Journey, Hurdle and Challenges before the Panchayati Raj Institutions in J&K

The term Panchayati raj in India signifies the system of rural local self-government. It has been established in all the states of India by the Acts of the state legislatures to build democracy at the grassroots level. It is entrusted with rural development. It was constitutionalised through the 73rd constitutional Amendment Act of 1992.  Panchayati raj institutions provide opportunities to the local people to participate in the political and development process at grassroots level. But still Panchayati raj institutions are not working properly particularly in J&K state of India. The present paper studies the journey and hindrances of Panchayati raj institutions in J&K and emphasises the effect of militancy in the working of panchayats in J&K state. Keywords: Panchayat, decentralization, panch, sarpanch, election, militanc

Higher Education in India: Challenges and Opportunities

The world has realized that the economic success of the states is directly determined by their education systems. Education is a Nation’s Strength. A developed nation is inevitably an educated nation. Indian higher education system is the third largest in the world, next to the United States and China. Since independence, India as a developing nation is contentiously progressing in the education field. Although there have been lot of challenges to higher education system of India but equally have lot of opportunities to overcome these challenges and to make higher education system much better. It needs greater transparency and accountability, the role of colleges and universities in the new millennium, and emerging scientific research on how people learn is of utmost important. India need well skilled and highly educated people who can drive our economy forward. India provides highly skilled people to other countries therefore; it is very easy for India to transfer our country from a developing nation to a developed nation. The current study aims to highlight the challenges and to point out the opportunities in higher education system in India. Keywords: Education, Opportunities, Challenges, Colleges, Universitie

Implementation of rural development programmes in Jammu and Kashmir

Rural development is a holistic concept encompassing both natural and human resources development in an integrated manner. It aims at increasing the opportunities of all rural people in respect of health, knowledge, and skill development, income and participation in decision making and creating a conducive environment in reducing social and economic inequalities. Since Independence India has made a significant progress in rural development and In this connection large number of rural development programmes have been implemented by the concerned ministers and departments of the union and state governments in the area of education, health, drinking water, sanitation, transport and communication and supporting infrastructure, among others, have shown varying degree of response and performance at the grassroots level. The study is based on secondary data and focused on the rural development programmes which are implemented in the state of Jammu and Kashmir

Review of Rural Infrastructure under Bharat Nirman: Current Scenario and Future Perspective

Good quality infrastructure is critical to sustainable growth, especially for rural areas. As over 70 percent of Indian population lives in rural areas, with low levels of per capital income, there is need to impart greater attention in improving rural infrastructure. The Infrastructure sector has both backward and forward linkages with the agricultural and the Industrial sectors and therefore the development of this sector is a prerequisite for the overall development of the economy. Infrastructure in general and rural infrastructure in particular contributes to economic development both by increasing productivity and by providing amenities which enhance the quality of life. To address the issue of rural infrastructure the government launched a time-bound plan under Bharat Nirman programme (2005) and there are independent schemes to boost Roads, irrigation, Housing, water Supply, Electrification, and Telecommunication connectivity. This paper mainly focuses on progress of rural infrastructure under Bharat Nirman and provides suggestions for improvement. Keywords: Bharat Nirman; Development; Infrastructure; Rural; Poverty; Governmen

Voting Behaviour of People in Anantnag Constituency of J&K

In the democratic set up voting is an important process. Proper utilization of vote can lead to the development of a country to a greater extent. However political parties try to capture maximum number of votes in order to come in power. For this they tend to develop and determine the voting behaviour of the voters. The behaviour of a voter is influence by several factors such as religion, caste, community, language, money, etc. The political parties and groups make use of these variables for the sake of their interest. Issues related to the daily life such as unemployment, price rate, law and order system and other developmental issues often influence the vote of common people. The present paper is about the Anantnag constituency of J&K state of India. The main focus of the study is on the factors that affect on voting behaviour and to ascertain the basis on which people of the Anantnag Constituency vote

Jammu and Kashmir: A Situation of Systematic Violations of Human Rights and Role of Mainstream Political Parties

As the peace process started from 1996, it has been taken as a starting point for assessing the efforts of the mainstream political parties in controlling human rights violations. The mainstream political parties had played a crucial role in the peace process. Violence due to militancy and misgovernance has seriously dented the resilient Kashmir identity. Social institutions collapsed and society became harsh, punitive, withdrawn, and distrustful as well. In this study an attempt is made to undertake an intensive and detailed analysis of the role played by mainstream political parties in controlling human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir and to explore the impact of violence on the human rights and socio-economic development of the people. Keywords: Mainstream political parties, People, Violence, Peace, human rights, Normalc

Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) between India and Pakistan

Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) play a crucial role in promoting stability and trust between India and Pakistan. This article, therefore, examines the different domains of CBMs, including political, military, economic, people-to-people, and nuclear, and highlights their significance in reducing tensions and fostering cooperation. Various examples of CBMs, such as hotlines between military authorities, cultural exchanges, economic cooperation, and religious pilgrimages, are explored to showcase their positive impact on communication and understanding. The paper also discusses the prospects and recommendations for CBMs, emphasizing sustained dialogue, economic cooperation, strengthened military CBMs, and exploring non-traditional security dimensions. By prioritizing CBMs, India and Pakistan can create a more stable and peaceful environment, paving the way for conflict resolution and long-term peace in the region. It is important to note that the study is completely based on secondary data; no primary research or data collection was conducted for this specific study

Oxidative Stress in Human Pathology and Aging: Molecular Mechanisms and Perspectives

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) are generated through various endogenous and exogenous processes; however, they are neutralized by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants. An imbalance between the generation and neutralization of oxidants results in the progression to oxidative stress (OS), which in turn gives rise to various diseases, disorders and aging. The characteristics of aging include the progressive loss of function in tissues and organs. The theory of aging explains that age-related functional losses are due to accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), their subsequent damages and tissue deformities. Moreover, the diseases and disorders caused by OS include cardiovascular diseases [CVDs], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. OS, induced by ROS, is neutralized by different enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and prevents cells, tissues and organs from damage. However, prolonged OS decreases the content of antioxidant status of cells by reducing the activities of reductants and antioxidative enzymes and gives rise to different pathological conditions. Therefore, the aim of the present review is to discuss the mechanism of ROS-induced OS signaling and their age-associated complications mediated through their toxic manifestations in order to devise effective preventive and curative natural therapeutic remedies

Transgenic plants as green factories for vaccine production

Edible vaccine technology represents an alternative to fermentation based vaccine production system. Transgenic plants are used for the production of plant derived specific vaccines with native immunogenic properties stimulating both humoral and mucosal immune responses. Keeping in view the practical need of new technology for production and delivery of inexpensive vaccines, especially in developing world, plant derived edible vaccines is the best option in hand to combat infectious diseases. Plant derived vaccine is easy to administer, cost effective, readily acceptable, have increased safety, stability, versatility and efficacy. Several plant derived vaccines are under research, some are under clinical trials for commercial use. Like most  biotechnology products, the IP situation for edible vaccines is complex as IP rights influence every stage of vaccine development.Keywords: Transgenic plants, edible vaccines, chimeric viruses, bacterial diseases, viral diseases

Measuring the availability of human resources for health and its relationship to universal health coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Human resources for health (HRH) include a range of occupations that aim to promote or improve human health. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the WHO Health Workforce 2030 strategy have drawn attention to the importance of HRH for achieving policy priorities such as universal health coverage (UHC). Although previous research has found substantial global disparities in HRH, the absence of comparable cross-national estimates of existing workforces has hindered efforts to quantify workforce requirements to meet health system goals. We aimed to use comparable and standardised data sources to estimate HRH densities globally, and to examine the relationship between a subset of HRH cadres and UHC effective coverage performance. Methods: Through the International Labour Organization and Global Health Data Exchange databases, we identified 1404 country-years of data from labour force surveys and 69 country-years of census data, with detailed microdata on health-related employment. From the WHO National Health Workforce Accounts, we identified 2950 country-years of data. We mapped data from all occupational coding systems to the International Standard Classification of Occupations 1988 (ISCO-88), allowing for standardised estimation of densities for 16 categories of health workers across the full time series. Using data from 1990 to 2019 for 196 of 204 countries and territories, covering seven Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) super-regions and 21 regions, we applied spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) to model HRH densities from 1990 to 2019 for all countries and territories. We used stochastic frontier meta-regression to model the relationship between the UHC effective coverage index and densities for the four categories of health workers enumerated in SDG indicator 3.c.1 pertaining to HRH: physicians, nurses and midwives, dentistry personnel, and pharmaceutical personnel. We identified minimum workforce density thresholds required to meet a specified target of 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index, and quantified national shortages with respect to those minimum thresholds. Findings: We estimated that, in 2019, the world had 104·0 million (95% uncertainty interval 83·5–128·0) health workers, including 12·8 million (9·7–16·6) physicians, 29·8 million (23·3–37·7) nurses and midwives, 4·6 million (3·6–6·0) dentistry personnel, and 5·2 million (4·0–6·7) pharmaceutical personnel. We calculated a global physician density of 16·7 (12·6–21·6) per 10 000 population, and a nurse and midwife density of 38·6 (30·1–48·8) per 10 000 population. We found the GBD super-regions of sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia, and north Africa and the Middle East had the lowest HRH densities. To reach 80 out of 100 on the UHC effective coverage index, we estimated that, per 10 000 population, at least 20·7 physicians, 70·6 nurses and midwives, 8·2 dentistry personnel, and 9·4 pharmaceutical personnel would be needed. In total, the 2019 national health workforces fell short of these minimum thresholds by 6·4 million physicians, 30·6 million nurses and midwives, 3·3 million dentistry personnel, and 2·9 million pharmaceutical personnel. Interpretation: Considerable expansion of the world's health workforce is needed to achieve high levels of UHC effective coverage. The largest shortages are in low-income settings, highlighting the need for increased financing and coordination to train, employ, and retain human resources in the health sector. Actual HRH shortages might be larger than estimated because minimum thresholds for each cadre of health workers are benchmarked on health systems that most efficiently translate human resources into UHC attainment