Farmers’ Suicides and Response of Public Policy: Evidence, Diagnosis and Alternatives from Punjab

Slow transformation of a developing economy gradually shifts surpluses and substantially reduces the importance of the agricultural sector of the economy. This has been recognized as a healthy characteristic of the capitalist economic development. Crisis of this transformation emerges when the surpluses are rapidly extracted but dependence of workforce remains on agriculture sector. Organization of farm production on the lines of capitalist farming reduces farmers to managers of production and increases continuously unemployment of labour. The state led green revolution in Punjab based on assured market and remunerative prices of agricultural production in the early green revolution period has considerably increased the income of the farmers irrespective of farm size. Stagnation of the green revolution technology, rise in the cost of living, lack of alternative employment opportunities and near freeze in the minimum support prices has generated a crisis of unprecedented scale. Diversification attempts of the farmers for alternative remunerative outcomes have further pushed them in deep crisis because of market failure to provide right kind of prices both of the produce and finance. Increased unemployment, mounting debt burden and lack of success in diversification attempts led the farmers to commit suicides in Punjab. Farmers’ organizations, political movements and state led resistance to the agrarian crisis have not yet met with success. This paper makes an attempt to examine the agrarian crisis of Punjab with fresh perspective to search for an alternative strategy for resolving the crisis.Farmers’ Suicides; Indebtedness; Public Policy; Agrarian Crisis; Agriculture sector; Structural Transformation; Indian Punjab

Review of Importance of Environmental Education and Awareness Strategies

Environment constitutes a very important part of our life. To understand life without studying the impact of environment is simply impossible. The need to protect environment can be ignored only at our peril. We use environmental resources in our day to day life. All human activities have an impact on environment. But in the last two centuries or so, the human influence on environment has increased manifold due to the rapid population. Thus, environmental education plays an important role in today’s running and busy lifestyle.This review distinguishes and relates environmental awareness and environmental education, and considers how they are implemented in different contexts

Assisted Suicide in Canada: Moral, Legal, and Policy Considerations by Travis Dumsday

THE SUPREME COURT OF CANADA’S (SCC) decision in Carter v Canada (“Carter”) was a landmark moment in Canadian jurisprudence. In Carter, the SCC declared two sections of the Criminal Code to be of no force and effect because the “prohibition on physician assisted dying…deprives a competent adult of such assistance where (1) the person affected clearly consents to the termination of life; and (2) the person has a grievous and irredeemable medical condition…that causes enduring suffering that is intolerable to the individual.” Not only did Carter overturn an earlier decision in Rodriguez v British Columbia (Attorney General) (“Rodriguez”), which had upheld prohibitions on medical assistance in dying (MAID), but Carter was also instrumental in two other aspects of Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (“Charter”) jurisprudence

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of several 4-substituted-6-(3'-nitrophenyl)pyridazin-(2H)-3-one derivatives

Diversos derivados benzilideno/furfurilideno piridazin(2H)-3-ona 6-aril-4-substituídos (4a-f) foram sintetizados e avaliados como analgésicos e anti-inflamatórios em camundongos e ratos, respectivamente. Todos os compostos foram testados utilizando-se o método de placa quente de Eddy e o de edema de pata induzido por carragenana para a avaliação das atividades analgésica e anti-inflamatória, respectivamente. Os resultados mostraram que os compostos 4f, 4b, 4d e 4e exibiram atividade analgésica e anti-inflamatória mais alta do que os compostos restantes. Todos os compostos (4a-f) foram caracterizados por IV, RMN e espectrometria de massas.Several 6-aryl-4-substituted benzylidene/furfurylidene pyridazin(2H)-3-one derivatives (4a-f) were synthesized and evaluated as analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents in mice and rats, respectively. All compounds were tested by using Eddy's hot plate and the carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema method for the evaluation of analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities, respectively. Results showed that compounds 4f, 4b, 4d, and 4e exhibited higher analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities than other remaining compounds. All title compounds (4a-f) were characterized by IR, NMR and Mass spectroscopy

Yield Potential of Co\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e Napier Hybrid Bajra (\u3ci\u3ePennisetum perpureum schumach.\u3c/i\u3e) Fodder Crop Under Irrigated Conditions in India

A field trial on Co4 was conducted at ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar during 2013-14 to 2017-18 to study the effect of harvesting season/time on green, dry matter yield and morphological parameters. Data shows that yield of Co4 was increased from first year 2013-14 to third year 2015-16 and decreased in fourth year of plantation of crop. Regrowth of ratoon crop was good as it was in first year crop, it may be concluded that crop can be grown upto 5-6 years. The crop yield of first year and second year as par with fifth year. Maximum green fodder yield 307.7 q/ha in 2015-16. In 5th year (2017-18), ratooning yield was at par 301.3 q/ha with 2nd to 4th year (2014-15 to 2016-17). Good package of practices are recommended for ratooning to get good yield as well as economic production for long time 5-6 years of ratooning. The crop Co4 produced maximum green fodder yield (307.7 q/ha) in Aug-Sep

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in U.S. Older Women: Findings from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, 2003 & 2004

The purpose of this study was to examine racial and ethnic variations in the modifiable CVD risk factors in older women (65 years and older). The study data was drawn from the merged 2003 and 2004 national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Multinomial regression analyses for indicator outcome and multiple logistic regression analyses for binary outcomes were performed to determine the relationship between each of the six dependent variable and the independent variables. Compared to older white women, older black women had significantly higher odds of hypertension, diabetes and obesity. No significant association was found between Hispanics and hypertension. However Hispanics were found to be more likely to have diabetes and no leisure-time physical activity compared to whites. Hispanics were also found to have lower odds of smoking compared to whites. American Indian and Alaskan Native (AIAN) s were found to have significantly higher odds of diabetes and obesity compared to whites. No significant association between AIANs and smoking was found. Overall, there are striking racial and ethnic differences in the CVD risk factors among older U.S women after controlling for socio-economic status. It is evident from these findings that in designing interventions to reduce cardiovascular risks for elderly women, clearly “one size does not fit all.” These findings highlight the need for development and implementation of appropriate public health programs aimed at these various target communities

Genetically modified Cotton species detection by LISS-III satellite data

It is possible to infer the genetically modified species by using remotely sensed data. Using ERDAS software the algorithm of BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) Cotton in Punjab, India was developed successfully. GPS enabled space technology has the potential to identify the exact location of Bt Cotton by generating Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the calculation of total area covered by this species. It was possible to develop a correlation in between genetically modified Cotton crop and NDVI value. In parts of Bhatinda district of Punjab the yield of Bt Cotton and NDVI showed R2 value of more than 4.5 in regression analysis. A correlation matrix was also generated which shows that NDVI values of BT cotton also has reasonably acceptable correlation with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of soil and water

Genetically modified Cotton species detection by LISS-III satellite data

It is possible to infer the genetically modified species by using remotely sensed data. Using ERDAS software the algorithm of BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) Cotton in Punjab, India was developed successfully. GPS enabled space technology has the potential to identify the exact location of Bt Cotton by generating Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the calculation of total area covered by this species. It was possible to develop a correlation in between genetically modified Cotton crop and NDVI value. In parts of Bhatinda district of Punjab the yield of Bt Cotton and NDVI showing R2 value of more than 4.5 in regression analysis. A correlation matrix was also generated which shows that NDVI values of BT cotton has reasonably acceptable correlation with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) of soil and water also

Development of Standardized Scientific Temper Tool

The prime aim of the present paper was to develop a standardized tool to measure scientific temper. For this purpose, the investigators organized three workshops with experts in the field of science and social sciences and the tool is developed in three phases. In the first phase, the term scientific temper had been operationally defined and four dimensions, i.e. spirit of enquiry, rational thinking, cause and effect relationship and scientific information were finalized to measure the scientific temper among people. This scientific temper tool was developed in the form of a questionnaire. The items related to above four dimensions were collected and shuffled well to prepare initial draft of the schedule. Thus the initial draft contained 70 items in it. The questionnaire was prepared in three parts, designated as FORM A, FORM B and FORM C. In the FORM A responses were recorded on Likert-scale while in FORM B questions were kept open-ended and the responses in FORM C, which constituted the core of Scientific Temper Questionnaire (STQ), were categorized into three options, from scientific to superstitious. It should be noted that all the three parts contianed identical indicators.In the second phase, the initial draft of STQ was administered on a sample of 120 students in order to determine the discriminative value and popularity value of each item for the purpose of item analysis. The reliability was established through Kuder Richardson formula and content and concurrent validity were also established. In order to develo

Prevalence of Multidrug Resistant Bacillus cereus in Foods and Human Stool Samples in and Around Pantnagar, Uttrakhand

.A total number of 63 samples out of 505 samples were found to be positive for Bacillus cereus. The positive samples comprised of 29 samples of human stool, 10 of milk, 23 of meat and meat products origin. These positive isolates were tested against 13 different commonly used antibiotics by the disc diffusion method. Antibiogram pattern of these 63 isolates indicated multidrug resistance. B. cereus isolates showed a high rate of resistance to Carbenicillin, Kanamycin and Ampicillin and intermediate frequency of resistance to Amoxicillin and Cephalothin. All the isolates irrespective of their source were resistant to Bacitracin and Penicillin G and sensitive to Aminoglycosides (Gentamycin, Neomycin and Streptomycin) and Chloramphenicol. However, variable resistance patterns were also recorded in B. cereus isolates obtained from different origin, which is suggestive of source-associated resistance. It can be inferred from the above study that presence of multidrug resistant B. cereus in animal-origin food and environment in such high proportion is of public health significance