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1 – 10 of 302This paper aims to focus on the conflict in the Indian states of Kashmir and Manipur. It situates both conflicts within a historical frame to underscore their origins in history…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to focus on the conflict in the Indian states of Kashmir and Manipur. It situates both conflicts within a historical frame to underscore their origins in history. Using a comparative, inter-disciplinary lens, the paper foregrounds the political, empirical and gendered similarities in both conflict zones. The human cost of modern India’s project of integrating historically autonomous, ethnically distinct and geographically disparate regions of Kashmir and Manipur is illustrated. By way of conclusion, the paper suggests institutional respect for, and accommodation of, ethnic minority history, identity and aspiration, as an ethical, democratic way forward towards conflict resolution.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses a relatively lesser used comparative, critical inter-disciplinary approach towards examining ethnic conflict. Contrary to ahistorical normative approaches focused on individual ethnic conflict, or the conventional assumption that the ethnic conflicts in India are necessarily mutually exclusive, this paper uses a comparative frame to underscore the shared historical origins and common empirical realities of the conflicts in Kashmir and Manipur. This particular approach reframes conventional epistemic debates on conflict in ways that offer a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the same.
Findings
This paper underscores the critical importance of a historically informed approach to conflict and conflict resolution in India’s ethnic borderlands. Challenging statist approaches based on coercion and repression, the paper underscores the need for respect and accommodation of ethnic minority history, identity and aspiration as essential conditions towards a just and enduring peace in both regions.
Originality/value
With exceptions, a comparative approach to conflict studies in India is relatively rare. To this extent, this paper diverges from mainstream approaches. Further, in contrast to studies focused on individual conflicts examined within a single disciplinary analytic frame, this paper uses an inter-disciplinary, intersectional approach to conflict studies. By capturing the converging historical political, social, human and gendered fields of conflict in Kashmir and Manipur, this paper offers a richer, more sophisticated understanding of the character of conflict in India.
T. Longvah, Anitha Chauhan, Sreedhar Mudavath, Bhaskar Varanasi and Neeraja CN
Rice landraces are essential for supplying beneficial traits for developing improved rice varieties with better nutritional quality. Nevertheless, in a yield-driven environment…
Abstract
Purpose
Rice landraces are essential for supplying beneficial traits for developing improved rice varieties with better nutritional quality. Nevertheless, in a yield-driven environment, grain nutritional quality has been ignored especially that of rice landraces. Given this, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the content and nutritional variability of rice landraces from Manipur.
Design/methodology/approach
Thirty-three most popular rice landraces were collected as dry paddy samples from Manipur and transported to the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, by air. All the paddy samples were processed and analyzed for 35 nutrient parameters using standard methodologies.
Findings
The mean nutrient content of Nagaland brown rice was: protein 7.5 ± 0.8, fat 3.0 ± 0.3, TDF 5.5 ± 0.4 and ash 1.2 ± 0.2 g/100g. The range of water soluble-vitamin content in mg/100g, was 0.1–0.43 for Thiamine and for Niacin 2.1–3.5, while the content in µg/100g was 40–64 for Riboflavin, 0.5–3.9 for Pantothenic acid and 20–118 for Pyridoxine. A relatively large coefficient of variation was observed for iron (25%), manganese (28%), copper (32%), calcium (13%) and phosphorus (11%). Manipur rice landraces have significantly higher total dietary fiber and lower phytate contents than modern varieties. Milling led to steep losses of nutrients, and limiting to 5% milling substantially improves nutrient retention in milled rice.
Research limitations/implications
Future nutrition interventions should use rice with superior nutrient quality to improve nutrient intakes. Manipur rice landraces conserved over generations can broaden the genetic base of breeding stocks especially in the face of climate change.
Originality/value
The paper presents comprehensive nutritional data of 33 rice landraces from the state of Manipur, India. The results indicate large nutrient variability even within these 33 rice landraces with important traits such as high total dietary fiber and low phytate contents. The study highlights the importance of conserving the existing rich genetic material of Manipur rice landraces to develop varieties that combine higher yields with stress tolerance and superior grain nutritional value to improve the food and nutrient security.
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The tensions stem from opposition among the tribal population to demands by the Meitei community, Manipur’s largest ethnic group, to be included in the Scheduled Tribe (ST…
Aparna Mitra and Dipanwita Sarkar
The purpose of the paper is to analyze the low status of women as being a major contributor for the observed gender inequality in the spread of HIV/AIDS in India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the paper is to analyze the low status of women as being a major contributor for the observed gender inequality in the spread of HIV/AIDS in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses data from National Aids Control Organization, National Family Health Survey, and the Directorate of Economics and Statistics.
Findings
This study highlights the problems facing women in deterring the spread of HIV/AIDS in India. The status and empowerment of women are important variables in combating the disease among both men and women in India. Literacy, education, exposure to the media, labor market participation, awareness of HIV/AIDS, and economic independence are important considerations in improving the status of women in India. Policymakers need to focus on gender inequality in order to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in India.
Originality/value
While absolute figures indicate men are more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS, the rate of decline is higher for men compared to women in India. We explore several plausible explanations for such observed inequality in the spread of HIV/AIDS across gender. In particular, a potentially important factor – the low status of women in society is attributable as an impediment to the spread of the disease. A case study of the relationship between gender empowerment and the spread of HIV/AIDS in the state with the highest concentration, Manipur, provides more insight to the difficulties faced by women in combating HIV/AIDS in India.
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Chonnatcha Kungwansupaphan and Jibon Kumar Sharma Leihaothabam
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the roles of four specific capital factors, namely, human, social, institutional and financial capitals, in rural women…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the roles of four specific capital factors, namely, human, social, institutional and financial capitals, in rural women entrepreneurship. The focus was on the handloom sector in Manipur, India.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses qualitative research methodology with a multiple case study approach. Data were collected using in-depth interviews to study seven cases of rural women entrepreneurs.
Findings
The study highlights that human, social, institutional and financial capitals play significant roles in encouraging rural women to engage in entrepreneurial activities and influence strategic decisions. Each capital factor being interrelated, achieving the integration among them will considerably enhance entrepreneurial success.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation is the narrow scope, emphasizing on only four capital factors. There are implications for further work on other types of capital. The study being sector specific, limits generalization. It contributes insights into the need for multi-sector examinations in the literature.
Practical implications
Rural women entrepreneurship needs are in line with understanding the roles of capital factors and their interrelations. The role of capital factors varies between prior and no prior entrepreneurial experiences.
Originality/value
This study provides information on the role of capital factors on rural women entrepreneurship and contributes to better understanding of how each capital factor is accumulated and utilized in rural women entrepreneurship development using the perspective of handloom sector in Manipur, India.
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INDIA: Manipur is a growing problem for Modi’s party
INDIA: Tensions in Manipur should gradually ease
Moirangthem Hemanta Meitei and Haobijam Bonny Singh
The paper aims to analyze the coverage of health insurance and its correlates in the north-eastern region of India.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to analyze the coverage of health insurance and its correlates in the north-eastern region of India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study accessed the raw data of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4) (2015–16), which was an extensive, multiround survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India, which included socioeconomic, demographic and information on coverage of health insurance of any member of the household. The multivariate analysis of logistic regression was adopted to find the correlates of health insurance for all the eight (8) north-eastern states of India.
Findings
The results observed that among the north-eastern states, the coverage of health insurance was highest in Arunachal Pradesh (59%) followed by Tripura (58%), Mizoram (47%) surpassing the all India level of 27%, whereas the lowest was in Manipur (4%) followed by Nagaland (6%) and Assam (10%). The multivariate analysis of logistic regression found that the socioeconomic and demographic factors, households with a bank account and below poverty line (BPL) cardholders played a significant role in the coverage of health insurance in the north-eastern states of India.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses only on the coverage and correlates of health insurance. Further evaluation studies on each scheme of the social health insurance are needed for proper assessment of the health insurance schemes in the region.
Practical implications
There has been evidence around the world (South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand) that health insurance could be a protective shield from the entrapment into poverty due to high health expenditure. The NFHS-4 put up the finding that in the north-eastern part of India, the coverage of health insurance had been low. This implied that the region could fall into poverty due to high medical expenses on health. Taking account of multiple health insurance providers, risk pooling and consolidation of health insurance providers have become the need of the hour.
Originality/value
The study is different from other studies of health insurance since it covered all the eight (8) north-eastern states of India, which are ethnically, culturally and historically distinct from the rest of India in general and within the region and states in particular and examines the impact of each of the independent variables with the dependent variables. The study has shown that the variation in health insurance coverage associated with socioeconomic and other household-level demographic attributes (although not very strong).
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India's attempts to broker peace with Naga insurgents.
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DOI: 10.1108/OXAN-DB247630
ISSN: 2633-304X
Keywords
Geographic
Topical
Feng found that political institutions (operationalized in terms of political repression, political instability and policy uncertainty) do matter for economic growth by…
Abstract
Feng found that political institutions (operationalized in terms of political repression, political instability and policy uncertainty) do matter for economic growth by constraining individuals’ decisions in their marketplace (Feng, 2003, p. 296). Political stability is also an important element among the World Governance Indicators developed by Kaufmann et al. as part of the World Bank project to assess good governance in 1996. Economic well-being is also dependent on political stability and consistency in governance policy. Loss of economic and political confidence is therefore accepted as a factor affecting economic well-being of a society. How far these hypotheses are supported or negated by evidence from Northeast region of India that has witnessed insurgency for six decades now is the object of enquiry in this chapter. Alongside pure economic indicators such as Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) and FDI, this article looks at the play of political factors like stability of governments in the representative democratic paradigm sanctioned by the Constitution of India in the Northeastern states of India during the decade 2006–2016.
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