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With the advances in the area of Information Technology, the digital divide, i.e., the gap between the urban people (who have easy access to technology) and rural people (who do not have an easy access to technology) is increasing day-by-day. The success story of the Indian IT industry has benefitted only the urban populace, whereas the overall scenario for rural India is pathetic. Today, the Indian government authorities and organizations, and many NGOs are developing and experimenting with various business models, all over the country, with the objective of providing IT means and solutions to the rural masses; and at the same time taking care of their business interests. This paper examines and takes note of such IT initiatives, and highlights their basic approaches and makes distinction in terms of their objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of farmers' suicides has drawn considerable attention of the policymakers, administrators, and social activist groups. The increasing number of farmers committing suicides in different parts of India has been posing a severe challenge to the governments. The challenges include not only providing relief and rehabilitation to the victims' families, but also preventing the very phenomenon of farmers' suicides. The suicide by a farmer leaves his dependents in distress on several fronts--economic, social, and psychological. The family members have to face severe financial problems if the deceased farmer happens to be the main breadwinner for the family. The entire burden of repaying the debt and managing the family now falls on the shoulders of the wife of the deceased farmer. Apart from the psychological trauma caused by the loss of her spouse, she also has to suffer the humiliation meted out by the moneylenders as well as the society, all the while looking for sources of income for survival. This paper focuses mainly on the plight of such widows in the immediate aftermath of the suicide in the family and their coping mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite long years of operation, the State Road Transport Corporations (SRTCs) in India have become objects of criticism that they are operationally inefficient and are incurring losses mainly due to overstaffing and low staff productivity. Burgeoning personnel cost is often considered as one of the major reasons for accumulated losses in these corporations. Both the antagonists and the proponents of privatization argue that the employees of SRTCs did not improve their performance level even in the wake of acute competition from the private sector. To survive in this hostile environment and improve the service quality, these corporations require committed workforce, and hence they have to sharpen their competitive edge by reinforcing their staff strengths. Both the managements and the employees' trade unions have to play a significant role as change agents and ensure the smooth functioning of the SRTCs with a professional outlook to exploit the emerging opportunities. This paper studies the staff related aspects across three major SRTCs and suggests the efforts needed to improve the staff productivity and reduce the staff cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty alleviation is the first and foremost matter of the eight-point agenda of the UN Millennium Development Goals, occupying the topmost priority not only for India but for all other similar third world countries. According to the latest data, the level of urban poverty in India is about 23.2%, which the government intends to reduce to 16.5%. And, in order to raise the standard of living of the common man, various programs have been formulated and implemented through the public-state partnership, with the help of urban local government. The microfinance schemes have also proved very successful throughout India. The women-oriented program 'Kudumbashree' has been implemented successfully in Kerala and has shown remarkable results leading to women's empowerment, which is another important goal of the Millennium Development program. During the implementation of this program through Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY) by urban local governments, various lacunae were observed in the governance, and despite the application of 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, not much has been done in this direction. It is in this context, this paper attempts to focus on the elimination of those lacunae for the success of the poverty alleviation program. It also advocats replicability of Kudumbashree program throughout the country to meet the requirement of the Millennium Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the salient features and evolution of a system of inspection of offices and development works in Haryana--a state in the Indian Union. A well-defined and institutionalized system of physical inspections leads to a greater synergy among the three organs of the Government, namely the Secretariat, the Directorates and the Field Offices/Units. Such a system provides crucial inputs for policy formulation rooted in the aspirations of the public at large and is an effective tool for citizen-friendly governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature has not endowed individuals with the same talents or physical and intellectual attributes. We cannot remove natural inequalities. However, we can reduce and eliminate the man-made inequalities. The essence of equality lies in treating everyone as equals and providing equal opportunity to all for growth and development in all respects. Thus, the Indian Constitution aims at achieving legal equality and doing justice to all. The Constitution, in this regard, enables the state to reserve seats in educational institutions and to reserve jobs in public employment for the underprivileged sections of the society, such as the SCs, the STs, and the BCs. This protective discrimination is not a violation of equality but is a method of achieving equality by elevating the lower strata of the society. It is in this context, the present paper traces the evolution of judicial interpretation of the relevant constitutional provisions so as to achieve a balance between the competing and often conflicting societal interests. The Supreme Court has consistently supported a 50-50 approach in allotting seats and jobs for the "forward" and the "backward" classes at all levels. Instead, this paper proposes the adoption of a pyramidical structure of reservation so that the quantum of reservation is higher at the entry levels of education or employment, and gradually reduce to little or no reservation at the topmost levels. This, the paper suggests, would ensure a fair balance of equities under Articles 15 and 16 and also the maintenance of "efficiency of administration" as mandated by Article 335 of the Constitution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural labor constitutes an important segment of weaker section of the rural areas. Labor is generally provided by the economically and socially backward sections. The female population constitutes nearly half of the total rural population. Hence, women play a vital role in the rural economy of India. A majority of the female workers in rural area are engaged in agriculture and their contribution is significant. The operations performed by the female labor in agriculture vary from region to region and from one social group to another. The participation of the female labor in the agricultural activities will help in the successful implementation of the anti-poverty programs. In addition to this, the earnings of female workers may be used for the development of their family and welfare of the children, and this ultimately leads to the development of the nation as a whole. Hence, the need for an empirical, scientific, inductive, factor-finding investigational study of rural female work participation in the rural economy. This paper examines the determinents of Rural Female Work Participation Rate (RFWPR) in Chittoor district. For highlighting the intermandal and interdivisional variation in RFWPR, coefficient of variation has been calculated. The inequalities in the real agricultural employment status of the rural female workers are shown by the coefficient of equality. The intermandal variation in the RFWPR is analyzed through the estimation of the multiple regression analysis, considering that some of the socioeconomic and the demographic variables are the explanatory variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planners and policymakers have accepted the role of Public Sector Enterprises (PSEs) as one of the deciding factors in national growth, and governmental policies have tended to replace private monopolies in most industries with the installation of public undertakings. The PSEs occupy a predominant position in the Indian economy, especially after the announcement of the Industrial Policy 1956 and rapid expansion of the public sector in all the planning periods. This paper delves into the important issues connected with the performance evaluation of public sector enterprises in general, and the APSRTC in particular. The paper also focuses on the physical and financial performance of the APSRTC since its inception. The important issues, such as revenue, expenditure, tariff hike, and concessions with regard to the corporation are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The winds of liberalization that are sweeping across the country and the wave of globalization that has engulfed the entire economy have, in their wake, brought several stark realities and hard facts to the fore. One can no longer remain insulated from other cultures or isolated from other communities. Among the important lessons learnt from this inevitable integration, the one which has only now caught the attention of all concerned is the ability (or perhaps the inability) of our youth to communicate well, particularly at the international fora. The importance of communication skills in any mode, brand, and concept of professionalism is a well-known and accepted reality today. Contrary to expectation that our academic institutions, particularly those offering courses which have a global demand, such as IT and Management would take the lead, only a handful of them are well-equipped to train students to the nuances of effective communication. Elsewhere, the vast majority of our youth get only a cursory exposure to much needed 'soft skills' and they are thrown into the whirlpool of employment seekers without the necessary tools and techniques to come out trumps. This paper examines the problems and challenges that are envisaged and also offers answers to some of the critical questions concerning communication. It is now realized that intensive restructuring of the curriculum and its delivery based on extensive dialog with the stakeholders is a prerequisite for the success of such a major campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper evaluates the perceived level of job involvement among the university teachers working at the postgraduate departments in the Karnataka State. The sample consists of 152 teachers-60 Lecturers, 47 Readers, and 45 Professors-whose average age ranged between 36 and 49 years. Job involvement scale (Lodahal and Kejner 1965) was administered. Analysis of the data indicated that around 60% of the university teachers perceived and reported to have moderately involved in the job (Mean 75.06 and SD 6.05). There is no significant difference in the levels of job involvement among the university teachers, irrespective of their cadre. All the teachers are perceived to have more or less the same level of job involvement. Job involvement of the university teachers is determined by three sets of variables, namely organizational, demographic, and career-related aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manchal Mandal, a cluster of villages near Hyderabad, is the site of several micro-finance groups, based on both the Self-Help Group (SHG) and cooperative model. Though some of these groups have been in existence for about ten years, few have been able to significantly improve the quality of life or income level of members. Furthermore, these groups have had virtually no effect on larger social issues in the area; and the rights and social perception of women have not changed significantly. Major problems include a glut of finance services offered, combined with the overextended NGO and Government staff, leading to poor monitoring and training of group members. This paper explores the problems in the system and provides a few solutions to overcome the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal solid waste in most cities in developing countries is a serious threat to urban environment. Poor solid waste management is a threat to public health and causes a range of external costs. However, solid waste management in the developing countries has received lesser attention from policymakers and researchers than the other environmental problems, such as air and water pollution. This paper studies the mechanism of solid waste management in three urban cities, namely Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai. The study is based on both secondary and primary information collected from the respective offices of their municipal corporations. The study shows that Kolkata generates a huge amount of waste per day. Municipal Corporation, which is responsible for waste management, spends a substantial amount of their annual budget on waste collection and transportation. However, the method of waste disposal is unsafe, which therefore causes a range of social costs including human health hazards. The study examines the resource recovery initiatives taken at Kolkata with private sector participation, and the role of NGOs, and other community-based organizations in providing solid waste management services both in Delhi and Chennai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has been posing a serious threat to urban development for want of effective planning and infrastructure availability in the cities of developing countries. Bangalore, one such city with global importance as a capital of Information Technology and Biotechnology, has been experiencing acute problems due to rapid urbanization, area expansion, lack of planning and poor infrastructure. The recent initiative by the Government of Karnataka to form 'Greater Bangalore' by increasing the municipal area of the city by more than two times the existing area has posed more problems to development. This paper, while providing an analysis of the development of Bangalore city from a historical perspective, examines the present status and provides several solutions to make the city an affordable urban center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the nature of occupation in which women are involved in the unorganized sector in a slum of Bangalore city. Further, to understand the process of networking among women workers and their working conditions, the income level, time taken to find an occupation, hours of working and years of working under a particular employee have been explored. The study also focuses on the role of informal social network in helping women to enter into the job market. The empirical findings show that women in urban areas play a key role in the household economy by supplementing the overall family income. Moreover, social networking plays an important role in assisting women to find a job in the urban labor market. Among the various informal social networks, the kins of the women have been the key network who help women find jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 21st century is marked by a paradigm shift in education that has resulted both in threats and opportunities. Higher education in India is undergoing rapid changes. The challenges ahead are multifaceted and multidimensional. Though the data show a massive growth in the number of students' enrollment in colleges/universities, holistic view reveals that still only a meager of the total population has access to higher education. Globalization and privatization are imposing new challenges but the nations are still entangled in solving the basic problems of accessibility to higher education for all. This paper is an attempt to ponder over the challenges that are hampering higher education system in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the rapidly changing B-School Education in India due to the globalization and liberalization policies being followed by successive Indian governments from 1991 to 2007. The needs of Indian industry are changing rapidly due to increasing competition in the market place and the influx of MNCs and TNCs in India. The recruitment scenario is also rapidly changing due to competitive processes. This paper discusses the various research studies and surveys on these issues. Further, it discusses innovative steps, such as 50-50 faculty student partnership and the education process triad, which produce outstanding and balanced students who come up with high individual and academic performance, research productivity and also a quality education process model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been a call for the faculty members to introduce learner-centered applications and pedagogical models to better engage students who thrive on contemporary technologies and have a quest for acquisition of knowledge and an inclination for interactivity. A new means of journal writing has been evolved in the form of Web publishing. There are various tools and practices surrounding personal web publishing. The most simple and elegant form of web publishing is Weblogs, which allows even the naïve users of technology who could publish their ideas, thoughts, comments, and reflections. Weblogs if used in an organized manner, can effectively help in reflective learning. The use of Weblogs in education is relatively recent, and there is no standardization or formalization for creating and publishing in Weblogs. Weblogs provide a communication space for developing writing skills, sharing ideas and reflections. This paper suggests how Weblogs can be used in higher education for motivating the uncommunicative students and students who did their primary education in their mother tongue in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nayantara Sahgal, one of the prominent Indian English writers, is deeply concerned with women's status in Indian society. Her counterpart British writer Doris Lessing is a strong supporter of women's cause in the West. Despite belonging to different countries, having different sociocultural backgrounds, both look at the women's question from the same perspective. They both advocated feminism long before the advent of feminist movement in the 1960s in the West. The paper studies the theme of marital discord from the feminist perspective in Nayantara Sahgal's Storm in Chandigarh (1969) and Doris Lessing's The Grass in Singing (1950). They both look at feminism afresh and from a different angle. Their characters after passing through various vicissitudes in their journey of life realize how militant approach can be disastrous for their own self as well as for their family and the society at large. They ultimately strive for a soothing solution in harmonious and fulfilling relationship to save the world from splitting. Both the writers envision a world based on equality, mutual respect, communication, understanding, sharing and cherish harmony between the two sexes. The world, they feel otherwise, is heading towards anarchy and chaos which must be saved at any cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every individual is a consumer at some point in his life. It is not a surprise that in a competitive market, advertising techniques are often fundamental to the success of a product. Advertising makes the most effective use of language to persuade the consumer. This paper explores the language of commercial consumer advertising in the written and visual media. The main focus is on the language of advertisements and representation within the discourse of advertising. It also assesses the effectiveness of using different language styles in a given advertisement or commercial, and looks at the deployment of rhetorical devices to reinforce the advertising message--particularly, in the Tamil media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involvement of people in the dispute resolution process is the most prominent feature of the India-Pakistan relations in recent years. The ongoing peace process is multidimensional involving multiple actors. Earlier the dialogue process was almost confined to the official level, whether it was between New Delhi-Islamabad, India-J&K or Pakistan-'Azad' Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan. But as the recent developments would indicate, especially after the opening of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad route in April 2005, the major focus has gradually shifted to the people of the undivided Jammu and Kashmir. The opening of cross-border routes, the proposed e-mail-linking of passport offices in Srinagar-Muzaffarabad to ease travel, the increasing realisation of the need to fight disasters like earthquakes together, the prospects of other joint mechanisms--are all indicative of a government-backed people-centric process underway. The present article focuses on the ongoing peace process in Kashmir which involves not only India and Pakistan but also the people of both parts of Kashmir. Admitting the complexities involved in the whole exercise, the paper endeavours to portray the positive aspects of the peace process, which could possibly succeed in spite of hurdles. Most of the materials used in the paper are from author's field surveys in Jammu and Kashmir (in Poonch, Jammu, Srinagar, Kargil and Leh), and monitoring of the developments in the region from close quarters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally, women's experiences of armed conflict are multiple and may be classified as vulnerable victims, survivors, peace builders and perpetrators of conflict. In all these roles the effect is both negative as well as positive. Conflict may have grave implications for women while at the same time it may create new opportunities for them. The paper aims at exploring various experiences of women in Kashmir conflict. Women in Kashmir have been continuously the victims of physical/psychological, cultural as well as economic violence. Yet, they have also resisted, for instance, by refusing to veil. In another role, the women in Kashmir have been at the forefront of militancy during the initial period when there was a mass uprising against the Indian State. Since then women have also been active in supporting the militant movement. The setting up of the Association of the Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) in 1994 is an important initiative on the part of women towards bringing peace in Kashmir. However, in the peace processes initiated from time to time, the gender dimension is often ignored and remains invisible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, India has emerged as an important global player in software and other IT enabled services. Studies have attributed India's success to factors such as the existence of a large pool of English-speaking and technically qualified manpower, low cost, and minimal regulatory intervention. While the influence of these factors cannot be denied, the authors feel that adaptive as well as archetypal project management practices have the biggest influence on the industry in maintaining its competitive edge. This paper presents the features of the project management practices in the Indian software industry on the basis of a questionnaire survey, field visits and a number of interviews with industry participants and researchers. The paper addresses the unique characteristics of the industry and highlights the opportunities and challenges facing the project managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides an insight into the commodity derivative trading in India. It provides a first sight of the features of the commodity market and puts forth the legal and regulatory regime governing the commodity market in India. The authors through this paper have focused on the amendments sought to be made in the Forward Contracts Regulation Act (FCRA), 1952. The paper is an attempt to evaluate the scope for the entry of banks into the commodity futures and its resultant legal and regulatory implications. Bank credit recovery is influenced by the prices of commodities, and hence, banks also need to play the trading game as part of risk management of credit. Allowing banks to participate in futures market would boost liquidity and turnover volumes and thus indirectly provide a cover against fluctuations in security values of commodities. The entry of banks into futures could be by lending to farmers or cooperatives with a condition that they should sell their commodities in the market under futures contracts. Futures market can be made more competitive by allowing the participation of mutual funds, banks and other financial institutions. Banks as main suppliers of food credit and major financiers of trading in commodities can play a significant role in stabilizing the futures market and hence there is an urgent need to provide a suitable legal and regulatory framework for the entry of banks into this domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition laws are generally designed to combat anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. In this paper, the author advocates for a competition policy for banking sector in India. It is argued that in a totally deregulated and globalized banking scenario, there is an imperative need for a regulatory framework to ensure corporate governance and adoption of fair practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Punganur in Andhra Pradesh was a prominent zamindari during the British rule. Lack of permanent irrigational facilities and inadequate transport coupled with poor soils left the zamindari a backward region. Whenever there was a famine in any part of the ceded district, it had its echo in Punganur. The entire 19th century was dotted with numerous famines in the zamindari. The famines which occurred in the zamindari before the first Famine Commission of 1880 form the frame of reference for this paper. They present certain unique features both in their severity and also in the manner the relief was provided. During the first phase of the famines (1800-1870), a large number of ryots were forced to abandon their lands and leave the villages in search of living. The Great Famine of 1876-78 was the severest of all famines. The starving people ate even the leaves and roots to keep the body and soul together. There were also famines during the last decade of the century, but they are beyond the scope of the present paper. This paper also analyzes the nature of the famine relief measures adopted during the famines. There was relief provided by the zamindar. The government directly took certain measures to mitigate the sufferings of the people and there were also certain concessions shown by the government to the zamindar with the hope that those concessions would ultimately percolate to the ryots. Thus, there was a three-pronged approach in the relief that came to the people. While the relief works undertaken by the zamindar were mostly related to the improvement of irrigational works, the government's relief revolved around the provision of transport facilities like road works, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the crucial role of education in socio-economic transformation, the Government of India and the respective state governments have been striving to achieve universal elementary education during the eleventh plan period. In order to translate the spirit of right to education into reality, concerted planned efforts are being made to ensure availability of schooling along with conducive learning environment for all the children in the age group of 6-14. Besides, a plethora of incentives in the form of hostels, scholarships, mid-day meal, free books and uniforms are being provided to the children of SCs, STs and other vulnerable sections, among whom the extent of non-enrolment, drop-out and child labour is very high. Yet, the social and gender disparities in both rural and urban areas continue to be persistent in literacy and elementary education. Against this backdrop, an attempt has been made in this paper to examine to what extent the initiatives under the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) have been effective in bridging the social and gender disparities in literacy rates in general and elementary education in particular. It is observed that due to initiatives under DPEP and SSA, the gender disparities in literacy and elementary education over a period of time have declined significantly among all social groups in general, but it is not to the desired extent particularly in the case of SCs and STs. The present incentives, safeguards and poverty alleviation schemes should however continue for achieving 100% enrolment and retention rates among SCs, STs and other backward communities and this would indeed enable us to achieve universal elementary education during the eleventh plan period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper examines the depth and space of gender bias against female children in schooling in Andhra Pradesh. It is observed that though the performance of Andhra Pradesh with respect to child schooling in general and girl children in particular, during the last 15 years is better than many other states in India, the phenomenon of educational deprivation of children still persists. Moreover, the gender inequalities in educational deprivation are unaltered although such gender inequality in Andhra Pradesh has been relatively lower than that of the all-India average. Household characteristics such as caste, occupation, head of the household, parental literacy status, household size, and presence of sibling found to be the important factors for child schooling. Though the probability of a child attending increases with the betterment of the household, the probability is lower for female children than their male counterparts. In addition, supply factors of schooling have their own impact in general and in particular for girl child schooling. Therefore, the gender as a characteristic is itself a constraint for child schooling even after neutralising the impact of all the other factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an enormous amount of public policy debate in India and the rest of the world on status of women because women constitute almost half of India's population. The kind of indifference shown by the society towards women in socio-economic field evidently discloses the perpetual and persisting disparity among men and women. Women education should be seen as a factor for economic development and not as a mere waste of resources. The myth that women are not "comparably competent" to men is exploded with their meaningful participation in all the fields. It is established that given an opportunity they are equally intellectual and can definitely compete with men in any field. The theory of justice and cooperative conflict are also examined in this article from the perspective of gender discrimination in education. This paper analyses the status of women in relation to literacy and gender disparity in India in general and the State of Andhra Pradesh (AP) in particular. Further, taking statistics of female literacy for the past four decades, the paper critically examines status of female literacy in AP as against the national average. The research paper concludes with some observations and provides suggestions which can be instrumental in improving female literacy of India in general and AP in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A company is an organization where a cluster of individuals work with a commonality of aim to achieve the objectives of the company and to earn maximum profit. But there also exist differences of interests and opinions among individuals, where a few form the majority while the rest form the minority. It is this balancing act between the majority and minority that requires careful judicial scrutinization to avoid abuse of position. This paper is an attempt to describe the law related to prevention of oppression and mismanagement in India and England. It also compares the discretionary power of courts to provide just and equitable remedies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is said that the entire human race can be categorized into three types of people: Those who wonder what is happening, those who watch things happening, and those who make things happen. To reach the gamut of success, the golden rule is "One has to make things happen". This paper is an attempt to call and address the entire teaching fraternity to make things happen and taste the fruits of success by following some important principles of effective teaching, which have been articulated using the acronym of 'success', definition given by Peter Colwell in his Book, Spell Success in your Life, blending with various quotes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pace of technological development and concomitant introduction of new technologies into educational settings have dramatically accelerated during the past decade through the combination of computation, connectivity, visual and multimedia capacities. Miniaturization and speed have radically changed the potential for technologies in education. These developments are now making it possible for education to go online in India. This paper reviews the different benefits of using technology in imparting education and how this has led to the evolution of online education. Will education serve its purpose when served online or will it end up as another diploma mill? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India follows a distinct model of microfinance which envisages thrift and internal lending within Self Help Groups (SHGs). A very high repayment performance of microfinance loans has attracted many Microfinance Organizations (MFOs) to provide loans to SHGs and other financial services. The proposed legislation, Micro Financial Sector (Development and Regulation) Bill, 2007, mainly seeks to regulate MFOs in the area of deposit acceptance and frame a development policy for providing access to integrated financial services to women and certain disadvantaged sections of the society. This paper points out some inadequacies of regulation and reflects the need for explicit provisions regarding disclosures in the area of credit sanctioning to SHGs. The authors opine that the Bill lacks a comprehensive view and some critical concerns are left unanswered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several clusters of unusual natural incidents have been observed throughout the Kerala State, Southwestern parts of India during the periods: February to March, 2001 (phase I), and June to November, 2001 (phase II). The incidences like fluctuations and rise in water levels, wavy formations and spouting of water in the open wells, cracks in the buildings, perceptible fissures in the ground, shaking of trees/bushes and enhanced minor earthquakes activity have been observed during Phase I; whereas the collapse of shallow open wells, draining of water, lowering of water level, land subsidence, ground fissures and further increased minor earthquake activities, etc., were the dominating incidents during Phase II. The frequency of occurrences of these incidents was drastically reduced after November 2001 though. There are events of a few minor earthquakes which occurred during 2002-2006. The temporal patterns of occurrences of such incidences during Phase I and Phase II might have been the outcome of periodic stress release in the region. In the present paper, the study on the occurrence of the chain of events coupled with the existence of anomalous seismic activity has been done in the light of the dilatancy diffusion model and the results signify that the region is preparing for a major earthquake in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trade liberalization and improved access to the world's markets lie at the heart of the sustainable development paradigm for developing countries. It can be growth in aggregate income and its distribution across various economic segments of society, efficiency in allocation of resources, generation of finances for development, or transfer and application of improved technologies and best practices. The expansion and diversification of export opportunities, including diversification into higher value products, also intensified the debate regarding the environmental protection measures and the international trade. The debate on the impact of trade liberalization has intensified with a growing literature on the effects of international trade on the environment. Many participants in the trade and environment debate fear that there could be conflicts between trade liberalization and environmental concerns. The issues of environmental regulation and international competitiveness revolve around the question of harmonization of standards and it is generally observed that competitive deregulation could lead to downward harmonization of environmental standards. This paper addresses reconciliation of these two--somewhat disparate--points of view. It discusses the key issues related to market access, particularly the impact of environmental measures on the access from an Indian perspective in case of two products : (1) marine products, and (2) tea. This paper covers a canvas that includes a background discussion on market access issues related to environmental requirements, emergence of environment-related issues in the WTO agenda, environmental provisions in various agreements that could pose a non-tariff barrier, discussion on experiences with specific non-tariff barriers that have posed a market access concern in individual exportable sectors of India, along with developments in domestic regulation often in response to external requirements. This paper concludes by recapitulating India's past submissions on Item 6 of the CTE agenda relating to market access issues and providing the way forward. Clearly, the thrust is on developing a position or stand for India that is based on sound logic and concrete experiences from specific export-oriented industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a challenge to Eurocentric world history on the grounds that it reifies and exaggerates the role of the West in the creation of modernity, while simultaneously ignoring India's seminal contributions. The groundwork is prepared in the first three sections, which refute the parochial biases of Eurocentrism by revealing India's impressive early developmental record and its place near the center of a nascent global economy. The paper culminates in an approach that places the 'dialogue of civilizations' center-stage of progressive world history, which is formulated as an antidote to parochial Eurocentric world history. This entails an extensive discussion of two key contributions that India made in enabling the rise of the modern West. These comprise the dissemination of Indian industrial methods that enabled the British industrial revolution on the one hand, and the transmission of Indian mathematical ideas that helped promote the European scientific revolution on the other hand. Moreover, this discussion is coupled with two speculative counterfactual historical scenarios. They are: first, that in the absence of British imperialism which sought to 'contain' Indian development, India might have gone on to make the breakthrough to modernity, and second, that in the absence of Indian (as well as Chinese, African and Middle Eastern) help, the West might not have made the breakthrough to modernity. But whatever the veracity of such counterfactuals may or may not be, the ultimate upshot of the argument presented in this paper reveals that Eurocentrism's central claim—that the West made the breakthrough to modernity all by itself—can no longer hold true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper is an attempt to cast some light on the antiquity of Kerala, the Sangham Age under Cera Kingdoms about which chronological definitions are lacking. Keya Perumāl. epoch 215 CE corresponding to the alphanumeric chronogram 'Bhūmaubhūpofyamprāpya' is shown to be a sheet anchor to which the regnal years in Patittupattu can be combined to derive the chronology of the eight Cera Rulers of the Sangham period. Imayavarampan Ne.dumceral Ātan to Kudakko Ilamceral Irumporai are shown to have reigned during the period from 43 CE to 213 CE. Chronology derived has been veri fied by dat ing the two astronomical ref erences—(1) Song 4 in praise of Palyānai Cel Kezhukuttuvan as referring to the Venus, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter conjunction of May 8, 34 CE and (2) Song 229 of the Puranānūru is dated as describing the zenithal transit of Saturn in February-March 65 CE and the appearance of Halley's Comet subsequently on March 26, 65 CE. The significance of 215 CE, as the sheet anchor of Kerala chronology, is demonstrated using evidence on the Bārhaspatya reckoning of year and MahāMaghā festival. Āryabhat.a tradition of astronomy and the beginning of Kollavars. am in 825 CE are shown to give supporting evidence for the significance of 215 CE. Use of the chronogram for historical purpose is substantiated by citing evidence for the tradition of Kalidina reckoning before the times of Āryabhata. And 215 CE is shown to bear astronomical relationship with the Perumāl ascensions of 820 CE and 844 CE by the Vrscika-Guru rationale and the beginning of Kollam Era; 825 CE is shown to have the luni-solar phenomena comparable in terms of Rasi-Naksatra positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 is a comprehensive legislation keeping in view the changes in the transport technology, pattern of passenger and freight movements, development of the road networks in the country and particularly the improved techniques in the Motor Vehicles Management. On most occassions, the compensation payments in the accident cases were refused on the basis of negligeance of the drivers or other similar reasons. But insertion of Section 163-A in the Act has changed the scenario. Prior to the insertion of Section 163-A in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 when the victim or his heirs approached Motor Accident Claims Tribunals, they were required to prove negligence by the driver of the offending vehicle in order to make the owner liable to pay compensation. Denial of compensation on the ground that negligence of the driver was not established, was a great setback to the victims. Realizing this lacuna, Parliament passed the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 1994 (54 of 1994) inserting Section 163-A in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 with effect from November 14, 1994. The Section provides for compensation on a structured-formula basis as indicated in a tabular form in the Second Schedule forming part of the Act. The compensation awardable under Section 163-A of the Act is quite substantial compared with compensation under Section 140. Section 163-A is an innovative and laudable provision intended to provide for immediate relief to the victims of motor accidents. The introduction of Section 163-A has removed the hardships related to interim compensation and has introduced the concept of full and final settlement of the claims. The paper seeks to interpret the legislative intention behind the introduction of Section 163-A as against Section 140 and Section 166 of the Motor vehicles Act, 1988. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian educational system is one of the largest and oldest in the world. It caters to the needs of more than 1,028 million people. Education is the most important function of state and local governments. It is essential for the performance of our public responsibilities. In spite of the serious efforts made by the government, gender gap still exists in the ratio of enrolment of boys and girls. In this context, the paper tries to draw attention to the gender gap at global level. It also examines the underlying reasons for low level of education among women. The paper also offers a comparative analysis of primary, middle and higher education in case of general category and for SC/ST category through calculation of Gender Gaps, Gender Disparity Index and Gender Parity Index over a period of years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After independence, the Union Government realised the fact that the delivery system is not functioning effectively; it also realised that without people's direct and responsible participation through panchayats, purposeful development in the desired manner is not possible. As a result, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act was enacted in 1993 which has initiated a fundamental restructuring of governance and administrative system of the country, based on the philosophy of decentralisation of power to the people. After a decade and more of panchayat raj in India, post-73rd Amendment, there has been a matter of debate and speculation about its performance and impact. The pioneering and innovative initiatives of Madhya Pradesh Government in strengthening and institutionalising decentralised rural self-governance in the post-73rd Amendment phase generated immense interest among the observers and experts who were keen to understand the significant change in the pattern of governance at the grassroots level. This paper makes an attempt to analyse the functioning of panchayat raj in Madhya Pradesh and comprehend the implications and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been a subject of debate whether the unorganised manufacturing sector in India has been marginalised with onset of the liberalisation and globalisation process. This paper attempts to find an answer to the issue keeping in mind that this sector is a very important part of the industrial fabric as it is a large provider of employment and contributes to the national income. The study states that the unorganised sector, in fact, is flourishing under the globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-Help Group (SHG) is a sort of "Credit for Empowerment" strategy, which extends itself beyond the limited objectives of ensuring access to credit only. Group formation is seen as crucial to the empowerment process as women draw strength from numbers. Creating visible economic opportunities like savings, access to credit, linkage with banks, and employment generation need resources and specified interventions. But a vibrant social exchange can lead to invisible changes in attitudes, perceptions, awareness and potential, with the proper functioning of SHGs and minimal required interventions from the facilitator. Therefore, this paper analyses the non-economic transformations, which might occur in response to the group cohesion and social exchange in SHGs. This paper attempts to study the performance of the SHGs on the credit plus front. Well-planned group formation, clearly spelt out concept of SHG, regular and vibrant meetings help these groups to sustain and evolve fully and so can be treated as the sustainability parameters. Consequently, transformations emanate beyond economic issues in the potential of individuals as well as groups exhibiting the evolution parameters. The basic reason behind the shortfall in credit plus performance is the lack of desired level of interventions of the self-help promoting institution or the facilitator in the group activities. Thus, the groups must not be treated as SHGs in the literal sense completely and for their sustainability and evolution the Self-Help Promoting Institution (SHPI) should play the appropriate role of initiator, facilitator, promoter, advisor, and supporter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reforms and the resultant economic growth have affected the quality of life in urban India significantly. This paper identifies various socioeconomic indicators that influence life quality in urban areas. Using these indicators, various states in India are ranked and compared. Further, such comparisons are made for various sub-categories of indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to provide an outline of urban public finance in select countries of the West, in comparison to that of India. In advanced countries like those of the European nations and America, the systems of public finance are well-structured and the roots for the same are laid down in political structures-particularly with respect to the unitary or federal structures. However, there is a wide range of financial structures-both revenue and expenditure-which can be seen in these countries. India had the municipal structure laid down by the English rulers, which has not changed itself until the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, in 1992. Subsequently, there has been a renewed focus on the urban areas with an increasing importance on economic development. Yet, the local government finances of urban areas do not present a strong base and are somewhat loosely founded, compared to those of other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shelley, one of the major English Romantic poets, was greatly influenced by the Indian thought that reached him through the works of the early English Orientalists of his time. Although his dream of personally visiting India had never materialized, his favorite readings included Sir William Jones's poems and essays on Indian subjects in 1770s, Captain Francis Wilford's essay, "Mount Caucasus" (1801), Sidney Owenson's The Missionary: An Indian Tale (1811), and James Henry Lawrence's The Empire of the Nairs, or, The Rights of Women: An Utopian Romance (1811). This paper provides an account of the influence of these works on some of Shelley's major poems (such as Queen Mab, Alastor, The Revolt of Islam, Prometheus Unbound, "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and "Adonais") in their setting, style, and themes. As a revolutionary, Shelley was influenced by the forces of liberation and freedom suggested by oriental models as opposed to the hackneyed and overused neoclassicism of European literature. This paper argues how his was an attempt at a sympathetic understanding of India as a cradle of ancient civilization that knew no divide in terms of the so-called Western moral and racial superiority. His creative vision of India embraced an approach to integration as opposed to the Victorian reaction of mixed feelings. In fact, the Indian influence was not just a matter of stylistic embellishment away from the traditional but an indirect yet powerful means of attacking Western political system he so passionately rebelled against. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the identity of literature depends essentially on nationality and not on language, it is untenable to argue that only regional literatures--called 'Bhasha Literatures' by G N Devy--are the national literatures of India. Since these writers and Indian English literature writers face the same situation, both embody in their literary corpus the same Indian sensibility. Both are representatives of Indian literature. Usually, writers of Bhasha literature denounce Indian English literature as inauthentic and lacking in Indian sensibility. The present paper seeks to contest this charge, citing the contribution of writers like Vikram Seth, Shashi Tharoor, Amitav Ghosh and R Parthasarathi. Indian English writers like Kamala Das, Manoj Das and Jayanta Mahapatra are bilingual writers, and writers like Shashi Tharoor and Girish Karnad draw their plots from Indian epics like The Mahabharata. The author argues against bipolarity between Bhasha literatures and Indian English literature, as both are products of the same Indian mind and sensibility and constitute one 'Indian Literature'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A systematic analysis has been made in this paper to put R K Narayan's female protagonists in the right perspective highlighting his feminist concern. Starting from Savitri in The Dark Room (1938) to Bala in Grandmother's Tale (1992), Narayan's women characters grow stronger and show that the emergence of the 'New Woman' is not a myth or a utopia. R K Narayan's new woman has certainly emerged, and she has left an indelible mark on the Indian psyche. However, this new woman is not imported from the West. Rather, she has emerged from the rich treasure of Indian culture. She has a strong base of Indianness and is deeply entrenched in values, traditions and ethos that are exclusively Indian in form and content. Narayan's new woman is bold, self-reliant and assertive. She struggles for freedom, asserts equality and searches for identity. In the process, she empowers not only herself but also her man. Narayan's new woman might not have brought earth-shaking changes, yet she has certainly showed that she is assertive, bold and strong, and is involved in bringing positive changes not only in her man but also in the society. Narayan had progressive ideas about women and this thinking reflects unambiguously in his fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes different kinds of outsourcing strategies and models adopted by the Indian software industries in different perspectives. In the early 1990s, the Indian software industry was dominated by players like Infosys, TCS, Wipro and Satyam. The liberalized policy of the Indian Government encouraged foreign companies to venture into the Indian software market by the mid-1990s. These companies progressed steadily and started posing a threat to the Indian software companies. To compete with the global giants and to leverage cost, the Indian software companies adopted outsourcing models-onsite model, offshore model and finally, the Global Delivery Model (GDM). Through the GDM, the Indian software industries moved one step forward towards right-sourcing strategy. The paper links the GDM with the concept of right-sourcing strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the details of the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) schemes in India and provides a brief account of the same in Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The EPFs in India have evolved as welfare measures for the benefit of the employees working in factories and other establishments under Part IV Directive Principles of State Policy, Article 41 of the Constitution of India. The provisions in the 'Employees' Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952' in India are explained in detail in this paper. The Central Board of Trustees administers three schemes-EPF, EDLIS and EPS under the Act. The Second National Commission on Labor has made certain recommendations for the improvement of this Act. A comparative description of the provisions in the EPF schemes in Malaysia and Sri Lanka is also made in this paper. The author suggests that the present eligibility criteria for this social security scheme, which is now confined to the establishments having 20 or more employees and also the individual employees' wage ceiling of Rs. 6,500, is to be removed so that this scheme can also be extended to the workers in the small-scale establishments also. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this era of globalization, where we are breathing the quintessence of free trade, the contribution of aquaculture as an industry is significant. Biotechnology, globally recognized as a rapidly emerging and far reaching technology, is aptly described as the 'technology of hope' for its contribution to food, health and environmental sustainability. This paper explores those aspects of environmental law which are related to the application of biotechnology, its regulation and its sustainable use in aquaculture industry for the country's development and progress. Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organism in fresh, brackish or salt water to produce various aquatic organisms through scientific methods. The tremendous rise in the global trade of aquatic organism has resulted in indiscriminate practices of aquaculture, which has led to degradation of marine ecology and has caused irreparable damage to the environment. This paper also aims at identifying the challenges posed by the modern practices of aquaculture as compared to the traditional practices and finding out ways and means through the regulated use of biotechnology to address these challenges, and to develop a sustainable approach towards aquaculture. Furthermore, it concentrates on the risk assessment and risk management related to the use of biotechnology in aquaculture and also analyzes the capacity and implementation challenges in respect of developing countries. This paper addresses many of the issues that have arisen from the use of modern biotechnology in the aquaculture industry. The discussion becomes more important in the absence of adequate legal regulation in respect of aquaculture or biotechnology. The paper concludes by submitting recommendations and suggestions about the sustainable use of aquaculture through the use of biotechnology to protect the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In medieval Deccan, the qazi sat in the court as a judge, made documents concerning inheritance and marriage, and performed religious ceremonies. As rewards for these duties, he was given inam lands, daily allowances and various perquisites. His role had greatly changed under the British rule. It was prescribed by Regulation No. 26 of 1827 of the Bombay Act, that qazis were appointed only by the Government, and their duties were restricted to attending the ceremony of marriage and divorce. The appointment of the qazi al-quzat (great qazi) or the qazi of a city, town or pargana by the Government, was prohibited by Act No. 11 of 1864, which abolished Regulation No. 26 of 1827 of the Bombay Act. With Bombay Act No. 3 of 1874 (the Bombay Hereditary Office Act), it was defined that the offices of the qazis would not be 'hereditary offices'. With Act No. 12 of 1880 (the Qazis Act), it was prescribed that the qazis were to be appointed in some areas where they were required by the inhabitants for performing their ceremonies, but they would not possess any judicial power. Many trials over the qazi took place in the second half of the 19th century. The issues were whether the offices of the qazis, appointed by the imperial edict and sanads (official papers) of Muslim governments, were hereditary or not, and whether the inam land and the daily allowances appertaining to the office of the qazi could be mortgaged and taken into seizure or not. In these law-suits, it was decided that neither the offices of the qazis nor the inam lands and the daily wages appertaining to the offices of the qazis were recognized as hereditary, unless the custom that the offices of the qazis were inherited for generations, was proved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]