Purulia District Of West Bengal Research Articles

Study on the Significance and the Drivers of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge in Agricultural Water Resource Management in Water Scarcity Purulia District of West Bengal

Abstract- The paper focuses on the Indigenous traditional knowledge as a vital resource of society with multidimensional use. We can see the application of this knowledge in the field of agriculture, water resource management, disease treatment etc. Agricultural water resource management is a big challenge in the drought prone and topographically diversified Purulia district. This district is the homeland of different indigenous people. Tribal community dominated Purulia district have its own cultural heritage, still today the indigenous people are using their ancestor’s knowledge in different arena of life. This article tries to find out the different traditional and local methods, techniques and tools of agricultural water resource management and their significance in the field of efficient water resource management, it also focuses on the factors which attempt to drive away this local knowledge from grass root level.

Exploration and documentation of ethnobotanicals used by traditional healers from Purulia district of West Bengal, India

Exploration and documentation of ethnobotanicals used by traditional healers from Purulia district of West Bengal, India

Prevalence of Malnutrition using Anthropometric Index among the Sabar Tribal Preschool Children of Purulia District of West Bengal, India

Background It is well-established that tribal preschool children are still suffering from different types of malnutrition. Although data on the prevalence of malnutrition in the form of thinness (low body mass index (BMI) for age) among preschool children, particularly tribal preschool children in India, is limited. Objective The purpose of this study was to look at the anthropometric characteristics as well as the prevalence of malnutrition in the form of thinness using recent age and sex-specific BMI cut-off values. Methods The present cross-sectional study was carried out at seven different villages in the three Sabar concentrated blocks of the Purulia district. A total of 104 (49 boys and 55 girls) Sabar preschool children (aged 2-5-years) were investigated. Preschool children from seven Sabar-dominated villages were investigated. The prevalence of malnutrition in the form of thinness was assessed using an age- and sex-specific international BMI cut-off. Results There were significant age variations in mean weight and height observed in both sexes (p<0.001). The overall prevalence of malnutrition among Sabar preschool children was 80.77%. Boys (85.71%) were more malnourished (low BMI-for-age) than girls (76.4%). Overall, about 37.5% of preschool children were severely malnourished. Conclusion The results revealed that their nutritional status was not satisfactory. Therefore, an appropriate nutritional intervention programme should be taken to reduce the burden of malnutrition among the Sabar preschool children of Purulia district, West Bengal, India.

Phenotypic characterization of Indian mustard using agronomic and quality traits under semi‐arid climate

AbstractIndian mustard is an important oilseed crop in India. The productivity of Indian mustard needs to be increased in marginal environments such as in arid and semi‐arid areas to boost production. For this, identification of promising genotypes with high yield and quality under arid and semi‐arid climate is required. In this study, 65 genotypes of Indian mustard were evaluated in Augmented Randomized Block Design in the Purulia district of West Bengal, a mustard growing zone characterized by red laterite soil and semi‐arid climate. Considerable variation was observed between the genotypes for most characters such as number of seeds per siliqua (coefficient of variation [CV] 7.39%), followed by days to first flowering (CV 6.9%) and total number of siliquae (CV 6.43%), respectively. However, variation was less for days to maturity and quality parameters. Strong positive correlations were observed between many traits such as number of branches and number of siliquae on branches (0.82), number of branches and siliquae per plant (0.73), number of branches and yield per plant (0.72), number of siliquae on branches and siliquae per plant (0.91), number of siliquae on branches and seed yield per plant (0.76). Relatively strong negative correlation was observed only between oil and glucosinolate content (−0.60). Most of the traits showed high heritability along with high genetic advance over mean. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis classified the genotypes into six clusters. Based on yield, its components, and other quality parameters, promising genotypes such as Pusa Mahak, Narendra Ageti Rai 4, and JM‐1 were identified. These genotypes may be targeted for further genetic improvement or be incorporated in breeding programmes for developing high‐yielding mustard varieties for arid and semi‐arid climate.

Analysis of Phytoconstituents, Antioxidant and Anti-bacterial Properties of an Ethnobotanical Herb Cotula anthemoides L. Occurring in Purulia District of West Bengal, India

Analysis of Phytoconstituents, Antioxidant and Anti-bacterial Properties of an Ethnobotanical Herb Cotula anthemoides L. Occurring in Purulia District of West Bengal, India

Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS): A Comparative Study on Undergraduate Students

In today’s world where the pace of life seems to be accelerating and the delicate balance of our planet is increasingly at risk, sustainable lifestyles are seen as a beacon of hope that leads us to live more conscious and responsible lives. Present work aims to find out the relationship among Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) andits associated factors of undergraduate students of Purulia district of west Bengal, India in regard to stream, locality and gender. It is a descriptive survey type research. “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability Scale” by Choi and Feinberg (2021) has been used in this study to collect the data randomly from 151 undergraduate students of Purulia district of West Bengal. Descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation and Pearson coefficient of correlation have been used in this study to analyse the data. The result revealed that there is a significant relationship among LOHAS andits associated factors of undergraduate students. However, no significant relationship has been found among LOHAS and its associated factors among of female students and urban students of Purulia district of West Bengal, India

A “Gendered Analysis” into the Latent Cultural and Social Determinants of Undernutrition and Malnutrition: A Study in Purulia District of West Bengal

While the issue of malnutrition, it is fully established, has a robust biomedical base, which calls forth action that intervenes at the nutritional (intake) level, experiences on field, backed by research underscore the structural determinants of malnutrition. Latent cultural and social forces which are less visible but nevertheless obdurate may also push people towards the condition of undernutrition, particularly intergenerational undernutrition, as these find expression in gendered food ideologies handed down effortlessly, in the ‘doing of family’ and kinship. These gendered food ideologies provide cultural sanction to existing dietary practices of young girls, pregnant women, lactating mothers and infants through preferences, prescriptions, proscriptions and food aversions, that may position women in a structurally disadvantageous location, with grave ramifications for them and their children. The period of pregnancy and lactation for the mother, and the first two years of the child’s life have been found to be a special nutritional challenge, with localized cultural perceptions often leading to inappropriate eating practices on account of biases and culturally entrenched belief systems. Food has social meanings and deep association with questions of identity such as caste, community, gender, age. Any nutritional intervention must therefore take into account not only local narratives built around food and the ‘substance,’ but the structural position and power dynamics of those who consume it.

Introspecting Flipped Classroom: A Survey on Higher Education Students

A Flipped Classroom is organised to develop students’ understanding of the concepts in a better way, rather than transmitting theoretical lessons through lectures. It provides students the opportunities to access technology-based learning in homely environment as well as the face-to-face interaction in classroom situation. The present study is carried out by the researchers to examine the attitude of Post Graduate level students in Purulia District of West Bengal towards Flipped Classroom. Total 200 Post Graduate level students of Purulia district were taken from Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University as the sample of the study by using Stratified Random Sampling technique. A self-made structured Attitude Scale on Flipped Classroom was developed and used by the researchers to collect necessary data from the sample. The data were analysed by applying proper statistical techniques using SPSS 26. The results revealed that there were no significant differences between the attitude of male and female Post Graduate level students; rural and urban Post Graduate level students; and Post Graduate level students of Language and Social Science group respectively towards Flipped Classroom. No differences were found between the attitudes of Rural Male & Urban Male; Rural Male & Rural Female; and Urban Male & Urban Female Post Graduate level students. There were also no significant differences between the attitudes of Male and Female Post Graduate level students of Language group and Social Science group respectively. Hence, a significant difference was found between the attitude of Rural Female and Urban Female Post Graduate level students towards Flipped Classroom. Keywords: Flipped Classroom, attitude, Post Graduate level, Gender, Residence, Stream

Elevated radon level in drinking water of Ajodhya Hill Area of West Bengal, India: probable health impact on lung and stomach.

A screening survey has been carried out to measure the radon concentration in drinking water at various locations of Ajodhya hill and surrounding areas in Purulia district of West Bengal, India, using AlphaGUARD radon monitor. The obtained 222Rn concentration in ground water varies from 5.71 ± 0.29 to 579.47 ± 23.18Bq/l with an average of 110.00 ± 6.61Bq/l. Comparison between our results with the internationally recommended reference levels reveals that drinking of water from the majority of these tube-wells can pose significant health risks to the local people. Correlation study indicates that tube-well depth has significant influence on the radon level in water samples. Using 60l/yr and 1642.50l/yr water consumption estimated annual effective radon doses for most of the samples (almost 70% and 96%, respectively) are high compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) Commission prescribed reference dose limit of 100 μSv/yr. Also, the evaluated Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) values associated with the tube-wells are showing serious threat to the health of the locals.The primary goal of this work is to develop a radon profile map of this area and to find out the possible reasons behind the elevated radon level in ground water. This type of work may play a very crucial role to aware the locals in perspective of human exposure to radon. The local health officials and the water quality regulators of India are requested to take necessary steps for protecting the local people from water radon hazard.

Relationship between Cognitive Failure and Internet Addiction of Higher Secondary Students of Purulia District of West Bengal: A Study

In the 21st-century internet, addiction has become a common phenomenon among students. Internet addiction is sometimes referred to as internet addiction disorder, pathological internet usage, internet reliance, problematic internet use, overuse and compulsive internet use. And cognitive failure is outlined as the probable consequence of a general failure of the cognitive and control system. The present study has aimed to determine the relationship between cognitive failure and internet addiction of higher secondary students of the Purulia district of West Bengal. For the present study, the researchers have used descriptive survey-type research. The data for the present study has been collected from seventy-eight (78) class XI students from randomly selected two schools in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India, using a simple random sampling technique. The researchers have used appropriate descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, correlation and inferential statistics like the Shapiro-Wilk test for normality test, ‘t-test and Mann-Whitney U test for data analysis. The result revealed a significant relationship between cognitive failure and internet addiction among higher secondary Purulia district of West Bengal students. However, no significant difference has been observed in cognitive failure and internet addiction regarding gender, location and stream.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC RESILIENCE AND INTERNET ADDICTION OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF PURULIA DISTRICT OF WEST BENGAL: A STUDY

Academic resilience is defined as the capacity to cope with academic problems, such as academic stress, academic failure, and academic boredom. Internet addiction is defined as the compulsive use of the internet that has negative effects that interfere with daily life. The present study aims to explore the relationship between academic resilience and internet addiction of undergraduate students of Purulia district of West Bengal. It is a Descriptive survey type research. Data for the study has been collected randomly from 100 undergraduate students from randomly selected two colleges (J. K. College & Nistarini College) of Purulia district of West Bengal applying Academic Resilience Scale (2016) including 30 items by Cassidy and Internet Addiction Scale (1998) including 20 items by Dr. Kimberly S. Young. The collected data has been analyzed using descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, variance, skewness, kurtosis, and inferential statistics like ‘t’ test and Mann Whitney U test. The result revealed that academic resilience and internet addiction have no significant relationship. A significant difference has been observed in internet addiction between boys and girls, but no difference has been observed in academic resilience. Locality has no significant impact in both academic resilience and internet addiction. KEYWORDS: academic resilience, internet addiction, undergraduate students, academic failure.

Exploring the Self-Concept of Post Graduate Level Students: A Critical Study

Self-Concept is the overall perception of individuals about their own personality and behaviours. It is a very common indicator of students’ academic achievement. Self-Concept can be considered as the sum total of persons’ thoughts and beliefs about how they are. The present study puts emphasis on the Self-Concept of Post Graduate level students in Purulia district of West Bengal. The objectives of the study are to express the differences between the Self-Concept of Female and Male students; Urban and Rural students & Arts and Science students of Post Graduate level respectively. Descriptive survey method is followed to conduct the study. The researchers have selected 200 Post Graduate level students from Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University of Purulia district as the sample of the study by using stratified random sampling technique. ‘Self Concept Scale’ developed by Dr. (Mrs.) Pratibha Deo was used to collect the data. No significant difference was found in the Self-Concept of Post Graduate level students in respect to their Gender (Female and Male) and Stream (Arts and Science group); but there was a significant difference in their Self-Concept on the basis of Residence (Urban and Rural). Keywords: Self-Concept, Post Graduate level students, Gender, Residence, Stream.

A study on unmet need of family planning among married tribal women in a rural area in Eastern India during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Background: COVID-19 has impacted health system worldwide including family planning, acting as a major hindrance in the way of population control. This study is conducted to assess the unmet need of family planning among married tribal women, various reasons behind it, and its relation with sociodemographic variables during COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Burda village of Purulia district of West Bengal in Eastern India. A sample size of 80 was calculated. Study subjects, who fulfilled our inclusion criteria, were selected using simple random sampling from the list of eligible couples which was obtained from ASHA. After obtaining ethical clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee, permission from panchayat of Burda village, and consent from the study subjects, they were interviewed using a pretested, predesigned, and semi-structured schedule. Data were entered into MS Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20.0 version (Armonk, NY, USA: IBM Corp.). Results: 81.2% were willing to use family planning methods; among them, 80% stated media as their prime source of information. 68.6% had used male condoms as a method of family planning. 82.4% stated government health-care facility as their source of availability of family planning methods. Unmet need of family planning among the study subjects was 17.5%. Major reason for nonuse of family planning methods was that they did not take anything from health-care providers due to fear of getting COVID-19 infection. Bivariate analysis showed a significant association of unmet need of family planning with educational status of husband (P = 0.023, odds ratio [OR] = 4.211) and type of family (Fisher’s exact significance = 0.047, OR = 7.719). Conclusion: Unmet need of family planning among tribal population is still high during this pandemic, and the causes are needed to be acted upon.

Prevalence of fluoride toxicity in goats from Purulia district of West Bengal, India

Prevalence of fluoride toxicity in goats from Purulia district of West Bengal, India

Study on stress and motor fitness ability among married and unmarried soccer players

Objective: The present study was designed to compare stress and motor fitness ability among married and unmarried soccer players. Methodology: A cross sectional study was consisting of 60 tribal male subjects namely married soccer players (n = 30) and unmarried soccer players (n = 30) selected from football coaching camp of Bankura and Purulia District of West Bengal, India. The age of the subjects were ranging from 21 to 27 years. Further, descriptive statistics, and‘t’ test applied to assess and compare the stress and motor fitness variables between the selected group of subjects. Result: Statistically, there was significant difference found on stress (‘t’= 27.34) between married and unmarried soccer players. Whereas, there was no significant difference found between married and unmarried soccer players on their motor fitness variables i.e. Explosive leg strength (‘t’ = 14.89), Shoulder muscle strength (‘t’= 1.26), Agility (‘t’ = 22.43) respectively. Conclusion: Findings established of the present study, it was concluded that Married and Unmarried both soccer players were involved in same type of activity in training session. Poor families’ subjects are not given proper free space for their personal bringing like family support to play the game and nutritional needs. For these causes the stress level was more than Unmarried soccer players.

Heavy metal exposure to a migratory waterfowl, Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), in two peri-urban wetlands

In this study, the heavy metal exposure risk model was employed to assess the exposure risk to a predominantly herbivore waterfowl, Northern Pintail, wintering in two wetland habitats in the Purulia district of West Bengal, located on overlapping Central Asian Flyway (CAF) and East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Both wetlands were important staging and roosting grounds for migratory waterfowl for ages. The exposure model was used to quantify the risk of exposure to metals through oral ingestion. Exposure doses of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cr through food plants ingestion and food-associated sediment consumption pathways were two potent sources of heavy metal exposure in the waterfowl under study. Exposure through water intake was ignored as metals were either of negligible concentrations or below the detection limit in water samples. Heavy metal concentrations showed significant positive correlations between bottom sediment and plant at both sites. At Purulia Sahebbandh (Site 1), the total exposure dose of all four metals was much higher than their conforming tolerable daily intake (TDI), and thereby, the metals might pose threats to the migratory wintering herbivorous waterfowl populations. However, in Adra Sahebbandh (Site 2), total exposure doses of Pb, Zn and Cu were much below their corresponding TDI. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) of Cr was highest followed by nonessential toxic Pb and these two elements could be considered as priority pollutants at Site 1. Prioritize threats were decreased in the following sequence: Cr > Pb > Cu > Zn at Site 1 and Cr > Zn > Pb > Cu at Site 2. Hazard Index was found to be >5 at Site 1 and for much higher metal loads a significant correlation between metal concentrations in plants, bottom sediment and exposure doses were also recorded. Therefore, the peri-urban Purulia Sahebbandh wetland could immediately be considered for risk control and demanded holistic management of important waterfowl habitats.

Existence of viable Mycobacterium leprae in natural environment and its genetic profiling in a leprosy endemic region

IntroductionMolecular epidemiology of leprosy is very important to study leprosy transmission dynamics and to enhance our understanding of leprosy in endemic areas by utilizing the molecular typing method. Nowadays our understanding of leprosy transmission dynamics has been refined by SNP typing and VNTR marker analysis of M. leprae strains.ObjectiveThis study was carried out to find out the presence of viable M. leprae in the soil and water samples from residing areas of leprosy patients staying in different blocks of Purulia district of West Bengal, understanding their genotypes and compared with that of M. leprae present in patients.Material and methodsSlit-skin smear (SSS) samples (n=112) were collected from the active multibacillary leprosy patients from different blocks of leprosy endemic area. Soil samples (n=1060) and water samples (n=620) were collected from residing areas of leprosy patients. SNP subtyping was performed by PCR followed by sequencing. Multiplex PCR was performed using fifteen ML-VNTR loci and results were analysed.ResultsWe observed high PCR positivity in soil samples (344 out of 1060; 32%) and water samples (140 out of 620; 23%). These PCR positive samples when further screened for viability, it was observed that 150 soil samples (44%) and 56 water samples (40%) showed presence of 16S rRNA. SNP typing of M. leprae revealed presence of predominantly type 1. SNP subtype 1D (83%) was most prevalent in all the blocks of Purulia followed by subtype 1C (15%) and subtype 1A (2%). SNP subtype 2F was noted in only one sample. SNP and VNTR combination showed presence of similar strain type in certain pockets of Purulia region which was responsible for transmission.ConclusionPresence of viable M. leprae in the environment, and presence of SNP Type 1 M. leprae in patients and environment suggests both environment and patients play a role in disease transmission.

Effective phosphate removal from sewage water using zerovalent iron nanomaterial as an adsorbent

Abstract In recent times, nano zerovalent iron (nZVI) particles have attracted significant attention from researchers for their effectiveness in removing phosphates, a hazardous contaminant found in groundwater and surface water. nZVI possesses some excellent characteristics such as high reactivity, high surface area, and effective surface-to-volume ratio. In this study, nZVI was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analyzer, Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The effect of variations in nZVI dosage, pH, ionic strength, and coexisting anions on the removal of phosphate from laboratory-based synthetic water was explored. A maximum phosphate removal efficiency of 96% was achieved at an initial phosphate concentration of 25 mg/L, an nZVI dosage of 560 mg/L, and a shaking rate of 500 rpm, and pH 2 was attained within 120 min. Kinetic and equilibrium studies revealed that the adsorption of phosphate follows a pseudo-2nd-order kinetic model and a Temkin isotherm model, respectively. A thermodynamic study confirmed that phosphate adsorption is a spontaneous and endothermic process. Finally, nZVI was proved to be stable up to five cycles. nZVI was further applied for the removal of phosphate from sewage water, which was collected from Saheb bandh, Purulia district of West Bengal, Eastern India.

Impact of Demonstrations on Improving Production and Income from Groundnut in Farmers’ Field of Purulia District of West Bengal

Groundnut (Arachishypogaea) is an oilseed crop grown in West Bengal, India. These nuts are used as oil crops and grain legume crops. Most of the farmers cultivate the traditional and age-old varieties. As a result, the production and productivity are relatively low when compared with that of the recently cultivated varieties. In West Bengal conditions, TG51 and TAG24 varieties are found suitable for small farmers. The present study was carried out in Purulia district of West Bengal. Total twenty-five (25)demonstrations was carried out in the farmers’ field as per the guidelines of All India Coordinated Research Project (ICAR-AICRP). The demonstrations were carried out duringthe 4 months of kharif season (July-October) in the year 2019. The collected data was tabulated and analyzed on the basis of range, mean and percentage Gaps at different percentage have been observed in different management practices like seed rate, seed treatment, fertilizer management and insecticide application.Farmers were motivated to follow new seed varieties and improved management practices.In demonstration fields, gross return increased by 48.80% and net return increased by 53.79% over the farmers’ fields. There was a 7.24% increase in benefit cost ratio. It is necessary to motivate farmers to adopt new technologies for future cultivation and this, in turn, would help to develop the socio- economic status of the farmers of this area.

Study of epidemiological behaviour of malaria and its control in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India (2016\u20132020)

Purulia is a malaria-prone district in West Bengal, India, with approximately half of the blocks defined as malaria endemic. We analyzed the malaria case in each block of the Purulia district from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2020. As per the API, 20 blocks of Purulia were assigned to four different categories (0–3) and mapped using ArcGIS software. An exponential decay model was fitted to forecast the trend of malaria cases for each block of Purulia (2021–2025). There was a sharp decrease in total malaria cases and API from 2016 to 2020 due to the mass distribution of LLINs. The majority of cases (72.63%) were found in ≥ 15-year age group. Males were more prone to malaria (60.09%). Malaria was highly prevalent among Scheduled Tribes (48.44%). Six blocks were reported in Category 3 (high risk) and none in Category 0 (no risk) in 2016, while no blocks were determined to be in Category 3, and three blocks were in Category 0 in 2020. The exponential decay model prediction is oriented towards gaining malaria-free status in thirteen blocks of Purulia by 2025. This study will incite the government to uphold and strengthen the current efforts to meet the malaria elimination goals.