Manipur Research Articles

Understanding the Decline and Downfall of the Indian National Congress in Manipur: an Analysis of the Factors for Its Defeat in the State Assembly Elections of 2017 and 2022

The Indian National Congress that have been dominating the politics of one of India's Northeastern state of Manipur, has decline so much so that in the latest Assembly election 2022 got just 5 seats out of 60 seats. So this paper is an attempt to analyse the factors for its Decline and Downfall.

Employment and Income Pattern of Farm Households in Northeast India: Has COVID-19 Lockdown Hindered?

The COVID-19 pandemic hinders the livelihood of farm households in India. This study was conducted to measure the change in the employment and income patterns of farm households in the Imphal West district of Manipur state during the imposition of a nationwide lockdown in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the districts, blocks, and villages. A simple random sampling technique without a replacement strategy was used to identify 109 farm households from two blocks in the Imphal West district of Manipur. Simple tabular analysis and statistical tests were used to examine the changes in the employment and income patterns of farm households in the Imphal West district. The study revealed that the majority of the sampled farm households (86.14%) got their employment in off-farm, non-farm, or both activities along with on-farm activities, and the rest of them (13.76%) specialized only in on-farm activities in the study area. The average number of human days employed on farms by sample households has significantly reduced from 121 to 110 human days. During the COVID-19 period, the average off-farm and non-farm employment decreased from 51 to 35 human days and from 170 to 107 human days, respectively. During COVID-19 lockdown, average yearly farm income reduced by 8.22 per cent. Similarly, the average off-farm and non-farm average income reduced by 21.67 per cent and 20.23 per cent, respectively and there was no employment was generated under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNERGA) during COVID-19 lockdown period. The employment from private jobs and businesses was primarily disrupted during lockdown. Hence, this study proposes that efforts should be made to encourage farm households to embrace diversified employment options by giving education on several different enterprises and connecting them with specific groups such as SHG, Join Liability Group, and Farmers' Club that will assist them in coping with future economic shocks.

Conflict: Impact on Tourism Industry in Manipur: A Case Study of Select Travel Agencies & Tour Operators in Imphal

According to the 2018 World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) report, the travel and tourism industry contributes 10.4% to global GDP and employs one in every ten people worldwide. According to the WTTC's Economic Impact Research report from 2018, India will be among the world's fastest-growing tourist economies in the following years, with travel commerce expected to bring 10 million jobs to the country by 2028.Tour & Travel tourism sector in India is accounted as very important in development of tourism and employment generation. It plays an important role such as bridging between clients and principal suppliers, image builder, rapid travel services, social and continues process.Manipur conflict cast a pall over tourism sector in the northeast. Over a 3 month-long clashes between two communities of Manipur, mounting death and destruction in the north eastern states of Manipur has brought life and livelihood to a grinding halt and completely derailed the momentum that tourism sector in the state and the region as a whole has received over the last few years.The key important of the study is the assessment of the existing impacts in the Travel Agents & Tour Operators undertaken in the study and to suggest measures so that supply meets the conflict period.

A southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) first reported on cucumber in Manipur

Root-knot nematode is one of the major pest of vegetable crops that produces root galls in the infected roots, seriously reducing the farmer’s produce. According to statistics, phyto-parasitic nematodes affect 12.3% of the world’s major crops each year, resulting in yield losses. Most common species of root-knot nematodes have been reported to be vulnerable to cucumber and they can reduce productivity by up to 60% in protected commercial farming. Till now, there was no report of root knot nematode affecting cucumber in the state of Manipur (India). In 2021, an extensive investigation was conducted in each block of Kakching district, Manipur to observe for the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne spp.) infecting the cucumber crop of that area based on morphological characteristic symptoms of the infected plant. The root samples forming galls and soil were collected for confirmatory studies at the laboratory. For the first time, it was discovered during the study that the cucumber crop was infested by the Meloidogyne spp. showing the general symptoms like water and nutrient stress, yellowing of leaves, stunted growth, wilting of infested plants and patchiness of plants in the infested field, together with the typical symptoms of gall formation in the root system. According to morphological investigations, the southern root-knot nematode (M. incognita) was found to be responsible for the infestation of the cucumber plant sample taken from a farmer’s field in the Kakching district of Manipur.

Securitization in Moreh town of Manipur State, India and the impact of the Myanmar political conflict

The border of Moreh town is a major security concern for the Manipur State of India due to its location whereby it shares the border with neighboring Myanmar and the diverse population characteristics. Furthermore, the conflict in Myanmar following a military coup in 2021 heightened regional tensions. It impacted people in the nation and neighboring countries as a result of mass migration fleeing political and economic difficulties. The objective of this article is to examine the security policy-making process and its components in Moreh town, as well as the impact of Myanmar's political crisis on human security, using Securitization Theory as a framework. This study employs qualitative research methodology, primarily relying on secondary documents. According to the findings of this study, the government, both federal and state, is the primary securitizing actor in Moreh town, with other non-actors in dual process of securitization, prioritizing illegal migration as a case study. While insurgencies and other cross-border crimes are also important security issues in the area. As a result of border restrictions and limitations, these issues could have an impact on both national and human security.

Sanamahism of meitei: “new ancient” religion of Manipur

Sanamahism is a noticeable phenomenon in the religious picture of the Indian state of Manipur, the ethno-national religion of the Meitei people, which began to form on the basis of old traditional cults in the 1930s. Adherents of Sanamahism initially opposed their religion as the main form of expression of ethnic identity Meitei (Meiteilon) to Hinduism: they emphasized the forced conversion of Meitei to Hinduism, and the organizations they formed, “Apokpa Marup” in 1930 and “Meitei Marup” in 1945, were in a tough fight against the “Brahma Sabha”. The creators of Sanamahism opposed the caste division of society and emphasized the originality of the mythological narratives and ritual practices of Meitei. The peculiar theology of the “new ancient” religion is based on the interpretation of the image of the god Sanamahi as the main creative principle of the world and the supreme God. The most important element of Sanamahism is a kind of myth-history that uses traditional mythological, ritual and cult elements, but organizes them in a new way. In the last decade of the twentieth century the confrontation between Meitei Hindus and Sanamahists has decreased, and at present there are even some attempts to proclaim the Sanamahism as a sort of “local Hinduism”.

Geospatial assessment and hydrogeochemical characterization of groundwater resources of Manipur Valley, India.

Spatio-temporal hydrogeochemical assessments of groundwater resources were carried out for the valley region of Manipur in India to investigate its quality status and suitability criteria for irrigational and potable uses. The assessment was carried out for 140 spatially distributed groundwater samples collected during 2018-2021 for pre- and post-monsoon seasons. To assess and comprehend the hydrogeochemical behavior of underlying aquifers and controlling factors for groundwater quality in the region, groundwater quality indices and statistical tools were used. Assessment of in situ parameters such as pH, TDS, salinity, and EC under field conditions reveal that the values exceed concentration in many locations. Most of the samples fall in the category of hard to very hard water. Moreover, observation of both positive and negative oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in groundwater samples indicates aquifers are of recent unstable geologic formations. Similarly, elevated concentrations of F-, Cl-, HCO3-, and Fe3+ greater than the prescribed standards of the World Health Organization in many samples indicate the unsuitability of the groundwater sources for potable uses. The geochemical interactions were found to be dominated and controlled by the rock-weathering geochemical process that contributes to HCO3--Ca2+-type water, followed by HCO3--Na+, Cl--Ca2+, and mixed-type water in both seasons. Spatio-temporal geospatial vulnerable groundwater zone mapping using interpolation techniques carried out in the ArcGIS platform identifies the aquifers based on the water quality and pollution indices. The study's significant findings can provide baseline information that can supplement the government's planning and management initiatives to deal with the current water security challenges in the region as groundwater uses are increasing due to various hydroclimatic phenomena in the state.

Venture Creation in Impoverished Contexts: Case Study of a Woman Entrepreneur from Manipur in India

Venture Creation in Impoverished Contexts: Case Study of a Woman Entrepreneur from Manipur in India

HOW DID THE ENTREPRENEURS OF MANIPUR COPE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

The Covid-19 pandemic, undoubtedly was one of the worst cataclysmic events in human history. With total lockdown that was imposed due to the pandemic, schools and offices began operating from home. Entrepreneurs too, with the closure of physical stores began to shift their modus operandi. The present study is based on Covid-19 s impact on the entrepreneurs, adaptation strategies, and shift towards online home-based business. The study consisted of randomly selected 104 entrepreneurs from the state of Manipur, a North-Eastern state of India. The study was a mixed approach since questionnaire was used to asked to be filled and then at the end of the session interview method was employed. The data is analysed using IBM SPSS software. The results revealed that ninety-one percent of the entrepreneurs were affected by the pandemic. Many entrepreneurs also saw the sudden surge in price of imported products or they werent available at all. So, out of them 85.5 percent adopted various adaptation techniques. While 95.19 percent of the entrepreneurs resorted to online business and thirty-one percent of them who did not have home-based business shifted to home business due to the pandemic. KEYWORDS: Covid-19, pandemic, impact, adaptation, entrepreneurs

Socio-economic Impact on livelihood of Black Rice Growers in Manipur: Heckman Selection Model Approach

"The present study was carried to examine the influence of socio-economic factors on earning of black rice growers in Manipur. A sample of 120 black rice growers was collected from two selected districts of the Manipur state viz., Imphal West and Imphal East. Heckman selection two stage model was employed to analyse the result of the study. The study was revealed that factors like education, gender, organic farming motive of production and land area employed under black rice cultivation has found to be significant and responsible to change the income of the farmers. In second stage of the model, number of earners of household and organic farming motive of production were found to be significant to change the income of farmers. Moreover, it was also found that more educated farmers had secured more income from black rice production. If farmers are produced black rice with business motive can be emerged as major source of income and ultimately would be helpful to reduce the unemployment and strengthen the economy of the state."

Smokeless Tobacco Use and Cessation Attempts during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study.

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use among women is widely prevalent in Manipur state accounting for 45% users as per Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)-2 India. Studies from India and elsewhere indicate changes in the way people used SLT during COVID-19 lockdown. This study explores individual and economic influences on SLT consumption and cessation attempts by tribal women in Manipur during the first COVID-19 lockdown (March-June, 2020) in India. Twenty in-depth interviews, both in-person and telephonically, were conducted among tribal women from Imphal west, Manipur, India, who used any SLT, from April to September 2020. Objective of the study was to understand the use, factors associated with consumption, purchasing behaviors, and cessation attempts of SLT during the lockdown. Thematic content analysis was used to identify core themes and codes. Study participants reported of changes in current SLT use during restrictions imposed to contain COVID-19 pandemic in India. Majority reported of reduction or quit attempts in SLT use. Reasons included inaccessibility due to travel restrictions, limited availability and price rise of SLT products, fear of COVID-19, and disposable income for purchase of SLT products. However, a few women reported of increased consumption due to bulk purchasing, or switching to other SLT products as a result of unavailability or price rise of preferred products or to cope up with social isolation caused by the lockdown. Study findings on factors influencing quit attempts and strategies used for reducing SLT use by tribal women in Imphal, Manipur provide valuable insights for development of appropriate intervention for prevention of SLT use among women.

An Analysis of Constraints Faced by the Farmers and Intermediaries in Cultivation and Value Addition of Pineapple in Manipur State

Aims: With many Manipur farmers depending on pineapple cultivation, it was essential to understand the constraints faced by the farmers in pineapple cultivation. Thus, the study aimed to identify the constraints on pineapple cultivation and value-addition activities in the State of Manipur.
 Study Design: Manipur was purposively selected for the study. Totally three major pineapple growing districts of Manipur viz Senapati, Churachandpur, and Thoubal were considered, 120 pineapple farmers and 60 intermediaries were interviewed with the help of a well-structured questionnaire for collection of suitable information.
 Methodology: The Garrett ranking technique was used to analyze the data.
 Results: Lack of awareness on production technology, lack of seasonal labour, lack of physical facilities for processing, lack of training/awareness on pineapple processing, less government support, lack of cold storage and lack of metallic and link roads were the major constraints faced by the pineapple farmers and intermediaries of Manipur.

Barriers Faced by Youth in Seeking Cultural Heritage Information

Knowing barriers to information seeking is imperative as it regulates the degree to which individuals can access different sources. The aim of this study is to examine the barriers faced while seeking cultural heritage information. A survey-based questionnaire was used to collect data from the state of Manipur, India. The study employs stratified random sampling techniques and a sample of 400 respondents participated in this study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Before analyzing the data validity and reliability test was carried out. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. An independent samples t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was administered to determine significant difference between demographic variables and study variables. The mean analysis revealed, “information is not readily available” with a mean score=3.59 is the most vital barriers. 12 studied variables were subjected to factor analysis and generated three factors, i.e. independent, administrative and management barriers. Statistical analysis revealed that gender difference plays a significant role in dissimilarity in seeking CHI with an individual barrier; with p=0.050, female respondents have a higher difference with a mean score = 3.4289.

Vaishnavism and culture in Assam and Manipur

ABSTRACT After the ingression of Vaishnavism in the two states of Assam and Manipur, several changes were observed in the social and cultural arena. Vaishnavism was not just a religion but became an integral part of the lives of the people of the two states. This paper examines how Vaishnavism influenced people and culture in the two states. How dance, drama and music play an active role in proselytising the Vaishnavite faith, and how they manifested differently in both the states. Consequently, Sattriya (pronounced as Xattriya) and Manipuri dances, belonging to the two states respectively, evolved as Indian Classical dance forms in the later years as products of Vaishnavism, retaining their value in ritual and performance.

Volume of Timber Consumption in Sawmill Industries of Valley Districts of Manipur State, India: Its Determinants and Implications

"The present paper seeks to determine the volume and species of timber consumption in sawmill industries of Valley districts of Manipur State, India. The study finds a high growth rate of prices for all timber species. Species-wise data shows that about 60 percent of total inputs consumed by sawmill units are for furniture use and the rest for housing and construction. The study employs a log-linear multiple regression model to determine input consumption’s determinants. The regression analysis shows that units are not fully utilizing their installed capacity, as shown by the negative relationship between installed capacity and input consumption. Other factors like the area of the unit, capital investment, and perennial operation are factors that have positive impacts on the input consumption of the sawmill units."

Magic, metaphysics, and methods

Magic, metaphysics, and methods

Education as a site of contestation among Nagas in Manipur: politics of language and cultural assertion in the school curriculum

ABSTRACT This article is an attempt to understand education in light of the complex multiethnic relationships and politics prevailing in the state of Manipur. With the sustained tension between the Nagas, Kukis, and Meiteis over the matter of identity, education in the state remains massively divided along ethnic lines. That said, the Meiteis, as the ethnic majority, have been systematically influential in prioritising their identity and development in education, as its control remains in their purview. The subsequent claim and counterclaim regarding the imposition of the dominant Meitei language and culture in the school curriculum have further worsened the ethnic relationship. Consequently, the perceived sense of alienation by the tribal minorities in this sense has added to their sectarian aspirations and detachment from the state. Thus, through fieldwork and a review of literature, this paper presents the various discourses concerning the complex tussle over the control of resources and governance in the education system of Manipur.

Comparative analysis of the efficiency of seed protein profiles in assessing genetic variation and population structure among indigenous Manipur black rice cultivars.

The state of Manipur, North East India has distinct topology of hill and valley regions with vast agroclimatic variability, being considered as one of the centers of rice diversity. The indigenous Manipur black rice cultivars exhibit wide range of diversity in morphology, pericarp color, shape and size of grain, aroma, glutinous or non-glutinous features but remain less characterised. Many of these cultivars, such as those named Chakhao, are endowed with multiple health benefits due to high anthocyanins, and hold special importance for the local people. It is important to analyse the genetic diversity and population structure for this germplasm with unique allelic combinations to utilize in rice breeding programme. We characterized total soluble seed protein fractions to not only fingerprint the 45 indigenous black rice cultivars but assess their genetic relatedness. Cluster analyses generated mainly two groups, complemented by PCoA scatter plot ascertaining geographical distinction. The hill black rice were more diverse. The population structure analysis revealed seven subpopulations indicating high genetic variability. The 24 polymorphic bands were scored in the range of 127.8 to 10.3kDa comprised of four protein fractions. Three polypeptide bands each were ascribed to known fractions of glutelins and prolamins, while one band each could be described for albumin and globulin fractions, besides other diagnostic bands. Some diverse cultivars were Amubi, Chedo Anal, Chipi Buh, Athebu, Poireton, BuPu Mui, Kotha Chahao II. These cultivars can be used in future black rice breeding programmes. This can further prevent genetic erosion and protect intellectual property rights.

Food security through crop diversification in Manipur: Application of Heckman Sample Selection Model

The paper demonstrates the household food security of crop diversified farm in the state of Manipur. A study was conducted at College of Post Graduate Studies in Agricultural Sciences at Barapani, Meghalaya of Central Agricultural University, Imphal during 2015–16 to 2017–18 by taking two districts namely; Ukhrul and Thoubal selecting one from each region, viz. hill and valley of the state, respectively. A sample of 200 households was drawn by using probability proportional to size. Heckman Sample Selection model was used to analyze the data. The study found that most of the households diversified their crop enterprises which in turn enhanced their household food security by way of consuming own production or generated income helped to purchase food items. Among the factors, namely socio-economic, technological and institutional factors influenced household's decision to diversify crop in the state while determinants of dietary diversity were the age of the household head, family size, extent of crop diversification, non-farm source of income and agricultural income. Hence, the results were indicative of the importance of crop diversification as a viable option in the state for enhanced food security and income of rural smallholders. Hence, wider awareness on crop diversification for realizing its benefits and improving the nutritional status of households in the state of Manipur was the need of the hour.

Psychiatric morbidities among sexual minorities in India: A cross-sectional study from a north-east state of Manipur

Background: Sexual minorities refer to individuals whose sexual identity, gender orientation, and sexual practices differ from that of surrounding society. In general, they are called lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. Because of the stigma and discrimination, they are prone to many psychological issues. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the psychiatric morbidities among sexual minority people of Manipur. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted with the help of a non-governmental organization in a northeast state of Manipur after getting ethical committee approval. A total of 70 sexual minority individuals were selected using non-probability sampling. After taking the consent, a semi-structured pro forma was used to collect sociodemographic details. Mini‑international neuropsychiatry interview‑plus was administered to assess psychiatric morbidities. Results: Lesser family support and a higher history of sexual abuse were present in our study group. Depression was found in 25% of lesbians and transgender each and in 20% of gay people in our group whereas current suicidal risk was seen among 31.2% of transgender and 15% among lesbians and gays in our study sample. Anxiety spectrum of disorders was present in 41.6% of lesbians, 35% of gays, 33.3% of bisexuals, and in 53.1% of transgender. Substance dependence was present among 41.6% lesbians, 66.6% of gays, 66.6% of bisexuals, and 43.7% of transgender. Conclusion: Higher prevalence of psychiatric morbidities was found among these sexual minority individuals and hence prompting for a necessary intervention at the earliest.