Cultural Integration of Inter-State Migrants in Asansol, West Bengal

Migration brings about changes in the cultural traits of both migrants and the receiving society. This becomes even more crucial, especially for India, which is characterised by rich cultural diversity and substantial inter-state migration. Cultural integration is the strategy of cultural exchange wherein one community incorporates changes without sacrificing its own culture and thus, pave the way for a more stable and harmonious society. Migration in Asansol dates back to the early 19th Century when the newly set up coal mining and the subsequent industrial development generated the demand for labour. Migrants brought with them a distinct culture which had to be reconstructed in the new cultural setup. This study is an attempt to understand the phenomena of cultural and psychological integration of the migrants in Asansol. A descriptive method has been employed to comprehend the migrants’ adaptation and the consequent socio-cultural changes.  A sample of 370 individuals has been taken to explore the migrant’s outlook toward integration with the larger society. Emphasis has been laid upon the way the migrants reconstruct themselves, appraise their perception, and adopt the dominant cultural traits. The study reveals that the migrants have immensely influenced the culture of the region under investigation

Transformation of Agricultural Land for Urbanisation, Infrastructural Development and Question of Future Food Security: Cases from Parts of Hugli District, West Bengal

Developing countries of the world encounter urbanisation and infrastructural development in or around the fertile tracts and the absence of any landuse plan for desired land use change has led to conversion of farmlands, which is detrimental to future food security and environmental quality. Hugli district is traditionally well known as one of the most prosperous agricultural regions of West Bengal but the district is experiencing rapid urban extension and infrastructural development towards productive agricultural land since 1991. This has caused decline in the amount of agricultural production which may be treated as an indicator of increasing threat to the long run sustainable livelihood security of the people of the whole of West Bengal. This article critically explores the transformation of agricultural (farm) land because of growing rate of urbanisation and infrastructural development, which in turn poses the question of threat to food (in) security. Although, this is a growing problem across the universe, this article probes the future food security questions of Hugli district, West Bengal by examining the impact of the highly intertwined indicators of urbanisation and infrastructural development on agricultural (farm) land use and its effect on food security. Regression analysis, Spearman’s Ranking Correlation Coefficient, Remote Sensing technologies, Markov Chain Model, Projection of future population growth and yield rate are employed to understand the depth of the problem. The result not only shows a direct negative correlation between urban extension and agricultural areal contraction but also the supervised classification of satellite imageries shows that there is rapid change of rural land use from 1996-2016. There is no match between future population growth and future yield rate of crops and the Markov Chain Model further predicts that the cropland will decrease from 62.77% to 42.90% and the built up area will increase from 31.86% to 54.63% of the total area from 2016 to 2056. &nbsp

Assessment of Urban Expansion and Associated Spatial Transformation of Chandannagar City, West Bengal

The Chandannagar city, as a former French colony and a historic trading centre, has witnessed a steady growth throughout the French colonial era, and the process is still in action even today. Such urban extension has altered the land use/cover (LULC) fabric both in the core and fringe areas by transforming the natural landscape. The prime goals of the study are to assess the magnitude of urban expansion of the city from 1991 to 2016 and its consequent spatial transformation by using geospatial techniques. Three indices, that is, Built-up Index (BUI), Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Modified Normalised Difference Water Index (MNDWI) are employed to perceive the spatio-temporal dynamics of LULC from the remotely sensed data. Annual Growth Rate (AGR) and Land Use Integrated Index (LDI) are used to evaluate the rate, magnitude, and nature of changes. The results reveal that the rapid increase in built-up area from 7.9 sq. Km. in 1991 to 14.45 sq. Km. in 2016 has transformed nearly 51.52% of the non-forest vegetation covers and 58.18% of the water bodies of the city during the observation period

Homeless People in West Bengal: A District-Level Study

The phenomenon of homelessness has often been explained as an obvious result of rapid urbanisation along with the limited housing facility in the urban areas (the destination region), but undoubtedly, it is interlinked with multifaceted issues which have been deeply rooted in the socioeconomic and political set up of the rural areas and small towns (the source region). Rural-urban development disparity, rural-urban migration, poverty, intraregional unequal human development and housing shortage are some of the factors that have intensified the problem of pavement dwelling in urban areas. According to the Census of India (2011), the state of West Bengal holds the 7th position among the states of India with 134040 homeless people. The development disparity between Kolkata and other parts of the state has resulted a definite district-wise spatial distributional pattern of homeless people with the greatest concentration in Kolkata city. The study attempts to probe into the spatio-temporal distribution of homeless population and strives to ascertain the instrumental factors of the phenomenon in a contextual framework with the help of available and acquired data and information. Simple statistical methods- location quotient, Z-score, bi-variate correlation, Sphereman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient and Student t test have been used for the analysis. The findings suggest that the less developed districts, as well as the states, surrounded the Kolkata act as the source region that has pushed the destitute community towards the city and compelled them to reside on the footpaths of the city without a roof

Ecosystem Services of Chariganga and Arpara Beel in Nadia District, West Bengal: A Geographical Enquiry

The ecological set up of the deltaic Bengal has immensely been benefitted by the ecosystem services extended by the freshwater wetlands. Along with the diverse ecological benefits, those floodplain wetlands serve the adjacent agrarian community through the provision of free goods and services. The present study has attempted to identify the ecological resources provided by the Chariganga and Arpara Beel and its impact on the livelihood patterns of the rural inhabitants. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques have been used for the study. Ecosystem Service Index (ESI) has been computed to quantify the values of ecosystem services in each category for the dry and wet periods. Nearly 33 ecosystem services are identified which have significantly influenced the socio-economic lifestyle of the inhabitants of three adjacent villages like Arpara, Gotpara, and Sultanpur but not homogeneously in terms of space, time, and status of stakeholders. The computed ESI values reveal that the maximum index value in each category of ecosystem services has been recorded at Chariganga Wetland in both dry and wet seasons.  Moreover, the fluctuation of ESI between the two seasons is least at Chariganga Wetland (0.03) compared to Arpara Wetland (0.28). Spatio-temporal variation in availability of resources has conspicuously altered the yearlong utilisation pattern of wetlands’ resources and put a noticeable imprint upon the diverse economic activities and cultural practices of the beneficiaries. The seasonal transformation of a large segment of the studied wetlands in wet and dry months has noticeably influenced the livelihood strategies of the natives. As a consequence, dynamism in utilisation pattern and contrasted societal views concerning the wetland-people interdependency has come into existence

Challenges and Prospects of Apple Cultivation in Himachal Pradesh

The present endeavour aims to ascertain the current status and recent challenges of apple cultivation in Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh and to explore the prospects by framing suitable strategies through quantitative SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and QSPM (Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix) analysis. A total of 32 factors encompassing 20 internal [10 Strengths (S) and 10 Weakness (W)] and 12 external [6 Opportunities (O) and 6 Threats (T)] factors have been identified through empiric investigation and interaction with the stakeholders. Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) and External Factor Evaluation (EFE) matrices have revealed that favourable agro-climatic conditions (S1, 3.60) and prevalence of diseases of the plants (W5, 3.6) are the most prioritised internal strength and weaknesses. At the same time, the establishment of adequate cold storage facilities (O5, 3.6) and recent changes in the prevailing climate (T1, 2.25) comprise the most concerning external opportunities and threats in the area, respectively. The results further reveal that implementing a well-managed gardening system and developing of infrastructural facilities (WT1, 124.7) may become the qualified alternative action plan to cope with the negative determinants. The establishment and expansion of apple orchard-based food processing units and tourism activities (SO2, 95%) may be considered the most suitable positive (SO) strategy to ensure further prosperity of apple production, which has been supported by most of the respondents. Adapting such a strategy will enrich the horticulture economy and promote the sustainable development of apple farming in the district