South India Journal of Social Sciences (SIJSS) is a UGC-CARE listed, bimonthly journal published by the Academy of Social Sciences, an organization registered under the Society’s Act. The journal covers a wide range of areas within the social sciences, including sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, history, and more. Since its establishment in 2003 as a print journal (ISSN: 0972-8945), SIJSS has been committed to promoting high-quality research and scholarly discourse in the field of social sciences. In 2024, the journal was assigned an online ISSN (3048-6165), further strengthening its digital identity. Beginning April 2025, SIJSS transitioned to a bimonthly edition with a strong online presence, making its content more accessible to readers and authors worldwide. The journal uses the Open Journal System (OJS) to manage the complete researcher-to-reader workflow, including submission, peer review, and production.
Reimagining Development, Toward Sustainability and Inclusion
Section: Editor's Note Keywords: Sustainability, Inclusion, SGD, ESG The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) declared by the UNO have strengthened the need for academic reflection. Along with sustainability, the ideal of inclusion in a diversified society like India makes the objectives of development very focused. We have 17 research papers written on the above theme. As we navigate the complexities of 21 Century development, two imperatives have emerged as inseparable: environmental sustainability and social inclusion. This special edition covers diverse aspects examining how these twin goals manifest across India’s economic landscape. What strikes me most powerfully in reviewing these contributions is not merely the empirical evidence they provide, but the fundamental questions they raise about our development model itself. THE SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE: RHETORIC VERSUS REALITY The ESG Paradox Much has been proclaimed about Environmental, Social, and Governance principles transforming corporate India. Yet the evidence presented here compels uncomfortable honesty: we remain trapped between aspiration and achievement. Whether examining petroleum giants pursuing net-zero commitments, banks claiming sustainable finance credentials, or agricultural enterprises adopting green practices, a consistent pattern emerges, ESG integration remains superficial, driven more by regulatory compliance and international market pressures than genuine transformation. What particularly concerns me is the disconnect between ESG scores and actual outcomes. When major corporations achieve only moderate sustainability ratings that correlate minimally with financial performance, we must ask whether we are measuring what matters or merely what is convenient to measure. The banking sector analysis reveals an even more troubling reality: sustainability efforts sometimes inversely correlate with market valuation, suggesting that investors remain unconvinced or that implementation costs outweigh perceived benefits. This is not sustainability, it is performative compliance. The agricultural research offers a more nuanced perspective. Farm size determines who can afford sustainability, creating a two-tiered system where large producers comply while small farmers struggle. This observation crystallizes a broader truth: without deliberate inclusion strategies, sustainability mandates risk becoming another mechanism of marginalization, rewarding those already privileged while penalizing those operating at subsistence margins. Climate Change: No Longer a Future Threat The climate research presented here moves beyond apocalyptic projections to document present-day impacts. Agricultural productivity already responds measurably to climate variability, with nearly half of rice yield fluctuations attributable to temperature and rainfall patterns. For a nation where agriculture sustains hundreds of millions, this is not an environmental issue it is an existential livelihood crisis unfolding in slow motion. What demands our attention is not whether climate change will affect India, but how unequally distribute its impacts. The political economy analysis of water scarcity forces us to confront an uncomfortable reality: environmental crises are not natural disasters but socially constructed outcomes reflecting power asymmetries. When 163 million Indians lack clean drinking water in a country with abundant water resources, the crisis stems not from absolute scarcity but from governance failures, privatization dynamics, and systematic exclusion of marginalized communities from decision-making processes. Alternative Pathways: Permaculture and Systemic Redesign The permaculture contribution offers conceptual relief an articulation of agriculture as ecosystem design rather than extractive industry. What appeals to me about this framework is its refusal to accept industrial agriculture’s assumptions. Rather than optimizing existing systems, permaculture proposes fundamentally different relationships between humans and natural systems, emphasizing regeneration over extraction, diversity over monoculture, and long-term resilience over short-term yield maximization. However, as an editor, I must note the challenge: such alternative frameworks remain marginal in policy discourse and investment priorities. Mainstreaming permaculture requires not just governmental recognition but transformation of agricultural extension systems, credit mechanisms, and market structures currently designed for industrial agriculture. The gap between conceptual elegance and implementation reality remains vast. INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT: BEYOND WELFARISM Employment Guarantees: Promise and Fragility The MGNREGA analysis offers both hope and caution. When effectively implemented, employment guarantees demonstrably reach marginalized communities, with women and tribal populations securing dignified work at critical moments. This is inclusion in its most tangible form guaranteed livelihood access regardless of caste, gender, or market position. Yet what troubles me deeply is the program’s vulnerability to administrative disruption. Participation collapses following bureaucratic reorganizations; completion rates plummet when political will wanes. This fragility exposes the limitation of welfare-based inclusion: benefits remain contingent on state capacity and political commitment rather than being structurally embedded in economic systems. Marginalized communities cycle between temporary relief and renewed vulnerability, never achieving the economic security that would constitute genuine inclusion. Livelihood Diversification: Adaptation or Dispossession? The tribal livelihood research reveals communities adapting to constrained circumstances diversifying income sources as traditional practices become untenable under conservation policies and climate pressures. Development discourse often celebrates such diversification as resilience. Yet we must ask are we witnessing adaptive innovation or gradual dispossession? When forest-dependent communities abandon traditional practices due to policy restrictions rather than choice, calling this “livelihood diversification” obscures coercion beneath neutral terminology. Education emerges as the critical variable enabling successful diversification. This finding underscores that inclusion requires capability investments schools, skills training, information access not merely income transfers. However, it also reveals how decades of educational neglect have constrained current adaptive capacity, leaving communities vulnerable precisely when adaptation becomes most critical. The Financial Exclusion Trap Multiple contributions examine financial systems banking access, credit availability, digital payment adoption. What becomes evident is that financial inclusion initiatives have expanded access without necessarily building capability. Women possess bank accounts but lack financial literacy to leverage them effectively; rural populations own smartphones but cannot access digital banking due to connectivity, interface complexity, and trust deficits. The comparison between urban and rural women’s financial capability reveals disparities that cannot be addressed through account-opening campaigns alone. Meaningful financial inclusion requires infrastructure investment, culturally appropriate education, vernacular interfaces, and perhaps most fundamentally, transformation of attitudes viewing financial services as urban, educated domains rather than universal entitlements. Workers in traditional industries coir, cashew processing exemplify the limits of current inclusion approaches. Predominantly women from marginalized backgrounds, they access employment but remain trapped in informal arrangements without contracts, social security, or occupational safety protections. Three-quarters carry debt burdens; over half suffer chronic health conditions directly attributable to working conditions. This is not inclusion it is exploitation with a paycheck. Labor Markets: Informality as Structural Violence Perhaps the most damning evidence concerns employment contracts or their absence. When nearly 70% of regular wage workers lack written contracts, vulnerability becomes normalized rather than exceptional. The research documenting wage differentials demonstrates that contract status determines not just income but access to social security, job stability, and basic dignity. Only 2-3% of India’s workforce enjoys genuinely secure employment. This is not a market failure requiring marginal adjustments but a structural feature of India’s economic model. Informality serves capital accumulation by externalizing social reproduction costs onto workers and their communities. Addressing this requires not skill development programs or entrepreneurship training though both have value but fundamental labor market reforms establishing universal contracts, minimum wage enforcement, and social security as rights rather than privileges. SYNTHESIS: TOWARD INTEGRATED TRANSFORMATION Reviewing these contributions, I am struck by the interconnectedness repeatedly emerging. Sustainability mandates that exclude small farmers or informal workers inevitably fail; inclusion initiatives ignoring environmental degradation undermine their own foundations. Marginalized communities bear disproportionate environmental burdens while possessing least adaptive capacity. Water privatization creates scarcity for the poor while enabling corporate profit. Climate change devastates rain-dependent agriculture even as conservation policies restrict traditional adaptive practices. What emerges is not a call for better policy coordination but recognition that our dominant development model generates these contradictions systematically. We pursue GDP growth that degrades ecosystems, industrialization that informalizes labor, urbanization that displaces rural livelihoods, and liberalization that concentrates wealth. Sustainability and inclusion initiatives operate as correctives to a fundamentally extractive, unequal system rather than transforming its underlying logic. The research assembled here provides rigorous evidence of these dynamics. It also, collectively, points toward alternatives: participatory governance over technocratic management, justice frameworks over efficiency calculations, capability building over welfarism, systemic redesign over incremental adjustment. Whether examining permaculture, employment guarantees, or water justice movements, the most compelling contributions envision development not as maximizing output but as enabling dignified, sustainable livelihoods within ecological limits. As Guest Editor, I offer this collection not as definitive answers but as evidence demanding uncomfortable questions. Can ESG frameworks drive transformation or merely legitimize existing power structures? Do inclusion programs empower marginalized communities or manage their exclusion more efficiently? Can we achieve sustainability without confronting inequality, or inclusion without challenging unsustainable accumulation? These articles suggest that meaningful progress requires moving beyond technical solutions toward fundamental transformations in resource distribution, decision-making authority, and institutional arrangements. The path forward demands not just better policies but different politics guided by principles of equity, participation, and ecological integrity that place human dignity and environmental health before abstract growth metrics.
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Effect of Macro-economic Factors on the Trading Styles of Institutional Investors
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Macro-Economic Factors, Institutional Investors, Trading Style, Momentum-Contrarian, Buy Ratio, Logistic Regression Institutional investors, known for their professional expertise and high-volume trading, vary in their investment horizons and strategies, particularly in how they respond to macro-economic factors.This study investigates whether foreign institutional investors(FIIs) and domestic institutional investors (DIIs) in India adopt different trading styles in relation to macro-economic factors, with a particular focus on momentum and contrarian trading. The study uses the monthly aggregated investment flows of institutional investors in the equity market to measure the trading style from 1st April 2012 to 31st March 2024. The trading style of institutional investors is measured using the Buy Ratio. Further to determine which macro-economic factors increase the likelihood of institutional investors going momentum or contrarian is examined using the logistic regression model. The findings show institutional investors do not mimic each other trading style with respect to macro-economic announcements. The results reveal that there exist significant positive and negative relations between a few macro-economic factors and institutional investors. The study finds evidence that FIIs chase the market return and pursue a momentum trading style while DIIs adopt a contrarian trading style.
Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management
Impact of Consistent and Stable Dividend on Share Values: Insights from Indian Corporate Firms
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Consistent Dividend, Dividend Payout, Irregular Dividend Payers, Share Value, Stable Dividend Subjects: Finance, Financial economics The study undertakes to determine the impact of Dividend Decisions on the value of shares. For this purpose, the study attempts to know whether firms follow consistency in their dividend payments and if that consistency brings an effect on the value of the firm measured by shareprices. The firms listed on NSE 100 index has been taken as the sample and the firms are divided into three categories of Consistent Dividend Payers, Irregular Dividend Payers and Consistent as well as Stable Dividend Payers. Test results supported the use of Fixed Effects Method and Driscoll Kraay Robust Standard Errors are employed along to address the issues of multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation. The results under all the firms, Consistent Dividend Payers, consistent as well as Stable Payers are almost the same which showed that Dividend payout is not an influencing factor of share value aligning with the MM theory of Dividend. But in case of Irregular Payers, Dividend payout appeared to be statistically significant indicating that payment of Dividend signals positive information to the market thereby increasing the value of shares. The results are mixed supporting both the Relevancy and Irrelevancy theory of Dividends.
Beyond the Human: Posthuman Identity, AI Consciousness, and Techno-Evolution in Speculative Literature
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology, Language Studies, Cultural Studies, Media and Communication & Library Science, Education, Health, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Exclusion & Gender Studies Keywords: AI consciousness, cyberpunk, Other, posthuman identity, posthumanism, symbiosis, echno-dystopia, transhumanism Biotechnology, artificial intelligence and immersive virtuality have arrived, and with them, a fundamental reconsideration of humanity has become essential. This shifting terrain is explored in posthuman literature, particularly in speculative fiction and cyberpunk fiction, which extensively deals with ideas of transhumanism, artificial intelligence consciousness, cyborg identity, synthetic life, body modification, fluid identity, and techno-evolution. These portrayals do not promote a remarkable path to a utopia or dystopia, but explore how technological enhancement, disembodied subjectivity and hybrid bodies deconstruct the humanist lineage and establish new replica of life. This study explores the extensive theoretical and imaginative landscape of the posthuman literature through the analysis of works that incorporate mind uploading, conscious transfer, and the development of human-machine symbiosis. These narratives question anthropocentrism and re-construct identity as contingent, distributed and modifiable. The figure of the cyborg, the sentient AI, and the digitized self function not as gimmicks but as philosophical probes into agency, ethics, and the fragility of consciousness. Drawing from the theories of Donna Haraway, N. Katherine Hayles, Rosi Braidotti, and others, the study constructs a layered analysis of how posthuman themes complicate questions of morality, embodiment, and autonomy. Through the fusion of narrative and theoretical frameworks, this analysis highlights how speculative fiction acts as a site for ethical speculation and ontological experimentation. Ultimately, the posthuman condition is proposed not as a destination but as a contested process in which becoming-other through technology is both a perilous and promising path toward redefining identity, agency, and existence itself.
Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology
Language Studies, Cultural Studies, Media and Communication & Library Science
Education, Health, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Exclusion & Gender Studies
Investment Behaviour and Decision Making Alternatives - A Study
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Behavioural Finance, Investors, Psychological Factors, Investment Decisions, Investment Alternatives Subjects: Commerce, Finance Behavioural finance, which integrates psychological and behavioural factors into investment decisions, contests conventional financial theories by analyzing investors' cognitive abilities and psychological phenomena. This research examines the investment behaviour of individual investors in Tiruchirappalli district city. The study aims to understand the impact of demographic and psychological characteristics on investment behaviour. The high savings rate in India emphasizes the importance of individual investors, who often lack comprehension and perception of various financial products. The study uses personality traits and demographic information to analyze investor behaviour. The initial survey used a well-organized questionnaire to analyze the investment situation, knowledge, perception, and investments of individual investors in Tiruchirappalli district. The data were examined using SPSS 26, and the frequency of demographic factors, investors' perception of various investment alternatives, and also using AMOS 24. Investors tend to choose traditional assets as they are more secure and easily converted into cash. Individual preferences can effectively satisfy both consumers and service providers, enhancing investor risk appetite through heightened awareness. This study encompasses the fields such as investor perception, preference, behaviour, demographic characteristics, and psychology.
Assessing Entrepreneurial Growth, Prospects and Problems in the MSME Sector in Erode District
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: MSMEs, Entrepreneurial Prospects, Business Challenges, Resilience, Financial Access, Policy Support In our country like India, the MSME sector is being considered as the backbone of district economic growth and that helps in diversification, creating jobs and innovations of their industries. These businesses are still facing with a continuous challenge where it touches the facilities such as infrastructure, finance, skilled labour and regulatory compliance. The backdrop is against that the current study seeks to evaluate the opportunities which are existing to the MSME entrepreneurs. For the purpose, it is to investigate the nature of the problems that limit performance and also review the relationship that exists between the two dimensions. A sample of the entrepreneurs was surveyed using a structured questionnaire intended to assess the perception of growth opportunities and business issues from Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Erode District, Tamil Nadu. The results explicitly brought out that the MSME entrepreneurs in the erode district believe strongly that there are excellent growth
Evaluating Strategic Performance and Financial Efficiency of TNPL, Karur, Tamil Nadu
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Financial Performance, Profitability Ratio, Debt Coverage Ratio, Sustainable Operation Practice The present article gives a detailed analysis of the financial performance of one of the prominent publicly-run companies in the Indian paper mill industry, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers Limited (TNPL). The analysis of financial efficiency, profitability, liquidity, and solvency of the company is reviewed in relation to the financial period of five years, 2018 to 2022, based on the secondary data, according to the official annual reports and the official financial portals. The performance trend has been analyzed using the ratio analysis to find out the financial stability of the firm. The findings reveal that the profitability and the amount of the working capital change significantly and, in general, are contingent on the instability of the market environment, the increase in expenses, and the changes in the economy following the pandemic. Despite these strains, TNPL is financially strong because of its strength in asset efficiencies and good utilization of debt. The paper highlights the strategic importance of enhancing liquidity, cost structural alignment and the adoption of sustainable operation practices. Moreover, the financial management of TNPL is placed in the wider framework of the Indian industrial competitiveness and environmental responsibility that underlines the fact that long-term development of the company will be based on the logistics of profitability and the sustainability of value creation and strategic reinvestment in eco-efficient technologies
Hashtags, VPNs, and Youth Rage: Social Media in Nepal’s Gen Z Protest
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology Keywords: Social Media, Digital Tools, Hashtag Activism, Gen Z Protest Grounded on Karl Marx's conflict theory and Manuel Castell's networked age social movement, the present study is an attempt to examine the role of digital platforms as a tool to counter the media monopoly of the states, shape narratives, and foster collective consciousness in the Gen-Z-led protest mobilization in Nepal. By engaging in qualitative digital ethnography, we argue how social media and digital tools empowered the activists by enabling them to bypass the state censorship, helping them to coordinate and organize the movement. The Gen Z protest in Nepal also demonstrates how political instability and inefficiency failed the youth's aspirations, culminating in an uprising resulting in the collapse of the government.
Hurdles Handled by Women Entrepreneurs and Its Impact for the Growth of Business Development – An Empirical Analysis
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Hurdles Handled, Regression analysis, Business Development Subjects: Women entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship is an essential element for the growth of the global market. In India, Women face lot of hurdles to start-up their business. The researcher has analysed women entrepreneurs how to overcome their hurdles and its impact for their business development. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique is used to select 165 registered entrepreneurs as the sample size. The researcher has framed a null hypothesis for impact of business development is not dependent on hurdles handled by women entrepreneurs. For analytical purposes, linear regression analysis is employed. Hurdles handled by women entrepreneurs and Impact for business development is 0.897 and 0.886 and it indicates high-level reliability. The researcher identifies the lack of hurdles handled and found medium level of business development. Concluded that impact of self-confident, decision-making ability, to face more competition, to export their products, profit increase, creativity and more employment opportunities are important predictors for business development in order to increase sales as well as income aspect.
A Journey through Time: Changes and Challenges for the Migrant Tribes at Krushnanagar
Section: Research Notes Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology Keywords: Intervention, Exploratory, Livelihood, Migration Migration has increasingly become a global phenomenon. The study is mainly based on the issues faced by migrated tribes residing in the village of Krushnanagar. The study revealed that factors such as limited agricultural productivity, lack of employment opportunities, and environmental changes have remarkably influenced their pattern of migration. They are no longer attached to their own culture but a complete livelihood transformation occurred along with the struggle for cultural survival. The study area is around the periphery of Bhubaneswar. The demographic data shows us the dominance of the female population. This is an exploratory study. Information was collected through primary sources through discussion with the village people as well as followed by some secondary methods from various works of literature, study, articles, and news, etc. for comparison. However, addressing issues arising from migration requires targeted interventions, such as improved infrastructure, sustainable livelihood programmes, and government support for preserving their cultural heritage.
Dry Law, Deep Impact: A Micro-Sociological Study of the Alcohol Ban in Madhepura, Bihar
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology Keywords: Alcohol Prohibition, Domestic Violence, Black-Market Liquor, Public Health, Community Centric Approach This study examines the micro-sociological effects of Bihar's 2016 alcohol prohibition law, focusing on Madhepura as a case example. The "dry law" was intended to reduce domestic violence, enhance public health, and improve socio-economic conditions, especially for women. Although official accounts praise its achievements, the situation on the ground in areas like Madhepura presents a more complex reality. Utilizing primary interviews, secondary sources, and statistical data, the research investigates shifts in family dynamics, the emergence of illegal liquor trade, health impacts, and pressures on institutions. Results indicate a decline in domestic violence and increased household savings in certain communities, but also highlight significant growth in black-market liquor, cases of methanol poisoning, and instances of police misconduct. The paper advocates for a more balanced, community-focused prohibition strategy that includes rehabilitation, alternative employment options, and harm reduction measures.
Ethnicization of the Matua Community in West Bengal, India
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology, Geography, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Development & Area Studies, Political Science, Public Policy, Law & International Relations, Language Studies, Cultural Studies, Media and Communication & Library Science, Education, Health, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Exclusion & Gender Studies, Other Interdisciplinary Studies Keywords: Caste Politics, Ethnicization, Hindu Nationalism, Matua, Ethnic Identity Subjects: Geography , Ethnic Politics, Geopolitics, Political Geography This paper examines the ethnicization of the Matua Community in West Bengal, India through a historical lens focusing on people who influenced the formation of their identity and socio-political consolidation. It first traces Harichand Thakur's religious movement around Kirtan, then the research goes on to present Guruchand Thakur's educational reforms as a turning point to social liberation. Next, the paper looks at the works of Pramatha Ranjan Thakur and Binapani Devi in bringing the low-caste Matua refugees together under a common socio-religious and political fold. Through a literature survey and discourse analysis, this research is a critical account of the changing Matua identity and the resulting caste dynamics and political mobilization in Bengal.
Geography, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Development & Area Studies
Political Science, Public Policy, Law & International Relations
Assessment Of Sports Competition Anxiety Among Selected Female Sports Persons (18-23 Years) Of Colleges Affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala
Section: Articles Categories: Education, Health, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Exclusion & Gender Studies Keywords: female sports persons, , Mahatma Gandhi university, kottayam , kerala, sports competition anxiety, performance Anxiety is an important psychological factor that can have both positive and negative effects on sports person's performance. Sports persons are subjected to a great amounts of pressure for victory and performance. The unpredictable nature of sports and the outcome of matches can place an individual in a state of competitive anxiety. The aim of this study is to assess the sports competition anxiety among female sports persons from colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi university. Kottayam, Kerala. 400 female sports persons were selected for the study. The tool used for the study was sports competition anxiety test (SCAT) questionnaire (Martens,1977). The study found that majority of the selected female sports persons had moderate level of anxiety.
Mahatma Gandhi university, kottayam , kerala
Exploring Digitalization Persuasion and Negligence in Rural India: A Comprehensive Study
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology Keywords: Digitalization, Multimedia, E-Governance, Laxness, Effectiveness, Time-Space The current study examines the effectiveness and challenges of implementing technology in rural India under existing conditions. Launched in July 2015, the Digital India initiative aims to digitally transform India at the grassroots level by ensuring every citizen has internet access and can utilize digital platforms to access governmental programs and regulations. Despite global strides in digital transformation over the past three decades, India lags behind other nations. Digitalization, dating back to the 1940s, continues to shape international commerce, influencing economic and technological spheres globally. Significant advancements, such as 5G in medicine and ultra-rapid aircraft in education, demonstrate the pervasive impact of digitalization. India, with a majority rural population and an economy heavily reliant on agriculture, faces unique challenges in this digital revolution. The current Indian government prioritizes extending technological benefits to rural areas, recognizing digital access as cr
Representation of Minority Women in Contemporary Indian Bengali Cinema
Section: Articles Categories: Language Studies, Cultural Studies, Media and Communication & Library Science Keywords: Representation, Film Studies, Dalit, Minority women, Bengali cinema, male gaze Subjects: Film Studies, Media Studies, Minority Studies, Bengali Films This study argues that Indian Bengali cinema prominently reinforces patriarchal and stereotypical images of minority women -- especially Muslim, Dalit, Christian, etc. -- by marginalising or symbolically erasing them within stories. It uncovers a consistent trend, shared with Bollywood and other global industries, where minority women are mainly cast in underrepresented or stereotypical supporting roles. Unlike other regional cinemas, which have attracted attention, portrayals of minority women in Indian Bengali cinema have largely been disregarded. To address this gap, this research systematically investigates such representations using feminist theory, focusing on narrative analysis, to reveal how gender biases and socio-cultural factors shape these films. Through an in-depth analysis of selected films from 2015 to 2020, the study foregrounds the ongoing symbolic erasure of minority women by critically examining how gendered depictions persist. Taking two films as case studies -- Srijit Mukherjee’s Rajkahini (2015) and Birsa Dasgupta’s Crisscross (2018) – the article scrutinises the narrative roles assigned to minority women and their interactions with prevailing cultural ideologies.
Does Handloom Export from India Face a Structural Break?
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Structural Break , Kinked Growth, Handloom Exports, Tariff, Trade Diversification, New Trade Policy Subjects: Economics, industrial economics, International Economics This study investigates the presence of a structural break in India’s handloom export trajectory with special reference to the trade relationship with the United States and some of the European countries. Considering recent changes in US tariff policies, disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, associated transformations in global supply chains, and changes in consumer behavior, this study uses the Chow test and Boyce’s kinked exponential growth model to evaluate the handloom export dynamics of India. Using the secondary data, the study identifies a statistically significant structural break during 2019, coinciding with the pandemic and exacerbated by transformations in trade relations with the US and some of the mature Western markets. The kinked growth model identifies the stagnant growth pattern in the pre-covid period and a sharp decline after the break. The study brings out the vulnerability in our traditional trade relations with some of the Western markets and calls for developing new strategic trade relationships focusing on diversification. The study also indicates the importance of institutional support and policy realignment to protect the vulnerable but socioeconomically and culturally important handloom sector.
Colonialism, Capitalism, Catastrophe: A Case Study of the Intersection of Disaster and Colonialism in Darjeeling
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology, Geography, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Development & Area Studies Keywords: Colonial Urbanism, Disaster and Capitalism, Disaster Politics, Environmental History Subjects: History, Environmental History This paper explores the intersection of disaster, colonialism, and capitalism in Darjeeling, using the 1934 Bihar-Nepal earthquake as a critical lens to understand historical processes of urbanisation and vulnerability. Drawing on the framework proposed by Aguilar, Pante, and Tugado (2016), it argues that disasters are not isolated ruptures but deeply embedded in long-term socio-environmental transformations. The essay traces the colonial development of Darjeeling as a hill station, its strategic significance, and the disastrous impact of British resource extraction and urban planning on indigenous Lepcha populations. Through the case of the 1934 earthquake, this paper reveals how disasters become opportunities for state intervention, political manoeuvring, and the propagation of capitalist logics, often exacerbating existing class, caste, and gender inequalities. The study critiques the hegemonic and linear narratives of development, highlighting the persistent environmental and social consequences of commodifying nature in vulnerable regions.
Succession and Sovereignty: The Dalai Lama’s Reincarnation and Its Implications for India-China Relations
Section: Articles Categories: Political Science, Public Policy, Law & International Relations Keywords: Dalai Lama, Reincarnation, Contested Succession, India-China Subjects: Geopolitics The forthcoming succession of the 14th Dalai Lama has emerged as a critical juncture in the geopolitics of South Asia. While Tibetan Buddhism treats the Dalai Lama's reincarnation as a spiritual matter, China has asserted political authority over the process, framing it as a question of sovereignty. India, hosting the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and the Dalai Lama since 1959, faces a delicate strategic challenge: balancing its commitment to Tibetan refugees and spiritual traditions with the imperative of managing its strained relations with China. This article examines the intersection of religion and politics in the Dalai Lama's succession, analyses China's attempts to control Tibetan Buddhism, and assesses how this contestation might influence India-China relations in the coming decades.
User Fees in Public Healthcare: A Willingness-to-Pay Study in Kerala, India
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Cost of treatment, Financing, Healthcare, User fees, Willingness-to-pay Subjects: Health Economics This study examines the willingness to pay (WTP) for tertiary public healthcare services in Kerala, a state with a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and significant out-of-pocket healthcare expenditures. Data were collected from in-patients at Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, using structured interviews to assess the socio-economic determinants influencing WTP. The findings reveal that socio-economic variables such as age, caste, education, employment status, and economic background significantly impact WTP. Urban patients, those with higher education levels, and regular income earners were willing to pay more for improved healthcare services, while patients from economically weaker backgrounds expressed lower WTP. The study also highlights the inadequacies in the current public healthcare system, such as insufficient laboratory facilities, leading to increased reliance on costly private institutions. The results underscore the potential of WTP-based user fees to enhance service quality and financial sustainability while addressing urban-rural disparities and economic inequities. However, careful policy design, including subsidies and exemptions for low-income groups, is essential to ensure affordability and accessibility. The study provides insights into sustainable healthcare financing models tailored to the socio-economic realities of Kerala.
Water Crisis by Design: Unpacking India’s Political Economy of Water Crisis Through the Marxist Framework of Environmental Justice
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Unpacking, Political Economy , Marxist Framework , Environmental Justice India represents around 18 % of the world's population as one of the most populated countries, leaving behind China, and only 4 % of global fresh water resources for drinking water. According to the World Bank's estimates, around 163 million people face clean and fresh water availability for drinking purposes. In terms of the impact of polluted and unclean water, nearly 21 per cent of communicable diseases in India are linked to unsafe water, and around 500 children die every day due to diarrhoea. Thus, the water crisis in India is severe, and India's population is facing the worst crisis of water for drinking purposes as well as other purposes related to life and health. Despite the Constitution of India being an egalitarian document that guarantees certain fundamental rights in Parts III and IV without these guarantees and their inalienability, the scarcity of availability of fresh water or clean water has become so acute in India that billions of people, especially the underprivileged and peripheral, are deprived of their basic need for water. Without fulfilling this basic need of water, the meaning of life is meaningless, and the concept of right to life, envisaged under Article 21 of the Constitution and recognised by the judicial pronouncements, is of no practical use. This paper will deal with the fundamental question of whether the water crisis in India is by design or just incidental. In this regard, policies and laws will be briefly analysed and why the judiciary interpreted Article 21 of the Constitution to recognise the right to clean water as an integral part of the right to life in its broader sense of term and meaning. The Marxist framework of environmental justice will be adopted to unpack the political economy of the water crisis in India. The central focus of the analysis of the political economy of the water crisis will be the policies, laws, and programmes that are, by design, responsible for the water crisis, resulting in environmental injustice.
The Impact of Rainfall Variability on Occupational Diversification of Farm Households In Rural Assam
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management, Geography, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Development & Area Studies Keywords: Rainfall variability, rural non-farm employm, intensity of occupational diversification , rural Assam Subjects: Climate change , Occupational diversification Occupational diversification from farm to the rural non-farm sector (RNFS) has become a major livelihood option in rural India. Among the various factors affecting diversification, the impact of changing climatic condition has become a prime cause of concern. Although its impact is felt everywhere, yet the state of Assam being not only prone to frequent floods and soil erosion, is also heavily dependent on rainfall for irrigation. Therefore, any change in climatic condition is likely to affect farm output and income immensely. Further, growth of the RNFS is also highest in Assam compared to other North-Eastern states which points towards a plausible link between climate change and occupational diversification. The present paper is an attempt to empirically analyse this relation between rainfall variability and farm household’s diversification strategy where not only the decision of diversification but also its intensity is studied. To fulfill the objective, a Double Hurdle model is applied where we found that farm households adopt a diversified livelihood as a response to mitigate risks associated with rainfall variability. They also increase their participation in non-farm employment where more working members shift to this sector as risk reduction strategy. Even in the presence of irrigation intensity, farm households’ likelihood to engage in non-farm activities is still positive. Therefore, policies should focus on infrastructural development that is likely to facilitate easy access to farm inputs and also accelerate growth of the RNFS as well.
intensity of occupational diversification
Empowerment through Policy Framework: An Analysis of the Draft National Policy for Persons with Disabilities
Section: Articles Categories: Anthropology, Sociology, Social Work, History & Archeology, Political Science, Public Policy, Law & International Relations Keywords: Disability, Empowerment, Inclusion, National Policy, Policy for Persons with Disabilities Subjects: Disability, Empowerment, Inclusion, National policy The National Sample Survey report (2018) in India describes that the prevalence of disability is 2.2 %, which is similar to the figures from the 2011 census i.e. In India of the 2011 census, there were 2.68 crores of persons living with disabilities. In 2006, the Indian Government framed a national policy for differently-abled persons covering the prevention and rehabilitation of disabilities. It also focuses on the rehabilitation of women and children with disabilities, facilitating a barrier-free environment, improving social security, initiating research, and formulating guidelines, among others. Later after 15 years, in 2021, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment released a draft National Policy for Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan). The scenario in 2021 has faced many changes compared to that of 2006. One important legislative development was the implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2016, followed by the adoption of the National Education Policy in 2020. In better alignment with global initiatives, India ratified UNCRPD and acceded to various international resolutions directly or indirectly related to PwDs. The paper illustrates India's National policy for persons with disabilities. Generally, governments' policies are a means and mechanism for addressing the needs of citizens. Even in terms of disability, this existing policy and the new draft is a vehicle of sought-after change, which is the empowerment and inclusion of PwDs. Hence, the policy should consider the needs of the recipients and that it can meet those needs. The purpose of the current paper is to analyse the current policy as well as the recent draft policy, its strengths and weaknesses, and to identify areas that need attention.
Employee Advocacy on LinkedIn-An Overview
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Brand Positioning, Individual LinkedIn Profile, Ongoing Engagement, Personal Branding, Professional Credibility Employee Advocacy on LinkedIn involves employees actively promoting their company’s brand, values, and content through their personal LinkedIn profiles. This approach enhances brand visibility, builds trust, and strengthens the company’s position as a thought leader within professional circles. Companies that implement employee advocacy benefit from expanded reach, increased engagement, and a more humanized brand image. Meanwhile, employees enhance their personal brand, gain professional credibility, and increase their influence in their industry. Successful employee advocacy programs require clear guidelines, engaging content, and a supportive environment that encourages genuine and consistent involvement. This paper delves into the dynamics of employee advocacy, its effects on brand credibility, talent acquisition, and employee engagement. It also looks at best practices, tools, and metrics for implementing and evaluating effective advocacy programs. By focusing on trust, authenticity, and
Exploring the Potential of Kitchen Gardening and Immunity Booster Plantation in COVID-19 Prevention
Section: Articles Categories: Other Interdisciplinary Studies Keywords: Kitchen Gardening, Perception, Plantation, Pandemic In COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for herbal remedies to boost the innate and acquired immunity to fight against corona virus. The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on urban India’s food crisis, which has led the prime minister to advocate the ‘vocal-for-local’ concept. To mitigate such problems, urban kitchen gardening practices like terrace farming, roof-top farming etc., are not only gaining popularity but are also considered a measure of self-reliance in urban food ecosystems. In this regard, kitchen gardening concept is gaining popularity in urban Indian households, especially in post-COVID-19 lockdown times. Therefore, there is an urgent need to optimize the kitchen gardening practices for urban Indian households for their self-reliance on useful plants production in an environmentally sustainable manner. The aim of the study includes, studying the perception related to the kitchen gardening practices in a COVID -19 pandemic among respondents and to assess the association of ki
AI in Mediation: Ethical Issues and Inclusivity Challenges in Access to Justice
Section: Articles Categories: Political Science, Public Policy, Law & International Relations Keywords: AI in mediation, Ethical concerns, Human element in mediation, Online dispute resolution, Mediation Act, 2023, Access to justice Subjects: LAW, Mediation, Online Dispute Resolution, Law and AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) in mediation holds transformative potential to enhance the efficiency of the dispute resolution processes, however, it brings complex ethical concerns and inclusivity problems that could undermine fair and equal access to justice. This article investigates how AI’s algorithmic biases and diminished human empathy counteract principles of fairness and trust essential to mediation. In this context, it examines the digital divide that has adversely impacted the vulnerable groups, particularly within the diverse socio-legal settings like India. The analysis of India’s new Mediation Act, 2023, indicates legislative deficiencies in addressing the ethical concerns connected with AI’s application in mediation processes. It argues that AI should support, not supplant, human mediators, so that the essence of mediation is not compromised. It proposes a strong ethical framework and bias audits in connection with the application of AI in mediation, in keeping with the goals of inclusive justice (UN SDG 16).
IASLIC Bulletin as a Channel of Research Communication: A Bibliometric Analysis (1956-2016)
Section: Articles Categories: Language Studies, Cultural Studies, Media and Communication & Library Science Keywords: Scholarly Journal, IASLIC Bulletin, Bibliometric Subjects: Bibliometric analysis, Scientometrics, Metrics The present study investigates the research productivity and scholarly trajectory of the IASLIC Bulletin, a leading journal in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS), over a sixty-one-year period from 1956 to 2016. The primary objective is to evaluate the journal’s academic impact, discern publication trends, and understand the evolving patterns of research communication within the LIS domain. This bibliometric analysis draws upon data from the cumulative index “Sixty-One Years of ‘IASLIC Bulletin’: A Cumulative Index, 1956–2016”, serving as the primary data source. Employing both statistical methods and visualization tools, the study examines core bibliometric indicators such as annual publication output, authorship trends, and patterns of research collaboration. The findings reveal a steady increase in the volume of published articles over the decades, reflecting the journal’s sustained relevance and the dynamic nature of LIS research in India. Notably, single-author contributions constitute the majority of publications, highlighting the tradition of individual scholarship in the field. However, a discernible rise in co-authored papers in recent years signals a shift toward collaborative research practices, aligning with global trends in academic publishing. This study offers a comprehensive and focused analysis of a single journal's bibliometric profile, thereby filling a critical gap in LIS literature. The rigorous methodology—featuring systematic data extraction and quantitative evaluation—lends credibility and replicability to the research. Beyond its retrospective assessment, the study highlights the IASLIC Bulletin's pivotal role in disseminating LIS knowledge and fostering academic discourse over the past six decades. The insights derived are pertinent for LIS researchers, policy-makers, and information professionals aiming to map scholarly communication patterns or inform strategic publishing practices. By charting the journal’s evolution and scholarly contributions, this research advances our understanding of the publication's influence within the Indian LIS community and contributes a valuable resource for further bibliometric inquiry and academic planning in the discipline.
From Temporary to Permanent Employment? How Education and Labor Laws Shape Job Mobility in Indian Manufacturing
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: contract workers, job ladder, EPL, Permanent Workers Subjects: Labour Economics, Economics, Economics and Social Sciences India's registered manufacturing sector experienced a noteworthy change in employment structure in the early 2000s, marked by a significant increase in the use of contract workers over permanent employees. This paper investigates whether workers with temporary contracts climb up the job ladder or if they find themselves trapped in periods of temporary labour (focusing on dualistic labour segmentation) with particular emphasis on the influence of educational attainment and the enforcement of Employment Protection Legislation (EPL). Utilizing comprehensive data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), we analyze how individuals’ educational attainment and the stringency of EPL shape employment patterns, specifically affecting the likelihood of securing permanent positions. The results show that educational attainment does not have a positive impact on the upward job mobility of contract workers. Additionally, stricter enforcement of EPL makes it less likely for individuals to transition from contractual to permanent employment, possibly due to the increased job security of permanent workers or to evade labour laws.
Impact of Education and Occupational Background on Livelihood Diversification of Tribal People in Hill Tripura
Section: Articles Categories: Economics, Political Economy, Commerce & Management Keywords: Livelihood, Land, Education, Work Participation Rate, Rural Tripura The present research focusses the livelihood diversification and its possible determinants of the tribal people in rural Tripura. Tripura is characterized as diverse features of cultural and socio-economic structure. These distinct features of the state stimulated the multiple sources of income earning of rural people in Tripura. Again, the diverse topography of the state encouraged to multiple choice of earnings strategy. The tribal population predominantly lived in hill Tripura and practices traditional method of production to generate income. However, several factors influenced to generate income of these people in the present era of development. Consequently, the present research investigated the factors of livelihood diversification of rural people in Tripura. We assumed level of education, households' land holding and number of workers per household are the key determinants of livelihood diversification or multiple choice of earning. We surveyed three adjacent villages in hill Tripura and applied a multiple linear regression technique for this purpose. We obtained significant results.
A Study of Satisfaction Level of Tourists Visiting in Rudraprayag District, Uttarakhand
Section: Articles Categories: Geography, Environmental Studies, Sustainable Development & Area Studies Keywords: Indian Himalaya Region, Rudraprayag,, Satisfaction Level Subjects: Sustainable Tourism, The potential for tourism in the western Indian Himalayas offers a favorable chance for long-term economic growth. Given the huge potential for tourism development in Uttarakhand. It has been a good travel destination for domestic and international travelers due to its stunning natural beauty of the landscape and pleasant climate. The study focuses on the satisfaction level of the tourists and the inconveniences faced by the tourists visiting Rudraprayag district, Uttarakhand during the summer season. Kedarnath is taken as the area of the study. This study was based on the primary data and a sample size of 300 respondents was selected with the help of the convenience sampling technique. The respondents were selected from different places, belonging to different climatic and altitudinal zones. The study revealed that there is dissatisfaction and inconveniences among the tourists related to the basic services such as parking space, non-manageable traffic, non-availability of local transport, medical facilities, and high-priced hotels. On the contrary, travelers are delighted with their trip due to the pleasant climate and beautiful landscapes. This study will help the development of tourist destinations, improve basic infrastructure facilities, mitigate the economy of the local people, and migration issues, and improve in framing tourism policies, which plays a vital role in promoting tourism in the Rudraprayag district in Uttarakhand.
Socio Economic Conditions of Coir Workers in Tamilnadu – A Study with Special Reference To Paramathi Velur Taluk of Namakkal District
Section: Articles Keywords: Coir, Brown Fibre, Socio Economic Conditions, Cottages, Coir Industries, Coir Yarn ABSTRACT: In India coir is produced from coconut trees, known as cocosnucifera and sometimes as cocos fibre. Water and salt water can damage the natural fiber due to the high water content of coir fibers. The history of coir in the world indicates that the introduction of coir in the England. From the moment Indian coir produced in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa and Orissa took over European and global markets, the power and dominance of Indian coir was in a success position and it held without retreating. Large corporate firms soon set up coir factories in other areas such as Pollachi, Kanniyakumari, Thanjavur, Salem and Namakkal coir industry was established as the most important hereditary cottage industry and one of the traditional industries in southwest coastal areas such as Kerala, Alleppey, Kanniyakumari. Thanjavur, Pollachi occupy a most important place in Tamilnadu India. The agro-based coir Industry is mainly export oriented and rural based. This traditional industry is notable for its economic importance in terms of income such as foreign exchange and employment. Tamilnadu employment 2.10 lakhs this traditional industry provides employment opportunities in the manufacture of cottage handicrafts and benefits 3 lakhs people. The coir industry in Tamilnadu is the third largest sector as the only sign of non-agricultural employment for the rural poor. Pollachi, Thanjavur and Namakkal are the nerve centers of Tamilnadu for coir production. This paper is a survey of life, socioeconomic status and profile of coir workers in Paramathi Velur taluk, Namakkal District, Tamilnadu.