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In a federal political system like India, the role of the federal units bordering the neighboring countries becomes crucial in foreign policy-making toward neighboring countries. It is expected that when similar political parties or coalition partners remain in power in both the center and the states, federal politics does not hinder policy-making toward neighboring countries. Moreover, foreign policy being a central subject, federal units any way reflect passive tendencies, especially in the case of governments with the same party affiliations. Both these simplifications are contested in this paper by citing instances of the role of West Bengal and Tripura, India's two federal units bordering the neighboring country of Bangladesh, at different historical junctures, in which similar political parties in the center and the state resulted in more friction than when different political parties were in office in matters of India's foreign policy-making toward Bangladesh. The paper argues that instead of federalization of foreign policy, where federal units have an influential role, this particular experience suggests an externalization of federalism, where an external variable (Bangladesh) influences internal federal dynamics to the extent that domestic electoral politics force the political parties of the two federal units to give importance to the neighboring country in taking positions on foreign policy-making. The immediate context of fifty years of the India-Bangladesh relationship and question about over-centralization during the latest phase of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime in India push the authors to take up Bangladesh as a case to contest the given of Indian federalism in foreign policy making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper uses illustrations from rural India and Bangladesh to develop a critical analysis of practices and experiences of poverty often overlooked in development policies. It challenges the principle measurement, calculative rationality and static representation in anti-poverty interventions that present poverty as a 'problem' to be resolved. It draws on poststructuralist ideas to express poverty differently and shift from problem-solving to problematisation. Drawing on the concept of 'rhizome' it highlights the connectivity, heterogeneity and multiplicity of poverty. Examples from interviews and photo diaries illustrate manifold poverty as a combination of heterogeneous activities, objects and affects that complicate development ethics and challenge the logic of reason in existing policies. The paper explores improvisation, experimentation, hope and repetition as mechanisms for critically evaluating aquaculture-led development and attending to overlooked objects, uncertain outcomes and untold stories of disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies in the United Kingdom have shown distinctions in intergenerational co-residency between UK-born and foreign-born individuals, however, little research has examined how factors such as immigrant incorporation, economic adaptation, and kin availability shape household formation patterns among immigrants. This paper uses data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (2009–2010) to explore differences in the likelihood of UK-born and foreign-born working-aged adults to co-reside with at least one parent, highlighting distinctions by life stage (age) at migration and gender. Results show that, regardless of life stage at migration, foreign-born women and men are less likely to co-reside with parents than UK-born, however, intergenerational co-residency is high among some second-generation immigrant groups, particularly UK-born Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi individuals. These findings challenge cultural assumptions about household formation patterns and point to the need for additional research on how economic inequality, kin availability, and gender norms shape immigrant household composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically reviews and reflects on the processes for providing Assistive Technology (AT) services to Persons with Disabilities (PWD) in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The aim is to investigate the AT service delivery systems in these countries and suggest improvements where weaknesses are identified. We carried out a descriptive qualitative exploratory study in Bangladesh, India and Nepal by conducting key informant interviews with policymakers (5), AT service providers (22) and mobility and hearing related AT service users (21). We used a directed content analysis approach guided by a seven-point AT service delivery process model to thematically analyse the existing processes for AT service delivery, from first contact through to follow-up and maintenance. AT service delivery processes are sub-optimal in all three countries, and improvements are needed. No common AT service delivery process was found, although there are common features. In general, it is easier for PWDs in India and Nepal to access AT than for those in Bangladesh, but all three countries are failing to live up to their commitments to uphold the human rights of PWDs. Although good elements of AT service delivery processes can be identified, the systems in all three countries are fragmented and generally weak. A more holistic approach of looking at the process of AT service delivery, from first contact right through to follow-up and device maintenance, with a single door service delivery system, free of cost at the point of service is recommended in these countries. Although we found significant weaknesses in AT delivery in all three countries, there are some good AT service delivery practices and opportunities for these countries to learn from one another. A systematic and stepwise approach to assessing current AT service delivery processes in the three countries – examining the delivery system as a whole, from initiation to repair and management – can help identify opportunities to improve the process for (prospective) AT users. A more coherent single door system of AT service delivery will increase the quality and efficiency of the fragmented AT service delivery practices in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article examines the contest between indigenous forest-dwelling communities and settler colonial policy in post-Partition central India. According to official estimates, from 1961–71 the population of indigenous communities declined by nearly 50% in Dandakaranya within central India even as overall the population grew by a large margin during the same period. Despite perceptions of India as a post-colony committed to decolonization, this article examines how this state project, one of the earliest acts of governmentality, was deeply implicated in a settler colonial logic of elimination. Following the mass migration of Partition refugees in 1947 across newly demarcated borders, the Indian government earmarked Dandakaranya Forest as the site of a refugee resettlement project for lower-caste Partition refugees from East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Drawing on Lorenzo Veracini's notion of 'probationary settlers' as exogenous others without prior claims to land, refugees are understood within this argument as probationary settlers reliant on the state for their survival. Rather than narrating the biography of the state through its various experts and institutions, this paper foregrounds the perspective of the marginalized on their environment: displaced forest-dwelling indigenous communities and lower-caste (Dalit) refugees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historians of Partition have focused upon the bitterly polarized yet vibrant public sphere of the last days of the British Raj, wherein newspapers representing Congress, Muslim League and Akali opinion vied for influence through increasingly hostile propaganda targeted at the 'other/s'. Such studies' focus on ideological battles and propaganda results in relatively less attention being given to what became of these papers once the British departed and the parties these papers espoused or opposed captured power. This paper will seek to revisit such assumptions by analyzing the trials and tribulations of the significant newspaper houses unfortunate enough to be located on the geographical frontlines of Partition and in major centres of communal conflagration. Through such analyses, I will seek to show that it was a combination of initial mob action, reinforced often by state repression and even popular reproach, that forced newspapers viewed as belonging to the 'other' party to move to safer (and greener) pastures. In the process, late-colonial India's once pluralist public sphere came to be partitioned into sections that broadly conformed to the ideologies that the respective Dominions' new rulers espoused. While aligning newspapers with the majoritarian public opinion, this Partition occasioned shifts of personnel and presses that would fundamentally alter the postcolonial press industry in West and East Pakistan, and to a lesser extent, in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: As Covid-19 became a pandemic, numerous people were forced to stay at home, leading to increased intimate partner violence (IPV) in many countries, particularly in developing and least-developed ones. This paper aims to highlight the IPV based on 15 different cases formed from the practical evidence of five developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed 15 women from five countries who were the victims of IPV during the early periods of Covid-19 outbreak. Due to geographical remoteness, the authors conducted informal telephone interviews to collect the participants' personal experiences. The conversations were recorded with participants' permission; afterwards, the authors summarized participants' experiences into 15 different cases without revealing their original identities (instead, disguised names were used). Findings: It was revealed that the women were the primary victims of such violence, particularly from their intimate partners (husbands). In most cases, such IPV, as reported by the interviewees, originated or increased after the pandemic when they were forced to stay at home, losing their partners' jobs or income sources. Originality/value: The authors summarized the causes of IPV and put forward a few action recommendations based on the interviewees' practical experience and existing literature. This paper will open a new window for research investigations on IPV during emergencies such as Covid-19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, there was a global energy crisis that affected different parts of the world. In most countries, energy heavily relies on natural gas, including Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. Several studies have explored the differences in the energy of crude oil and natural gas. Nonetheless, little effort has been made toward exploring the exportation of energy for exchange markets in Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. This paper primarily aims at comparatively exploring the energy of crude oil and natural gas for exchange markets in the aforementioned countries. The methodology used in this paper is qualitative content analysis (QCA) and a systematical literature review (SLR) which includes various sources such as journals, the core collection of the Web of Science (WOS), oil peer review resources, and library sources. The study systematically mapped out different bibliographic materials whereby the visualization of similarities (VOS) was used to explore exchange markets for energy, crude oil, and gas in Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. The results of the analysis indicated that, in Africa, Nigeria is regarded as the largest producer of natural gas and crude oil, with an approximation of 1.2 million barrels per day. Concerning oil and gas reserves, the country is considered the 10th and 8th largest producer in the world, having 37 billion barrels and roughly 206 trillion cubic feet, respectively. Thus, the exportation of energy is considered a central pillar of the country's economy. In addition, India is regarded as the second largest producer of crude oil with 4.972 million barrels per day, which is approximately 5.1% of the entire world's capacity for refining crude oil. Similarly, at the global level, India is considered the topmost consumer of crude oil, accounting for 4.8% of the world's consumption. In the context of Bangladesh, their gas reserves account for 39.4 trillion cubic feet, and they are considered to be 70% of the commercial energy supply in the country. In conclusion, the importance of energy, crude oil, and natural gas cannot be underestimated, specifically, for the exchange import markets in the current context of the aforementioned countries. It is, therefore, suggested that the governments of Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh should strengthen their national policies on energy in order to be responsive to the global energy crisis as well as boost the exchange market in the energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attacks perpetrated using acid are a particular form of interpersonal violence, possibly one of the most heinous manifestations of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Acid attacks are mainly motivated by extramarital cheating, marital conflicts, women's rejection of marriage proposals, and sexual advances. As these attacks are not well understood from a psychological perspective, we conducted a systematic review, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, of 284 articles identified, 13 were eligible for inclusion. Three main focuses were identified: "Risk and vulnerability factors," "Consequences and implications," and "Interventions and treatments." Acid attacks seem to be more frequent in countries where social and economic development leads to greater tensions over traditional gender roles like Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Identified risk factors were young age, low socioeconomic status, low educational attainment, ethnicity, unemployment status of the victim, alcohol, and drug use of the perpetrator. Among the main psychosocial consequences of acid attacks, isolation and social exclusion emerged. Additionally, the paper will discuss the role of mental health consequences and specific treatments from psychological, clinical, and medical-legal points of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the possible predatory journals in Library and Information Science research in India, including the affiliation status of the authors publishing in those predatory journals, frequency of returning authors, and country-wise distribution of authors. The paper used Beall's list to find out the predatory journals in LIS published from India. Publication trends, affiliations of authors, and the status of the 22 LIS journals under the study were critically analyzed. The result shows that the predatory journals were diminishing slowly; in 2016, there were eight active journals, while in 2021, it was reduced to four journals. Similarly, the publication trends show that the highest number of articles (398) was published in the year 2015, and it was only 66 articles in 2020. It is revealed that academics hailing from state universities (42.88%) are the highest contributors to the predatory journals, followed by professionals from government colleges (16.76%). The results indicate that predatory publishing was rampant in the early years but declined gradually. Researchers from India have published the most articles, totaling 1760 (93%), followed by those from Nigeria (64, 3.3%), Bangladesh (10), and Saudi Arabia (eight articles). It is also revealed that 21.66% (n = 438) are returning authors who have published more than one article in the sample journals. The paper discusses the role of the government and especially the University Grants Commission (UGC) in curbing the menace of predatory publishing. The authors also discuss the possible role of library professionals in stopping the plague of predatory publishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and critically reflect on access to Assistive Technology (AT) for persons with disabilities (PWD) in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. This analysis aims to guide the development of a contextualised generic AT service delivery model suitable for these countries, based on the best practices identified. This paper is based on a comprehensive study conducted in Nepal, India and Bangladesh, observing mobility and hearing-related AT service delivery centres run by the government, as well as private and nongovernmental organisations, and interviews with key informants: policymakers (5), AT service providers (20) and AT service users (20) between December 2019 to February 2020. A descriptive, qualitative exploratory study design was followed. A quality assessment framework was used to structure the analysis and interpret the findings. AT service provisions are poorly developed in all three countries. On all quality indicators assessed, the systems show major weaknesses. AT users have very limited awareness about their rights to these services and the availability of AT services, the range of services available is very limited, and eligibility is dependent on medical criteria related to visible and severe disabilities. Lack of accessibility, eligibility, reachability and affordability are the main barriers to access AT services for PWD in Nepal, India and Bangladesh. Increased community level awareness, increased Government funding and a community based, medically informed flexible social model of AT services is a way forward to ensure access to AT services for PWD in these countries. Increased community awareness is necessary to increase access to Assistive Technology Services for Persons with Disabilities. Increased and flexible funding from the Government and philanthropists will improve rehabilitation. Establishment of community based Assistive Technology Services centres will increase access and improve rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasutitermes profuscipennis Akhtar is an Oriental nasutiform termite. The species was first described from Bangladesh and later reported from Thailand. In this paper, we report the species for the first time from India. During the study, samples were collected from human settlement and Indian bay leaf plantation areas of Nongkhrah, Nongpoh area of Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya, India. The morphological characters of both the soldier and worker castes of N. profuscipennis are presented in this article along with a note on its geographical distribution. An updated list of species of the genus Nasutitermes is also provided here from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rohingya experiences of displacement and refuge are heavily gendered. Sexual and gender-based violence have been used as weapons against Rohingya women, men, girls and boys in Myanmar for decades. Trafficking and exploitation are rife on the flight out of the country, and host states such as India present their own gendered challenges to family survival and individual coping. In this paper, we examine how some of those violent and disruptive experiences have affected gender roles for individuals and families as they have fled Myanmar (often more than once) and sought refuge in India via Bangladesh. We present new insight into the dynamic subjectivity of Rohingya women as we show how, contrary to dominant depictions of passive victimhood, many have lead family migration across borders, taken up NGO/community leadership roles, or made the best 'home' possible within the limitations of the host context. This is because personal and family agency is sensitive to transitional opportunities and threats—i.e., gender norms of home and host contexts, interactions with host communities, and trust relations with NGOs, to name a few. Crucially, these social practices and experiences are not static or linear; they span generations and sprawling geographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating nutrition interventions into antenatal care (ANC) requires adapting global recommendations to fit existing health systems and local contexts, but the evidence is limited on the process of tailoring nutrition interventions for health programmes. We developed and integrated maternal nutrition interventions into ANC programmes in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and India by conducting studies and assessments, developing new tools and processes and field testing integrated programme models. This paper elucidates how we used information and data to contextualize a package of globally recommended maternal nutrition interventions (micronutrient supplementation, weight gain monitoring, dietary counselling and counselling on breastfeeding) and describes four country‐specific health service delivery models. We developed a Theory of Change to illustrate common barriers and strategies for strengthening nutrition interventions during ANC. We used multiple information sources including situational assessments, formative research, piloting and pretesting results, supply assessments, stakeholder meetings, household and service provider surveys and monitoring data to design models of maternal nutrition interventions. We developed detailed protocols for implementing maternal nutrition interventions; reinforced staff capacity, nutrition counselling, monitoring systems and community engagement processes; and addressed micronutrient supplement supply bottlenecks. Community‐level activities were essential for complementing facility‐based services. Routine monitoring data, rapid assessments and information from intensified supervision were important during the early stages of implementation to improve the feasibility and scalability of models. The lessons from addressing maternal nutrition in ANC may serve as a guide for tackling missed opportunities for nutrition within health services in other contexts. Key messages: Integrating evidence‐based nutrition interventions into ANC to reach PW at scale is urgently needed for improving maternal and newborn health and nutrition.The Theory of Change and steps for strengthening nutrition interventions based on four‐country experiences provide practical guidance on addressing missed opportunities for nutrition in ANC.Strategic use of data can contextualize global maternal nutrition guidelines, protocols, capacity building and supervision approaches, and improve micronutrient supply chains and record‐keeping as part of health services strengthening.Engaging family and community members to support PW and improving the knowledge and self‐confidence of PW are important elements of all country programme models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of COVID-19 on shopping behavior in two neighboring developing economies: Bangladesh and India. While the previous studies investigating the impact of COVID-19 on shopping behavior have relied on Revealed Preference (RP) data, this paper combines RP and Stated Preference (SP) data to develop joint RP-SP discrete choice models. This makes it possible to quantify the relative impact of the situational contexts on the choice of shopping modes of households and to capture the associated heterogeneity arising from the characteristics of the households. Further, comparison of the data and the estimated model parameters of the two countries with substantial socio-cultural similarities provide insights about how differences in the state of e-commerce can lead to different levels of inertia in continuing the pre-COVID behavior. The results will be useful to planners and policymakers for predicting the shopping modes in different future scenarios and formulating effective restriction measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the absence of pre-colonial written records, reconstruction of the history and identity of indigenous tribes has to depend on oral stories and the documentation of the 'other', while the former is subject to distortion, the latter is often glossed with vested interest. Taking the case of the indigenous tribes of the India-Burma-Bangladesh borderlands, this paper probes the representation of the Zo (Kuki-Chin) people in colonial ethnography, on one hand, and to what extent colonial knowledge was informed by 'investigative' or 'survey modality', which, in fact, was solely for administrative purpose, on the other. It argues that indigenous tribes of the India-Burma-Bangladesh borderlands were represented as completely fragmented in colonial ethnography, however, behind the colonial policy of classification one can still unearth the ethnic commonality of the various tribes when they are seen through the lens of cultural similarity or as a 'culture area.' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antenatal care (ANC) is the largest health platform globally for delivering maternal nutrition interventions (MNIs) to pregnant women. Yet, large missed opportunities remain in nutrition service delivery. This paper examines how well evidence‐based MNIs were incorporated in national policies and programs in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and India. We compared the nutrition content of ANC protocols against global recommendations. We used survey data to elucidate the coverage of micronutrient supplementation, weight gain monitoring, dietary and breastfeeding counselling. We reviewed literature, formative research and program assessments to identify barriers and enabling factors of service provision and maternal nutrition practices. Nutrition information in national policies and protocols was often fragmented, incomplete and did not consistently follow global recommendations. Nationally representative data on MNIs in ANC was inadequate, except for iron and folic acid supplementation. Coverage data from subnational surveys showed similar patterns of strengths and weaknesses. MNI coverage was consistently lower than ANC coverage with the lowest coverage of weight gain monitoring and variable coverage of dietary and breastfeeding counselling. Key common factors associated with coverage were micronutrient supply disruptions; suboptimal counselling on maternal diet, weight gain, and breastfeeding; and limited or no record keeping. Adherence of women to micronutrient supplementation and dietary recommendations was low and associated with late and too few ANC contacts, poor maternal knowledge and self‐efficacy, and insufficient family and community support. Models of comprehensive nutrition protocols and health systems that deliver maternal nutrition services in ANC are urgently needed along with national data systems to track progress. Key points: Delivering nutrition services to all pregnant women is essential for maternal and child health outcomes but remains a challenge.Nutrition gaps in antenatal care (ANC) include lack of specificity in national guidelines and protocols, bottlenecks in micronutrient supplies, low ANC provider knowledge and skills, inadequate supervision to reinforce counseling, and not engaging families to encourage key practices.National protocols for ANC should be more specific for the four nutrition interventions (micronutrient supplements, weight gain monitoring, counseling on diets and counseling on breastfeeding) and assign accountability for coverage and quality.Country models are needed for improving provision and utilisation of nutrition interventions through ANC that are based on comprehensive policy frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh and India exchanged all of their 162 border enclaves in 2015 after 70 years of protracted negotiations. This paper offers an explanation as to why these enclaves were exchanged and why it took so long for the exchange to be executed. In so doing, I offer the concept of "symbolic spaces" to demonstrate that in postcolonial South Asia, enclaves gained oversized significance in nationalistic and territorial discourses. Such elevated significance effectively turned them into symbols of nationalism and territoriality, which played the major role in both their existence and their exchange. In explaining the exchange, I also contend that, although rare, states may exchange territories if it serves significant geopolitical and geo‐economic interests for the parties involved and if the exchange can be portrayed as a victory for the nation. This paper explains why the border enclaves of India and Bangladesh were exchanged. In so doing, it argues that these were symbolic spaces that overpassed their significance in the nationalistic discourses of these two states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability of water flow for assessing in transboundary river basin is a crucial issue and is necessary for water sharing and management. As a Transboundary river, Ganga has created water conflict between India and Bangladesh, related to water sharing at Farakka. Under these circumstance, applying hydrological model SWAT, measurement and understanding of water availability is important. This paper examines the spatio-temporal distribution of surface water in the entire Ganga basin to understand the actual causes of water shortage during lean season. Based on DEM, slope, soil, LULC and weather data, the SWAT model has been run at the catchment scale with a good performance under R2 and NSE evaluation methods. The study shows that annually Ganga basin of India is rich in water (average 1216165.5 cumec) and majority of the catchments delivers enough water to the main stream but during lean season only above Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gandak and Yamuna lower are active, which together contributes 60.6% of the lean season water discharge to the main channel of Ganga. Likewise, India, annual discharge in Bangladesh (average 65764 cumec) is satisfactory, but lean season water flow has only 3% of the annual, is very meagre which affects actual water availability of northwestern part of the country. The study also established that actual evapotranspiration of the entire basin is much higher than precipitation during the lean season and indicated a great deviation between supply and demand which concluded water stress condition in the Ganga basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hydroxyurea and blood transfusion therapies remain the main therapeutic strategies for Sickle cell disease. Preliminary data suggest substantial variation and inconsistencies in practice of these two therapeutic modalities in South Asia. In this systematic review we searched Medline, Cochrane library and Scopus for articles on usage of hydroxyurea and blood transfusion therapies for sickle cell disease in South Asia published in English between October 2005 and October 2020.Results: We selected 41 papers: 33 from India, 3 from Sri Lanka, 2 each from Pakistan and Bangladesh and one from Nepal. Only 14 prospective trials focused on hydroxyurea therapy from which majority (n = 10; 71.4%) adopted fixed low dose (10 mg/kg/day) regimen. With hydroxyurea therapy, 12 and 9 studies reported significant reductions in vaso-occlusive crises and transfusion requirement respectively. Severe anaemia (haemoglobin level < 6-7 g/dl) was the commonest indicator (n = 8) for transfusion therapy followed by vaso-occlusive crisis.Conclusions: Published data on the hydroxyurea and transfusion therapies in South Asia are limited and heterogeneous. A clear gap of knowledge exists about the nature of the sickle cell disease in the Indian subcontinent particularly from countries outside India necessitating further evidence-based assessments and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible, sand-filled, geotextile bags (geobags) have been used in both India and Bangladesh along the banks of the Brahmaputra for protection against riverbank erosion. Geotextile containers have been researched extensively for their use in coastal structures; however, there is a gap in knowledge of the application of smaller geobags used in riverbank protection structures. In 2018, flume experiments (scaled 1:7) were performed to study the incipient motion of geobags and the methodology for sizing geobags. Building on the data collected from the flume experiments, numerical models have been employed to gain further insight into the hydraulic forces acting on the bags. The numerical models have been created using ANSYS CFX. While there is not enough data to obtain a Shields parameter which can be used for design purposes, initial estimates find the Shields value for geobags lies around 0.09, which is much larger than the value for rocks, around 0.045. The results from this study suggest that the Shields parameter varies with fill percentage of the bags. This paper also presents first results on the roughness of underwater geobag aprons. • Building on data collected from flume experiments, numerical models have been employed to gain further insight into the hydraulic forces acting on geobags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergence of nation states in the nineteenth century naturalized borders and boundaries as both inclusionary and exclusionary measures. Territorial integrity was viewed as the most tangible expression of the sovereignty of a nation-state, thus confirming a state's monopolistic jurisdiction over a particular territorial unit. Since then a clearly defined and enforceable boundary has remained at the heart of the existence of the nation-state, the goal of which is to accentuate territorialist consciousness. In the past decades walls and fences have continued to be erected between nation states. Against this background, this paper examines broader questions such as: why do nation states feel the necessity to erect these walls and fences? How these walls and new modes of surveillance impact the lives of the people who live on the border regions? The paper examines these questions, specifically looking at the ongoing fencing of the India-Bangladesh border. The border fencing project of India had its origin in the violent protest and anti-Bengali pogrom in Assam in the 1980s, but the physical construction began in 1989. The project was initially opposed by Bangladesh, but in recent years Bangladesh government has embraced the idea. In this paper, the fencing is discussed within the broader question of border and how fencing has become the material and symbolic manifestations of state power. The examination of Indian official narrative of the Indian government shows that the issue has been securitized and blended with growing xenophobic discourse in Indian politics. The paper also explores the lived experience of those who lives in the border areas. For them borders become doubly exclusionary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Deliberate corrosive substance attacks (DCSA) have traditionally been associated with low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). However, the incidence of DCSA in certain geographical locations of the UK has increased in recent years. These attacks have a relatively low mortality rate but cause extensive life-changing injuries and the management from point of wounding to definitive care is challenging for all involved. Methods: A systematic review was used to identify literature about DCSA and establish how much evidence about these attacks has been published over the last decade. Victim and perpetrator characteristics, substances used, injury patterns, mortality, pre-hospital and hospital-based management and complications associated with management were areas of interest. The review included any medical literature (case reports, letters, reviews) published within the last 10 years that described DCSA against human victims. Non-English language articles were excluded. Results: Eighteen articles containing 762 victims of DCSA were included; seven victims had incomplete data. Articles were mostly from LMIC (Bangladesh, Columbia, Cambodia, India, Iran, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) but there were five articles were from the UK (three 'Letters to Editors', one survivor letter and one retrospective review of 21 victims). UK victim and perpetrator characteristics varied from those in LMIC. Seven papers described pre-hospital management and nine described hospital/surgical management. Conclusions: The evidence base surrounding DCSA is limited especially in the UK setting. More research into the epidemiology and management of DCSA in the UK is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caring for one's grandchildren has become a more common experience for individuals partly as a result of a longer overlap between the lives of grandparents and their grandchildren. Existing research shows that around 50 per cent of grandparents engage in some grandparental child care in most European countries, however, this proportion is higher among older people with a migrant background, partly due to greater economic necessity among migrant families. Research has also highlighted ethnic differences in parents' child-care selection, even after controlling for their socio-economic status. Building on these strands of work, this paper investigates the differences in the use of (grandparental) child care among parents from different Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups in the United Kingdom, using data from Understanding Society. The results show that parents from Other White, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and African communities are less likely to use child care than White British parents, while the opposite is true for Caribbean parents. However, among parents using child care, individuals from the Other White, Caribbean and African groups are less likely than the White British majority to be using grandparental child care as a supplement to other child-care types, or on its own. Ethnic differentials in the use of child care per se and grandparental child care in particular, have significant policy implications, and may mask other kinds of ethnic differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the status of institutional repositories (IRs) in the South Asian region. The various characteristic features of IRs are studied. Design/methodology/approach: Open directory of open access repositories (DOAR) as a data-gathering tool was consulted for extracting the desired data. Findings: India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh lead other South Asian nations in terms of IRs count. Majority of the IRs are operational in nature with higher number of operational IRs from India. In terms of record count, India leads the list. "Journal articles" outscore other content type and majority of the IRs have OAI-PMH as their base URL. DSpace stays a prioritized software for content management in IRs. Majority of the IRs have not defined their content management policies. English stays a prioritized language of the content dotting the South Asian IRs and majority of the IRs not providing usage statistics. A good score of IRs has incorporated Web 2.0 tools in them with RSS as the preferred Web 2.0 tool. A good count of the IRs has not customized their interface. Majority of the IRs have interface in two languages. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of the study is that the findings of the research are based on the data collected through the repositories indexed by Open DOAR. Originality/value: The study tries to explore the characteristic features of IRs from the South Asian region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Untreated hearing loss is recognized as a growing global health priority because of its prevalence and harmful effects on health and well-being. Until recently, little progress had been made in expanding hearing care beyond traditional clinic-based models to incorporate public health approaches that increase accessibility to and affordability of hearing care. As demonstrated in numerous countries and for many health conditions, sharing health-care tasks with community health workers (CHWs) offers advantages as a complementary approach to expand health-service delivery and improve public health. This paper explores the possibilities of task shifting to provide hearing care across the life course by reviewing several ongoing projects in a variety of settings -- Bangladesh, India, South Africa and the United States of America. The selected programmes train CHWs to provide a range of hearing-care services, from childhood hearing screening to management of age-related hearing loss. We discuss lessons learnt from these examples to inform best practices for task shifting within community-delivered hearing care. Preliminary evidence supports the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of hearing care delivered by CHWs in these varied settings. To make further progress, community-delivered hearing care must build on established models of CHWs and ensure adequate training and supervision, delineation of the scope of practice, supportive local and national legislation, incorporation of appropriate technology and analysis of programme costs and cost--effectiveness. In view of the growing evidence, community-delivered hearing care may now be a way forward to improve hearing health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cross-lingual plagiarism occurs when the source (or original) text(s) is in one language and the plagiarized text is in another language. In recent years, cross-lingual plagiarism detection has attracted the attention of the research community because a large amount of digital text is easily accessible in many languages through online digital repositories and machine translation systems are readily available, making it easier to perform cross-lingual plagiarism and harder to detect it. To develop and evaluate cross-lingual plagiarism detection systems, standard evaluation resources are needed. The majority of earlier studies have developed cross-lingual plagiarism corpora for English and other European language pairs. However, for Urdu-English language pair, the problem of cross-lingual plagiarism detection has not been thoroughly explored although a large amount of digital text is readily available in Urdu and it is spoken in many countries of the world (particularly in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh). To fulfill this gap, this paper presents a large benchmark cross-lingual corpus for Urdu-English language pair. The proposed corpus contains 2,395 source-suspicious document pairs (540 are automatic translation, 539 are artificially paraphrased, 508 are manually paraphrased, and 808 are nonplagiarized). Furthermore, our proposed corpus contains three types of cross-lingual examples including artificial (automatic translation and artificially paraphrased), simulated (manually paraphrased), and real (nonplagiarized), which have not been previously reported in the development of cross-lingual corpora. Detailed analysis of our proposed corpus was carried out using n-gram overlap and longest common subsequence approaches. Using Word unigrams, mean similarity scores of 1.00, 0.68, 0.52, and 0.22 were obtained for automatic translation, artificially paraphrased, manually paraphrased, and nonplagiarized documents, respectively. These results show that documents in the proposed corpus are created using different obfuscation techniques, which makes the dataset more realistic and challenging. We believe that the corpus developed in this study will help to foster research in an underresourced language of Urdu and will be useful in the development, comparison, and evaluation of cross-lingual plagiarism detection systems for Urdu-English language pair. Our proposed corpus is free and publicly available for research purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetland degradation and loss of wetland is one of the emerging challenges against sustaining such worthy environmental capital having plenty of goods and services. In Barind tract of India and Bangladesh, such trend of wetland conversion is highly explicit. Present paper attempted to capture such trend of wetland loss, conversion of wetland and their associated reasons behind. At present total wetlands area of the basin is 220.9 km 2 and which is 35.78% lower than pre-dam wetland coverage. Flow modification triggered by Komardanga dam (34.35% for average flow and 52.24% for peak stream flow have declined) is emerged as one the major reasons behind wetlands loss. It also causes reduction of active flood prone area by 39.72% as well as inconsistent water service to wetlands. De-linking of Punarbhaba river system from Tista river system is another historical cause behind lowering of flow and flood magnitude in Punarbhaba. Loss of tie channels is also responsible for irregular water service to the wetlands. In last 30 years, about 100 km 2 of wetland is transformed into agricultural land, which points out the responsibility of agricultural extension for wetland deterioration. So, periodic monitoring of wetlands, release of ecological flow and stop agricultural encroachment are necessary for sustaining wetland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results from a lab-in-the-field experiment conducted in Bangladesh and India that examines the influence of religion and relative status on trust and trustworthiness. We find that in both locations individuals with minority status, irrespective of their religion, exhibit positive in-group bias in trust, while individuals with majority status show positive out-group bias in trustworthiness. This suggests that behavior is not driven by religious identity per se but is highly influenced by the relative status it generates within the population. Within both groups, heterogeneity with respect to how strongly individuals associate with the group identity affects behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global health research partnerships are increasingly taking the form of consortia. Recent scholarship has proposed what features of governance may be necessary for these consortia to advance justice in global health. That guidance purports three elements of global health research consortia are essential — their research priorities, research capacity development strategies, research translation strategies — and should be structured to promote the health of the worst-off globally. This paper adopted a reflective equilibrium approach, testing the proposed ethical guidance against the experience of a global health research consortium with equity objectives. Case study research was performed with Future Health Systems (FHS), a health systems research consortium funded over two phases. Data on FHS Phase-2 were gathered through in-depth interviews with steering committee members and junior researchers and collection of consortium-related documents. Thematic analysis of the data for consistency with the proposed guidance generated recommendations for how the guidance might be better articulated and identified areas where it could usefully be expanded. Factors facilitating FHS alignment with the ethical guidance were also identified, including early engagement and partnership with low and middle-income country stakeholders, the learning developed during FHS Phase-1, and aspects of the grant program funding it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three studies in India and Bangladesh use pro-WEAI to examine empowerment impacts of agricultural interventions and labor market changes. • Pro-WEAI shows potential in detecting empowerment impacts within the project lifespan. • Findings suggest the need for intentionality in designing women's empowerment projects. • It is important to collect data on both women and men to track progress toward both women's empowerment and gender equality. This introduction to a special section describes how a recently developed measure, the project-level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro-WEAI) can be used to assess empowerment impacts of agricultural development interventions in India and Bangladesh as well as broader changes in rural labor markets. The special section comprises three papers. The first examines the impact of membership in self-help groups in five states in rural India on women's and men's empowerment and gender equality. The second presents experimental evidence from a pilot project in Bangladesh that provided trainings in agricultural extension, nutrition behavior change communication, and gender sensitization to husbands and wives together. The third investigates changes in women's roles within the jute value chain in the Southern Delta region of Bangladesh as household members migrate out of the study area and the availability of male labor declines. Although these papers focus on Bangladesh and India, pro-WEAI can be applied to impact assessments of agricultural development projects more generally. The three papers show both the usefulness of this new measure in detecting changes in empowerment indicators within the lifespan of a project and the value of having explicit empowerment objectives in agricultural development projects. The papers also demonstrate the value of having data on both men and women so that project designers can be more intentional about including both of them and monitoring outcomes for both to promote more gender equitable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Countries with populations and economic activity concentrated in low-lying coastal regions are vulnerable to sea-level rise. • As the ocean advances inland, millions of coastal inhabitants will have to retreat, either by choice or force majeure. • Linkages among environmental stress, public assistance and population change are assessed for coastal India and Bangladesh. • Compensatory public assistance strongly dampens the migration response to rising environmental stress. • Damage compensation should direct public resources to households that choose to relocate as the coastal threat mounts. Linkages among climate change–related environmental stress, public assistance, and the spatial pattern of population change are assessed for neighboring coastal areas of India and Bangladesh. Environmental stress is measured using historical cyclone impacts, salinization, and land loss from erosion. Household migration decisions are based on current and expected future income streams in different locations. Rising environmental damage raises costs, but it may also induce increased public assistance that moderates or neutralizes those costs, diminishing migration incentives, even in areas hard-hit by climate change. Econometric estimates for the Sundarbans region shared by India and Bangladesh suggest that endogenous public assistance strongly dampens the migration response to rising environmental stress in both countries, though the assistance response and migration dampening are lower in Bangladesh. A broader analysis for the coastal region from India's Odisha State to eastern Bangladesh finds that present and past cyclone impacts are highly significant for explaining coastal population changes, although responses are lower in India because of lower environmental stress and greater public-assistance intensity. A counterfactual simulation suggests that, as a result of cyclones since 1970, the affected regions are 8–10% less populous in Bangladesh but only 2% less populous in India. The paper's findings motivate a discussion of the implications for alternative policy regimes as land erosion increases, and sea-level rise and salinization continue with climate change. After comparing the efficiency and equity of regimes that provide universal damage compensation or leave coastal households to fend for themselves, the paper suggests an alternative approach that focuses public resources on compensation for households that choose to relocate as the coastal threat mounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world due to climate change and sea level rise (SLR). This has caused large-scale population displacement, human insecurity and illegal migration to India. This paper first analyses the environmental crisis of Bangladesh taking into considerations the problem of SLR, tropical cyclones, soil salinity and mangrove depletion. The second part of the paper discusses its impact on India with special emphasis on the problem of illegal Bangladeshi migration on three areas – North Bengal, Indian Sunderbans Region and North East India. It discusses the possibilities of retaining back the climate-induced migrants through climate change adaptation techniques, people's participation and the bilateral cooperation between India and Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores the politics of community making at the India–Bangladesh border by examining the public and private narratives of history and belonging in a Bangladeshi enclave—a sovereign piece of Bangladesh completely territorially surrounded by India. Drawing on framings of political society, this paper argues that understanding populations at the margins of South Asia and beyond requires attention to two processes: first, to the ways that para-legal activities are part and parcel of daily life; and second, to the strategies through which these groups construct themselves as moral communities deserving of inclusion within the state. Border communities often articulate narratives of dispossession, exceptionality, and marginalization to researchers and other visitors—narratives that are often unproblematically reproduced in academic treatments of the border. However, such articulations mask both the complicated histories and quotidian realities of border life. This paper views these articulations as political projects in and of themselves. By reading the more hidden histories of life in this border enclave, this article reconstructs the notion of borders as experienced by enclave residents themselves. It shows the ways that the politics of the India–Bangladesh border are constitutive of (and constituted by) a range of fractures and internal boundaries within the enclave. These boundaries are as central to forging community—to articulating who belongs and why—as are more public narratives that frame enclave residents as victims of confused territorial configurations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In her book Harmony Ideology Laura Nader demonstrates that dispute resolution practices within minority ethnically distinct communities may serve not only a quasi-legal, but also a political, hegemonic, function. National governance structures and relations between the state and non-state entities provide a critical context for understanding dispute resolution practices within such communities. This paper examines how the historical legal and social 'othering' of a tribal minority, the Santal, in India and Bangladesh has created two opposing counter-hegemonic strategies, manifest in the people's dispute resolution practices. The paper begins by exploring the historical backdrop of the Santal's exclusion and subordination in the two countries. The paper then examines disputing strategies to assess how dispute processes act as a mirror reflecting back this exclusion, reforming the nuances of separation as a symbol of defiance. My fieldwork data shows that strategies of disputing are closely linked with the spatial proximity of and perceived locality of oppression. Inward looking strategies that promote harmony and re-enforce minority hegemonies act as strategies of resistance where an oppressor takes the form of a distant and untouchable state or power elite. But where the politics of struggle is local and immediate disputing turns outward and confrontation replaces harmony as a counter-hegemonic strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The textiles and clothing sector is one of India's most important economic sectors, next to the agriculture sector in terms of industrial output and employment, providing employment to more than 30 million people. Many studies predict that India will get a significant share of the world textiles and clothing trade due to the advantage of cheap labor and other factor resources but India's slower growth rate, as compared to other low-cost competitors, indicates otherwise. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the comparative advantage of India and Bangladesh for the clothing sector in the world export trade with the help of Balassa's index of Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA). The study highlights the shift in comparative advantage for India and Bangladesh between two periods. The study also points out constraints restricting the growth of export share of India in world market and offers suggestions to policy makers for enhancing India's export share in the world clothing trade. Design/methodology/approach – RCA indices have been calculated for various clothing product categories (under Harmonized System) up to four digit classification with the help of Balassa's relative measure for India and Bangladesh. Tables have been prepared for India and Bangladesh, highlighting products having comparatively higher revealed comparative advantage. For calculation of RCA indices, the export data have been taken from "UN Comtrade", an electronic database of the United Nations and from the database of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Further, Spearman rank correlation coefficient has been calculated for analyzing the changes over the period 1995-2003 for India and Bangladesh. Findings – Findings reveal that the number of products for which India enjoyed the comparative advantage increased from 23 products to 25 products between 1995 and 2003 and for Bangladesh, this number increased from 21 products to 29 products between 1995 and 2003. Clothing exports of India and Bangladesh are classified on the basis of comparative advantage at the HS 4-digit level for the years 1995 and 2003 and the comparative position is given on the basis of a measure of structural change in exports of India and Bangladesh. The products in which India and Bangladesh have comparative advantage in garment exports are highlighted. Originality/value – This paper has calculated and compared revealed comparative advantage indices over a period of time up to four digits classification of HS product categories. Also, this paper highlights constraints, and offer suggestions which would be helpful to exporters and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Based on an ethnography of the enclaves in India and Bangladesh, this paper explores enclave dwellers lived experiences of vulnerability where life is trapped in-between two states. These enclaves are geographically located in one country but politically and legally belong to another. The absence of a home country''s rule of law and the irregular presence of the host country''s sovereign power and control construct, in Giorgio Agamben''s terms, a ‘space of exception’ where everyday life is characterised by exclusion from legal rights, but nonetheless subject to law, socio-political exploitation and gendered violence. By situating Agamben''s ‘bare life’ in these enclaves, this paper argues that the conceptualisation of bare life as solely a sovereign production paints an inadequate picture of the zone of abandonment. The paper argues that in addition to the sovereign creation of bare life, social and gendered dimensions are essential for a nuanced approach to this concept. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: As Bangladesh, India and Nepal progress towards visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination, it is important to understand the role of asymptomatic Leishmania infection (ALI), VL treatment relapse and post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in transmission. Methodology/ Principal Finding: We reviewed evidence systematically on ALI, relapse and PKDL. We searched multiple databases to include studies on burden, risk factors, biomarkers, natural history, and infectiveness of ALI, PKDL and relapse. After screening 292 papers, 98 were included covering the years 1942 through 2016. ALI, PKDL and relapse studies lacked a reference standard and appropriate biomarker. The prevalence of ALI was 4–17-fold that of VL. The risk of ALI was higher in VL case contacts. Most infections remained asymptomatic or resolved spontaneously. The proportion of ALI that progressed to VL disease within a year was 1.5–23%, and was higher amongst those with high antibody titres. The natural history of PKDL showed variability; 3.8–28.6% had no past history of VL treatment. The infectiveness of PKDL was 32–53%. The risk of VL relapse was higher with HIV co-infection. Modelling studies predicted a range of scenarios. One model predicted VL elimination was unlikely in the long term with early diagnosis. Another model estimated that ALI contributed to 82% of the overall transmission, VL to 10% and PKDL to 8%. Another model predicted that VL cases were the main driver for transmission. Different models predicted VL elimination if the sandfly density was reduced by 67% by killing the sandfly or by 79% by reducing their breeding sites, or with 4–6y of optimal IRS or 10y of sub-optimal IRS and only in low endemic setting. Conclusion/ Significance: There is a need for xenodiagnostic and longitudinal studies to understand the potential of ALI and PKDL as reservoirs of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnography, this paper unravels the intricate relationship between survival tactics and legal status in the complex process of survival mobility in the ungoverned enclaves of India and Bangladesh. In doing so, I explicate the spaces of survival of the undocumented enclave dwellers. The survival mobility in the enclave shows how states’ construction of legal immobility in effect compels illegal mobility. Besides, enclave dwellers’ survival mobility neither symbolises liberty nor characterises resistance. Rather, it represents a form of vulnerability, concern and unavoidable necessity. These practices show a nuanced understanding of the politics of mobility need to consider legality and tactics as two very essential factors for assessing the movement of individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In today's crowded and water scarce world dispute regarding water sharing is ineluctable. Bangladesh and India, the two friendly neighboring countries of South Asia, are not an exception to it. Among the disputes between these two countries, the most important is the dispute concerning water sharing. They share 54 rivers between them and the main rivers are the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna and Teesta. India as an upper riparian state always shows an unwillingness or reluctance to share the water of the rivers equitably and reasonably. Moreover, India follows the policy to control the natural flows of the international watercourse by constructing dams, installing power plants and by diverting the natural course of rivers without notifying the lower riparian country Bangladesh. As a result, there is a steady reduction of water flow in Bangladesh and during the lean season rivers become waterless. The aim of my paper is to assess these situations of water disputes under international law especially the water dispute concerning Teesta. The assessment will cover the principles of transboundary water resources management as envisaged in the customary international law; Helsinki Rules 1966; UN water Course Convention 1997 and judicial decisions in cases regarding international watercourses. In addition, the Ganges Water Treaty has also been taken into account. While concluding I have put my words for co-operation rather than confrontation to solve the Teesta water dispute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated river basin management (IRBM) emphasizes the need for managing the river as a system irrespective of administrative boundaries. Although IRBM is being adopted for many trans-boundary rivers, progress can be slow, particularly where there is a history of dispute. The Ganges basin in South Asia is one such case that experienced numerous conflicts over water between the riparian states, notably between India and Bangladesh. The power imbalance between states, mistrust and antagonism, prevailing national interest over the regional benefit, and most importantly lack of an effective institutional mechanism contributed to the complexity of implementing IRBM in the Ganges context. Despite these challenges, there is a consensus about the significant benefits that could be gained through multilateral regional cooperation over water. This paper analyses the challenges of multilateral cooperation towards IRBM in the Ganges context and examines the scope for overcoming these challenges. The paper argues that IRBM in the Ganges context depends on cooperation towards a basin-wide management approach, and a basin organization is a prerequisite to that. It suggests creation of a basin organization in the Ganges context by sharing experiences from other parts of the world and concludes with a framework for adopting IRBM in the Ganges basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Conservation agriculture practices are being advocated to help sustain crop productivity gains and secure environmental sustainability in the Trans-Gangetic Plains, India’s Green Revolution heartland. The paper illustrates the use of village surveys as a quasi-quantitative system analysis tool to derive implications for agricultural research and development. Drawing from village surveys in 170 communities, the paper assesses current crop residue management practices in Punjab and Haryana’s rice–wheat, basmati–wheat and non-rice–wheat cropping systems. The prevalence of wheat as the winter crop implies an intensive collection, trading and use of wheat straw as basal feed for dairy livestock; which contrasts with the diverse crop residue management of the monsoon crops. The increased use of combine harvesters has spurred the rapid advent of mechanical wheat straw reapers whereas the bulk of combine harvested rice straw is burned in situ. Present crop residue management practices are largely incompatible with year-round mulch retention despite significant biomass production. The research and development community faces the challenge of evening out straw use and management over seasons to ensure at least partial residue retention if its calls for conservation agriculture in this important sub-region are to succeed. The paper also reiterates the worrying decline of groundwater tables associated with the rice–wheat system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rice–wheat systems in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP) have long exemplified South Asia’s agricultural transformation through the Green Revolution. The same systems now also typify the post-Green Revolution stagnation and equity challenges, despite receiving considerable attention from the research and development (R&D) community. The apparent homogeneity of vast irrigated plains masks significant diversity in assets, livelihood strategies and livelihood outcomes. The paper analyzes the rural livelihoods and underlying agro-ecological gradients in the IGP drawing on village surveys and secondary data as characterization tools. The contribution of the paper is twofold: (i) new knowledge of the socio-economic circumstances in farming communities across the Indian IGP to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of R&D interventions and particularly poverty alleviation; and (ii) an illustration of a novel approach to operationalize livelihood analysis at the meso-level so as to address spatial scale issues and link micro-level contextual realities across a vast geographical area. The agricultural R&D community needs to incorporate this socio-economic diversity more proactively into its R&D agenda if it is to succeed in sustaining productivity gains, improving rural livelihoods equitably, and securing environmental sustainability in this important eco-region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Ganga basin in northern India is one of the world’s largest fluvial basins and has attracted enormous attention from earth scientists across the globe with a view to understanding large river processes and landforms. Despite the scarcity of hydrological data from the Ganga basin, some important studies have been carried out in the last several decades. However, the unavailability of deep sections in this vast alluvial tract has always limited understanding of the sub-surface stratigraphy of these plains. During the last decade, some important developments have taken place in integrating exposed cliff section data with the drill cores in pre-defined transects and with targeted geophysical investigations. Additionally, new areas of the basin have been studied for understanding landscape evolution including the effects of active tectonics. This special issue of Quaternary International highlights some of these developments from the stratigraphic archives of this large basin. This collection of papers covers a wide gamut of subjects including terrace development in the frontal parts of the Ganga basin, resistivity-based mapping of sub-surface stratigraphy, micromorphology of soils from plains drill-core samples, historical-scale avulsion of large dynamic system such as the Kosi, active tectonics and landform development in southern Ganga plains and finally some policy issues for management of dynamic river systems. This introductory paper provides a background and present status of research in the Ganga basin. It attempts to summarise some of the recent research developments in the Ganga basin research and highlights the unresolved issues, some of which have been addressed through the contributions in this special issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we employ a stated preference environmental valuation technique, namely the choice experiment method, to estimate local public’s willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in the capacity and technology of a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Chandernagore municipality, located on the banks of the River Ganga in India. A pilot choice experiment study is administered to 150 randomly selected Chandernagore residents and the data are analysed using the conditional logit model with interactions. The results reveal that residents of this municipality are willing to pay significant amounts in terms of higher monthly municipality taxes to ensure the full capacity of the STP is used for primary treatment and the technology is upgraded to enable secondary treatment. Overall, the results reported in this paper support increased investments to improve the capacity and technology of STPs to reduce water pollution, and hence environmental and health risks that are currently threatening the sustainability of the economic, cultural and religious values this sacred river generates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The River Ganges is the most important of all Indian rivers. It is being harnessed for several onsite and offsite benefits for various sections of society. Through varied man-induced interventions, over the years, the river system has recorded changes in its ecological functions, especially at some stations of the middle stretch viz., Kanpur, Varanasi and Allahabad. An attempt has been made in the present paper to understand changes with regard to key parameters of water quality, fish species composition and catches in this stretch, covering the highly populated major states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. For this purpose, data available over the years and some new data were utilized. These data reveal that siltation over the years has lowered water volumes and depths at various sections in the middle stretch with over 90% of the sediment comprising sand. The water quality in terms of pH remained higher (7.0 to 8.8) at some stations while dissolved oxygen remained lower (4.5 to 5.8 ppm) in comparison to upper and lower river stretches, suggesting progressive eutrophication. Other parameters, especially nutrients, also showed variations, coupled with variability in plankton density and primary productivity in this stretch reflecting changes in ecological functions. These changes coupled with various engineering interventions has resulted in drastic changes in water flows in the main river channel, the cumulative impact is evident in the drop in fish catches from 932 kg km-1 in the 1960s to 382 kg km-1 in the recent past, and the shift in species dominance from Indian major carps to less economic varieties. This has affected the livelihoods of fishers. The general lack of concern and awareness among the river authorities on requirements of river fishery management has been observed to be main reasons for these changes. Possible policy and governance interventions required to restore the river for sustainable fishery have also been suggested in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about food security and apprehensions of future water scarcity are common to all the countries in the world. This paper focuses on the water issue between India and Bangladesh. Crisscrossed by the rivers and streams, Bangladesh is a water-abundant country with low per-capital water availability. Almost 94% of the water resources of the country originate beyond its borders, and that 54 rivers and streams flow into Bangladesh from India. This consciousness, combined with that of India's size, colours Bangladeshi thinking gives it a sense of vulnerability. Four concerns like: flood-management; water-sharing with the upper riparian; internal water-resources management and the protection of natural environment are more crucial for the policy makers of Bangladesh. Bangladesh made certain agreements with India to settle the issue. But it is politics not water that will determine the future of the treaty as well as the issue. The basic objective of this research paper is to focus on Eastern Himalayan Region (EHR) with special reference to Bangladesh and Indian water disputes. The focused area of research paper is to highlight those factors which have so serious concerns that after long term comprehensive bilateral negotiations are still unresolved. What problems are placed in the language of the agreements signed between both states and further to understand those prospects for understanding future in context of the prevailing circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Specification effects in terms of how technology options are contrasted can introduce bias in impact assessment. In a companion paper we evaluated the on-farm impacts of zero tillage (ZT) wheat as a resource-conserving technology in the rice–wheat systems of India''s Haryana State and Pakistan''s Punjab province [Erenstein, O., Farooq, U., Malik, R.K., Sharif, M., 2008. On-farm impacts of zero tillage wheat in South Asia''s rice–wheat systems. Field Crop Res. 105, 240–252]. The underlying field work surveyed plots of full adopters (only ZT plots), partial adopters (ZT and conventional tillage [CT] plots on same farm) and non-adopters (only CT plots). The companion paper assumes that the comparison between the ZT plots of full plus partial adopters and CT plots of partial adopters is the least-biased assessment of ZT''s on-farm impact. Here we revisit this underlying assumption and draw on complementary farm survey findings to illustrate the extent of specification effects in the assessment of on-farm impacts of ZT wheat in the same study areas. The study thereby distinguishes between three contrasts between ZT and CT within the same dataset: (1) plain contrast (all plots of adopters and non-adopters); (2) adopter-only contrast (full and partial adopters only, as used in Erenstein et al. [Erenstein, O., Farooq, U., Malik, R.K., Sharif, M., 2008. On-farm impacts of zero tillage wheat in South Asia''s rice–wheat systems. Field Crop Res. 105, 240–252]); (3) pair-wise contrast (partial adopters only). Proceeding from type 1 to type 3 comparisons the number of observations decrease but this is compensated by an increasing ability to control for variation. The ability of type 3 comparisons to pick up relatively small but significant differences is an important consideration in farm survey impact assessment. However, there is also an increase in partial adoption bias and further follow-up studies are needed to understand the implications of this. The comparisons show that the ZT effects on savings for diesel, tractor time and cost for wheat cultivation are particularly robust. In Haryana ZT''s positive implications for yield and the other financial indicators were also statistically robust, but in Punjab these were sensitive to specification effects. Particularly sensitive to specification effects were the ZT effects on the productivity of applied water in both sites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]