic work explores how the state-driven process of migrant illegality and the production of ‘bare life’ have disrupted intimate relations and family life among the migrant population in Assam. While the recent NRC (National Register of Citizens) update in Assam identified 1.9 million people as illegal migrants, there has been bureaucratic enactment of ‘migrant illegality’ by Assam Border Police for the last several years. The institutional procedures, court documents and narratives of the select cases of ‘detected’ as well as ‘detained’ residents from ethnographic fieldwork reveal how the absence of formal papers and errors in the family records, kinship relations and property inheritance among the poor migrant families transforms actual citizens to ‘illegal migrants’ in the bureaucratic manoeuvring and reduces them to their ‘bare life’. The paper also shows how prejudice, arbitrariness, and contradictions feed into the bureaucratic process and lead to intense crises among family units, as several migrant families have both Indians and alleged ‘Bangladeshis’ in their homes today. The paper argues that the major consequence of this state-driven ‘migrant illegality’ in the last two decades has been the creation of national borders among families, unsettling intimate relations and shared spaces.

Reconfiguring the Tribe: Changing Ethnic Affiliations in India’s Northeast

This essay sees the form and functioning of the Zeliangrong Naga community as a work in progress. Rather than a perennial, historically immutable and delimited entity, the (relatively recent) formation of the Zeliangrong community indicates that tribes can be formed afresh and that tribal identities are constantly in flux. I begin by tracing and placing the origins of the Zeliangrong Naga as told by Zeliangrong elders and circulating origin and migration stories. Then, continuing my focus on ethnic alignment and realignment, I studied the Zeliangrong movement that emerged in the 1920s. At first, they advocated a Naga Raj through the ousting of the colonial government. Over time, however, this rebellion changed direction and reduced its ambitions to the creation of a Zeliangrong homeland that would unite the Zeliangrong people who currently inhabit three different states of Northeast India, namely Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. Drawing both on historical analysis and fresh ethnography this essay shows how over time the Zeliangrong ethnic identity has come under strain and is increasingly internally contested with its constituent parts now expressing divergent political aspirations while also struggling over status, standing and dominance within.

Evaluation of Promising Lines of Lai Patta (Brassica juncea var rugosa L.) Suitable for Cultivation in North Eastern India

The present study was carried out with ten accessions of laipatta (Brassica juncea var rugosa L.) in Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat in order to identify suitable high yielding variety(s) with desirable quality characters. The accessions viz., JorMLG-1, JorMLP-2, MLG-3, MLP-4, MLG-5, MLP-6, ShLG-7, KjLP-8, ChL-9 (Check), and KL-10(Check) were collected from different districts of Assam and North East. They were evaluated consecutively for three years in station trials in the Dept. of Horticulture, AAU, Jorhat for plant yield and other quantitative and quality characters. The accessions were tested in Multilocation trials in five research stations. In these trials. among all genotypes JorMLG-1 and JorMLP-2 were found to be the best for plant yield and other component characters. The On Farm trials conducted in 12 farmers’ fields in Jorhat and Kokrajhar districts of the state exhibited average plant yield of 350.1 q/ha in JorMLG-1 and 318.2 q/ha in JorMLP-2 with 34 – 48% yield increase over the best check variety (ChL-9). JorMLG-1was a green leaf variety whereas JorMLP-2 was a greenish purple variety. The edible leaves could be harvested upto 60 days in JorMLG-1 and 55 days in JorMLP-2 after transplanting till the initiation of bolters. However, the best check variety ChL-9 showed bolting at 25 days after transplanting. Estimation of quality characters revealed 147.6 mg ascorbic acid, 186 mg calcium and 11.21 mg iron per 100g in JorMLG-1 whereas 145.2 mg ascorbic acid, 176 mg calcium and 10.61 mg iron per 100g in JorMLP-2. They have been recommended in the Zonal Research Committee Meeting and Annual Technical Committee Meeting held at Assam Agricultural University, Jorhat during 2019-20 for release in the state of Assam. In view of yield performance, consumer preference and taste, the varieties are spreading very fast and getting popularity throughout entire NE states. However, more study is required on quality traits, genetic parameters and molecular aspects.

Heritagizing the Maestro

Bhupen Hazarika was a multifaceted personality known for his contributions as a singer, songwriter, composer, filmmaker, writer, and social activist from Assam, a state in the north-eastern part of India. To honour his life and works, a memorial site is constructed in the Jalukbari area of Assam. The site is called ‘Dr Bhupen Hazarika Samadhikshetra’. It is located in Guwahati city, near Gauhati University, in the state of Assam, India. The literal meaning of the Assamese words Samadhikshetra is a burial site. Through empirical research, the paper investigates the conceptual framework of heritagization as applied to Dr Hazarika’s legacy, focusing on preserving, maintaining, and celebrating his contributions to society. The study emphasises the role of the memorial site, as a tangible example of Dr Hazarika’s cultural relevance by delving further into its architectural design, symbolic elements, and commemorative features. Beyond these tangible aspects, the study also addresses the intangible values, identity and collective memories that the site evokes and preserves. The paper also explores the close interaction between the cultural and constructed heritage of the site, emphasising the need for a holistic strategy to protect and preserve the cultural past. Despite controversies and challenges over selecting the last resting place of Dr Hazarika, the Samadhikshetra stands as a tribute to his lasting influence and gratitude for his artistic legacy. Through commemorative events and ongoing public engagement, the memorial site continues to serve as a sacred space where Dr Hazarika’s spirit can live on and inspire future generations.

Exploring teacher characteristics and participation in TPACK-related online teacher professional development in Assam, India

Recent years have seen a significant increase in professional development opportunities to support teachers in enhancing their digital skills in India. However, to date, there is little evidence that teachers are confidently harnessing digital technologies within their classrooms. We suggest that this may be explained by insufficient attention on how teachers’ participation in TPACK-focused teacher professional development (TPD) programmes is mediated by their values, prior experiences and positioning within society. To explore this, we examined government upper primary and secondary school teachers’ experiences of participating in a course entitled ‘Constructivist teaching and learning with technology within the TPACK framework’ (CTLT), which was offered to over 500 teachers in 23 districts in the Indian state of Assam. Based on the survey responses of 209 (pre-course) and 109 (post-course) teachers, the findings of the study indicated that, contrary to expectations and much current scholarship, the female teachers significantly outperformed the male teachers in terms of course completion. However, the teachers who undertook the survey in English performed better than those who did so in Assamese. This paper explores possible reasons for these outcomes while recommending the need to take teacher characteristics into account when designing and implementing inclusive large-scale TPD programmes for TPACK.

Artificial Intelligence Plays Crucial Role in Education Sector of Assam

“AI is a mirror, reflection not only our intellect, but our values and fears” Artificial intelligence (AI) is shaping the future of technology and revolutionizing our education system. Due to evolution of artificial intelligence, we have seen the drastic change in our educational sector throughout the globe. It indicates a positive signal for present and future generations of our country and also throughout the globe. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play a crucial role in the school functioning process, streamlining and optimizing the procedure for both institutions and applicants. Through AI-driven algorithms, schools can efficiently sift through a large pool of applicants, identifying the most suitable candidates based on predefined criteria such as student’s enrollment according to their academic performance, extracurricular activities, and personal attributes. One of the most remarkable advantages of employing AI in the admission process is its ability to eliminate human bias, ensuring fairness and equal opportunities for all applicants. AI systems are programmed to assess candidates solely based on their qualifications and merit, reducing the influence of subjective factor, viz., race, gender, or socioeconomic background. We have seen the drastic changes in case of new admission in our School and College for last 3 to 4 years in the state of Assam and country as well. Moreover, AI facilitates personalized and efficient communication with applicants, providing them with updates on their application status and guiding them through the admission process. Virtual assistants powered by AI can promptly address queries from applicants, offering them the support they need. Furthermore, AI enables predictive analysis, allowing schools to forecast future trends in admission and tailor their strategies accordingly. By analyzing past admission data and trends, AI systems can provide valuable insights into the preferences and behaviors of prospective students, helping schools make informed decisions and develop targeted recruitment strategies. AI is revolutionizing the school admission process by making it more efficient, transparent, and fair. By leveraging AI technologies, schools can streamline their admission procedures, improve the candidate experience, and ultimately ensure that the most qualified and deserving students are admitted. In Assam, the education department of Government of Assam has introduced Shiksha Setu App to enhance communication between students, parents, teachers, and educational institutions. It facilitates access to various educational resources, attendance tracking of both teachers and students, exam schedules, leave for teachers, and performance reports. Its significance lies in improving transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in the whole education system of Assam, and as result contributing to better student outcomes and parental involvement.

Potential environmental implications of sandbar afforestation: Insights from ecosystem restoration initiatives in a sandbar of Brahmaputra River Assam, India

Plantation in riverine sandbars offers an excellent opportunity for restoration of ecosystem with a vast potential for enhancing carbon stock. Afforestation on barren islands is challenging task; however, Padmashree Jadav Payeng has single-handedly transformed a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra into a forested landscape in India’s northeastern state of Assam. Such inspiring initiative needs more attention in terms of scientific assessment to quantify ecosystem value and services that can be enriched through such activities. This study uses remote sensing data viz., Landsat4–5TM and Sentinel 2 A data to provide a detailed information on spatio-temporal variability of land use land cover of study region from 1990 to 2021. It aims to conduct a scientific and systematic assessment of biophysical changes that have occurred in the sandbars, understand the status of afforestation, and evaluate the current levels of aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), and carbon stock in the selected sandbars. The spatial distribution of AGB, BGB and carbon stock is derived using linear regression model between SAR backscatter and field-based AGB. The results demonstrate that forest cover increased by 31.92 % and sandbar area is reduced by 26.87 % from 1990 to 2021. Spatially derived AGB ranges from 9 to 1295.89 Mg per ha, BGB from 2.35 to 290.50 Mg per ha and carbon stock from 6.18 to 763.34 Mg per ha. Ficus religiosa exhibits a high biomass, ranging from 564.7 Mg per ha to 994.7 Mg per ha, and a high carbon stock, ranging from 8 to 557.30 Mg per ha, attributed to its larger diameter at breast height (DBH). Moreover, phytosociological assessment was conducted for the studied forest, which reveal a total tree species richness of 79. The forest exhibits a total tree density of 395 individuals per hectare. Different biodiversity indices provide a comprehensive understanding of species composition; where results show a Shannon diversity index of 2.81, a Simpson's index of 0.08, a Menhinick's richness index of 2.7, and a Margalef's richness index of 5.26. The article provides detailed information on change in forest cover and present status of AGB, BGB and Carbon stock, providing evidence-based narratives on ecosystem restoration. The initiative by a single person has created a forested landscape and habitat for a large number of wild animals, contributing to better carbon stock and a healthier ecosystem. With regard to the current debate of carbon market, the study suggests the need of instrumentalization of carbon credits for such restoration activities to encourage increase in carbon stock. It also concludes that in-depth research should be taken up on long-term effectiveness of such plantation activities and the potential for scaling up these initiatives for ecosystem restoration in view of climate change mitigation and sustainable forest development.

A Study on Existing Hygiene Practices of Rural Women of Assam, India

Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. It can be defined as the practice of certain habits to maintain a good health both at the personal level (personal hygiene – cleanliness, physical exercise, proper rest, sleep, bathing, avoiding smoking, drinking alcohols, drugs etc.) and at the community level (social hygiene – proper disposal of waste) (WHO, Jan, 2016). About 75% of health facilities are concentrated in urban areas where only 27% of the total population lives. Contagious, infectious and waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, amoebiasis, typhoid, infectious hepatitis, worm infestations, measles, malaria, tuberculosis, whooping cough, respiratory infections, pneumonia, reproductive tract infections etc. dominate the morbidity pattern, especially in rural areas [1]. The study was carried out in the state of Assam (India) with 270 randomly selected rural women of 3 districts, viz., Tinsukia, Nagaon and Barpeta districts to find the existing practice of respondents on hygiene. More than half of the respondents (57.04 %) belonged to ‘moderate category’ of practice level on hygiene. Majority of the respondents belonged to ‘moderate category’ of practice level on hygiene, namely Barpeta (56.67%), Nagaon (53.33%) and Tinsukia (61.11%). It is also observed that the Nagaon district had highest percentage (24.44%) of respondents that belonged to ‘poor category’ of practice level on hygiene as compared to the other two districts.

Knowledge of Nutrition and Hygiene among Rural Women of Assam in India

Knowledge of Nutrition and Hygiene among Rural Women of Assam in India

An outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Shigella sonnei in a village in Dibrugarh district, Assam.

Background & objectives Food and waterborne illnesses remain a neglected public health issue in India. Events with large gatherings frequently witness outbreaks of acute diarrheal diseases due to consumption of contaminated food or water or poor food handling practices. In the present study, an outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD) occurring among the attendees of a birthday party in rural Dibrugarh district in the northeastern Indian State of Assam was investigated. Methods Sociodemographic information along with details of ADD outbreak that included information about source of foods, food handlers, illness details, etc., were collected using an outbreak investigation form for descriptive and analytical epidemiology. Rectal swabs from affected individuals and food handlers were collected along with bore-well water samples and tested in the laboratory by performing bacterial culture, biochemical analysis and polymerase chain reaction. Due to the delayed report on the outbreak, collecting leftover food for laboratory testing and analysis was impossible. Results A total of 25 cases of ADD had similar signs and symptoms. The mean incubation period for developing acute diarrhoea was 26.36±8.76 (± standard deviation) hours from food consumption. The overall attack rate was 60.04 per cent (25/41); 20 per cent (5/25) required hospitalization. Thirteen rectal swab samples were tested for pathogens and found positive for Shigella sonnei. Antibiotic susceptibility test of isolated S. sonnei showed resistance to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and cefotaxime. Consumption of one of the food items - chicken curry was significantly associated with illness (Odds Ratio=14.8; 95% Confidence Interval: 2.75-85.11); P value<0.05 and Population Attributable Fraction (PAF) was 70.18 per cent. The water samples were found satisfactory for human consumption. Interpretation & conclusions The findings suggested that S. sonnei infection could be implicated in the investigated food-borne diarrhoeal disease outbreak and that there was a potential for human-poultry cross-infection. Additionally, the study revealed concerning levels of S. sonnei resistance to recommended antibiotics and drew attention to their public health relevance.

The Kudmi (Kudumi), a totemic community of Jharkhand State and near about parts (India) – critical evaluation for inclusion in ST category

The Kudmi (Kudumi) a totemic primitive community (tribe) originated and evolved from the Neanderthal man (Homo Sapiens neanderthdemais) 2,30,000 years ago, like all other human beings, which is evidenced by the evolutionary theories based on fossil findings and population genetics. They are inhabiting in the state of Jharkhand and its near about, i.e. of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Chattisgarh states since time immemorial, who were classified as “Primitive tribes” by the British regime in India in 1865, alongwith other primitive tribes under the term of the Indian succession Act, as they have customary rules of sucession. Subsequently in 1913 and 1931 they were included in the list of tribes (Primitive Tribes). But unfortunately, they were omitted as from the ST category drawn up in 1950 for reasons that are unknown, although they are having traits of Primitive Tribes, e.g., they are totemic (alike all other primitive tribes of India and the world) i.e. their lineage related to plants, animals and other natural objects, shyness of contact with other communities at large, distinctive culture, geographically isolated, Backwardness (towards past, keeping back and slow is learning) and specific mother tongue-“Kudmali’.Under the above circumstances the Kudmis of the above noted geographical area be again reincluded in the ST category by the present authority concerned to bring them to the main stream of development of the country and to uplift their life style and social status at large.

A Correlation Study to Comprehend the SAR-CoV-2 Viral Load, Antiviral Antibody Titer, and Severity of COVID-19 Symptoms Post-infection Amongst the Vaccinated Population in Kamrup District of As sam, Northeast India.

As per the recommendation of the United States Food and Drug Administration, more research is needed to determine the antibody titer against COVID-19 vaccination. The study aimed to understand the relationship between the antibody titer to the demographics, infection severity, and cycle threshold (CT) values of confirmed COVID-19 patients. Initially, we obtained consent from 185 populations and included sixty RT-PCRpositive COVID-19 patients from Kamrup District in the Northeast State of Assam, India. The vaccination status was recorded and tested for the level of serum immunoglobulin (IgG). The CT values, gender, and clinical symptoms-based scoring (CSBS) correlated with their IgG value. Around 48% of participants gained an antibody titer more than the threshold value and showed CT values between 18-25. Moreover, the maximum distributed score above the average was found between the CT values 18-25. The IgG titer value differs significantly amongst the vaccinated population, which may depend upon their genetic and demographic variability.