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Greetings from Library

We are happy to inform you that we are publishing herewith 2nd issue of    "Accession Update" . As you know that Accession Update is a monthly list of books purchased by the TISS Guwahati Campus Library 

        TISS Guwahati Campus Library

     Accession Update

            01-06-2014 to 31-06-2014

                    Vol:1, Issue no-2

 Research

·          Kothari, CR.& Garg, Gaurav. : Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques 3^rd edn. New Delhi. New Age International Ltd., 2014 (001.4 K95R)

Library Science

·        Gupta, Abhijit & Chakravorty, Swapan (etd): Print Areas: Book History in India. Delhi. Permanent Black, 2004 (002.54 G96P)

Religion

·         Lowy, Michael: The War of Gods: Religion and Politics in Latin America. London. Verso, 1996 (261.7 L85W)

·        Robinson, Francis: Separatism Among Indian Muslims. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1974 (297.54 R62S)

Sociology

·        Dahiwale, S.M. (etd) Understanding Indian Society: The Non-Brahmanic Perspective. Jaipur. Rawat Publications, 2005 (301.54 D12U)

·        Doshi, S.L. : Postmodern Perspectives on Indian Scociety. Jaipur. Rawat Publications 2008 (301.54 D63P)

Social Conflict

·        Coleman, Peter T. : Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts: The Five Percent. New York. Public Affairs, 2011 (303.6 C49F)

·        Butler, Judith : Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence. London. Verso, 2004 (303.6 B98P)

·        Gregory, Derek (etd) Violent Geographies: Fear, Terror and Political Violence, New York. Routledge, 2007 (303.6 G80V)

·        Fowler, Will & Lambert, Peter (etd): Political Violence and the Construction of National Identity in Latin America. New York. Palgrave Macmillan, 2006 (303.6 F77P)

·        Eisenstein, Zillah: Hatreds: Racialized and Sexualized conflicts in the 21^st Century. New York. Routledge, 1996 (303.6 E42H)

Media/Communication

·        Marwell, Gerald and Oliver, Pamela : The Critical Mass in Collective Action: A Micro-Social Theory. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1993 (302.14 M40C)

Social Research

·        Robson, Colin : Real World Research: A resource for users of Social Research Methods in Applied Settings. London.Wiley, 2011 (301.072 R66R)

Social Change

·        Rudolf, L.I. Rudolf. S.H. : The Modernity of Tradition: Political Development in India. Hyderabad. Orient BlackSwan, 2010 (303.4 R96M)

·        Bauman, Zygmunt : Liquid Times: Living in an age of uncertainty. Cambridge. Polity Press, 2007 (303.4 B33 L)

·        Beck, Ulrich: Risk Society: Towards a new modernity. Los Angeles, Sage Publications, 1992 (303.44 B38R)

Social Movement

·        Oommen, T.K. (etd): Social Movements: Issues of Identity. Oxford. Oxford University Press,2010 (303.484 O50S)

Race/Caste

·        Ghurye, G.S.: Caste and Race in India. Bombay. Popular Prakashan, 1969 (305.5122 G28C)

·        Pandey, Gyanendra: A History of Prejudice: Race, Caste and Difference in India and United States. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2013 (305.5122 P14H)

·        Shah, Ghanshyam (etd) : Caste and Democratic Politics in India. Delhi. Permanent Black, 2002 (305.5122 S32C)

·        Sharma, K. L. (etd): Caste and Class in India. Jaipur, Rawat Publications, 1994 (305.5122 S34C)

·        Grusky, David B. Szelenyi, Szonja (ets): The Inequality Reader: Contemporary and Foundational Readings in Race, Class and Gender. Jaipur. Rawat Publications, 2011( 305.5 G94I)

·        O’Hanlon, Rosalind: Caste, Conflict, and Ideology. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1985 (305.568 O30C)

·        Bhagavan, Manu (etd) : Claiming Power From Below: Dalits and the Subaltern Question in India. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2009 (305.568 B51C)

Women/Gender/Feminism

·        Zinn, Maxine Baca (etd.) : Gender Through the Prism of Difference (3^rd edn.) Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005 (305.3 Z7G)

·        Coomaraswamy, Radhika & Fonseka, Dilrukshi (etd): Peace Work: Women, Armed Conflict and Negotiation. New Delhi. Women Unlimited, 2004 (362.88 C57P)

·        Saunders, Kriemild (etd.): Feminist Post-Development Thought. London, Zed Books, 2002 (305.42 S16F)

·        Alexander, M. Jacqui (etd): Feminist Genealogies, Colonial Legacies, Democratic Futures. London. Routledge, 1997 (305.42 A32F)

·        Sturgeon, Noel: Ecofeminist Natures: Race, Gender, Feminist Theory and Political Action. London. Routledge, 1997 (305.42 S92E)

·        Mulay, Shree (etd): Women Building Peace Between India and Pakistan. London, Anthem Press, 2007 (305.42 M86W)

·        Agnes, Flavia: Law and Gender Inequality: The Politics of Women’s Right in India. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 1999 (342.087 A25L)

·        Rocheleau, Diann Kannabiran, Kalpana (etd): The Violence of Normal Times: Essays on Women’s Lived Realities. New Delhi. Kali For Women, 2005 (362.8 K12V)

·        e (etd) : Feminist Political Ecology: Global Issues and Local Experiences. London. Routledge, 1996 (305.42 R68F)

Culture

·        Winkelman, Michael: Culture and Health: Applying Medical Anthropology. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass, 2009 (306.461 W61C)

Community Development

·        Mohapatra, Subhakanta : Planning For Integrated Area Development: A Micro Level Analysis. New Delhi. Rajat Publications, 2003 (307.12 M70P)

·        Davis, Mike : Planet of Slums. London. Verso, 2007 (307. 3364 D23P)

Urban Development

·        Dey, Ishita: Beyond Kolkata: Rajarhat and the Dystopia of Urban Imagination. London. Routledge, 2013 (307.76 D38B)

·        Wong, Tai Chee. Rigg. Jonathan (etd): Asian Cities, Migrant Labour and Contested Spaces. London. Routledge, 2011 (307,76 W69A)

·        Sivaramakrishnan, K.C. : Re-Visioning Indian Cities: The Urban Renewal Mission. Los Angeles. Sage Publications, 2011 (307.7654 S48R)

Ethnicity

·        Guha, Sumit: Environment and Ethnicity in India, 1200-1991. Cambridge. Cambridge Univers ty Press, 1999 (305.8 G97E)

·         South, Ashley : Ethnic Politics in Burma: States of Conflict. London. Routledge, 2009 (305.8 S62E)

·        Horowitz, Donald L. : Ethnic Groups in Conflict. Berkeley. University of California Press, 2000 (305.8 H83E)

·        Ignatieff, Michael: The Warrior’s Honor . New York. Metropolitan Books, 1998 (305.8 I1W)

Sexual Relation

·        Vanita, Ruth (etd): Queering India: Same Sex Love and Eroticism in Indian Culture and Society. New York. Routledge, 2002

·        Collins, P.A. : Black Sexual Politics: African Americans, Gender and the New Racism. New York. Routledge, 2004 (306.7 C51B)

·        Kempadoo, Kempadoo & Doezema, Jo (etd): Global Sex Workers: Rights, Resistance and Redefinition. New York. Routledge, 1998 (306.74 K33G)

Statistics

·        Coolidge, Frederick L. : Statistics: An Gentle Introduction. Los Angeles, Sage Publications, 2013 (310 C57S)

·        Gibbons, J.D. : Nonparametric Statistics: An Introduction. London, Sage Publications, 1993 (310 G31N)

·        Freedman, David (et al) : Statistics (4^th edn) New Delhi. Viva Books, 2009 (310 F87S)

Political Science

·        Jayal, Niraja Gopal (etd) : Oxford Companion to Politics in India. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2010 (320.54 J35O)

·        Wimmer, Andreas : Nationalist Exclusion and Ethnic Conflict: Shadows of Modernity. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2002 (320.54 W60N)

·        Kolers, Avery : Land, Conflict and Justice: A Political Theory of Territory. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2009 (320.12 K93L)

·        Diamond, Larry (etd): Nationalism, Ethinic, Conflict and Democracy. Baltiomre. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994 (320.54 D39N)

·        Peet, Richard (ets) : Global Political Ecology. London. Routledge, 2010 (304.2 P32G)

·        Sarat, Austin (etd) Sovereignty, Emergency, Legality . Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2010 (342.062 S16S)

·        Fanon, Frantz : A Dying Colonialism. New York. Grove Press, 1959 (325 F16D)

·         Therborn, Goran : The Ideology of Power and the Power of Ideology. London. Verso, 1980 (320.5 T41I)

·        Hobsbawm, E.J.: Nations and Nationalism Since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality (2^nd ed). Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1990 (320.54 H69N)

·             Kothari, Rajni: Rethinking Democrary. Hyderabad. Orient Longman, 2005 (321.8 K95R)

·        Keane, John: The Life and Death of Democracy. London. Pocket Books, 2009 (321.8 K15L)

Human Rights

·        Ackerly, B.A.: Universal Human Rights in a world of Difference. Cambridge. Cambridge Universit (323 A18U)

·        Farmer, Paul. : Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights and the new war on the poor. London. University of California Press, 2005 (305 F18P)

                                                                             

·        Madigan, Janet Holl. : Truth, Politics and Universal Human Rights. New York. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007 (323 M26T)

International Relation

·        Keating, Tom. Knight, W. Andy (etd.) Building Sustainable Peace. Tokyo. UNDP Press, 2006 (327.17 K15B)

·        Ron, James : Frontiers and Ghettos: State Violence in Serbia and Israel. London. University of California Press, 2003 (949.703 R81F)

Economics

·        Wallerstein, Immanuel: The Modern World System: Capitalist Agriculture and the origins of the European World Economy in the Sixteenth Century. London. University of California Press, 2011 (330.94 W15M)

·        Hart, Keith (ets) : The Human Economy: A Citizen’s Guide. Cambridge. Polity Press, 2010 (330 H37 H)

·        Datta, Bhabatosh. : Indian Planning at the Crossroads. Delhi. Oxford University Press, 1992 (330.54 D18I)

·        Ravallion, Martin. : Poverty Comparisons. Switzerland. Harwood Academic Publishers, 1994 (339.46 R20P)

·        Misra, S.K. & Puri, V.K. : Indian Economy: Its Development Experience . 30^th edn. Mumbai. Himalaya Publishing House, 2012, (330.54 M67I)

Economic Development

·        Thirlwall, A.P. : Growth and Development (7^th edn.) New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005 (338.9 T33G)

·        Cherunilam, Francis : International Business: Text and Cases 5^th edn. Delhi. PHI Learning, 2013 (338.8 C33I)

·        Kothari, Uma and Minogue. Martin (etd) Development Theory and Practice: Critical Perspectives . New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2002 (338.9 K95D)

·        Ferguson, James: The Anti-Politics Machine: Development, Depoliticization and Bureaucratic Power in Lesotho.  London. University of Minnesota Press, 1994 (338.9 F29A)

·        Shrivastava, Aseem & Kothari, Ashish: Deneulin, Severine & Shahani, Lila: An Introduction to the Human Development and Capability Approach: Freedom and Agency. Ottawa. IDRC, 2009 (302 D34J)

·        Churning the Earth. New Delhi. Penguin Books, 2012 (338.9 S41C)

·        Willis, Katie: Theories and Practices of Development (2^nd edn.) London, Routledge, 2011 (338.9 W53T)

Globalization

·        Steger, Manfred B: Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2013 (338.91 S71G)

·        Goldman, Michael. : Imperial Nature. Hyderabad. Orient Longman, 2005 (338.91 G48I

Labour

·        Broadbent, Kaye & Ford, Michele : Women and Labour Organizing in Asia: Diversity, Autonomy and Activism. London. Routledge, 2008 (331.4 B86W)

·        Portes, Alejandro (ets) : The Informal Economy: Studies in Advanced and Less Developed Countries. Baltimore. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1989 (. 331.12 P69I)

·        Sengupta, Sarthak : The Tea Labours of North East India-An Anthropo-historical Perspective. New Delhi. Mittal Publications, 2009 (331.75416 S28T)

·        Thakur, Devendra (etd) : Tribal Labour and Employment. New Delhi. Deep & Deep Publications, 2009 (307.772 T30T)

·        Jain, Shobhita ., Reddock, Rhoda (ets.) Women Plantation Workers: International Experiences. Oxford. Berg (331.482 J20W)

·        Razavi, Shahra (etd) The Gendered Impacts of Liberalization: Towards Embedded Liberalism ? London. Routledge, 2009 (331.4 R24G)

·        Chatterjee, Piya : A Time For Tea: Women, Labour and Post Colonial Politics on an Indian Plantation. New Delhi. Zubaan, 2001 (331.4 C32T)

Entrepreneurship

·        Ziegler, Rafael (etd) : An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship: Voices, Preconditions, Contexts. UK. Edward Elgar, 2009 (338.04 Z4I)

·        Steyaert, Chris & Hjorth, Daniel (etd) : Entrepreneurship As Social Change: The Third Movements in Entrepreneurship Book. UK. Edward Elgar, 2006 (338.04 S80E)

·        Fayolle, Alain. Matlay, Harry (etd) : Handbook of Research on Social Entrepreneurship. UK. Edward Elgar, 2010 (338.04072 F24H)

·        Zimmerer, T.W. & Scarborough, N.M. : Essentials of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. New Delhi. PHI Learning, 2011 (338.04 Z7E)

 Natural Resource/Environment

·        Hanley, Nick (et al.): Environmental Economics in Theory and Practice 2^nd edn. New York. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007 (333.7 H25E)

·        Ali, Nursadh (etd.) : Natural Resource Management and Sustainable Development in North-East India. New Delhi. Mittal Publication (333.705416 A35N)

·        Bebarta, Kailash Chandra : Planning For Forest Resource and Bio-diversity Management: Principles, Organisation and Methodologies. New Delhi. Concept Publishing Company,2002 (333.75 B37P)

·        Hay, Peter : A companion to Environmental Thought. Jaipur. Rawat Publications (577 H44C

Panchayati Raj

·        Bandyopadhyay, D. (et al.) Empowering Panchayats: Handbook for Master Trainers. New Delhi. Concept Publishing Company, 2003 (352.17 B21E)

Governance

·        Held, David : Governing Globalization: Power, Authority and Global Governance. Cambridge. Polity Press, 2003 (352.11 H52G)

·        Baud, ISA & Wit, J. D. (etd): New Forms of Urban Governance in India: Shifts, Models, Network and Contestations. Los Angeles. Sage Publications, 2009 (352.16 B33N)

·        Monks, Robert A. G.  And Minow, Nell : Corporate Governance 5^th edn. New Delhi. Wiley, 2011 (658.4 M72C)

Disaster Management

·        Wisner, Ben (et al): At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s Vulnerability and Disasters 2^nd edn. London. Routledge, 2004 (363.34 W65A)

Ecology

·        Sengupta, Ramprasad: Ecology and Economics: An Approach to Sustainable Development. New Delhi. Oxford University Press, 2001 (577 S29E)

·        Kormondy, E.J. : Concepts of Ecology 4^th edn. New Delhi. PHI Learning, 1886 (577 K93C)

·        Peet, Richard (etd): Liberation Ecologies: Environment, Development, Social Development 2^nd edn.  London, Routledge, 2004 (577 P32L)

Social Work

·        Adams, Robert (ets) : Critical Practice in Social Work 2^nd edn. New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009 (361.3 A20S)

·        Shardlow, Steven M. Doel, Mark (etd.) : Learning to Practice Social Work: International Approaches. London. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2002 (361.3 S34L)

Public Health

·        Schneider, Mary-Jane. : Introduction to Public Health (4^th edn.) New Delhi. Jones & Bartlett, 2014 (362.1 S22I)

Human Security

·        Tadjbakhsh, Shahrbanou & Chenoy, A.M. : Human Security: Concepts and Implications. London, Routledge, 2007 (362 T11H)

Mental Health

·        Sheppard, Michael: Mental Health Work in the Community: Theory and Practice in Social Work and Community Psychiatric Nursing. London. Routledge-Falmer, 1991 (362.21 S38M)

Social Enterprise/NGO

·        Nyssens, Marthe (etd). Social Enterprise: At the crossroads of Market, Public Policies and Civil Society. London. Routledge, 2006 (361.763 N99S)

·        Borzaga, Carlo (etd): The Emergence of Social Enterprise. London. Routledge, 2001 (361.76 B70E)

Criminology

·        Kyle, David (etd): Global Human Smuggling: Comprative Perspectives 2^nd edn. Baltiomre. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011 (364.15 K99G)

Biology

·        Quammen, David: Charls Darwin On the Origin of Species. New York. Sterling, 2008 (576.86 Q1C)

·        Ridley, Matt. Genome: the autobiography of a Species in 23 chapters. New York, Harpercollins Publishers, 1999 (572.86 R51G)

·        Lodish, Harvey (et al.) Molecular Cell Biology (7^th edn.) New York. Macmillan. 2013 (571.6 L74M)

·        Calladine C.R. : Understanding DNA: The Molecule & How it Works (3^rd edn) Amesterdam, Academic Press, 2004 (572.86 C12U)

·        Atkins, Peter (et al.) Chemical Principles: The Quest for Insight. New York. W.H. Freeman, New York, 2013

·        Taylor, D.J. (et al.) Biological Science 3^rd edn. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1997 (570 T19B)

History

·        Kolsky, Elizabeth: Colonial Justice in British India. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 2010 (954.03 K94C)

·        Khanna, Meenakshi (etd): Cultural History of Medieval India. New Delhi, Social Science Press, 2007, (954.02 K55C)

·        Chandra, Satish (etd): Religion, State and Society in Medieval India: Collected Works of S. Nurul Hasan. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2005 (954.02 C29R)

·        Metcalf, Thomas R.: Ideologies of the Raj. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press, 1998 (954.03 M57I)

·        Pati, Biswamoy (etd): The 1857 Rebellion. New Delhi. Oxford University Press, 2001 (307.76 B51D)

·        Samaddar, Ranabir & Sen, Suhit K. (etd): Political Transition and Development Imperatives in India. London. Routledge, 2012 (954.04 S13P)

·        Chattopadhyaya, B. : The Making of Early Medieval India 2^nd edn. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 1994 (954.01 C32M)

·        Radnitz, Scott: Weapons of the Wealthy: Predatory Regimes and Elite-Led Protests in Central Asia. London. Cornell University Press, 2010 (958.43 R12W)

Jul 15 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Grave crisis:158% rise in rapes by juveniles

Raj.Shekhar@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:





Cops Say Hardened Delinquents Mock Law

Woman and child development minister Maneka Gandhi's resolve to change the law and treat juveniles as adults in heinous crimes has come amidst the release of some disturbing figures by NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau). The involvement of juveniles in cases of rape in the capital shot up by 158% in 2013 (163 cases) as against 2012 (63). And there was a 30% increase in overall crimes committed by juveniles during the same period.
One hundred and sixty three juveniles were apprehended on rape charges and 76 in murder cases last year.That the law is not proving to be a deterrent is quite evident. The involvement of juveniles in the trademark crime of burglary and snatching also went up. There were 928 cases in 2013 as against 523 the year before. Going by these statistics, the concern expressed by the minister is quite valid.
In fact, since the Nirbhaya case, Delhi Police has been demanding that the juvenile age limit be brought down to 16.
“Recently , three boys--aged nine, 12 and 14 --took a seven-year-old girl to a park on the pretext of plucking mangoes and took turns to rape and sodomize her in west Delhi's Paschim Vihar. Also, a juvenile servant masterminded arobbery and murder of a war hero in Patel Nagar in early June. However, the punishment for them will be negligible. Most of the juveniles we catch are aware that being underage grants them a special status,” said a senior cop.
Police say they are helpless in tackling crimes committed by minors, especially in the borderline age-group. Police officers recall the case of Sonu, who burgled and set houses on fire. He would openly threaten them, saying he would be out in a month as he was 16 and teach the cops a lesson. The special task force of south district had nabbed a criminal who roamed around with a fake age certificate and claimed to be a minor whenever he was caught.
In the past three years, juveniles have been found involved in rapes, gruesome
murders of elderly and robberies. A gang of five minors who had dramatically escaped from a city juvenile home last year on October 5 amid rioting and arson had murdered a jeweller's wife in Mayur Vihar a month later and fled with 50kg of silver jewellery and Rs 10 lakh in cash from the house. A juvenile who was just 10 days short of being a major was among them.About a dozen break-outs from correctional homes were reported in the past two years.
However, police stood by as mute spectators while juveniles vandalized the homes as they weren't allowed to go in. Times View This newspaper has consistently argued for making the definition of who is a juvenile flexible based on the nature of the crime. This is by no means a novel idea. Many countries follow such a principle of not making the distinction between adults and juveniles absolute. This is necessary because at stake here are not just the human rights of the accused but also the rights of those whom they have victimized. In many parts of the world, a balance is achieved by calibrating the age below which a person is considered juvenile to the nature of the crime. For heinous crimes like murder or rape, the age limits are lower.
Given how often juveniles in India are involved in such violent crimes, we need a similar approach to the law.

Jul 15 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Child rights panel against amendments

New Delhi: TIMES NEWS NETWORK





National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Kushal Singh has opposed the proposed changes to Juvenile Justice Act, saying it not be in the best interest of the child. “The amendments are moving away from the fundamental philosophy that the JJ Act is reformative rather than being punitive.’’ The Commission has asked the ministry to undertake wider consultations, as treating juveniles in conflict with law as criminals was unfair. “Most of the children who are in conflict with law are in need of care and protection.As a state, we have failed to provide them with that. We have not taken enough preventive measures but are resorting to punitive measures instead,’’ Singh added. She said implementation, rather than gaps in the law, is the problem.
Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) chairperson Arun Mathur was cautious in his reaction. “I feel there is nothing wrong in revisiting existing laws but any review should be done with the best interest of the child in mind. Views of experts and stakeholders must be considered before amendment,” Mathur said.
He added that he is planning to call a meeting of all DCRCR members to get their views on the amendments.

Jul 15 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Ancient caste system worked well: ICHR head

Akshaya.mukul

New Delhi





Discussing the caste system, newly-appointed chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Yellapragada Sudershan Rao wrote in a blog in 2007, “Positive aspects of Indian culture are so deep the merits of ancient systems would be rejuvenated.“In the blog-article titled, `Indian Caste System: A Reappraisal', he wrote: “The (caste) system was working well in ancient times and we do not find any complaint from any quarters against it. It is often misinterpreted as an exploitative social system for retaining economic and social status of certain vested interests of the ruling class.“
He added, “Indian caste sys tem, which has evolved to answer the requirements of civilization at a later phase of development of culture, was integrated with the Varna system as enunciated in the ancient scriptures and dharmasastras.“ New ICHR chief Yellapragada Sudershan Rao’s views on the caste system have triggered a debate.
Historian D N Jha said, “Rao’s article is reflective of his primitive mentality. It is gross revivalism. If the ancient caste system is justified in modern context, why not have a brahmin PM instead of Narendra Modi. Rao has been appointed by an OBC PM.” Rao made a distinction between the caste system and the varna system. He said while the caste system classifies the community, the varna classifies the functions of an individual. “Varna leads one to moksha (the liberation of the soul) while caste system is meant for the material and human resource management of a civilized society.” Rao said questionable social customs in India pointed out by English-educated Indian intellectuals did not exist from ancient times but “could be traced to this period of Muslim rule in north India spanning over seven centuries.” For the full report, log on to http://www.timesofindia.com

Jul 15 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

Ancient caste system worked well: ICHR head

Akshaya.mukul

New Delhi





Discussing the caste system, newly-appointed chairman of Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) Yellapragada Sudershan Rao wrote in a blog in 2007, “Positive aspects of Indian culture are so deep the merits of ancient systems would be rejuvenated.“In the blog-article titled, `Indian Caste System: A Reappraisal', he wrote: “The (caste) system was working well in ancient times and we do not find any complaint from any quarters against it. It is often misinterpreted as an exploitative social system for retaining economic and social status of certain vested interests of the ruling class.“
He added, “Indian caste sys tem, which has evolved to answer the requirements of civilization at a later phase of development of culture, was integrated with the Varna system as enunciated in the ancient scriptures and dharmasastras.“ New ICHR chief Yellapragada Sudershan Rao’s views on the caste system have triggered a debate.
Historian D N Jha said, “Rao’s article is reflective of his primitive mentality. It is gross revivalism. If the ancient caste system is justified in modern context, why not have a brahmin PM instead of Narendra Modi. Rao has been appointed by an OBC PM.” Rao made a distinction between the caste system and the varna system. He said while the caste system classifies the community, the varna classifies the functions of an individual. “Varna leads one to moksha (the liberation of the soul) while caste system is meant for the material and human resource management of a civilized society.” Rao said questionable social customs in India pointed out by English-educated Indian intellectuals did not exist from ancient times but “could be traced to this period of Muslim rule in north India spanning over seven centuries.” For the full report, log on to http://www.timesofindia.com

Jul 14 2014 : The Economic Times (Delhi)

NREGA: No. of Days to be Increased to 150

YOGIMA SETH SHARMA

NEW DELHI





The government is planning to raise the minimum wage days under its rural employment guarantee scheme to 150 from 100 in case the country faces a drought.The rural development ministry, which is working on the proposal, is of the view that 50 additional days of employment will compensate farmers who have suffered crop loss due to deficient rains.
“The scheme will come handy in addressing the financial needs of farmers,“ a senior government official told ET. “However, the extent of coverage will depend on how subnormal the monsoon is and what is the spread of drought.“
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. On an average, 25% of the rural households seek employment under the Act annually.
The government's promptness in laying a road map to address the exigency can be gauged from the fact that from June 1 to July 10, the country has received 43% less rainfall at 142.6 mm against the normal level of 251.6 mm. Water levels in reservoirs have fallen below a 10-year average for the first time this year.
Rainfall so far this season has been lower than even 2009 when the country witnessed its worst drought in 37 years. Last month, private weather forecaster Skymet had warned that there was a 60% probability of a drought this year.
The worst-affected regions include central India, where the deficit is 63% followed by north-west (50% below normal) and southern peninsula (36%).
The rural development ministry had earlier issued advisories in May and June, asking states to create durable assets related to irrigation and their maintenance under the employment guarantee scheme. It has even set up a monitoring cell that will track preparedness of states in creating these assets on a fortnightly basis. Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh had last month said that the worst impact of a subnormal monsoon is likely to be in western India, with possible drought-like conditions in some areas. The government has already prepared a drought contingency plan for 500 districts.
The average wage under MGNREGA stands at ` . 174.3 per person per day after an over 11% revision in April. Haryana has the highest wage under the scheme at ` . 236 per person per day while Bihar has the . 153.
lowest at ` The government had last year extended the number of wage days under MGNREGA to 150 in Uttarakhand in the wake of floods that left thousands dead and missing.

Jul 14 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)

`Slash loan interest rate to cut farmer suicides'

Amaninder.Sharma@timesgroup.com





Patiala: To arrest the menace of farmer suicide, Punjab government's expert committee has suggested slashing of interest rates on loans to half, at 2% per annum as a solution. Over 6,000 farmers and farm labourers ended their lives in the state between 2001 and 2010.Admitting that Punjab agriculture is facing a “crisis, both in terms of economic and environmental viability“, it is for the first time that any government-constituted expert panel has sought loan facility to farmers at such a low rate of interest.
TOI is in possession of the committee's draft report.
However, rate of interest charged by private moneylenders is as high as 12-18% per annum. Due to easy availability and various economical compulsions, most farmers prefer to take loan from private moneylenders.
As per norms, the total rate of interest on farm loan is 7% per annum, of which farmers pay 4% and rest is paid by the Government of India in the form of subsidy . The condition is that maximum cap of loan amount should be Rs 3 lakh and should be paid within the specified time.
The committee has also demanded that the Centre increase its subsidy from 3% to 5%.
Not only agriculture loan, the panel has also recommended reduction of interest rate on investment loan to 6% for farmers.
It is now available at around 12%.
The committee was constituted by the Punjab government to propose a framework for its agriculture policy , which the state has to submit to Punjab and Haryana HC next month.
A survey conducted by three state universities revealed that 6,128 suicides were committed by farmers and farm labourers during 2000-2010 in the state, out of which 4,686 suicides were due to debt.