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University of North Bengal

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    Item type:Item, Article Access status: Open Access ,
    Evaluating the efficacy of the plantation labour act, 1951: a study on tea plantation in the parts of North Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Anand, Dev; Bal, Samir
    This research paper investigates the effectiveness of the Plantation Labour Act (PL4), 1951, in safeguarding the welfare and regulating the working conditions of tea plantation workers in North Bengal, India. Despite its enactment over seven decades ago with the noble intention of providing statutory facilities and protecting the interests of plantation labourers, persistent challenges related to health, living conditions, economic stability, and overall welfare continue to plague the workforce. This study addresses a critical research gap by empirically examining the implementation status and perceived effectiveness of specific provisions of the PLA, 1951, from the perspectives of both tea workers and estate managers i Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri Districts. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, combining secondary data from existing literature and primary data collected through surveys and interviews with 225 tea workers and 12 managers across 12 tea gardens, the research provides a comprehensive assessment. Preliminary findings indicate a significant disparity between the legislative mandates and their on-ground implementation, particularly concerning housing drinking water, canteens, and child employment provisions. The study highlights structural anomalies within the Act and challenges in its enforcement, contributing to the continued vulnerability of tea workers. The paper concludes with recommendations for policy amendments and enhanced stakeholder collaboration to ensure the PLA, 1951, genuinely uplifts the socio-economic status and quality of life for tea plantation workers in North Bengal.
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    Efficiency of pineapple farmers and marketing channels in Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, and Jalpaiguri Districts of North Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Ansari, Md Nasim; Jamaluddeen
    This study uncovers the untapped potential of pineapple cultivation in West Bengal India’s largest pineapple-producing state, while exposing critical inefficiencies that hinder growth. Despite its status, farmers remain trapped by outdated practices, financial constraints, and a marketing system dominated by intermediaries, severely limiting their share of profits. By analyzing both cultivation and marketing practices, this research highlights the stark contrasts in efficiency across different regions, with farmers in Uttar Dinajpur & Jalpaiguri (UD & JPG) outperforming those in Darjeeling (DRJ). The study Jurther reveals the inefficiencies of major marketing channels, where intermediaries capture the majority of profits, leaving Jarmers with minimal returns. Moreovcr, it identifies key factors like access to credit, training, and infrastructure as crucial to enhancing productivity. With actionable insights into overcoming these barriers, this paper makes a compelling case for transforming West Bengal's pineapple sector into a globally competitive Jorce. It offers a roadmap for iumproving both farmer livelihoods and the region's economic potential, making it an essential read for stakeholders in agricultural developmenit.
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    Production dynamics of indian fertiliser industry: an analysis of its factors and Structural break
    (Universaity of North Bengal, 2023) Alam, Md. Afnan; Sarkar, Soumitra
    Fertilisers play a key role in the agriculture sector, which is ultimately crucial to meet the agricultural needs of a large population, such as that of India. Due to its sicuificance in the Indian economy, the government has been a significant participant in the industry through the proactive implementation of strategic regulations, policies, and subsidies to ensure .tability, growth, and check hindrances in supply. Given the notable nature - f subsidies and schemes like the Neem-coated Urea policy, Nutrient-Based Subsidy scheme and Direct Benefit Transfer scheme, it is indicative that government policies play a vital role in the production and consumption of fertilisers. Further, there are several other nongovernmental internal and external forces and factors that act as determinants of Sfertiliser industry’s growth in India. This study attempts to find the shift in production trend through a structural break test to find the impact of these policies and regimes on production. In addition, it also aims to find the factors that impact the industry’s growth and the causal effect of these factors on the production of fertilisers in India. For fulfilling the objectives, structural break analysis, Principal Components analysis and Linear Regression analvsis have been used. Findings suggest multiple non-random break points in the production trend, thus suggesting the presence of structural breaks due to policy implementations. Further, using factor analysis, three chief factors were extracted, and these factors furthermore displaved a significant impact on production. These outcomes demonstrated that the fertiliser industry is not linked with only one factor, but rather a collective and complex interplay between global market conditions, domestic agricultural situation, state interventions, and infrastructural capabilities.
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    Random walk or arima? exploring the power of predictability of rupee-dollar exchange rate
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Routh, Bishal; Sarkar, Joy
    This paper examines the randomness and predictability of the rupee-dollar exchange rate. We developed a working hypothesis to compare the out-of-sample Jorecasting abilities of the ARIMA model to those of a pure random walk (RW). The results indicate that the rupee-dollar exchange rate not only exhibits a trend component but also a statistically significant one. Hypothesis testing reveals that the ARIMA model outperforms the pure RW model as a predictor. The error measures, using RMSE and MAE, demonstrate that the ARIMA model possesses more than twice the predictive power compared 1o the pure random walk. Therefore, it can be concluded that the rupee<dollar exchange rate is anything but a random walk.
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    An analysis of sectoral concentration of women enterprises in the hilly regions of North Bengal
    (University of North Bengal, 2023) Shakya, Kriti; Ghosh, Gangotree
    Women-owned enterprises play a vital role in fostering local economic development and empowering women in geographically challenging regions. Over the past decades, women entrepreneurship has emerged as an avenue for women to break traditional gender norms. However, notable distinctions have been observed between women-owned businesses and those owned by men. Therefore, it is important to identify the business areas where omen are concentrated and to determine which ones are still untapped by them. The study explores the concentration pattern of women-owned enterprises in the hilly regions of North Bengal, aiming to identify the sectors where women are predominantly engaged. The findings revealed the distribution of businesses across various sectors, including tourism, retail trading, handicrafts, food processing, agro-based manufacturing, and service-oriented industries. The results indicate a strong preference of women entrepreneurs in the hilly regions for small-scale, home operated businesses that rely on personal skills influenced by ease of access and limited infrastructure. The study offers insights for policymakers to promote gender inclusive growth and emphasizes the need for sector-specific support policies to enhance women's participation in entrepreneurial activities.