Search

Land Suitability Analysis (LSA) is one of the most important methods for developing a precise land suitability map. The present study was aimed to identify suitable paddy crop-growing regions in th...

The study was an attempt to assess how the trainee teachers belonging to the vernacular background, from West Bengal (Eastern part of India), India, improved their oral fluency in a Task-Based Lang...

Three new species of Metatarsonemus Attiah, 1970 (Acari: Heterostigmatina: Tarsonemidae), M. connexus Karmakar & Mondal sp. nov.,M. infundibulum Karmakar & Mondal sp. nov. and M. diplojuga Karmakar...

Rural-urban fringe (RUF) is transitional zone between urban and rural which is dynamic and fluctuates with time and has high potentialities for future urban growth. So, the scientific delineation o...

In recent years, the adverse effects of growing water scarcity on the lives and livelihoods of poor people have become a major policy concern in India. This paper reviews the effectiveness of macro...

After a prolonged agrarian impasse, agricultural production in West Bengal, India, grew at an unprecedented rate in the 1980s, a process in which the expansion of groundwater irrigation played an i...

This study traces the genesis of public libraries during the British period; the birth of National Library in India; the growth of public libraries in different districts of West Bengal; contributi...

This paper examines the prevalence and socio-economic factors on child marriage in the Malda district of West Bengal using a mixed-methods approach: in-depth qualitative interviews of female victim...

Hb E (HBB: c.79G>A)/β-thalassemia (Hb E/β-thal) is responsible for nearly half of all the different kinds of severe β-thal. This disorder is characterized by a wide range of clinical variability ranging from mild, asymptomatic non transfusion-dependent thalassemia (NTDT) to severe transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT). The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of different β-globin gene (HBB) mutations in Hb E/β-thal subjects and their potential role in transfusion dependence. One hundred and ten consecutive children with Hb E/β-thal attending the Pediatric Department of Burdwan Medical College, Burdwan, West Bengal, India were enrolled. Based on hemoglobin (Hb) electrophoresis or high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), patients were recruited and later β-globin gene sequencing was done to find out the prevalence of different HBB mutations. Transfusion-dependent thalassemia was seen in 42 children (38.2%), while NTDT was seen in 68 children (61.8%). A total of 10 different β-globin mutant alleles were characterized. The most frequent mutation on the β-globin gene was IVS-I-5 (G>C) (HBB: c0.92+5G>C) in both groups. The β-globin gene mutations alone cannot determine transfusion dependence among the Hb E/β-thal patients.

An updated checklist of Odonata known so far from the state West Bengal is presented here consisting 239 species belonging to 114 genera and 17 families. Eight species viz. Megalestes irma, Lestes ...

Floodplain corridors contain∼21% of the total land area of West Bengal and hold alignment of ∼44% road and ∼26% railway networks of the state. Therefore, understanding of potential interactions bet...

This paper envisages the economic viability of two alternative models of organic farming i.e. Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) and Scientific Organic Farming. In the empirical survey the study co...

Drawing on the findings of an extensive questionnaire-based survey conducted in two Indian states of West Bengal and Gujarat, this paper investigates whether the concentration of women's labour con...

In 2014, a panchayat – village council – in the Indian state West Bengal ordered a gang rape as a woman’s punishment for having married outside her community (Kokal 2020). In the ensuing controvers...

In the aftermath of Partition, the Government of India suddenly found itself to be responsible for a large number of refugee women who were not ‘attached’ to male guardians. The national government...

The electoral decline of the organised Left in West Bengal politics has given rise to intellectual speculation about the increasing possibility of caste politics. In this context, this article inve...

Children living with Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV; CLH) have special vaccine needs. Determinants of household-level uptake of vaccines need to be examined in high-risk families with CLH. We previously conducted a study on the impact of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine and pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-13) in 125 HIV-affected families and 47 HIV-unaffected families in West Bengal. We then interviewed 99 of these 172 families who had participated in the study to understand the household-level factors that determine vaccine uptake. Sixty-four of the 99 families had one or more CLH. Within these 64 families, 30% of CLH had missed vaccines under the universal immunization program (UIP), compared to only 6% of HIV-uninfected children (HUC) (p = .001). Maternal HIV positivity in a family increased risk of missing UIP vaccines nearly five times (4.82, p = .001). Almost all families accessed UIP vaccines at local primary vaccination centers, but 14% of families experienced stigma due to HIV and avoided getting one or more vaccine doses. In contrast, in our study, 100% of HIV-affected families actively sought PCV-13 and HibCV, despite having to travel. Factors that influenced uptake included awareness generation and activation by an outreach worker and availability of vaccines on pick-up days for anti-retroviral therapy. Eighty-six percent of families strongly recommended PCV-13 to other families. To conclude, while we found that CLH have barriers to getting vaccinations, a program designed to take into consideration the obstacles that HIV-affected families face showed a high rate of vaccine uptake.

Irrigation with contaminated Arsenic (As) water is greatly correlated with increased soil As along with enhanced uptake in plants, which in turn biologically accumulates in different parts of the p...

Sacred groves are generally considered as socio-culturally preserved patches of plants primarily managed by tribal groups. Such groves are usually believed to be as the abodes of gods, goddesses, s...

A rapid roving survey was conducted during March 2019 to explore the phytoseiid mites from Sundarban, part of the coastal southern district of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. Our survey, which focu...

Anthropogenic activities affect the rivers and the entire basin in different dimensions. All the river basins including Ganga and Damodar are polluted from unplanned anthropogenic activities. This ...

The present study assesses patio-temporal variability of the greenness index of Indian mangroves of the Sundarban forest with bio-carbon flux during 1990-2020. The analysis of NDVI derived using Landsat data reveals the mangrove stress level was very high during the years 1990, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011, with 2011 km2 mangroves were severely affected out of a total 2215 km2. The improved and healthy condition prevailed during 1999, 2000, 2001, 2015, 2016 and 2019 and normal condition during 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2010. The net change in mangrove cover during 1990-2020 shows distinct loss and gain regions across the study region. The shoreline change analysis shows that nearly 90 km2 of mangroves were lost on the seaward side due to coastal erosion. Whereas, 50 km2 of newly developed mangroveswere observed in western parts of Southern Parganas due to accretion and no loss/gain was recorded in the rest of the areas. A significant positive correlation (coefficients 0.76 at p=0.01) was recorded between the increase in the extent of the mangrove region and bio-carbon fluxes for the years of normal and high-stress level condition as the dominant classes. Conversely, correlation is insignificant for the years dominated by healthy conditions.

Finding a suitable method for estimating soil and crop specific potassium (K) bioavailability under variable range of soil fertility has been a mighty challenge. To undermine this, a field experime...

In this article, we draw on a case study of a weather information system in West Bengal, India to examine how the design and usage of ICTs can play a much larger role in steering holistic changes i...

In the present work, bee foraging plants were determined by palynological analysis of colony stored samples (honey and pollen) of Apis dorsata collected from southern West Bengal, India. Then flowe...

Two new species belonging to the nominal subgenus of Glyptotendipes Kieffer are described in this paper. Glyptotendipes (G.) hebetare sp. nov. is described on the basis of adult male, pupa and larv...

This article uses an urban case from West Bengal, India, to reveal that people lacking socio-economic and cultural capital have marginal access to civic services provided by the municipality. This ...

A comparative vertical profile was performed regarding methane production, methanogenic population, methane oxidation and methanotrophic population in the soil of Sundarban mangrove forest, a paddy...

A novel species of monopartite begomovirus was detected in sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas L (Lam)] originating from the experimental field of ICAR-AICRP on Tuber Crops (West Bengal), India. The plant...

Drought is a regular occurrence in the western part of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Here, drought-like ambience ensues during every summer. Summers manifest intensively in some years leading...

Farmer producer companies are seen as an institutional arrangement to provide market access and sustainable livelihood to small farmers. In India, more than 4,200 producer organizations were regist...

Empowerment and power have long been fervently contested in feminist theory and geography. Much debate focuses on whether empowerment is mainly monetary or more holistic and emancipatory. In both c...

Two species, Culicoides obtusus sp. nov. of the subgenus Monoculicoides Khalaf and C. cornus sp. nov. of the Shermani group Wirth & Hubert are discovered from Kushmundi, Dakshin Dinajpur, Narayanpu...

The present paper is an outcome of the ethnographic study conducted among the Mal Paharia of Kuthuria village under the jurisdiction of Purbasthali Police Station in Purba Burdwan district of West ...

The Sundarbans (West Bengal) is highly vulnerable to hydro-meteorological hazards such as coastal storm surges, flooding, cyclones and other climatic events. These events often lead to loss of prod...

West Bengal, in comparison to other states of India, witnesses large-scale political violence throughout the year which, however, sees an upswing particularly during the time of elections. Nonethel...

Purpose. The prevalence and severity of respiratory disorders are very high among coal miners as continuous exposure of workers in such an environment leads to accumulation of dust in the lungs. Th...

The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized felid, which uses various habitats including areas adjoining wetlands. This species is listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List 2016, ...

Whether it is public debate, academic discussion or political mobilisation, caste has a conspicuously muted presence in the state of West Bengal. Although West Bengal has the second highest Schedul...

The present study includes ground water analysis of 11 Gram Panchayets (GP) of Tapan block in the district of Dakshin Dinajpur, West Bengal, India. Thirty-three water samples from different tube we...

This study compares fertility-related behaviour in the adjacent regions of West Bengal (a state in eastern India) and Bangladesh. The starting premise of the paper is that common history and langua...

The end of dominant party rule is a fraught moment for political-bureaucratic relations in developing countries, with critical implications for public service delivery. This article examines politi...

The shallow aquifer hydrogeochemistry and arsenic exposure from drinking water in rural Bengal have been vividly investigated in the present study. It has been observed that shallow aquifers (

The diversity and conservation status of medicinal plants were studied in the coastal East Midnapore district under West Bengal in India. Information on the medicinal plants was obtained fr...

This article assesses the potential and constraints for existing policies and institutions in the context of inclusive sustainable agricultural intensification (SAI). SAI is being promoted and adop...

To understand the temporal variations of the physicochemical characteristics of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly River (BHR), three locations representing three districts of West Bengal were selected. The ma...

This article examines the political narrative around a two-decade old process of land acquisition and development in the ‘global city’ Rajarhat, a former rural settlement in the Indian state of West Bengal. The narrative – exploring the development politics in Rajarhat - is built against the backdrop of a neoliberal state in the Global South acting as a corporate facilitator, particularly in matters of ‘land’, and the concomitant dispossession. The multifaceted politics of Rajarhat takes shape in contrast to the erstwhile communist regime in West Bengal, the dichotomy of a Left state engaged in forceful and violent land acquisition thus forming an interesting paradox. The paper also presents evidence against the long held political myth of caste-relations being irrelevant in Bengali politics, by examining the upper-caste dominated social relations in Rajarhat and the formation of low-level cartels or ‘syndicates’ in the area. In conclusion, the article points to the reinvention and redeployment of caste relations – even in increasingly urban spaces where ‘hierarchical’ caste practices are usually taken to be on the decline - rooted in the duality between land-struggles and development.

Rural, small, unorganised, manufacturing enterprises have received relatively less attention in the existing literature. This article examines issues related to the development of rural small manuf...

Kabigāna is a verse-duelling/song-theatre genre practiced in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh. Often deemed as obsolete and extinct – following from urban perceptions and the canons of li...

In light of the potential of the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act to reinforce participatory practices in Indian cities, this paper, based on field observation from two municipalities of W...