West Bengal India Research Articles

An experimental investigation of rill erosion processes in lateritic upland region: A pilot study

The present paper is based on field investigation and measurement of rill erosion processes at Rangamati Experimental Station (Medinipur, West Bengal in India). In rill experiments, three different natural rills were studies in field for understanding of the dynamics of soil erosion processes of a rill catchment area. Geometric and morphological characteristics of each rill catchment area were analyzed. Results showed the widening, deepening and extended of rills because of sidewall sloughing, knick-points and head-ward erosion during surface runoff process. Progressive increases of rill volume were observed in the upper, middle and lower catchment with the change of time. Rill area has increased by runoff processes of 4.2 % and 6.8 % for Rill-A and Rill-B respectively. These processes are depends on surface coverage, soil texture, slope gradients and runoff velocity.

Provisioning health care infrastructure in communities: Empirical evidences from West Bengal, India

We developed a framework to reinvigorate communities in terms of public health care infrastructure provisioning for outpatient needs within the neighborhoods. The health care seeking episode is often influenced by the physical and health care infrastructure availability within the neighborhood, need of the health care seeker as well as personal, household, occupational, and latent perception of the users. This empirical study has been developed for two different groups in West Bengal India, firstly based on location and secondly based on the choice of the health care seeker. In case of resident based approach, we focused on the revisit decision of the rural inhabitants who sometime tend to travel to the regional facilities in urban areas. Facility based approach analyzed the people who were at the regional facilities for health care services. We devised scenarios ascertaining improvisation in service delivery, emergency facility and mobility ease at local public facilities might reduce regional tours and instigate higher utilization of the neighborhood health care facility. We develop integrated choice and latent variable models to incorporate latent perception in choice of scenario for instigating revisit decision. Results showed choice of development scenarios have association with the household structure, social network, locational and infrastructural impedance. This framework lead to two distinct outcomes: (1) method to identify programs, those are essential to by initiate_revisit_to the health care facility (2) perception based assessment of the current mobility and health care infrastructure of the region, which could be instrumental in developing the overall health care infrastructural planning policy as a whole.

India's Groundwater Storage Trends Influenced by Tube Well Intensification.

Agriculture is a major occupation for people who inhabit the state of West Bengal in India. In order to boost irrigation, 570 tube wells per year were installed during 2002-2008, and 12,000 wells per year were installed during 2009-2013, contributing to higher groundwater (GW) withdrawal. However, the impact of tube wells on GW storage levels has not been well-studied, both spatially and temporally. Hence, this study used remote sensing data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and the Global Land Data Assimilation Systems to assess change in GW storage. Results showed that GW is being depleted at 8, 5.3, and 14.7 cm (Billion Cubic Meters)/year during the study period. After tube well intensification, the state-wide average net GW recharge was 15.33 BCM/year, while the net GW discharge was at 19 BCM/year. The spatiotemporal GW storage data presented in this paper will benefit managers and policymakers in identifying suitable mitigation plans for future management of GW resources.

Are religious minorities deprived of public good provisions?: Regional evidence from India

Religious and ethnic minorities often face partisan treatment with regard to provision of public goods. This may be due to discriminatory practices or historical antecedents, like caste divides in India. We measure access to public goods in eleven districts of West Bengal in India where rural concentration of religious minorities, namely Muslims is higher than the state and country-level averages. We look at the contemporary socio-economic conditions of religious minorities in the state and the outcome regarding access to public good. The evidence as presented in this paper is based on cross-section data collected between Censuses of India. This is unavailable in the extant literature. Our unit of analysis for the econometric exercise is the village. We calculated average values of the relevant variables for each village from household responses, and the aggregate village level information from the village survey data. To this end, we adopted a stratified multistage sampling design in which households are the targeted sampling units chosen from rural areas only. The first stage units are the 2001 Census villages constituting the primary sampling units. The development blocks as comprising of Census villages have been classified into three strata on the basis of the percentage of Muslim population. Subsequently, using Generalized Linear Models we find evidence of strong horizontal inequality against Muslims in terms of access to public goods. We estimated the access to targeted and non-targeted public goods such as drinking water, distance to hospitals, distance and quality of educational facilities, transport, condition of roads, etc, based on the level of concentration of Muslim population. We use percentage of Muslim population at the village level and the highest concentration dummy as key explanatory variables. Provision of public goods seems to have a negative relation with the rise in concentration of minority population. Further, to decompose the outcome variables in terms of explained (viz. education and occupation) and unexplained (viz. discrimination) variations, we use Blinder-Oaxaca technique. In particular, the minority population in concentrated districts face poorer access to infrastructure, health and transport facilities. As policy, the district level plans need to address deficits in identifiable pockets of underdevelopment with respect to some of the variables discussed here. Moreover, the persistence of information gaps and poor implementation of policies in several parts, including the region under study, despite elaborate decentralization of governance in the country needs to be addressed from institutional perspectives in future analyses.

Observation on Nematocystis kailashi sp. nov. (Apicomplexa: Eugregarinida) from an Indian earthworm Glyphidrilus tuberosus Stephenson (Annelida: Oligochaeta)

Surveys on aseptate gregarines in earthworm hosts in different districts of West Bengal state of India revealed the existence of one new species of aseptate gregarine of the genus Nematocystis Hesse, 1909 have been identified from the seminal vesicles of the earthworm, Glyphidrilus tuberosus Stephenson, 1916 in the district of Purba Midnapur, West Bengal of India. Gamonts of the organism are very much elongated, cylindrical, nematoid and without mucron. The terminal end adjacent to the nucleus rounded and the distal end pointed. The gamonts measure 846.45-1031.13 (931.86±70.48) μm in length and 18.40-20.45 (19.43±1.05) μm in width. Nucleus elongated or depressed elliptoid, measures 53.17-63.39 (60.33±3.28) μm in length and 13.29-16.36 (14.15±0.89) μm in width. The gametocysts are slightly ovoid, measuring 110.43-120.65 (114.31±3.44) μm in diameter. Oocysts navicular and measure 9.24-10.39 (9.78±0.40) μm×5.77-6.16 (6.04±0.18) μm. Based on critical analysis and comparison with earlier reported species, the species under discussion established as new one.

Venturing deep into high right-bank slide of river Ganges near Chandernagore Strand, in Hooghly, India

Two multi-storied occupied apartment buildings and a clinic of ‘ Red-Cross Society’ in Chandernagore-a former French colony, located very close to the banks of tidal river ‘ Hooghly’ (-the southernmost part of River Ganges- the major hydrodynamic system that formed the world's largest delta) are standing precariously, following some recurrent slides of high river-bank during the last year’s monsoons. The area where the ground caved in, is on the end of the famous Strand Bank Road (in Hooghly district of West Bengal in India); which is supposed to be the best decorated bank of the river ‘ Ganges’ along its entire length of 2500 km. The opposite river bank is an official sand mining site. The river over considerable stretch at both upstream and downstream apparently seemed stable when analyzed over an extensive temporal domain from old Survey of India toposheets, recent satellite imagery, digital elevation model, field hydrographical survey synthesized in Geographical Information System (GIS) platform. A closer look into the geotechnical aspects supported by subsurface exploration, post failure on-site exposures and stability analysis revealed certain startling facts when considered in association with the hydro-meteorological factors and fluvial dynamics. An in-depth study of the factors responsible for the localized erosion is presented based on site observations and evidences, analyzed in association with real time hydrological and meteorological data.

Determinants of NREGA employment and its distribution across space and time: an inter-district analysis of West Bengal in India

One major index of judging the performance of NREGA program is to focus on the extent of employment days created together with the formation of local asset. A dynamic optimisation framework has been used to focus on the steady state optimal condition to maximise the number of employment days coherent with the objective of allaying poverty and generating local asset. The identification of determinants of employment days and local asset are supposed to add valuable information in this context. A simultaneous equation model has been used to show the endogenous relationship between per capita employment days and number of asset creation work. The pattern of concentration with respect to employment days generated across the districts over time has been found out by using Rosenbluth index. The number of employment days is crucially governed by the extent and smoothness in the conduit of fund flow, asset creation, households having job card and involved in the program as well as time gap in payments. Convergence of different rural development schemes together with certain earmarked percentage would allow for substantial demand driven employment throughout the year.

Wage determination machinery of tea industry in India: a case of West Bengal State

Daily rate of wages for tea plantation workers in west Bengal is abysmally low in comparison to agricultural minimum wages. There are a few benefits offered by the employers apart from the statutory benefits enshrined in the Plantation Labour Act, 1951. Consequently, many tea workers in this state are suffering from starvation, malnutrition, debt, etc. In this backdrop, in my present study, a deliberate attempt has been made in order to highlight the actual picture of wage and its determination process in the tea industry located in West Bengal in India.

Is Partisan Alignment Electorally Rewarding? Evidence from Village Council Elections in India

Do ruling parties positively discriminate in favour of their own constituencies in allocating public resources? If they do, do they gain electorally in engaging in such a practice? This paper tests whether partisan alignment exists in the allocation of funds for India's largest social protection programme, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in the state of West Bengal in India, and whether incumbent local governments (village councils) gain electorally in the practice of partisan alignment. Using a quasi-experimental research design, we find that the village council level ruling-party spends significantly more in its own party constituencies as compared to opponent constituencies. We also find strong evidence of electoral rewards in the practice of partisan alignment. However, we find that the results differ between the two main ruling political parties at the village council level in the state.

Impact Assesment of Nrega Programme: A Comparative Analysis in Two Backward Districts of West Bengal, India

The study focuses on the impact assessment of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act program on various development indicators such as employment generation, livelihood security, and creation of productive community assets to enhance the standard of living. Fixed effect regression model has been carried out to analyze the variation in generation of average employment days by a number of independent variables. A comparative tabular analysis was made with regard to the utilization of fund, average employment days per household, house-holds with 100 days of work, category wise asset creation and perceived standard of living among the surveyed blocks for two selected districts in West Bengal (India). The study found that the number of employment days provided in the scheme is much lower than the guaranteed 100 days. The average number of employment days generated is crucially governed by the extent and smoothness in the conduit of utilization of fund, percentage of labor cost as well as time gap in wage payments.

Containing an Outbreak of Human Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak in Nadia district of West Bengal-India

Background: On 12th September 2011, unusual poultry deaths were reported from a poultry farm at Putimari Christianpara under Tehatta Gram Panchayat. On 14th September there were more deaths accordingly, samples were collected and sent to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Kolkata. Preliminary reports confirmed the presence of avian influenza. High Security Disease Detection Laboratory at Bhopal confirmed avian influenza. The state Govt notified the outbreak as avian influenza on 19th September 2010. This outbreak was investigated and epidemiological characteristic & containment measures were described. Material and Methods: Operational definition of avian influenza was established. Fever surveillance in animals and human beings was conducted within 10 kms radius of epicenters. Culling was conducted. All health workers, and cullers were examined and prophylaxis was administered. Results: Out of total 56 Gram Panchayat 25(45%) were affected. Out of 568 villages 131(23%) were affected. Out of 131 affected villages 22 were in the core area and the rest outside. Population affected was estimated to be 400007. Mean population covered per day was 104603 (26%). Conclusion: In all 217 cases were detected with upper respiratory tract but none matched the case definition of avian influenza. Key words: Avian Influenza, H5N1, Surveillance, Culling, Nadia District, West Bengal

Awareness and determinants of utilization of “Nischay Yan Scheme” free assured referral transportation services in rural part of West Bengal-India

Background: National Rural Health Mission introduced ‘Nischay Yan’, a free assured referral transport, since 1st April 2011 in Nadia district, West Bengal, India to reduce neonatal mortality rate (NMR). We conducted a cross sectional study to estimate the prevalence of awareness and utilization of the scheme along with factors associated with its use in mothers and to describe the strengths and gaps in the scheme. Method: A total of 575 mothers of children born between 1st July and 31st December 2011 in 23 clusters were surveyed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was done to study the determinants of awareness and utilization of Nischay Yan services. Result: Out of 575 mothers, 77.9% were aware of Nischay Yan and knew the number 102.Majority of the mothers (96.9%) got the information from ANM and ASHA. Only 187 of 575 (32.5%) mothers had availed the services of Nischay Yan. Of the187 mothers who availed Nischay Yan, 164 (87.7%) utilized it for delivery and 23(12.2%) for the purpose of neonatal care. ASHA escorted only 42 (22.4%) of 187 mothers. Of the187 mothers who utilized Nischay Yan, 77% availed the ambulance from doorstep and (82.4%) had to wait up to one hour to get the Nischay Yan. Half of 187 mothers reached a facility in two hours. One hundred seventy one (44%) of 388 mothers did not utilize Nischay Yan because of non availability of the ambulance. On Univariate analysis mothers characteristics such as age (OR=2.9, 95% C.I=1.8 -5.1), living in nuclear family (OR=1.7, 95% C.I=1.03-2.8), Knowing the telephone number102 (OR=43.9,95% C.I=4.7-410.3), Knowing the danger sign for referral of pregnant woman(OR=6.5, 95% C.I=3.01-14.07), having three antenatal check-ups (OR=21.9, 95% C.I=2.2-219.5) and Possessing functioning mobile or landline phone (OR=12.44, 95% C.I=1.3-112.4) were significantly associated with use of Nischay Yan. Conclusion: Majority of the mothers were aware of Nischay Yan scheme while only one third utilized it. Mothers who knew the number 102 and had functioning telephones were more likely to use Nischay Yan ambulance. Major cause of non use of Nischay Yan was non-availability of ambulance. The ambulance density was adequate as per programme but less as per requirement. Keywords: Ambulance, Nischay Yan scheme, Neonatal Mortality, Awareness, Nadia and West Bengal

Socio-religious communities and fertility patterns in West Bengal, India

ABSTRACTThis article explores the fertility differential of different religious groups across various socio-economic characteristics. The article is based on primary data collected from a field survey of 2,590 households in the Malda district of West Bengal in India. The mean number of children ever born (MCEB) is used to measure fertility. The analysis shows that there is a major variation in the impact of various socio-economic variables on the number of children ever born among different religious groups. The study findings will be helpful for policymakers regarding the planning for management of different demographic processes.

Documentation of ethno-medicinal practices: A case study on tribal forest fringe dwellers of Terai West Bengal in India

The ethno-medicinal practices were documented which were being used by tribal population dwelling forest fringe areas of Terai zone of West Bengal, India on under exploited, non conventional, traditional and indigenous plant species for the sustainable utilization of these resources to cure day to day ailments. A total number of forty seven medicinal plant species belonging to 25 families were documented during the survey period 2012-13, which was used in curing many diseases. Among the families, Euphorbiaceae, Zingeberaceae and Leguminosae were the dominant families that represented four species each. Herb was the highest proportion of plant species 18 (38%) followed by 15 tree species (32%), 8 species of shrubs (17%) and rest were climbers and fern. It was observed that the tribal forest fringe communities of the Terai zone of the West Bengal have a good ethno-medicinal knowledge of using plant resources and developed their own traditional practices to cure day to day diseases.

Merits and Challenges of E-Rickshaw as An Alternative form of Public Road Transport System: A Case Study in the State of West Bengal in India

Battery operated electric three-wheelers or e-rickshaws have recently emerged in the public road transport sector in India. These vehicles have gained much popularity owing to the comfortable and economic mode of transport they provide to the fellow commuters. The present work is based on a case study in West Bengal state where the travel pattern of these vehicles has been studied. The average specific energy consumption of the e-rickshaws has been found to be 53.76kJ/passenger-km, which is the most efficient among other forms of motorized three-wheeled passenger vehicles. This study also delineates the challenges that stand in the way of proper implementation of these e-rickshaws in the public transport sector.

Information Processing and Creative Thinking Abilities of Residential and Non-Residential School Children

This study attempts to assess and compare the residential and non-residential schoolchildren in information-processing skills and creative thinking abilities. A sample of 80 children from Classes 5 and 7 were selected from two types of schools, residential/ashram (02) and non-residential/formal schools (02) in Bolpur subdivision of West Bengal in India where the medium of instruction is Bengali language/mother-tongue. All the children were individually administered the PASS (Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive), Stroop, Matching Familiar Figure Test (MFFT-20), and creative thinking tasks. The residential school children were found to perform better both in information processing and creative thinking tasks. The developmental trend could not be clearly observed due to small sample size, but with increasing age, children were using better processing strategies. Due to ashram environment, creative pedagogy, and various co-curricular activities, the residential school children were found to be more creative than their formal school counterparts. Moreover, some significant positive correlations were found among information processing skills and creative thinking dimensions.

Soil erosion risk mapping using RUSLE model on jhargram sub-division at West Bengal in India

An appraisal of spatial and quantitative information on soil erosion is a major challenge for human sustainability. The present study demonstrates the prognostic modeling capabilities of geo-spatial technology based on soil erosion potential model to assess the effects of implementing land use changes within sub-tropical region in India. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) integrated with geo-spatial technology was used to produce predictive soil erosion map. Rainfall pattern, soil type, topography, crop system and management practices and geo-spatial data were used to predict the soil erosion model. Results shows 74.77 % of the study area is marked as low potential zone for soil erosion, whereas 5.58 % (>10 t h−1 year−1) is very high erosion risk zone. The present information may help recognizing areas that are vulnerable to soil loss and the proposed method will be used for generalized planning and assessment purposes for supervision and preserve the soil erosion.

Influence of Son Preference on Contraceptive Method Mix: Some Evidences from ‘Two Bengals’

Although the people of Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal in India share common cultural practices, they differ in contraceptive adoption and practice. The use of modern contraceptive methods among women and couples of the two Bengals differ from each other. The use of natural method is significantly higher among women and couples in West Bengal compared to that of their counterparts in Bangladesh. The study analyses data from Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) using sequential logit models. Results show that greater reliance on natural methods among women of West Bengal is related to higher preference for sons compared to that in Bangladesh.

Modeling of potential gully erosion hazard using geo-spatial technology at Garbheta block, West Bengal in India

The gully erosion is the most serious environmental problem in West Bengal in India. Present study focused on delineation the gully affected areas and characterization of geo-environmental factor in the gully affected region to prevent future problems. Ground investigation and geo-spatial data along with bivariate statistical approach were employed to identity the most crucial factors among lithology, dynamic and slope inclination, landuse, aspect, plan curvature, stream power index, topographical wetness index and length-slope factor and also understand the most dominant class of each factor associated the gully erosion in the area under study. All the information were integrated into geographical information system platform and categorized in zones of very high, high, moderate, and low gully erosion susceptibility. Weight index overlay method is used to validate the gully proneness map. Results showed land use factor (barren land and waste land), slope (>20°), topographical wetness index values (>1.2), length-slope index (>4.00), fragments of pebbles, boulder and gravels, older alluvium and lateritic soil play important roles in gully processes. Model validation indicated that the resulting map of areas prone to gully erosion has a prediction accuracy of 88.25 %. The methodology adopted for gully erosion proneness mapping can be exercised in other gully vulnerability areas that could be an excellent approach to defend the natural resources and progress in the land use conservation.

Abolishing English in schools: implications for higher education in West Bengal

In 1982, the then ruling Left Front government in West Bengal (India) abolished the teaching of English from its primary schools. The move led to a high-pitched controversy over the social importance of teaching English, and when and how it should be taught. The main arguments in favour of the decision were to confront the elitism inherent in giving primacy to a “foreign” language and to promote higher enrolment and reduce drop-out rates. Those opposed to the decision spoke of redrawing class maps and the difficulties of negotiating a nation of many languages with fluency in only one regional language. Over the years, there were more complex arguments; moreover, demand for English among the rural poor led to a greater demand for private schools or private tuition. The abolition of English was accompanied by major interventions in Bangla language-teaching, which were also hotly debated within the academy. Twenty-five years later, in 2007, a new-look Left Front government sought to reverse the decision and re-introduce English into primary schools. There was opposition within the government from those who had been votaries of the previous decision. The reversal was endorsed by government, however, despite vocal protests. This paper revisits some of the arguments attending this policy flip-flop. It argues that these arguments have wider significance for language policy in higher education in West Bengal, and that they also resonate in other contexts with strong traditions in regional languages.