Sikkim Research Articles

Pastoralism in the highest peaks: Role of the traditional grazing systems in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in the alpine Himalaya.

Rangelands cover around half of the planet's land mass and provide vital ecosystem services to over a quarter of humanity. The Himalayan rangelands, part of a global biodiversity hotspot is among the most threatened regions in the world. In rangelands of many developing nations policies banning grazing in protected areas is common practice. In 1998, the Indian state of Sikkim, in the Eastern Himalaya, enacted a grazing ban in response to growing anthropogenic pressure in pastures and forests that was presumably leading to degradation of biodiversity. Studies from the region demonstrate the grazing ban has had some beneficial results in the form of increased carbon stocks and regeneration of some species of conservation value but the ban also resulted in negative outcomes such as reduced household incomes, increase in monocultures in lowlands, decreased manure production in a state that exclusively practices organic farming, spread of gregarious species, and a perceived increase in human wildlife conflict. This paper explores the impact of the traditional pastoral system on high elevation plant species in Lachen valley, one of the few regions of Sikkim where the grazing ban was not implemented. Experimental plots were laid in along an elevation gradient in grazed and ungrazed areas. Ungrazed areas are part of pastures that have been fenced off (preventing grazing) for over a decade and used by the locals for hay formation. I quantified plant species diversity (Species richness, Shannon index, Simpson diversity index, and Pielou evenness index) and ecosystem function (above ground net primary productivity ANPP). The difference method using movable exlosure cages was used in grazing areas to account for plant ANPP eaten and regrowth between grazing periods). The results demonstrate that grazing significantly contributes to greater plant species diversity (Species richness, Shannon index, Simpson diversity index, and Pielou evenness index) and ecosystem function (using above ground net primary productivity as an indicator). The multidimensional scaling and ANOSIM (Analysis of Similarities) pointed to significant differences in plant species assemblages in grazed and ungrazed areas. Further, ecosystem function is controlled by grazing, rainfall and elevation. Thus, the traditional transhumant pastoral system may enhance biodiversity and ecosystem function. I argue that a complete restriction of open grazing meet neither conservation nor socioeconomic goals. Evidence based policies are required to conserve the rich and vulnerable biodiversity of the region.

Bone Alkaline Phosphatase and Urine Hydroxyproline Assay in Pre and Postmenopausal Women in the State of Sikkim and its Correlation with Bone Mineral Density.

Introduction:Osteoporosis could be viewed as a metabolic disease. The WHO guidelines for diagnosing osteoporosis reflect structural damage only and not the metabolic imbalance that leads to it. Biochemical markers of bone turnover have been shown to provide valuable information for diagnosing and monitoring metabolic bone disease. The present study analyzed bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and urinary hydroxyproline in pre- and postmenopausal women and correlated them with changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in the state of Sikkim. The study also intended to know the ethnicity-based disease burden in Sikkim.Materials and Methods:A hospital-based cross-sectional study was done at a tertiary hospital in Sikkim. Blood and 24-h urine samples from 50 premenopausal and 50 postmenopausal women were analyzed for total alkaline phosphatase (ALP), BALP, and Urine Hydroxyproline. BMD was measured using the quantitative ultrasound technique by Achilles densitometer.Results:There was a statistically significant increase in serum calcium (P = 0.01), ALP (P = 0.01), and urine hydroxyproline (P = 0.03) levels in postmenopausal women as compared to premenopausal women. Although ALP was higher in postmenopausal women, BALP isoform was more elevated in premenopausal women (P = 0.001). BMD was significantly lower in postmenopausal women (P < 0.001). It was also noted that there was a significant difference in BMD between tribal and nontribal populations (P = 0.003). Total ALP and BALP as the bone formation marker and urine hydroxyproline as a bone resorption marker added statistically significant r to BMD prediction (P < 0.05).Conclusion:In this study, BALP combined with Urine Hydroxyproline was helpful as a screening biomarker to predict osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Development of Soil Moisture Index for Planning Water Management in the State of Sikkim (India)

Soil moisture and soil temperature are two important parameters that have a wider implication on crop production. The drop of soil moisture and temperature has an impact involving climate, vegetation and drought. The presence of soil moisture does not ensure its availability to a crop but the force by which water is held by soil particle is important. The amount of work done to extract soil moisture is generally expressed as stress. It is necessary to understand the extent of stress for proper water resources management. The soil moisture index (SMI) is a criterion that denotes the extent of stress experienced by a crop. The temperature also has an impact on germination and production. In the present study, we developed a SMI for different locations in Sikkim. The index ranges from +5 to -5. The negative index indicates extreme stress. The study indicated during winter the index goes beyond-3. Considering wilting point stress as 500 and 700 kPa. The soil temperature was also observed to fall below 15 C. Further, it was observed that soil temperature and moisture are strongly correlated to each other. The SMI can play an important role in adopting suitable water management practices for improved crop production.

New faunistic record of two species of genus Calvia (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellini) from India and Myanmar

Calvia sichuanica Kov&amp;aacute;&amp;#345; (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Coccinellini) is reported for the first time from India and Myanmar, previously known only from China. Also, Calvia explanata Poorani, from Sikkim and Darjeeling, is newly reported from Manipur, state of India.

Enumeration of specimens from Edinburgh expedition to northern Sikkim deposited at Sikkim State Forest Herbarium (SSFH): Part - I

Enumeration of specimens from Edinburgh expedition to northern Sikkim deposited at Sikkim State Forest Herbarium (SSFH): Part - I

The trends of organic cultivation in the horticulture sector of Sikkim

In recent years, various extensive and case studies have imparted knowledge in highlighting the substance of organic farming and the multitude of its benefits. Although a significant difference may be minimal between conventional and organic practices of farming, recent findings implicate the injudicious use of synthetics in the field of conventional farming. Many of the chemically created, man-made pesticides and herbicides have proved to have unfold number of side effects on our human health as we Consume produce which could have residues of the chemicals used during the course of production. Apart from this, recent innovations and technologies have created cultivation practices which have diverged or nullified the age old, traditional practices of growing food and plantation crops in recent times; it will not be long till a time comes when technology takes control of the farming dynasty. For this very reason, it is essential for us to give paramount attention to the sustainability of organic farming practices which will not only improve the safety of produce but also help us remember the traditional farming practices and carry on its legacy throughout the years and generations to come. This paper culminates the organic scenario of the state of Sikkim, focusing particularly on horticultural crops and its area and production.

Metataxonomic profiling of bacterial communities and their predictive functional profiles in traditionally preserved meat products of Sikkim state in India

Traditionally preserved meat products are common food items in Sikkim state of India. We studied the high-throughput sequencing of four traditionally preserved meat products viz. beef kargyong, pork kargyong, yak satchu and khyopeh to profile the bacterial communities and also inferred their predictive functional profiles. Overall abundant OTUs in samples showed that Firmicutes was the abundant phylum followed by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Abundant species detected in each product were Psychrobacter pulmonis in beef kargyong, Lactobacillus sakei in pork kargyong, Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus and Ignatzschinera sp. in yak satchu and Lactobacillus sakei and Enterococcus sp. in khyopeh. Several genera unique to each product, based on analysis of shared OTUs contents, were observed among the samples except in khyopeh. Goods coverage recorded to 1.0 was observed, which reflected the maximum bacterial diversity in the samples. Alpha diversity metrics showed a maximum bacterial diversity in khyopeh and lowest in pork kargyong Community dissimilarities in the products were observed by PCoA plot. A total of 133 KEGG predictive functional pathways was observed in beef kargyong, 131 in pork kargyong, 125 in yak satchu and 101 in khyopeh. Metagenome contribution of the OTUs was computed using PICTRUSt2 and visualized by BURRITO software to predict the metabolic pathways. Several predictive functional profiles were contributed by abundant OTUs represented by Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, Agrobacterium, Bdellovibrio, Chryseobacterium, Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Psychrobacter, and Staphylococcus.

Pre-feasibility analysis and performance assessment of solar photovoltaic (PV) modules for the application of renewable power generation

Abstract Solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies are now considered viable options to fulfill the electricity demand for end-users worldwide. However, these PV technologies need to be technically analyzed in terms of pre-feasibility and performance assessment by utilizing the available solar radiation and ambient temperature of the PV system installation site. This paper presents the comparative analysis of three different types of 1 kWp PV technologies viz. polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon, and thin-film amorphous silicon in terms of monthly average PV power output, PV modules daily output profile, hourly-based PV modules year-round power output, PV output vs. incident solar radiation and the PV module cell temperature vs. PV module power. The geographical site considered for the study is Sikkim state, India (latitude: 27.33 N and longitude: 88.62 E). With solar radiation of 3.82–5.88 kWh/m2/day for the investigation site, the annual average PV module power output for poly-Si, mono-Si and thin-film a-Si are found to be 0.173225 kW, 0.174252 kW and 0.172861 kW, respectively.

Agricultural diversification in Sikkim: A move towards organic high-value agriculture

Objective: To inspect the extent and nature of diversification in the agricultural sector in the Indian state of Sikkim from the initiation of the Organic Mission (2003) to the attainment of full organic status (2016) by the state. Methods: Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is computed to understand the pace and pattern of agricultural development and the Simpson Diversity Index (SID) and the Percentage Share of different crops in the Total Cropped Area are calculated to measure the extent of diversification. Findings: The CAGR in terms of both area and production were found to be positive for high-value crops whereas traditional agricultural crops recorded negative growth in the same period. The value of SID at 0.81 implies a high degree of diversification towards high-value agriculture in Sikkim. Keywords: Agriculture; diversification; Sikkim; organic; high-value agriculture

Opinion: Biodiversity conservation during a global crisis: Consequences and the way forward.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the latest episode in a string of environment-borne human tragedies, catastrophic in its magnitude, reach, and repercussions. Understandably, the scientific literature has focused on the causes and consequences of the pandemic from an anthropocentric viewpoint. As immense as the human tragedy surrounding the pandemic is, the glaring blind spot is the ecological impact of the pandemic and the pandemic-induced lockdown. Scientific reports on the impacts of the pandemic on issues of conservation concern are minuscule in comparison with reports on social, economic, political, and health-related consequences. The sudden rapid outbreak of the disease, short time frame since the commencement of the lockdown, and inaccessibility to field sites to start new empirical studies and monitor ongoing studies have resulted in the absence of scientific evidence of direct impacts of the lockdown on species and ecosystems of concern. As a result, much of the direct ecological impact of the lockdown is still anecdotal. We believe that the current pandemic, the subsequent lockdown, and the postlockdown flurry to return to normalcy will have vital positive and negative consequences for biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, we believe that these repercussions present an opportunity to learn important lessons for how to deal with future crises. Here, we present an account of the possible consequences of the pandemic on biodiversity conservation and the way forward for a more stringent and comprehensive planetary conservation strategy. The current pandemic, the subsequent lockdown, and the postlockdown flurry to return to normalcy will have vital positive and negative consequences for biodiversity conservation in places such as the dense forests in the northeast Indian state of Sikkim, pictured here. A world biodiversity hotspot, the Eastern Himalayan region in northeast India has recently been the focus of some debate regarding the compliance of environmental regulations in development … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: alokbang{at}gmail.com. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1

Impact of Organic Farming on Sustainable Agriculture System and Marketing Potential: A Review

Organic farming helps to improve the health of agro-ecosystem by its holistic approach using on-farm agronomic, biological and mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm inputs. Although the organic farming is eco-friendly, question arises about possibility to adopt the organic farming for the large scale and its impacts on maintaining the productivity of land to meet the food security challenges from the ever-increasing population of the world. But at the same time, consumer’s behaviour and consciousness toward the safe and healthy food enforced the thinking of farmers toward the organic farming which is more lucrative due to high market demand and value of organic produce. This paper mainly addresses about the present status and future scope of organic farming especially in North eastern region of India, State of Sikkim, Indian and Global scenario and to investigate the major external and internal factors that influence the whole organic system including production and marketing of organic commodity.

High-throughput sequence analysis of bacterial communities and their predictive functionalities in traditionally preserved fish products of Sikkim, India

Traditionally preserved fish products viz. suka ko maccha, a smoked fish product, sidra and sukuti, sun-dried fish products are commonly consumed in Sikkim state in India. Bacterial communities in these fish products were analysed by high-throughput sequence (HTS) method supported by bioinformatics tool. Metataxonomic of the overall bacterial communities in samples revealed the abundance of phylum Firmicutes followed by Proteobacteria. Psychrobacter was abundant genus in all traditionally preserved fish products of Sikkim, followed by Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Serratia, Clostridium, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Rummeliibacillus, Enterococcus, Photobacterium, Myroides, Peptostreptococcus, Plesiomonas and Achromobacter. Product-wise distribution showed that Bacillus was abundant in suka ko maacha and sidra samples, whereas Psychrobacter was abundant in sukuti samples. Unique genus to each product was observed on the basis of analysis of shared operational-taxonomic-unit (OTU) contents, Alpha diversity indices showed significantly differences among the samples, and also showed maximum coverage as per Good’s coverage (0.99). Beta diversity showed clustering of bacterial compositions between suka ko maacha and sidra, whereas sukuti showed scattering pattern among the other samples, indicating a diverse population in suka ko maacha and sidra samples. Non-parametric analysis of abundant genera and predictive functionalities showed the complex bacterial inter-dependencies with predictive functionalities mostly in metabolism (79.88%).

SERVQUAL (Service Quality) vs NPS (Net Promoter Score) : A Comparative Study of Private and Public Hospitals in Sikkim

Background : This study is the first of its kind, which has used the SERVQUAL model in conjunction with the Net Promoter Score approach to compare the service delivery of a private and a public hospital in the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Methods : The study was cross-sectional and causal, carried out from March – June 2018. This study has used the SERVQUAL gap model given by Parasuraman, Berry, and Zeithaml with the Net Promoter Score approach given by Reichheld. The statistical tools used in this study are mean, Cronbach's alpha, and independent sample t-test. The statistical packages used are MS EXCEL 2016 and SPSS V. 17. Results : A statistical significant difference was found for the tangibility and empathy dimensions between the public and private hospitals, where the service quality gap score was higher for the public hospital in both the dimensions. The Net Promoter Score for the public hospital was –3% and in case of the private hospital, the NPS was 18%. Conclusion : This study concludes that both the hospitals needed improvement ; however, the private hospital needed improvement, especially in the responsiveness, reliability, and assurance dimensions ; whereas, the public hospital needed improvement in all the five dimensions of SERVQUAL. This study also concludes that SERVQUAL and NPS approaches should not be looked as competing approaches, but these two approaches shall be used in conjunction to get a better understanding of the problem areas.

Identifying morphological diversity and superior germplasm of Citrus reticulata Blanco (Mandarin) in Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas, India: an application of DIVA-GIS and cluster analysis

Citrus reticulata is an important cash crop for the farmers in the Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas, India. The lack of knowledge of its diversity has only resulted in the lack of uniformity in the fruit quality. It has become imperative to identify superior varieties that meet the demands of the market to improve the citrus industry. Hence, a total of 105 accessions of mandarin were collected randomly from different locations to assess the morphological diversity using cluster analysis and DIVA-GIS. The orchards were randomly visited in each district of the state of Sikkim and two hilly districts of the state of West Bengal (WB). A sample tree was selected from each orchard and the quantitative and qualitative characters of its leaves, flowers, and fruits were measured. A significant variation was observed in the quantitative characters with a positive correlation between fruit weight and length, fruit diameter and weight, total soluble solids (TSS) /acidity and fruit diameter. The first 6 components of Principal component analysis (PCA) exhibited 69.34% of the total variation. DIVA-GIS showed the highest diversity index for fruit weight, fruit diameter and TSS/acidity in East district, Sikkim. The highest coefficient variation for fruit diameter was observed in the East district and Darjeeling district, WB and TSS/acidity and fruit weight in East district. The dendrogram generated divided the accessions into two major clusters. The grid maps generated identified diverse accessions in the East district and Darjeeling district, which can be a source of superior germplasm

Impact of health education on preventive therapy with integrated monitoring of Tuberculosis cases

Abstract Background The hilly state of Sikkim has the highest proportion of Tuberculosis (TB) cases in India. Increasing compliance of preventive therapy among paediatric contacts will help to cut down transmission. Separate visits are being made under the current National TB control programme to monitor preventive therapy &amp; treatment of index Tuberculosis cases in the same house. Integrated monitoring for preventive therapy of the contacts &amp; treatment of index cases will ensure compliance of both but at no extra cost. Methods It was a prospective study with universal sampling of all the sputum positive TB patients in East Sikkim. Home visits were conducted initially, after 3 months with health education intervention and finally at the end of 6 months. Focus group discussion (FGD) was done amongst the TB home visitors regarding monitoring visits. Results Out of the total 124 paediatric contacts, 86 (69.4%) initiated Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT). After 6 months of follow up, 114 (91.9%) children had completed IPT after the health education intervention. In 96.7% of the houses, it was possible to monitor both index cases and the paediatric contacts simultaneously with the same work force. Content analysis of FGD among TB home visitors revealed lack of programme clarity regarding integrated visits for monitoring of both contacts and index cases. Conclusions Health education intervention was found to be an effective tool for increasing compliance of IPT. This study had a huge &amp; far-reaching impact in terms of providing the evidence that integrated monitoring for preventive therapy of the contacts along with health education &amp; monitoring of treatment of index cases can be done simultaneously with no extra cost in the ongoing TB Control Programme. Key messages Health education intervention increased compliance of IPT. Integrated monitoring for preventive therapy along with health education &amp; monitoring of index cases can be done with no extra cost.

A case control study for factors of Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis in East Sikkim, India

Abstract Background Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in the developing world and India is the highest TB burden country in the world in terms of absolute number of incident cases that occur each year. The emergence of Multidrug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) is posing threat to global efforts of TB control. The hilly state of Sikkim has the highest proportion of MDR TB cases in India. Hence there is an emerging need to identify the factors for the rapid rise of MDR TB in Sikkim. Methods All the MDR TB cases registered under Revised National TB Control Programme in East district of Sikkim in the first &amp; second quarter of 2019 was compared with double the number of matched controls taken from the same geographical area and ethnicity but not from the same family members. Results A total of 78 cases and 156 controls were studied. The mean age of the study participants was 43 years (SD ± 14 years). The most statistically significant risk factors were as follows: overcrowding (OR 2.68); household air pollution (OR 2.55); inadequate ventilation (OR 2.05); previous history of tuberculosis (OR 4.03) with history of relapse/failure; known contact of MDR tuberculosis (OR 4.01); having diabetes (OR 3.96); smoking (OR 3.96) Conclusions This study shows that clinical and demographic features can be used to indicate higher risks of drug resistance in this setting. Information was obtained on why Sikkim being a small State with very less population and a good per capita expenditure in health has the highest proportion of MDR-TB in India. Key messages Sikkim is the smallest state in India with the highest proportion of MDR TB. Previous history of TB with history of relapse/failure, contact of MDR TB emerged as the most significant risk factors.

Telepsychiatry: A Feasible Means to Bridge the Demand-Supply Gaps in Mental Health Services During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Experiences from Sikkim State of India.

Telepsychiatry: A Feasible Means to Bridge the Demand-Supply Gaps in Mental Health Services During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Experiences from Sikkim State of India.

Ancestrality, Migration, Rights and Exclusion: Citizenship in the Indian State of Sikkim

ABSTRACT This is the introduction to a special issue of Asian Ethnicity that includes six papers on the issue of citizenship in the Indian state of Sikkim, from the perspectives of anthropology, political science, sociology and history. These contributions explore the entanglement of migration and ethnicity that defines political membership and exclusion in Sikkim, as it does in other parts of India. They give a central place to the consequences of the combination of the 1961 Sikkim Subject regulation (that remained valid after Sikkim became a part of India in 1975) and ‘group-differentiated citizenship’ in a context where Sikkim’s population – formed through people’s mobility within a region that has long been a crossroads between Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and India – was brought into the frame of a territorial concept of the nation. These papers also explore the means used by people in Sikkim to contest their categorisation by the state.

A JOINT EDUCATION PROGRAM IN ONLINE DISTANCE LEARNING MODE FOR NORTH EASTERN REGION OF INDIA

Abstract. North Eastern Region of India is a picturesque land of seven sister states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura &amp;amp; the state of Sikkim. The geography of the region is dominated by undulating hilly terrain comprising of Khasi &amp;amp; Garo Hills in Meghalaya, Mizo &amp;amp; Lusai Hills in Mizoram, Patkai Hills in Nagaland and Arunachal Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh which has made the region relatively inaccessible for developmental planning and infrastructural setup. Educational progress in these states have suffered due to geographic and linguistic barrier, concentration of maximum resources in terms of infrastructure and manpower around major cities, poor economic situation etc. An innovative approach to break these barriers is to take the help of Distance Learning to reach the huge student community. NESAC, established as a unit of Department of Space in Umiam, Meghalaya has a mandate of capacity building in the region. To fulfill the mandate, NESAC, in May 2019, conducted a first-of-its-kind Online Distance Learning Training Program on Remote Sensing &amp;amp; GIS Applications for students and professionals of the region jointly with IIRS, Dehradun which is having rich experience of conducting Distance Learning Programs in the country. The two week long training program was attended by more than 250 participants in online interactive mode and had an ensemble of lecturers taken from IIRS, Dehradun and NESC both. While faculty of IIRS covered the basics of RS &amp;amp; GIS, Geo Web Services, GNSS etc; the scientists of NESAC presented on various thematic applications of RS &amp;amp; GIS conducted by NESAC specific to the region. At the end of theoretical lectures, online exam was also conducted and based on the online evaluation, digital certificates were distributed to the successful candidates. IIRS, Dehradun also extended their help to NESAC in IT infrastructure at all steps of the course. NESAC received large positive feedback of the course, many participants asking for longer duration courses, customized courses and even advanced courses. NESAC has planned to conduct similar course annually.

Himal Rakshak of Sikkim

Himal Rakshak of Sikkim