Space and Culture, India
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Student Voices: A Critical Reflective Exploration of an Online Groupwork Video Analysis Task During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Get PDFThe shift to online learning in universities prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted field learning, an important component in nature conservation qualifications. Academics used video resources as an alternative approach to mitigate related challenges. This case study critically reflects on students’ experiences and views on the use of an internet video and WhatsApp text messaging to complete a groupwork task in a conservation module offered at a university in South Africa. The video content focused on threats to rare indigenous plant species in South Africa. Data were collected using an online electronic questionnaire (n=26) and through the analysis of five group-discussion text-messaging transcripts. Mixed-method analysis was used to analyse the data. Descriptive analysis was used to analyse the closed questions in the questionnaire, and qualitative analysis was used for the open questions and transcripts. Ethical protocols were followed, with anonymity and confidentiality maintained. The findings, amongst others, indicate that overall, students agreed that the video promoted their understanding of threats to rare indigenous plants (76.9%); most students watched the video more than three times (84.6%); students had a positive response to the use of text messaging for group discussions (91.6%); and evident in the transcripts was active group engagement. Overall, WhatsApp text messaging facilitated student discussions in the asynchronous group work video analysis task. This reinforces underlying social constructivist pedagogy, which facilitates the integration of course content with group interaction and promotes critical thinking and problem-solving in a post-COVID-19 society
Organic Farming in India: Evolution, Current Status and Policy Perspectives
Get PDFThe performance of the agricultural sector is key for the development of the economy, especially for developing economies. It helps the economy in various ways, such as increased income for farmers, employment in rural areas, and, most importantly, food security. With the growing demand for food, farmers use extensive fertilisers and pesticides to increase productivity. This irrational use of fertilisers reduces soil fertility, pollutes rivers, kills plants and animals, and is linked to many human diseases. Thus, conventional farming raises many concerns related to the environment as well as human health. The emergence of organic farming is because of certain limitations of conventional farming. In our country, organic farming practices are taking a new shape. India has 1.59 million organic producers with 2.7 million hectares of agricultural land under organic agriculture. The current paper aims to describe the evolution and status of organic agriculture in India. It also seeks to probe the impact of organic agriculture on various aspects of farming and economy. The paper also aims to identify the constraints in the growth of organic agriculture. Further, based on the findings, the paper proposes new development models for the sustainable growth of the agriculture sector in India. Through this, a perspective is provided on the current state and policy alternatives with innovative organic farming models for the welfare of farmers and people at large
Economic and Environmental Outcomes of Plastic Bags Ban: A Case Study of Sonipat City
Get PDFPlastic bag is one of the various miracles but a controversial invention of the 20th Century. Worldwatch Institute (2017) estimated that 4-5 trillion plastic bags are consumed annually across the world, appreciated for contributing to the medical field, hygienic food packaging and reducing packing costs in many industries. But during the 21st Century, disposal of waste created by plastic bags posed a complicated problem as only 1 per cent of bags are recycled. Research revealed that the waste created by poly bags deposited in the oceans, urban drainage, and agricultural soil damages our ecosystem. Accumulation of plastic on soil, water and air for a long time works as the entry point for carcinogenic toxins in the food chain and harms flora and fauna rigorously. Whereas some policies devised to ban plastic bags ended up adversely impacting customers and businesses.
India, with the use of 14 million plastic annually, faces the problem of plastic pollution due to the lack of an organised plastic recycling system. To combat this problem, the Indian Government came up with Plastic Waste Management Rule 2016. It passed a resolution to ban single-use plastic manufacturing, trade, and utilisation from July 2022. The present study is an attempt to analyse and evaluate the pros and cons of the plastic ban policy in the context of environmental and economic outcomes in Sonipat city. Quantitative and qualitative techniques are applied to the primary data collected from the field survey. Based on the study’s findings, suggestions have been given to face the challenge of banning plastic bags in Sonipat city.
Indigenous Knowledge of Medicinal Plants and Attainment of SDG3: A Systematic Literature Review
Get PDFAttainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a critical issue for the United Nations in the 21st Century. These 17 SDGs have specific targets to achieve these goals. To achieve a more sustainable future, 193 countries agreed to work on these 17 SDGs by 2030. Out of these 17 SDGs, this paper focuses on attaining SDG 3 through indigenous knowledge. The researchers explored previous studies by other researchers worldwide and global reports related to medical plants. They discussed the role of folk medicine in attaining the third goal of sustainable development (SDG3). Target 3.3 of SDG 3 focuses on eliminating combat hepatitis, waterborne diseases, Malaria, and other communicable diseases, and target 3.4 of SDG 3 focuses on reducing non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment. Therefore, the focus of the study is to find out the specific plants which can be used for the treatment of various types of diseases through meta-analysis protocol and systematic reviews. Ninety articles are screened by keeping in view the set criteria. The study selected 50 scientific papers after excluding some papers due to the unavailability of full papers and duplicate copies of the articles. The researchers selected those papers whose citation is good. Previous researchers discussed that some plants and their parts—folk medicines— are often used to cure various communicable and non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, Malaria, COVID-19, infections, pain, liver problems, etc., by certain groups and communities due to its lesser price, effortlessness, easy accessibility and affordability.
The Co-Evolution of India’s Policy on Science, Technology, and Innovation with University Education: The Need for Innovation in Higher Educational Institutions
Get PDFInnovation-focused education and research have been identified as critical contributors to enhancing the innovative behaviour of individuals, organisations, and economies. Therefore, Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) embrace innovations to transform teaching, research, and knowledge transfer that impact economic and social objectives. The research objective of this study is to shed light on India’s needs for its higher education and innovation policies to develop faster growth and provide lessons on what it is doing right. For this, we study the gaps in the two policies: Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy (STIP) and National Educational Policies (NEP) applicable to HEIs. This study uses content analysis of the policies, with two experts’ opinions on the evolution of the policies. It finds that the Indian government has consciously striven to adopt new developments, urgently needing to improve infrastructural facilities for knowledge-driven innovation. Yet, fostering private industry’s role in innovation has not been adequate. The study concluded that policymakers need to collaborate with all the players for focused education and research, resulting in responsible innovation
Professor Narendra Nath Bhattacharyya (21 January 1936 - 29 January 2023): His Academic Career and Contributions
Get PDFDr Narendra Nath Bhattacharyya breathed his last on 29 January 2023. This historical article charts to pay tribute to his professional career and contributions, who worked silently towards laying the foundation and building the geography of North East India
Challenges and Prospects of Apple Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh
Get PDFThe present endeavour aims to ascertain the current status and recent challenges of apple cultivation in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh and to explore the prospects by framing suitable strategies through quantitative SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix) analysis. A total of 32 factors encompassing 20 internal [10 Strengths (S) and 10 Weakness (W)] and 12 external [6 Opportunities (O) and 6 Threats (T)] factors have been identified through empiric investigation and interaction with the stakeholders. Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) and External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrices have revealed that favourable agro-climatic conditions (S1, 3.60) and prevalence of diseases of the plants (W5, 3.6) are the most prioritised internal strength and weaknesses. At the same time, the establishment of adequate cold storage facilities (O5, 3.6) and recent changes in the prevailing climate (T1, 2.25) comprise the most concerning external opportunities and threats in the area, respectively. The results further reveal that implementing a well-managed gardening system and developing of infrastructural facilities (WT1, 124.7) may become the qualified alternative action plan to cope with the negative determinants. The establishment and expansion of apple orchard-based food processing units and tourism activities (SO2, 95%) may be considered the most suitable positive (SO) strategy to ensure further prosperity of apple production, which has been supported by most of the respondents. Adapting such a strategy will enrich the horticulture economy and promote the sustainable development of apple farming in the district
Prevalence of Dental Fluorosis Amongst School Children in West Bengal, India
Get PDFDental fluorosis, a disease, results from excessive fluoride consumption mainly through drinking water during early childhood, which damages tooth-forming cells in children. This study examines the prevalence of dental fluorosis amongst school children in the Puruliya district, located in West Bengal, India. This is because the Puruliya district is one of the worst-affected fluoride areas in India. When compared to the World Health Organization’s 1.5 mg/l permitted limit for fluoride in drinking water, the highest fluoride levels were found to be 8.28 mg/l in the Kashipur block of the district. Therefore, to perform a study to ascertain the prevalence of dental fluorosis among school-going children between the ages of 6 and 14 based on the Dean’s Index, the Kashipur block of the Puruliya District was selected. The fluoride levels of drinking water sources are tested in the public health and Engineering department in the Puruliya district. The average level of fluoride discovered in drinking water ranges from 0.42 mg/l to 5.23 mg/l. The data were analysed with SPSS-20 statistical software, and mapping was done with Arc-GIS 10.5. Linear regression is applied to test the correlation. The findings demonstrate a very strong positive correlation (r = 0.92) between fluoride concentration and the frequency of childhood dental fluorosis. Dental fluorosis was observed to afflict 45.20% of the children in the research area, and it was more common in female children (46%) than in male children (44.40%). There were 226 students with dental fluorosis between the ages of 6 and 15, of whom 16.4% were in Grade I, 13.2% in Grade II, 10.0% in Grade III, and 5.6% in Grade IV
Adopting a Soft Transdisciplinary Approach via Inquiry/Project Based Learning: A Focus on Legal Education
Get PDFGlobally, the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore fundamental changes and challenges in education. This is also clear within legal education in BRICS countries and beyond, where issues emerged but created space for effective ways forward. In alignment with the special issue theme, this paper provides a vision for post-pandemic education – in this case, in one discipline, namely legal education. Based on an international literature review, it is argued that to deliver appropriate skills and create well-rounded graduates effectively, there is a need to rework the vision of law as a single discipline. Thus, considering the contemporary challenges to legal education described in this paper, a different approach to the curriculum is required in which support for the development of vital skills such as creativity, critical thinking and complex problem-solving is maximised. Furthermore, attention needs to be devoted to adopting a transdisciplinary perspective delivered through inquiry-based learning. This requires thinking about problem-solving from multiple viewpoints and seeking out tools, practices and pieces of knowledge from multiple fields to arrive at better questions and solutions
Mapping a Contested Space: Northeast India Through the Ages
Get PDFNortheast India, home to diverse ethnic communities, has often been described as the cauldron of ethnic violence and insurgencies. The ongoing crisis in Manipur (in the form of a fratricidal war between the Meiteis and Kukis) and the State’s failure to contain it calls for deeper scrutiny of the geopolitics of the region. Whereas the region was once a crossroad that facilitated the movement of these ethnic groups, its transformation into a frontier area during colonial times and as a borderland after India’s partition turned it into a contested space. Further, with the introduction of colonial modernity, the old socio-cultural and economic structures have radically altered the relationship among the communities giving space to necropolitics. In this context, by referring to Rituparna Bhattacharyya’s edited volume Northeast India through the Ages: A Transdisciplinary Perspective on Prehistory, History, and Oral History and other research works, this commentary maps the transformation of the territory into a necrospace. In doing so, this study argues that while much of the complications had been foisted due to the colonial map-making process and immigration, an ethnic resurgence had further facilitated the growth of necropolitics in the region. Additionally, the study will focus on the representations of socio-cultural history and politics by relating those to the multifaceted aspect of necropolitics and its entangled colonial history