Districts Of Maharashtra Research Articles

Genetic Diversity Analysis and SDS-PAGE Protein Profile in Landraces of Chickpea Grown in Yavatmal District (Maharashtra)

Four chick pea landraces viz. LC1, LC2, LC3 and LC4 collected from Savana, Wai, Kapara and Wakodi villages of Yavatmal district were used for RAPD analysis for assessment of genetic diversity by using five RAPD primers. The SDS-PAGE protein pattern profile was also resolved. Twenty amplicons were found to be amplified from which 55% were polymorphic and 45% were monomorphic across the local cultivar. The electrophoresis pattern of protein fractions were found to be directly related to the genetic background of the proteins and can be used to identify genetic makeup. Total 26 bands were expressed with different intensity. The 110 KDa and 41 KDa protein bands were unique in LC1 and LC4 respectively whereas 66 KDa protein band was common in all landraces. A Considerable variation in protein banding pattern was observed in four landraces which is localized from different villages of Yavatmal district of Maharashtra.

Survey of Kidney Stone Disease using multi dimension questionnaire in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra

Survey of Kidney Stone Disease using multi dimension questionnaire in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra

Poverty, Economic Inequality and Polarization: A District-Wise Analysis of Maharashtra

This article presents a new set of poverty, economic inequality and polarization estimates for all districts of Maharashtra based on the Modified Mixed Recall Period (MMRP) estimates of consumption expenditure from the National Sample Survey (NSS) Consumer Expenditure survey rounds 66th (2009–2010) and 68th (2011–2012). The broad picture emerging from these revised estimates is that poverty has declined during the reference period in rural as well urban sectors. However, perceptible differences between rural and urban sectors in all measures of poverty were identified along with a disaggregated study of the districts where the magnitude of poverty and inequality has been alarming and needs policy attention. The pattern of clustering of population around poles defined by MPCE has been studied by employing indices of polarization. These indicate that polarization has increased in rural sector and decreased in urban sector over the reference period.

SATELLITE BASED DROUGHT ASSESSMENT OVER LATUR, INDIA USING SOIL MOISTURE DERIVED FROM SMOS

Abstract. Climatological variables such as rainfall, temperature have been extensively used by researchers for drought monitoring at a larger spatial region. These variables have a direct influence on the soil moisture which in turn extends the application of soil moisture in drought assessment. With the advancement of technology, various satellites provide soil moisture data at different spatio-temporal resolutions. In this article, soil moisture obtained from Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) is used to analyze the drought condition over Latur district in Maharashtra, India. The monthly soil moisture derived by averaging the daily data for the years 2010 to 2015 is compared with two drought indices, i.e. Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) calculated for years 2010 to 2015 and Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) calculated for years 2010 to 2013. Even though the overall correlation among the indices with the soil moisture is not significant, the seasonal (summer) correlation is significant. From the results, it is identified that SMOS derived soil moisture can be used as a potential parameter in drought assessment.

Assessing the reactivity to mobile phones and repeated surveys on reported care-seeking for common childhood illnesses in rural India.

BackgroundTraditionally, health care-seeking for child illness is assessed through population-based and nationally representative demographic and health surveys (DHS) that are conducted once every five to seven years and are based on maternal recall. These maternal reports are subject to recall bias. Mobile phones (with the use of GPS technology) have the potential to constantly track movements of phone owners and provide high quality and more accurate data at a population level in low and middle income countries (LMICs) to assess the validity of maternal recall. We provided a group of mothers with smartphones installed with a location-aware application and visited them monthly to administer a survey questionnaire on care-seeking for diarrhoea, fever and cough with fever. This paper assesses for any reactivity to smartphones or repeated study contacts for measuring care-seeking and if this resulted in change in health care provider preference.MethodsWe enrolled 749 mothers from rural areas of Pune district in Maharashtra, India and randomly allocated them to one of three groups – a longitudinal phone group, a longitudinal control group and a cross-sectional control group. We collected baseline information from mothers, including individual and household demographic and socio-economic characteristics and care-seeking preferences for child illness. We followed up both longitudinal groups monthly and each cross-sectional sub-group once over a period of 6 months. At each follow up, we administered questions identical to those in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) questionnaire to determine an episode of diarrhoea, fever or cough within the last 15 days, care seeking for the same, and the type of provider. The data were analysed using the χ2 test or Fisher Exact Test for categorical variables, or with the Kruskall-Wallis non-parametric test for continuous variables (due to the non-normal nature of the data). Multivariable joint models of group and visit time were analysed with logistic regression methods.ResultsAll three groups were similar in their socio-demographic characteristics at baseline. We did not observe any significant difference in care seeking for diarrhoea, fever or cough with fever between groups. Also, we did not observe any significant difference in proportion of children seeking care from the private sector.ConclusionsWe did not observe any reactivity in this study due to the presence of the phone (Hawthorne effect) or repeated study visits. The study also shows the potential of using GPS enabled smartphones to enrich DHS surveys in LMICs like India. However, further studies need to be conducted in other population groups before the findings can be generalised.

Reported incidence and risk factors of childhood pneumonia in India: a community-based cross-sectional study

BackgroundPneumonia is responsible for high morbidity and mortality amongst children under five year of age. India accounts for one-third of the total WHO South East Asia burden of under-five mortality. There is a paucity of epidemiological studies indicating the true burden of pneumonia. Identification of the risk factors associated with pneumonia will help to effectively plan and implement the preventive measures for its reduction.MethodsIt was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 16 randomly selected clusters in two districts of Maharashtra state, India. All mothers of under-five children in the selected clusters were included. A validated pretested interview schedule was filled by trained field supervisors through the house to house visits.WHO definition was used to define and classify clinical pneumonia. Height and weight of children were taken as per standard guidelines. Quality checks for data collection were done by the site investigators and critical and noncritical fields in the questionnaire were monitored during data entry. For continuous variables mean and SD were calculated. Chi-square test was applied to determine the association between the variables. Level of significance was considered at 0.05.ResultsThere were 3671 under five-year children, 2929 mothers in 10,929 households.Unclean fuel usage was found in 15.1% of households. Mean birth weight was 2.6 kg (SD;0.61). Exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months of age was practiced by 46% of mothers. Reported incidence of ARI was 0.49 per child per month and the reported incidence of pneumonia was 0.075 per child per year. It was not associated with any of the housing environment factors (p > 0.05) but was found to be associated with partial immunization (p < 0.05). Poor practices related to child feeding, hand hygiene and poor knowledge related to signs and symptoms of pneumonia amongst mother were found.ConclusionsVery low incidence of pneumonia was observed in Pune and Sangli districts of Maharashtra. Partial immunization emerged as a most important risk factor. Reasons for low incidence and lack of association of pneumonia with known risk factors may be a better literacy rate among mothers and better immunization coverage.Trial registrationRegistration number of the trial- CTRI/2017/12/010881; date of registration-14/12/2017.

Challenges and opportunities for outreach workers in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) program in India.

BackgroundThe Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (PMTCT) program in India is one of the largest in the world. It uses outreach workers (ORWs) to facilitate patient uptake of services, however, the challenges faced by the ORWs, and their views about the effectiveness of this program are unknown.MethodsThe COMmunity-Home Based INDia (COMBIND) Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV study evaluated an integrated mobile health and behavioral intervention to enhance the capacity of ORWs in India. To understand the challenges faced by ORWs, and their perceptions of opportunities for program improvement, four group discussions were conducted among 60 ORW from four districts of Maharashtra, India, as part of the baseline assessment for COMBIND. Data were qualitatively analyzed using a thematic approach.ResultsNumerous personal-, social-, and structural-level challenges existed for ORW as they engaged with their patients. Personal-level challenges for ORWs included disclosure of their own HIV status and travelling costs for home visits. Personal-level challenges for patients included financial costs of travelling to ART centers, non-adherence to ART, loss of daily wages, non-affordability of infant formula, lack of awareness of the baby’s needs, financial dependence on family, four time points (6weeks, 6 months, 12 months and 18 months) for HIV tests, and need for nevirapine (NVP) prophylaxis. Social-level challenges included lack of motivation by patients and/or health care staff, social stigma, and rude behavior of health care staff and their unwillingness to provide maternity services to women in the PMTCT programme. Structural-level challenges included cultural norms around infant feeding, shortages of HIV testing kits, shortages of antiretroviral drugs and infant NVP prophylaxis, and lack of training/knowledge related to PMTCT infant feeding guidelines by hospital staff. The consensus among ORWs was that there was a critical need for tools and training to improve their capacity to effectively engage with patients, and deliver appropriate care, and for motivation through periodic feedback.ConclusionsGiven the significant challenges in PMTCT programme implementation reported by ORW, novel strategies to address these challenges are urgently needed to improve patient engagement, and access to and retention in care.

Wild edible plants of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, India and their economic potential

The present study deals with the exploration, identification and future potentialities of the wild edible plant species of Gadchiroli district. The ethnobotanical survey of the region resulted in the documentation of 73wild plant species that are consumed by the Gondi, Madia, Kawar and Pardhan. Out of these, 56species belong to 52 genera 32 dicotyledonous families, while 17 species belong to 15 genera are from 9 monocotyledonous families.

Spatial analysis of groundwater quality mapping in hard rock area in the Akola and Buldhana districts of Maharashtra, India

The study of groundwater quality parameters is most essential for irrigation and drinking water, and its quality is a serious problem around the study area. The spatial analysis of groundwater quality mapping is required and stimulated us to undertake a systematic work of groundwater quality parameters for suitable water exploration of crops and drinking purposes from bore wells and open wells in basaltic hard rock area. A detailed study of physico-chemical parameters composition of groundwater was performed from groundwater quality data of post-monsoon (December) in the year of 2013. The groundwater quality data were collected from 35 wells samples randomly distributed in area. GIS is a powerful tool for representation and analysis of spatial information related to groundwater resources management. To achieve this aim, the groundwater quality samples were analysed for the preparation of groundwater quality maps such as pH, electrical conductivity, TDS, Cl and Mg. The groundwater quality parameters were analysed for all the sampling locations using IWD interpolation techniques. In this study, groundwater quality values observed are minimum and maximum values of pH (6.2–8 on scale), electrical conductivity (348–1598 S/cm), total dissolved solids (268.32–707.95 mg/l), carbonate (0–30 mg/l), bicarbonate (0.9–58.9 mg/l), chloride (1.15–28.36 mg/l), sulphate (17.4–105 mg/l), nitrate (0.4–6.0 mg/l), calcium (2.35–7.24 mg/l), magnesium (2.88–3.73 mg/l), sodium (0.57–3.31 mg/l), potassium (0.26–1.2 mg/l), sulphate (0.5–4.64 mg/l), bicarbonate+ carbonate (1.07–11.16 mg/l) and carbonate (0–0.79 mg/l) in hard rock area. The spatial variation maps were derived and integrated through ARC GIS 10.3 software. The interpolation tool was used to obtain the spatial distribution of groundwater quality parameters in the basaltic hard rock area. Therefore, the result of groundwater analysis of large number of groundwater samples has been found to be suitable for drinking and irrigation purposes in the basaltic hard rock area.

Framework for mapping the drivers of coastal vulnerability and spatial decision making for climate-change adaptation: A case study from Maharashtra, India.

The impacts of climate change are of particular concern to the coastal region of tropical countries like India, which are exposed to cyclones, floods, tsunami, seawater intrusion, etc. Climate-change adaptation presupposes comprehensive assessment of vulnerability status. Studies so far relied either on remote sensing-based spatial mapping of physical vulnerability or on certain socio-economic aspects with limited scope for upscaling or replication. The current study is an attempt to develop a holistic and robust framework to assess the vulnerability of coastal India at different levels. We propose and estimate cumulative vulnerability index (CVI) as a function of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, at the village level, using nationally comparable and credible datasets. The exposure index (EI) was determined at the village level by decomposing the spatial multi-hazard maps, while sensitivity (SI) and adaptive capacity indices (ACI) were estimated using 23 indicators, covering social and economic aspects. The indicators were identified through the literature review, expert consultations, opinion survey, and were further validated through statistical tests. The socio-economic vulnerability index (SEVI) was constructed as a function of sensitivity and adaptive capacity for planning grassroot-level interventions and adaptation strategies. The framework was piloted in Sindhudurg, a coastal district in Maharashtra, India. It comprises 317 villages, spread across three taluks viz., Devgad, Malvan and Vengurla. The villages in Sindhudurg were ranked based on this multi-criteria approach. Based on CVI values, 92 villages (30%) in Sindhudurg were identified as highly vulnerable. We propose a decision tool for identifying villages vulnerable to changing climate, based on their level of sensitivity and adaptive capacity in a two-dimensional matrix, thus aiding in planning location-specific interventions. Here, vulnerability indicators are classified and designated as 'drivers' (indicators with significantly high values and intervention priority) and 'buffers' (indicators with low-to-moderate values) at the village level. The framework provides for aggregation or decomposition of CVI and other sub-indices, in order to plan spatial contingency plans and enable swift action for climate adaptation.

CROTALARIA PROSTRATA VAR. LEVIS HAINES (LEGUMINOSAE): A POORLY KNOWN SPECIES REDISCOVERED, REDESCRIBED AND ENDEMIC FROM THE NORTHERN WESTERN GHATS, INDIA

During a medicinal plant survey in Amba MPCA, Raigarh District of Maharashtra, a rare and endemic species of Crotalaria, Crotalaria prostrata var. levis, (Fabaceae) were rediscovered after type specimens author collected from Amba MPCA in Maharashtra after 94 years.

UNDERSTANDING THE PHARMACOKINETICS OF MAMAJJAKA (ENICOSTEMMA LITTORALE BLUME) AS A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT IN DIABETES MELLITUS.

Enicostemma littorale Blume, also known as Mamajjaka in Sanskrit, Indian gentian in English and “Kadavinay” in local language, is a perennial herb of Gentianaceae family. The plant parts like leaves and roots are used since ages in various parts of India for treating diabetes. It is widely used in Solapur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra, in the form of “leaf pickle” as a dietary supplement in diabetic patient. Acharya Priyavat Sharma has described it as useful in madhumeha. Mamajjaka has a predominance of Tikta rasa, Ushna virya, Katu vipaka, Laghu-Ruksha guna and Vayu-Aakash mahabhuta. It’s an easily available and economically important herb. Different constituents of Mamajjaka, like Swertiamarin, Flavonoids, Saponins, triterpenoids, alkaloids, catechins, sterols, phenolic acids and xanthones, have been reported for possessing hypoglycemic properties. In-vivo, anti-hyperglycemic effect of Mamajjaka has been established, through enhancing glucose-induced insulin release, reducing the glycosylated hemoglobin and by inhibiting the action of glucose-6-phosphate in liver. As, all previous studies have established the significant potentials of Mamajjaka both in Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes, in this study we have reviewed the pharmaco-kinetics of Mamajjaka, keeping in mind the scientific basis of traditional use of Mamajjaka mainly as diet in diabetes. We have established the role of panchabhautic constitution of Mamajjaka as a dietary supplement for the diabetic patients. We have concluded that Mamajjaka, being cost-effective and easily available medicinal herb possessing hypoglycemic properties, can be used as an excellent vegetable in diabetic patients as a dietary supplement.

Women's Farming Collectives: An Inquiry into the Resource Sharing Patterns across 3 Districts of Maharashtra to Provide Evidence for Sustainable Environmental Collective Action

India is an agrarian country where, 80% of its agricultural labour is performed by women. Yet, she is not recognized as a farmer as being a farmer is synonymous to owning agricultural land. The land ownership statistics are obscure for women with only 12% of the operational land holding in India and 15% in the state of Maharashtra in particular. This study through its in depth understanding of women's farming collectives in the 3 districts of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Beed in the state of Maharashtra provides insights in the functioning, resource sharing patterns with respect to land, labour, seeds and water, and puts forward a case for collective action and its benefits in terms of accessing resources where absence of land holding for women farmers exists. The study in the larger context highlights the interesting experiments that women themselves are engaging in and growing organic produce while creating a collective space which is an economic as well as a social space. Ecological sustainability, economic democracy and social well-being are manifested in the nature of these collectives themselves. The main aim of this work is to ensure recognition of women as farmers and provide a platform for them to access land rights collectively.

Water can change Farmers’ Life: A Case from Maharashtra

Assured water is one of the important inputs for good harvest which is sine qua non for Indian farmers and if water is assured then not only they will sustain but country can prosper, as we all know Gandhiji long ago mentioned, “India does not live in its towns but in its villages” (mkgandhi.org/gandhi on villages).In view of this, we have to focus on development of farmers as they have been providing us food by doing hard labour in all the seasons.Keeping in mind of these, inAhmednagar district of Maharashtra at Bahirwadi village ofAhmednagarblock by constructing awatershedin2001, many farmers as well as 400 acres of agricultural land have been benefitted. Of course rainfall (normal in the area is 500 millimetres) should be normal. Keeping in mind of this, a study was conducted in January 2018 about the crops grown, its production, farmers’ individual family income etc., and for this few farmers were contacted and data were collected from them.

An Analytical Study on Awareness Towards GST Amongst Traders: A Case Study of Khalapur Taluka of Raigad District in Maharashtra

An Analytical Study on Awareness Towards GST Amongst Traders: A Case Study of Khalapur Taluka of Raigad District in Maharashtra

Impact of genetically modified food on health of consumers in India

The aim of this investigation is to understand the effects of genetically modified food on the health of consumers in the area of Yavatmal, a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. This knowledge is essential since genetically modified (GM) foods are newly introduced in India. GM cotton is publically available; however, approval for GM Brinjal and GM mustard is still pending in India. To understand the impact of GM food consumption on the health of consumers, a survey was organised in Yavatmal district in Maharashtra among 350 consumers of GM cotton and its by-products (like cotton oil) and 350 consumers of non-GM cotton and the by-products. This study also observed the health of 125 livestock that eats GM food and 91 livestock that eat non-GM food. The collected information was analysed with t-test along with the descriptive statistics. Results of this investigation show that GM food consumers were less affected by any health-related problems than non-GM food users. This study is useful for policymakers to prepare the most favourable policy for different stakeholders of GM food.

Factors affecting digital divide in ict-led agricultural information delivery: A comparative analysis

The Information Communication Technologies (ICT) can be efficient tools to supplement public extension system in delivering timely, relevant, specific information at low cost but, past attempts of ICT led delivery mechanisms were very selectively successful and only a few farmers got advantage out of them. The present study aimed at finding out the reasons those hindered the adoption of ICT tools and technologies as agricultural information delivering media. The gap which is created due to differences in digital opportunities like access to ICT tools, digital literacy and the benefit gained by using those can be termed as digital divide. The study was conducted in Nashik (teledensity=98.98) and Varanasi (teledensity=68.60) districts of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, respectively so that the indicators of digital divide among digitally well performing and not well performing district could be found out from which a projection could be made for other places with similar digital climate. From analysis, it was found out that the factors like gender (t=-2.766**), social participation (t=0.840**), awareness (t=4.041**), affordability (t=3.512**) and economic motivation (t=2.042*) were significant for farmers of Nashik districts where income (t=2.003*), affordability (t= 4.142**) and age (t=2.533**) were significant for farmers of Varanasi district. The study can throw some light on regional, farm and micro level characteristics affecting the digital divide so that it may be helpful for researchers, policy makers and academicians to design suitable policies fitting to digital climate of a particular location.

Sediment Yield Estimation and Soil Conservation Measures for Agrani River Basin Using Geospatial Techniques

Sedimentationreduces the capacity of the reservoir and it is the important concern for watershed management. This paper presentsthe computation of sediment yield of Agrani River basin of Sangli and Belgavi districts in Maharashtra and Karnataka, India using RS and GIS techniques. The land use/land cover (LULC) map of the study area was prepared by supervised classification using satellite imagery of IRS P6 LISS III and ERDAS-imagine v9.1 image processing software. 26.67% of the area is occupied by agricultural land, 20.37% area covers forest land, 27.06% area of fallow land. Meteorological parameters such as average annual rainfall and mean annual temperature are then used to calculate amount of sediment yield in the reservoir. Garde model was used for determination of annual sediment yield. Mean annual runoff and sediment yield for investigating area is19.30 million m3 and 0.0897 million m3/year, respectively. With very fine drainage texture, drainage density in the study area is1.88 km/km2.

Assessment of functioning of village health nutrition and sanitation committees in a District in Maharashtra

Background:Community participation is one of the core principles of primary healthcare. The village health nutrition and sanitation committee (VHNSC), one of the elements in implementation of the National Health Mission (NHM), is an example of community participation. There are not many studies conducted to assess the actual participation of VHNSC in health-care delivery at the village level.Objective:The objective of the study is to develop a VHNSC Maturity Index (VMI) and pilot it to assess the institutional maturity of VHNSC.Materials and Methods:This community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in 83 villages under four Primary Health Centres (PHCs) of the Wardha Community Development block. VMI was developed, Through several discussion sessions with VHNSC members and staff of the DCM; observations of VHND; attending VHNSC monthly meetings; the VMI was finalized after piloting it in all the four PHC areas.Results:All the 83 VHNSCs were constituted as per norms led down under NHM. Forty-eight (57.8%) VHNSCs had developed an annual Village Health Action Plan, 72 (86.7%) VHNSCs had ≥4 meetings held in the past 6 months, and ≥70% attendance in the past 6 months was observed in 40 (48.2%) VHNSCs. A majority of 82 (98.8%) VHNSCs helped in organizing the village health and nutrition day, 59 (71.1%) VHNSCs monitored the implementation of national health programs. The entire untied fund received in the previous year was utilized by 68 (81.9%) VHNSCs.Conclusion:The study shows that VMI can be used for continuous monitoring and assessment tool for VHNSC to evaluate and plan different health activities.

Block-wise comprehensive health index in Gadchiroli: A tribal district in Maharashtra.

The National Health Mission expects bottom-up approach for preparing Project Implementation Plan and also expects special attention toward tribal areas. Some district-level health information is available from national health surveys, but subdistrict-level information is mostly not available. Gadchiroli is the farthest district from the state capital. There are 12 blocks in the district. It is a notified tribal district having 8.61%-81.50% tribal population in different blocks and block-wise urbanization varies from 0.00% to 37.10%. The objective was to assess community health status at block level in Gadchiroli district and then develop comprehensive health index for ranking the blocks. The author has used available secondary data sources including Census, Survey of Cause of Death scheme, health management information system, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, and Maharashtra Medical Council. Ten indicators were selected after discussion with public health specialists to evolve comprehensive health index. Blocks having best statistic in each indicator were given 100 marks and other blocks were given proportionate marks. Thus, the highest possible score for any block was 1000. The range of block-wise score was from 424 to 781. The highest scoring block was Gadchiroli and was an outlier. The comprehensive score was having correlation with urbanization, r = 0.63 (95% confidence limits, 0.09-0.88). After principal component analysis, the extracted three components were responsible for most of the variations. Reasonably reliable and valid block-wise data are available to carry out community health assessment and develop comprehensive health index. The index is useful for comparison among blocks.