Browsing by Author "Chakraborty, Ranjita"

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Open Access
Caste Networks and Women Migrant Workers: Traps in New Normal Times
(Mittal Publiocations, 2022) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Deb, Papia
The pandemic since the past one year has been one of the greatest teachers for all of us as well as thrown towards the people and the policy makers diverse ranging challenges stretching from socio-political, economic to individual challenges at the micro level. One of the major impacts of the pandemic and the lockdown that followed in India was the huge job loss experienced by the people in the unorganised sector as well as in the small scale and medium scale enterprises. As the lockdown was declared India was a witness to a heart wrenching event, the walking back to home of a million individuals, men, women and children, rendered jobless and in the absence of a safety net, with the government clueless about ways to manage the crisis, walking to a shelter. For the first time we were awakened to a category of people--the migrant workers. These were not to be taken as similar to the urban educated workers employed in high profile white collared jobs and who were successful in sufficiently getting themselves integrated with the local people. The migrant workers were poor, working in low wage jobs and often seen as job competitors by the local poor populace who weren't much different from them. The pandemic converted the city of their employment into a foreign land as they found themselves without a safety net as well as no money to purchase basics. Moreover, they were now put under the radar of suspicion, carriers of the unknown virus.
Open Access
Citizenship reflecting on the shifts and fluidity
(Adhyyan Books, 2021-09) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Muhindro, L.
Open Access
Interrogating the Citizenship Question in India: Debating Article 35A and Article 370
(University of North Bengal, 2016) Chakraborty, Ranjita
Debating on citizenship ---not just meaning the right to carry a specific passport but encapsulating the relationship between the individual, state and society has become a major point of discussions both within the domain of academia as well as outside. Throughout the history, the concept has been defined variously and there exists no fixed definition.The paper would concentrate on the debate by focusing on citizenship provisions in the Constitution of India with particular focus on Article 35A and Art.370 of the Constitution of India and critically look into the positions taken by the Government of India and the political party leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. The provisions have been debated upon centering on the issue of violation of the Constitution of India and the fundamental rights as promised to the citizens of India by the supreme law of the land. As history is dynamic it is essential to engage in a constructive dialogue so that inclusive citizenship can be realized. The paper would delineate the major arguments in the debate and try to propose some guiding premises along the lines of which a revision could be worked out whereby particularities are protected but the universality of citizenship is also promoted.
Open Access
Judiciary in India: The Dialogic Space
(University of North Bengal, 2015) Chakraborty, Ranjita
The judiciary in India has been praised and blamed in the same breath, praised for being the voice of the people, upholding democracy in India at a time when faith in the other institutio ns responsible for upholding democracy is ebbing, and blamed for making a mark in the number of pending cases that stands to at present a scary 3.2crores figure. Critics point to this pendency as undesirable, for justice delayed is justice denied. The crit ics further point out that this delay is caused by the tendency of the judiciary in India to go for sensationalism and overreach, taking up cases for hearing that are sensational and in the process not responding to the civil and criminal cases that get fi led in the courts. Supporters of the judiciary however, have reasons for this pendency like the strength of the judiciary and the number of cases to be heard ratio, vacancies, poor infrastructure and support system etc. This is the political argument which the present paper would not focus on but would, by a discussion of some select cases; attempt to highlight the representational role played by the judiciary in India, facilitating the creation of a space for dialogue between the different sections of the society in India.
Open Access
NEP: Recharting Regulation in Higher Education
(National Law University and Judicial Academy, 2022) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Ahuja, V. K.; Poddar, Debasis
Education is one of the principal values that shape individual and social lives. It is both social and economic value. As a social value, it provides the required knowledge and skills to individuals and develops their personality and character to facilitate their social integration and upward social mobility. As an economic value, it makes persons employable, meets the knowledge and skills required by industries and professions, ensures economic growth, and helps reduce poverty. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development lays down seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (Goal 4 of this agenda, adopted by the General Assembly in 2015, seeks to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education am! promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." (Transforming our World: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) This goal is further divided into ten targets to be measured by eleven indicators. India has also given assent to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is actively designing and implementing suitable policies in this regard. The NITI Aayog has been assigned the responsibility of designing and monitoring the implementation of SDGs at the national level in India.
Open Access
Pandemic and the Social Fabric: Reflections on India
(Granthamitra, 2022-05) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Ghosh, Gour Chandra
The outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 hit a totally unprepared world. And it brought with it a realization, there is no magic bullet, there is no magic vaccine nor a date for its final recession. The governments amidst this conundrum responded through certain measures like lockdown, social distancing etc. whereas people utterly confused responded by fear, doubts, unnatural responses etc. The paper attempts to cast a light on first, the kind of governmental response in India that wasn't same across the states in India; second, the differential impact felt across the different stratum of society; third, the lessons we have learnt and the legacies left behind. Government responded through an unprepared hurried call for nationwide lockdown and a total confusion. The impact was experienced differently by different stratum of society. Vulnerabilities increased on the one hand combined with incidents of lawlessness, vulnerabilities and exclusions. At the same time there emerged a new hope amidst the gloomy realities. Social distancing was countered by social solidarity of a new kind as individuals and civil society organizations stepped out to extend their hands as partners to the government in managing the crisis.
Open Access
Policing the Chicken Neck: The Emergent Challenges in the Siliguri Corridor
(Rashtriya Raksha University, 2022-06) Chakraborty, Ranjita
Unique geostrategic spatiality entails unique challenges to policing wherein the use of only conventional policing strategies and techniques is often inadequate or ineffective. Similar is the case of the Siliguri Corridor in North Bengal which is known as the "Chicken Neck" of India. The region is the only connecting link between the North-eastern states of India and the rest of the country. This corridor is very close to the.four neighbouring states-Bangladesh in the east and Nepal, Bhutan and China in the north of the corridor. The opening up of boundaries and the increased stress on connectivity for economic growth, not just within the country but across the countries, has led to multiple vulnerabilities that pose territorial and human security threats. Issues like trafficking of humans and animals, smuggling, fake currency, drug trafficking and terror activities have created major challenges for the internal security agencies as well as defence forces. This paper explores these issues and suggests some alternative strategies in terms of changing the policing styles, from conventional to community policing, in the Siliguri Corridor, that would act as a complementary strategy and whose main objective would be to prevent crimes, create community partnerships, build a trust-based relationship between the community and the police, and to nurture an informed, sensitive and empowered police force.
Open Access
Political Trust, Democracy and the Pandemic: The Indian Scenario
(Authorspress, 2021) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Rauth, Amit; K. Arunlal
Since the last fifteen years there has been a vigorous debate on the nature of democracy in the entire world. Academic debates have focused on questions ranging from the trends seen, emergence of authoritarianism coupled with decline in popular sovereignty and thereby leading to the question of "political trust". In fact, the very idea of democracy has come under the scanner. Amidst this, the pandemic has not only renewed our interest in democracy but we have also witnessed a decline in respect to the values of democracy by the governments in the name of managing the crisis along with strong dictatorial tendencies and usurpation of freedom. It is against this backdrop that the paper seeks to reflect upon the nature of democracy worldwide and in India 10 particular. It would also focus on the trends related to political trust in India.
Open Access
Politics of public private partnership, women and community based natural resource management in India ; case studies with special reference to North Bengal
(University of North Bengal, 2012) Chakraborty, Ranjita; De, soumitra
Open Access
Women Legislators of West Bengal: A Study of Political Leadership Since 1990s
(University of North Bengal, 2022-01) Roy, Aloka; Chakraborty, Ranjita