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Item Open Access Policing the Chicken Neck: The Emergent Challenges in the Siliguri Corridor(Rashtriya Raksha University, 2022-06) Chakraborty, RanjitaUnique 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.Item Open Access Pandemic and the Social Fabric: Reflections on India(Granthamitra, 2022-05) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Ghosh, Gour ChandraThe 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.Item Open Access NEP: Recharting Regulation in Higher Education(National Law University and Judicial Academy, 2022) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Ahuja, V. K.; Poddar, DebasisEducation 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.Item Open Access Caste Networks and Women Migrant Workers: Traps in New Normal Times(Mittal Publiocations, 2022) Chakraborty, Ranjita; Deb, PapiaThe 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.Item Open Access Inter-Linkage between the Ecosystem and Economic Empowerment: An Analysis(The Asiatic Society of Mumbai, 2023) Laha, Sidhartha SankarIn developing country, forests provide a significant socio-economic benefit at all level. Forest is an important renewable, natural resource, which greatly influences the socio-economic development in any rural community. Business and trade have coexistence for thousands of years and ultimately which are referred as economics by some elite peoples. Natural resource is our common future. Within the natural resource, the forestry sector has gained importance. Forest ecosystem has played multiple roles of global as well as local levels and provides a range of economic, social goods for the well beings of the poor communities. Development of natural resource management to the local community level, particularly at the forestry sector, is important to improve community livelihoods and economic empower. Both primary and secondary forest products showed a good contribution on local, regional and international economy. Forest ecosystem has an ecological impact. Economic evaluation has always played an important role in studies of how plants are used by local peoples and how that attains importance in global or regional markets to possess contribute on national and community development. Mangrove forestry has been considered for economic empowerment purposes. A highlight has been made on the rural and tribal population those are highly dependent upon forests. In this communication an attempt has been made to scrutinize the role of forest ecosystem on economic development. An attempt has already been consider discussing about participatory forest management by local community.Item Open Access Agricultural Credit for Sustainable Rural Development: An Empirical Study of Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal(Indian Society of Agricultural Marketing, 2023) Laha, Sidhartha SankarIndian agriculture is dominated by small cultivators. With an average holding size of just of less than 2 ha size 86 percent of holdings, Indian agriculture produces sufficient food, feed, and fibre to India's large population, and in addition generates some net export surplus. This would not have been possible without the continuous flow of massive credit to farmers to buy modern inputs. Credit is one of the most crucial inputs for agricultural development. Agricultural credit in itself is not an input but it helps in creating environment for the adoption of modern production technology and encouraging private investments on this sector. Our analysis in this paper shows that the in spite of commendable policy changes in Indian agri-credit system, the fact that the percentage of institutional credit in overall credit to agriculture has remained within a narrow range due to inadequacy and so many constrains in our studied area ofJalpaiguri District. The ANOVA results revealed that there is significant difference between perception of land less and land lords. More income group farmers and low income group farmers and Z test revels relationship between income and crop loss and choice of sources of credit. In conclusion it is recommended that a separate priority should be given to agricultural credit exclusively for small farmers. Government should work in close association with Small Farmers' and Development Agencies for the benefits of small farmers.Item Open Access Cooperation through CO-Operatives Upsurge Empowerment: Assessing the Key Economic Issues(Rights Noida International University, 2023) Laha, Sidhartha SankarThe main focus of the study is the role of co-operative in empowerment benefits. A Case Study of districts of the North Bengal region is based on primary information collected from a field survey. This study analyses the socioeconomic condition of members and non-members who are involved in co-operative. A descriptive research design has been used to fulfil the objective of the study. This research has been carried out in rural and urban areas about members of cooperation through co operative. A questionnaire, interviews, FDGs, and observation methods are employed as the main research instruments. A disproportionate stratified random sampling technique is adopted and data are collected from the study area. It is found that cooperatives were established as a strategy to sustain the livelihoods of rural communities. With the adoption of cooperatives, people in rural communities managed to generate employment, boost food production, empower the marginalized, especially women, and promote social cohesion and integration, thereby improving their livelihoods and reducing poverty. This study is an attempt to analyse the socio-economic effect of co-operative on male as well as females and their roles and participation in the women empowerment process. The study found that members were found to have been socially and economically empowered through the cooperative and were able to change their own status in the family, be involved in discussions in family matters with members, and feel stronger and more confident. Hence Cooperative movement is very essential to improve the socio-economic condition of the target population.Item Open Access Co-Curricular Activities through Extension: Impact Study in North Bengal University and Affiliated Colleges(Oriental Institute, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, 2023) Laha, Sidhartha SankarThe study investigates and explores the efficacy and impact of extension and co-curriculum activities among the students, particularly of the University of North Bengal. It is a qualitative and quantitative case study focusing on co-curricular activities being arranged at the graduate and postgraduate levels. The study has been conducted by using the questionnaire filling technique that was distributed beforehand among primary stakeholders. The data are analysed using some statistical tools so as to proffer meaningful results on the basis of the socio-economic parameters and benefits gained through extension activities. Recognition of extension as one of the pivots of teaching and research has emerged from the growing realization that universities and colleges possessing better infrastructural facilities - manpower and physical facilities - have an obligation to promote the developmental activities of the community. Accordingly, modern approaches to education emphasise all-round or holistic development of the students. The praxis is that the process of education is not something static or a one-time measure rather, a continuous and lifelong endeavour that can be attained through co-curricular and extension activities. Findings of the study conclude that the overall effects and impacts of co-curricular activities on the student's academic performance and personality development are both encouraging and positive. And such endeavour reinforces the fruition of education's primary goal of bringing change in students' behaviour.Item Open Access Choice Based Credit System: A Leaf at the Reforms in Indian Higher Education(Indian Institute of Education, 2023) Gole, Mukul Kanti; Laha, Sidhartha Sankar; Bhar, MousumiEducation play a key stone in the process of nation building. India is the ancient land where wisdom made its home before it went into any other country. Education system of India is full of intricacies of different nature. Several attempts have been taken to lessen complexities. Several commission have been constituted in India to improve the quality and uniformity in the Indian education system. These commission have also been constituted for removal of different anomalies within the Indian education system. In all over India, the present education system are divided in the form of primary education, secondary education and tertiary education. The tertiary education is consider as the higher education. Higher education is considered as the back bone of the nation. Higher education is a noble exercise for creation and dissemination of knowledge, understanding and skill. University Grants Commission (UGC) isthe premier policy framing, decision making and funding agency for universities and institution of higher learning in India. A reform in the higher education in India is made by University Grants Commission (UGC) which is annual to semester systemn and then to Choice Based Credit System (CBCS). This reform was brought to bring flexibility in higher education. It is a student- centric education and it helps the students to pursue the courses of their choice which are from interdisciplinary, intra-disciplinary and skill based courses. This system would help the Indian education system to match with the international education pattern...Item Open Access Impact of Cooperatives on Empowerment of People: Observations from Micro Level in West Bengal(Indian Institute of Public Administration Bihar Regional Branch, 2023) Laha, Sidhartha SankarThe major objective of the present study is to assess the role of co-operatives in accruing empowerment benefits in rural and urban localities. In this context, it was attempted to ascertain the impact of cooperatives on the employment generation, food production, women empowerment, social cohesion and quality of life among rural and urban communities. As such, a survey was conducted among sampled respondents by using multiple tools of primary data collection like observation, interview and discussion with focus groups from three selected districts of West Bengal. With a view to enrich our study, a sizeable of non-cooperative members were also surveyed. Our survey results reveal that cooperatives have been much beneficial in improving quality of life, poverty reduction and women empowerment.