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Self Perceived Well-Being and Quality of life of People in a Water Scarce Village in India
Get PDFWater is the elixir of life and forms an indispensable part of all natural and societal systems. Ithas been widely acknowledged that the health and socio economic development of a communitydepends on the availability, quality and management of its water resources. Water scarcity notonly has a direct debilitating effect on health through a host of associated diseases; it also has anindirect but significant bearing on the perceived well-being of individuals. The foregoing studyis steered towards the effect of water scarcity on the perceived health status and quality of life ofa group of people in a rural village in Mewat. This study is based on an inductive approach,focus group discussions, participatory exercises and dialogue with key informants as primarymodes of data collection. The data was sorted and analyzed through latent and manifest contentanalysis. This methodology resulted in appreciative inquiry and situated knowledge based onresidents‘ subjective viewpoints. All the participants in the study setting, are perceived to havea poor quality of life due to financial constraints resulting from precarious livelihoods and poorhealth status, both being primarily attributed to water scarcity. It was revealed that the studiedvillage had no freshwater source. The farming households practised rain fed agriculture, keepingthem in debt and penury. The water for everyday requirements was obtained primarily bywomen and children from far off villages, taking a toll on their effort and productive time. Inlieu of less water, open air defecation was practised, compromising on sanitation and personalhygiene. This resulted in drudgery, with serious repercussions like bouts of infectious diseasesin women and children, fatigue, school absenteeism, physical abuse, domestic violence andmigration. The respondents, mainly Meo Muslims, perceived that water paucity also hinderedthe performance of daily cleansing religious rituals. They reported water scarcity as the mainreason for their physical, mental and social health problems and a major obstacle in their wellbeingand socio economic development. The secondary data also yielded information on aplethora of problems in terms of inadequacy of physical infrastructure and amenities,inaccessible health care facilities and meagre natural capital in the entire Mewat district,Haryana. The study concludes that water is an explicit component of health with clearimplications on both the people‘s quality of life and psychosocial well-being
Cropping Pattern and Land Degradation in Kasaragod, Kerala
Get PDFThe consequence of the Green Revolution and the continued impact of globalisation and economicreform policies, the agricultural sector in the Kasaragod district witnessed a paradigm shift. For ahigher yield and high income the farmers apply fertilisers and pesticides without considering itsimpact on even the the minmimum requirments. Similarly, the diversification of crops from foodcrops to non-food crops and from one non-food crop to yet another non-food crop also emerged. Allthese factors have caused challenges to the agricultural sector and created a conflict in the form ofland degradation. This study shows that there is constant and continuous decline in both soil healthand in soil fertility in general and also in the decline of P, K soil status and pH status in the rubbercropped areas as compared to other cropped areas in the district
Governance at the Grassroots: Innovative Leadership of a Woman Panchayat President in Kerala
Get PDFThis paper is based on a study of women governance choosing a Gramapanchayat president in thestate of Kerala. The objective of the study is to find out the contributions of women in governance byidentifying the best woman pradhans/sarpanches who has shown remarkable improvement in localgovernance. The best Panchayat president was selected on the basis of specific parameters ofassessment adopted for the study. The data were collected from the primary sources throughinterviews and informal discussions with the Panchayat president/officials/public and from thesecondary sources of relevant documents. The paper deals with the innovative practices adopted andimplemented by the Gramapanchayat president of Chemancheri in Kozhikkode district, in some ofthe important but neglected aspects of development such as education, health and sanitation, ruralinfrastructure, and gainful employment in the rural areas. The study shows that the woman leader hascontributed towards qualitative differences in governance at the grassroot level by using the tangibleand intangible technologies of blueprints, models, consultancy and problems solving methods. Theconstraints and hindrances faced by the Panchayat president in implementing these innovativepractices are highlighted
Positive Adolescent Development: Relevance of Family Interventions
Get PDFPrevious researches on children and adolescents have led to the increasedrecognition of the need for developmental interventions for promoting apositive development of children and adolescents. The 40 assets odelbrought out by the Search Institute and the positive youth developmentapproach added momentum to this move towards the well-being of thechild and adolescent than any problem oriented practice. India, being thehome for the largest adolescent population in the world, is shoulderingthe huge responsibility of helping its adolescents to develop as bothsuccessful and responsible adults who can then contribute to the buildingof the nation. India has declared their children as supreme assets of thecountry and the National Youth Policy recognizes the significance ofpromoting a positive child and adolescent development. But the familywhich is the primary environment of the adolescent has often beenneglected in the case of interventions for positive adolescent development.A large volume of literature, irrespective of different cultures shows thatthe family plays a central role in the positive development of the adolescents.In this conceptual paper, the importance of positive adolescentdevelopment with regard to the existing literature is reviewed. Alsodiscussed here from an ecological systems perspective is the relevance offamily interventions for promoting positive adolescent development. Basedon the review of the existing literature, this article brings forth five focalareas of family centred interventions for promoting positive adolescentdevelopment
Elderly in Rural India:A Sociological Analysis
Get PDFIndia is the second largest country in terms of aged population.Statistics reveal that 80% of India’s elderly live in villages. With thetechnological breakthrough and the advancement in the medical field.the life expectancy of elderly has increased by four to five years. But alonger life does not mean a necessarily a happier one. Studies showthat despite the growing numbers among the elderly rural people almostall the economic social and health indicators point to the rural beingfar poorer and less healthy than that of their urban counter parts. Thispaper makes an attempt to study the process of ageing in rural India. Italso highlights the triple jeopardy faced especially by the women inrural India. The author has also emphasized on how quality life can beensured to these groups of people by following the emancipationperspective. This would rightfully guarantee that the aged are notexcluded from society
Impact of Substance Abuse on Families
Get PDFOver the last few decades, the use of illegal drugs has spreadto practically every part of the globe. No society remains immune to thedevastating problem of substance abuse. Substance abuse poses variousproblems impacting not just the individual user, but also his/her familyand community. The adverse impact of drug use on families istremendous. Relationships suffer, financial sources are depleted, healthcare costs increases, and employment problems and increased emotionalstress arise. There is also a serious risk of transmission of HIV/AIDS,STI’s and other blood-borne viruses to partners of infected persons.Within the family, it is often the women, in the role of wife or mother,who is the most affected by an individual’s drug abuse and has to beara significant part of the burden on the family
Book Review : Spectrum of Lifelong Education
No full text Spectrum of Lifelong Education: Rameshwari Pandya, ed., 2011, New Delhi, Concept Publishing Company,ISBN 13: 978–81-8069–744–9, hard cover, pages: xxvi+310, price: Rs.80
Book Review :Development Issues of Contemporary India
Get PDFDevelopment Issues of Contemporary IndiaM. R. Biju, ed., 2010, New Delhi, Concept Publishing, ISBN 13: 978-81-8069-714-2, hard cover, pp.xxxiv+606, price: Rs.150