Search

Among the Orchid flora of Assam 4 species of Micropera recorded Micropera mannii, Micropera obtusa, Micropera pallida and Micropera rostrata in an intensive survey during 1996-2011. The present paper deals Micropera species diversity and distribution in Assam, India. This attempt is the first step to correct taxonomic identification to workout currently accepted botanical names with present ecological status, date of collection, Voucher specimen numbers, habitat, phenology and local and general distribution of Micropera species in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northeast region of India is one of the world's most significant biodiversity hotspots. One of the richest bird areas in India, it is an important route for migratory birds and home to many endemic bird species. This paper describes a literature-based dataset of species occurrences of birds of northeast India. The occurrence records documented in the dataset are distributed across eleven provinces of India, viz.: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The geospatial scope of the dataset represents 24 to 29 degree North latitude and 78 to 94 degree East longitude, and it comprises over 2400 occurrence records. These records have been collated from scholarly literature published between1915 and 2008, especially from the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society (JBNHS). The temporal scale of the dataset represents bird observations recorded between 1909 and 2007. The dataset has been developed by employing MS Excel. The key elements in the database are scientific name, taxonomic classification, temporal and geospatial details including geo-coordinate precision, data collector, basis of record and primary source of the data record. The temporal and geospatial quality of more than 50% of the data records has been enhanced retrospectively. Where possible, data records are annotated with geospatial coordinate precision to the nearest minute. This dataset is being constantly updated with the addition of new data records, and quality enhancement of documented occurrences. The dataset can be used in species distribution and niche modeling studies. It is planned to expand the scope of the dataset to collate bird species occurrences across the Indian peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the post-liberalization period the Indian tea industry has been facing a severe crisis. This study looks at the question of inter-generational occupational mobility among tea garden labour in Assam, against the backdrop of, on the one hand, a fall in tea auction prices, decline in exports, and closure and abandonment of tea gardens; and on the other hand, increasing labour unrest, at times leading to violent protests and confrontations, declining living standards and worsening human security in the tea gardens. On the basis of data collected through first-hand primary research in three tea gardens of upper Assam, the paper analyses limitations on the inter-generational occupational mobility of tea garden labourers. We also probe into the reasons behind the relative mobility or immobility of tea garden labourers within and outside the tea gardens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. (Convolvulaceae) is a holoparasitic plant species with a wide host diversity. Surveys conducted in different habitats of Kamrup district of Assam, India, to have a list of host plants. Altogether 76 species representing 65 genera of 34 angiosperm families were recorded as host plants which, as per growth forms, are herbs (36), shrubs (23), climbers (9) and trees (8). These largely belong to Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Lamiaceae, which constitute the Eudicots (Rosids and Asterids). Cuscuta reflexa is good in infesting the Dicot hosts over the Monocots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do we remember and write about powerful women and the impacts they have had on history? Who tells their stories, and to whose advantage are those narratives constructed? And what happens if we look carefully and acknowledge that when they enter historical narratives, many of these "women" are not adults, but actually relatively young girls? Rani Rasmani Dasi (1793–1861) and Bar-rajā Phuleshwari Kunwari (also known as Phulmati and Pramateshwari) (d. 1731) are each remembered as powerful women influencers of popular religion in South Asia, though in very different ways. These two "queens" were each remarkable women who variously defied, upended, and upheld common assumptions and narratives about caste, gender, power, and religion in Hindu society in early modern India. This study critically investigates the work of Rasmani and Phuleshwari's many chroniclers, biographers, and hagiographers, questioning received narratives and attempting to construct a glimpse of them as living girls and women. What do we actually know about them, about their activities and motivations? And what can we know, when so much of the evidence is unreliable? Thrust into unfamiliar social, political, and religious environments as young girls, they grew into deeply religious women who used their considerable influence and resources to promote their own visions of divine power. They also became full participants in and beneficiaries of problematic power structures of domination and exploitation. But with closer investigation, it appears that much of what we think we know about these women is incomplete or, in the case of Phuleshwari, completely unreliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disposal of polythene into waste water poses a serious problem as they get accumulated in the environment. Submerged polythene in waste water offers an ideal substratum for algae to colonize. The present paper highlights the biochemical composition of five cyanobacteria isolated from submerged polythene surface in domestic sewage water, Silchar town, Assam, (India). The carbohydrate, protein, lipid, vitamin C and pigments (Chla, carotenoids, phycobiliproteins) contents of five cyanobacterial species, Phormidium lucidum, Oscillatoria subbrevis, Lyngbya diguetii, Nostoc carneum, and Cylindrospermum muscicola isolated from submerged polythene surface were analysed. Maximum amount of total protein, carbohydrate and lipid content were found in Oscillatoria subbrevis and minimum in Cylindrospermum muscicola. Vitamin C was found to be highest in Oscillatoria subbrevis and Nostoc carneum and minimum in Cylindrospermum muscicola. The total phycobiliproteins was maximum in Oscillatoria subbrevis and minimum in Cylindrospermum muscicola. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed significant differences among the biochemical parameters of cyanobacteria isolated from polythene surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study includes first authentic information on the occurrence of the genus Trachycarpus and naturalization of the species T. martianus in Jatinga of Dima Hasao district of Assam. Taxonomic description, photographs and other relevant information are included in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An investigation was carried out on “Hazara Pukhuri”, a perennial pond in Sonitpur district, North East India, between July 2019 and June 2020. To assess the health of the waterbody, various biotic and diversity indices were applied, with aquatic and semi-aquatic hemipteran populations functioning as bioindicators. The pond’s hemipterans include 17 species from 13 genera and 8 families, including Gerridae, Corixidae, Pleidae, Notonectidae, Nepidae, Belostomatidae, Hydrometridae, and Mesoveliidae. The biotic indices Average Score per Taxon (ASPT), Stream Invertebrate Grade Number-Average Level (SIGNAL-2), and The Biological Monitoring Working Party (BMWP) Score, as well as other diversity indices, were assessed to indicate that the waterbody was unpolluted/ slightly polluted. The presence or lack of littoral vegetation and flooding and drying of nearby shallow water pools and swampy areas were important drivers of the distribution, abundance, and community composition of aquatic and semi-aquatic hemipterans in the studied water body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the relationship of a migrant community with the state in a borderland. The relationship between the Indian state and Chinese-origin migrants in post-colonial Assam can be characterised by two themes: control and resilience. On the one hand, the state tried to control the community through strict bureaucratic procedures. On the other hand, the Chinese community showed resilience by adhering to or negotiating with the control mechanisms. This article also seeks to understand the nationality and citizenship issues of community members, in particular the second and third generations of migrants. In this article, I argue that ambiguities of citizenship status, and the state's reluctance or negligence in resolving their citizenship issues, had grave consequences for the community as they had to struggle for their fundamental rights. This issue of ambiguous citizenship caused severe unrest in the region in the later decades, which could also have been avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of World Water Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The role of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) in a range of sectors is being talked about. Over the years, people have tried to develop new farming techniques based on their experience and age old experiments for their farming operation. Assam consists of a large number of ethnic groups that have different ITKs relating to agricultural sector. The present study attempts to document the ITKs used by four major ethnic communities of Assam viz., Ahom, Mishing, Deori, and Karbi. Twenty respondents from each community were selected and data were collected by different Participatory Rural Appraisal tools from Sivsagar, Majuli and Karbi Anglong districts of Assam during 2020. Different ITKs such as, broadcasting goat's excreta on the standing crop of paddy to control hispa, dried leaves of 'Neem' kept with rice grains in for its insecticidal properties, etc were used in agriculture. Most of the identified indigenous practices were found to be of biological origin. The documented ITKs need to be scientifically validated to be recommended at the state level. The result of the study is expected to help in a technology blending programme for generation of low-cost, eco-friendly and location-specific technology by modifying already existing technologies. Further, the documented data might help in national-level data bank management on ITKs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Being a geographical indication certified fruit, Tezpur litchi enjoys the consumer price difference of Indian Rupees 10 per litchi from the common varieties of litchi. Therefore, it is crucial to consider the different aspects of price spread which will make a way out to provide maximum benefit to the litchi growers. With this motive, this study aimed to analyse the price spread and identify the pattern of marketing channels that would be feasible and give profitable returns to the litchi growers. Research Method: The empirical data were collected from 218 samples that included four channel members i.e., litchi growers, pre-harvesting contractors, retailers and final consumers who are mainly involved in the marketing and consumption of Tezpur litchi. The data were analysed using specific formulas of price spread, the share of channel members in consumer's price and marketing efficiency. Findings: Four patterns of marketing channels were identified for Tezpur litchi. Channel III which included litchi growers, retailers and final consumers was found the most feasible in the study area where 79% of litchi growers directly sell to retailers instead of pre-harvesting contractors. It was observed that price spread, the share of channel members in consumer's price and marketing efficiency shared an inverse relationship with the number of mediators in the marketing channel. However, from the practical point of view, channel III is suggested to the litchi growers for a feasible and profitable return. Research Limitations: Exact information on the distribution of Tezpur Litchi to the other states and countries was not available. Therefore, the geographical scope of the study is limited to Assam. Originality/ Value: Understanding price spread is considered very important to cognise the efficiency of the marketing channels operating for a product. An effective marketing channel not only meets the demand of the consumers but also creates a favourable environment for the growers and intermediaries to increase production and add value to the product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Floods are frequently occurring events in the Assam region due to the presence of the Brahmaputra River and the heavy monsoon period. An efficient and reliable methodology is utilized to prepare a GIS-based flood risk map for the Assam region, India. At the regional and administrative level, the flood hazard index (FHI), flood vulnerability index (FVI), and flood risk index (FRI) are developed using multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) – analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The selected indicators define the topographical, geological, meteorological, drainage characteristics, land use land cover, and demographical features of Assam. The results show that more than 70%, 57.37%, and 50% of the total area lie in moderate to very high FHI, FVI, and FRI classes, respectively. The proposed methodology can be applied to identify high flood risk zones and to carry out effective flood risk management and mitigation strategies in vulnerable areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of social exclusion refers to the processes through which some groups are wholly or partially excluded from full participation in the society in which they live. In light of this concept of social exclusion, the manuscript attempts to analyze the position of women in the north‐eastern Indian states especially in the state of Assam and Manipur. Women in the north‐eastern region of India are relatively better than their counterparts elsewhere in the country in terms of mobility, life choices, space in their lives, and so on. Various indices also give us the idea of a comparatively better position of women in the north‐eastern states of India. However, albeit the north‐eastern women incline to relish a higher status in cognation to their peers in the rest of India yet the cultural and customary traditions, discriminate against women in inordinate respect, and women in this region also face discrimination on many fronts, more so in the patriarchal societies of Assam and Manipur which has been highlighted in this manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing studies on community-based conservation in India, while highlighting the results and effectiveness of conservation interventions fail to engage with the underlining social processes emerging from the interactions among conservation actors. This article demonstrates conservation as a social process in which the actors interact with each other daily. We use the notion of 'Everyday Conservation' to highlight that actors use their resources, skills and limitations to create a space where conservation processes are negotiated and shaped on an everyday basis. Using ethnographic work carried out in Assam (India), this article analyzes an Asian elephant conservation project to understand the various actors involved in the project, such as project managers, staff, local community, funding organization and forest department and their interactions, resulting in 'Everyday Conservation.' The inter-actor interactions were of varying intensity, depending upon which the actors negotiated, collaborated, or came into conflict, thereby producing conservation results embedded in contextual factors. We suggest that conservation needs rethinking and the framework of 'Everyday Conservation' can provide a fresh perspective on community-based wildlife conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper endeavors to present the picture of transition of Mishing textiles from traditional costumes of daily use to products embedded with traditional and modern designs produced for the aesthetic need of the local as well as external audiences. During the qualitative survey it was found that though direct contact with outsiders influences the local artists' product; changes are mostly infused by the artists themselves irrespective of their access to customers. Artists may intuitively produce textiles with different color and design combinations. This occurs when artists get access to information about people and places of other regions, their lifestyles and fashion prevalent outside through various media which leads to innovation and diversification in the product features. In such cases artists drive the process of commercialization rather than the market driving the process. This photo essay based on oral history and in-depth interview explains how commercial endeavor by the Mishings is leading to changes in their traditional textiles. It also tries to look into the other differential dynamics of this tribal craft under commercial pursuit with respect to the change in clientele, use of raw materials and change in utility. Change has always been a part of human society and as such the forms of artistic expressions become a product of such an advent. Though the influences of factors on the changes may differ but change accrues and is inevitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1966 the Mizo National Front (MNF) instigated a separatist conflict against the Indian state. This article argues that an environment conducive for separatist insurgency was created by the early 1960s in the Mizo Hills, a direct result of problematic state- and nation- building practices. First, there was an inability to initiate a successful state-building drive to overcome deep-seated challenges bestowed by colonial rule. Second, the friction between regional and national conceptions of identity was not resolved. This argument exploits a clear research gap. Currently there is a convincing explanation for the MNF's transition towards civil war between 1961-66. Yet, explaining the structural factors which created an environment conducive for separatist conflict remains elusive. This article plugs that gap, through archive-led historical analysis. In the process, it provides wider insights for conflict dynamics in India's northeast and raises broader questions about interdisciplinary research in the subfield of intrastate conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article articulates how an epistemology of ignorance structures the postcolonial metropolitan critic's knowledge about a particular fraught state in India, Assam. Using the term agnotology, coined by Robert Proctor, rather than agniology, it examines two novels, Missing by Bengali writer Sumana Roy and The House with a Thousand Stories by Assamese novelist and poet Aruni Kashyap, to show that, despite their crucial differences in form, style, and narration, both novels use a locally inflected English language to tell stories about how rumor and gossip destroy families and communities living in the shadow of insurgencies and state violence. The Anglophone metropolitan postcolonial critic's often-shallow knowledge about a region, its literature and deep politics, and their many rationalizations about why it is so, dovetails with the manner in which lies, exaggerated and fake news, shape and produce what counts as knowledge in these Indian Anglophone novels. Both works evoke the failure of a poetics and politics of familial and extrafamilial relations to underline how death and the disappearance of women from families, from society, and from the news enable a comparison of the inventive engagements with gender to understand the relationship of ignorance to truth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political campaigning in Assam and the Northeast region is distinctive in India's hybrid media system. This study discusses parties and political campaigning in Assam's hybrid media environment in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2021 Legislative Assembly elections. The history of the state, party system development, and the media landscape precedes a discussion of the 2019 campaign drawing on interviews with party strategiests and television journalists. Although Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were on the rise as important campaign tools in Assam and the Northeast region in 2019, traditional political advertising (posters, pamphlets), coverage of political issues in traditional media (print and television news), as well as face-to-face communication (public meetings, door-to-door canvassing and rallies) remained the most important sources of political communication between voters and parties due to substantially lower teledensity than the national average. We explore how political parties used a mix of 'advanced' and 'traditional' campaigning tools to mobilize voters to support party agendas during the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the 2021 Legislative Assembly election campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1971 when nearly ten million refugees crossed the border between East Pakistan and India following the outbreak of violence in Dacca on 25 March 1971, it would have surprised many to know that nearly fifty years later that date would be the dividing line between India's putative citizens and those it deemed 'foreigners'. This article takes a look at the immigration debate in Assam, and the protests against the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship Amendment Act to argue that it is the erasure of 1971 from the latter that gives rise to the backlash against it. I argue that the events of 1971 produces a moment in which both an affective border emerges against the refugees, followed soon after by an effective legal border through citizenship legislation pertinent to Assam. This article investigates the peculiarity of this moment to determine citizenship within India, its consequences and by doing so rewrites the history of 1971 back into debates about citizenship in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roving survey was conducted in 18 districts of Assam to know the status of insect-pests infesting different cultivars of banana. Survey revealed that banana pseudostem weevil (Odoiporus longicollis), banana rhizome weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus), banana leaf and fruit scarring beetle (Nodostoma viridepennis), aphid (Pentalonia nigronervosa), slug caterpillar (Parasa lepida), banana thrips (Chaetanaphothrips signipennis) and leaf eating caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) were the commonly occurring pests of banana in Assam, irrespective of cultivars. However, O. longicollis, C. sordidus and N. viridipennis were considered as economically important one and were observed in all the districts surveyed. Incidence of insect-pest was more in 'Jahaji' cultivar and was less in 'Bhimkol'. Population of banana pseudostem weevil and banana leaf and fruit scarring beetle increased from the month of March- April with the increase in ambient temperature and reached its minimum during winter months. Population of both the pests exhibited positive correlation with maximum and minimum temperature and, rainfall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat fragmentation resulting from linear infrastructure such as pipelines, roads or railways has emerged as one of the severest threats for wildlife globally. Among the many primate species affected by fragmented habitats, the loss of canopy connectivity in a fragmented landscape is especially detrimental to highly arboreal, canopy dwelling species, such as gibbons. The Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, India, a stronghold for the Endangered western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock), is bifurcated by a railway track constructed by the British in 1887. It is a barrier to the movement of wildlife in the sanctuary and the gibbons there have, since then, been isolated on either side of the track. To bridge this gap and facilitate unrestricted movement of gibbons, since 2006 we have been developing a natural canopy bridge across the railway line through coordinated tree planting, using saplings of various indigenous species on both side of the railway track along a 1-km stretch. The species selected were known to be preferred as food and sleeping trees by the gibbons. In 2019, a natural bridge was formed in one location by joining branches of the trees on either of the track. Gibbons and other arboreal species such as the capped langur, rhesus macaque and squirrels have been observed to use this canopy bridge. This natural canopy bridge has given a new lease on life to the wildlife community of the sanctuary, especially the gibbons. While the data presented here provide preliminary documentation of the natural canopy bridge and its use, further research is planned to ascertain the level of its benefit for the gibbons and other arboreal mammal species. We strongly encourage the inclusion of natural canopy bridges in the development programs involving linear infrastructure since these bridges are cost effective and extremely valuable in increasing forest connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphidaceae, the most dominant lichen family in Assam is represented by 63 species under 13 genera. Genus Graphis is dominant in the area with 29 species followed by Phaeographis (7 spp.), Sarcographa (6 spp.), Fissurina (5 spp.), Diorygma, Glyphis, Platygramme, (3 spp. each), Thecaria (2 spp.), Acanthothecis, Dyplolabia, Hemithecium Pallidogramme and Phaeographina, (1 spp. each). Out of these, 28 species have been found as new additions for Assam. The present paper deals with enumeration of all the known species with; their distribution in India, specimens examined, along with key to genera and species to facilitate their identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing interest in the field population ageing lead to the study of factors related to the increase in survival of elderly population. Aging is a continuing process which involves genetic, socio-demographic, economic and environmental covariates. The planning of future elderly healthcare strongly depends on these factors. Among the various factors responsible for the human longevity, a few sociodemographic factors namely sex, place of residence, education, personal income, health rate, marital status, occupation status, caste, and leisure time activity have been identified. By applying hazard model, an attempt has been made to estimate the relative risk of survivability. This study uses the data collected in a survey conducted in 1998 to study the socio-demographic profiles of elderly population in Assam. Applying the hazard regression model, we found the evidence that covariate sex, personal income, marital status, and occupation are highly significant. Covariate like place of residence, education and caste are not found significant and when these covariate are excluded all covariate except place of residence are found significant. Among them females, elderly having personal income, married elderly, re-employed or still active elderly are found to be highly significant for living longer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity and distribution of earthworm species was conducted in the randomly selected places of Golaghat district (93016/to 94010/E and 25050/to 26047/N) of Assam, North-East, India. Earthworms were collected from Different soil habitats i.e. Agricultural field (AF) soil, cow dung (CD), grassland (GL), Alluvial (AL) and Tea Garden (TG) Soil. Eight species of earthworms were identified as Lampito maruitii (Kinberg, 1866), Perionyx excavates (Perrier, 1872), Perionyx pulvinnatus (Stephenson, 1916), Metaphire posthuma (Vaillant, 1868), Amyathas diffringens (Baird, 1869) belonging to Family Megascolecidae; Eutyphoeus kempi Stephenson, 1914 belonging to family Octochaetidae; Drawida nepelensis Michaelsen, 1907 belonging to family Moniligastridae, Octolasion tyrtaeum (Savigny, 1826) belonging to family Lumbricidae; recorded from the study area. The distribution depends on different soil habitat and condition. We found in this study the species Lampito maruitii (Kinberg, 1866) is maximum and Perionyx excavates (Perrier, 1872) and Eutyphoeus kempi Stephenson, 1914 are minimum than other species. The present study is the pioneer documentation on diversity and distribution of earthworm species collected from different soil habitats of Golaghat district of Assam, India. This present study will help in conservation strategy of indigenous earthworm of study area in future prospects respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How did the Muslims of Assam become outsiders in Assam? This essay attempts to answer this question by probing the colonial and post-colonial history of categorising people that has located Muslims outside the category of 'Assamese'. The political effort to make the Assamese into a homogenous Hindu group undoes the xanmiholi or blended humanity of Assam. By focusing on two Muslim communities—the Goriyas or Assamese Muslims and the Miyas or Muslims of East Bengali origin—this essay explores the project of making Muslims outsiders in Assam. Finally, the essay examines the inclusion of the transplanted tea-tribe communities as a possible resolution to the Muslim situation in Assam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of groundwater-based irrigation technology resulted in the emergence of groundwater markets in many parts of India. Due to the localized nature of the markets, it deems important to capture influence of spatial variation in the functioning of the market. This study is carried out to unearth the factors influencing water selling decisions of farmers in water abundant regions of India taking the case of Assam in Eastern India. Using field-level data from two districts of the state and with the help of logit regression analysis, the study examines the determinants of water selling decision of farmers. The results have shown that excess capacity of the pump sets, availability of diesel operated pump sets and conveyance facilities, depth of the boring, caste of the farmer, etc. are some of the significant factors influencing the probability of water selling decision of a farmer. The results, on the whole, indicate that water selling decision of a farmer in water abundant regions is the result of a combined effect of a number of socio-economic, farm specific and tube well specific factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Psorotheciopsis Rehm recorded by Cunningham from Calcutta in 1879 has been rediscovered for India after a gap of 135 years. The taxonomic characters of Psorotheciopsis patellarioides (Rehm) Rolf Santesson are provided to facilitate the identification of the species. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an attempt to unpack how the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 that proposed citizenship on the basis of religious affiliation trace its past from narrative rooted in partition and idea of religious identity in determination of citizenship status in India. The act proposes, persons belonging to minority community namely Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsi and Christians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have either entered into India without valid travel documents or the validity of their documents have expired are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship by naturalisation in 7 years instead of existing 12 years. Building on existing scholarship, field experience and media reports this article argues proposed citizenship amendment bill that favours citizenship status for persecuted minorities defined primarily as Hindus leaving Muslims is not an attempt to redefine citizenship but reinforce logic that favours narrative of India for Hindus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human–wildlife conflict has been the focus of much research, and incidents of damage caused by wildlife to communities, as well as damage inflicted on wildlife by people, have been studied extensively to determine causes, conditions, impacts and mitigation strategies. However, few studies have explored the coping strategies employed by communities to deal with these stressful events. Understanding coping is important, as effective coping builds tolerance towards wildlife, whereas poor coping erodes tolerance and thus jeopardizes conservation. Interviews conducted with people who had experienced damage caused by wild elephants Elephas maximus in eight villages of Assam, in north-east India, found that the stress experienced by the communities as a result of the damage was eased by their religious beliefs associated with elephants, and their feelings of empathy towards these animals. Belief in the elephant as God and as avenger of wrong-doing further strengthened people's coping capacity. These findings have positive implications for elephant conservation, showing that people's tolerance towards marauding elephants can be based on religious beliefs rather than compensation for losses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since 2004, media and public opinion in Assam (India) have focused on increasing instances of poaching of rhinoceros for their horns and presence of Bengali-speaking Muslim peasants, especially in and around the iconic Kaziranga National Park. From hastily made digital films, to anti-poaching motifs at Durga Puja pandals, the plight of the rhinoceros has occupied an important position in an acrimonious political discourse on Assamese culture. The innocence and dignity attributed to the animal stands in marked contrast to the lack of discussion on the large numbers of young men who have been killed in anti-poaching campaigns by the state. This article looks at the interstices of class, culture and commerce in an attempt to understand the popular deification of the rhinoceros and implications of the developmental discourse that seeks to put people and rhino in their 'rightful' place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyrtarachne nagasakiensis Strand, 1918 (Araneidae) is newly recorded from India on the basis of a specimen collected from Assam. A species description is provided, with figures of the habitus and internal genitalia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the new verity of Phlogacanthus curviflorus (Wall.) Nees from Assam, India. It mentions that Phlogacanthus Nees comes under Andrographideae of the family Acanthaceae, and states that several specimen are found from field investigation for taxonomic studies of the genus Phlogacanthus Nees in Assam in 2014-2015. It also mentions that var. menchanensis is the new verity of Phlogacanthus curviflorus (Wall.) Nees.

Large-scale forest encroachment in Assam, India, has led to increasing levels of human–elephant conflict. Conflict mitigation is a priority for the survival of Asian elephants Elephas maximus throughout Asia. We analysed a 3-year dataset of elephant occurrence and related instances of human–elephant conflict, from two sites in Assam, and explored the relationships between the various effects of elephants on human communities and factors influencing the spatial and temporal occurrence of these effects (proximity to water, refuge areas and villages, and human and crop density). The landscapes at both study sites have been transformed by forest loss, with large areas converted to agriculture. Remaining forest patches, which are mostly small, disconnected and degraded, as well as tea plantations, provide refuge areas for elephants as they move through the region. We found that crop depredation and property damage caused by elephants showed well-defined seasonal trends. They also showed a clear diurnal pattern, mostly occurring between 18.00 and 22.00. Small communities within 700 m of a refuge were most affected. In the management of human–elephant conflict in Assam we need to consider the refuge patches used by elephants as they move through the region, the peripheries of which are likely to be conflict hotspots. Small villages on the edges of refuges should be a priority for conflict mitigation assistance, with strategies taking into account seasonal and diurnal variation in elephant behaviour, as well as the socio-economic and cultural composition of communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic (As) mobilization to the groundwater of Brahmaputra floodplains was investigated in Titabor, Jorhat District, located in the North Eastern part of India. The groundwater and the aquifer geochemistry were characterized in the study area. The range of As concentration in the groundwater varies from 10 to 440 μg/l with mean concentration 210 μg/l. The groundwaters are characterized by high dissolved Fe, Mn, and HCO and low concentrations of NO and SO indicating the reduced conditions prevailing in the groundwater. In order to understand the actual mobilization processes in the area, six core drilling surrounding the two target tube wells (T1 and T2) with high As concentration (three drill-cores surrounds each tube well closely) was done. The sediment was analyzed its chemical, mineralogical, and elemental compositions. A selective sequential extraction suggested that most of the As in the sediment is bound to Fe oxides fractions (32 to 50 %) and the competition for adsorption site by anions (PO) also accounts to significant fractions of the total arsenic extracted. High variability in the extraction as well as properties of the sediment was observed due to the heterogeneity of the sediment samples with different chemical properties. The SEM and EDX results indicate the presence of Fe, Mn coating along with As for most of the sample, and the presence of As associated minerals were calculated using PHREEQC. The mobilization of As into the groundwater was anticipated to be largely controlled by the reductive dissolution of Fe oxides and partly by the competitive anions viz. PO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]