Causes and Impact of Labour Migration: A Case Study of Punjab Agriculture

In Punjab, the influx of migrant labour particularly in agriculture sector started with the green revolution and picked up subsequently. Due to monoculture in the cropping pattern, the state has become largely dependent on migrant labourers for various agricultural operations. The influx of seasonal as well as permanent labour from outside has led to various socio-economic problems in Punjab. In the wake of this, the present study was purposively conducted in the Central Zone of Punjab for the year 2011 to find the causes and impact of labour in-migration in Punjab. A total of 105 respondents belonging to the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Nepal constituted the sample frame. The results have revealed that better income and employment opportunities at the destination place were the major factors responsible for migration. About 64 per cent of the respondents earned less than ` 20000 per annum at their native places and 60 per cent of them had less than 200 days of employment in a year, whereas 23 per cent of the labourers were unemployed at their native place. However, after migration 63 per cent of the migrants could earn from ` 20000 to ` 50000 per annum and 34 per cent earned more than ` 50000 per annum in Punjab, leading to a major share (60% of total income) as remittances sent back to their native places. On the other hand, the flip side of the influx of migrants in the study area increased the drug menace by 37 per cent, social tension by 45 per cent and crime by 43 per cent. The state government should maintain a demographic balance by regulating the migrants and should help in verification of credentials of migrating labourers to Punjab.Labour migration, Long-term migration, Short-term migration, Remittances, In-migration, Agricultural and Food Policy, J61, J62, R23,

Universalism and Ethical Values for the Environment

This book discusses a variety of world views that we can find to describe human relationships with the environment, and the underlying values in them. It reviews existing international legal instruments discussing some of the ethical values that have been agreed among member states of the United Nations

Molecular docking of combretastatin derivatives to combat human cancer cells

Cancer is defined as the group of diseases which involve abnormal cell growth or controlled growth of abnormal cells that are present in any part of the body. The causative agents of cancer are chemical, environmental, viral, and mutagenic, which lead to the mutation of genes into oncogenes, which provoke or demean regulatory biochemicals, resulting in accelerated cellular growth. Combretastatin was selected as the candidate because it is a water-soluble prodrug which is quickly converted into combretastatin A4, a cancer-fighting substance. It has longer circulation, better drug targeting, increased efficiency, and fewer side effects. The research was carried out to find a potential drug that could inhibit the action of cancer in humans. In the experiment, 21 derivatives of combretastatin were subjected to molecular docking for analyzing the binding interactions of the derivative with the active site using the Protein Data Bank: 3DK9 through Molegro Virtual Docker 6.0. The docking showed that the (E)-1-(2,6-dimethoxypyridin-4-yl)-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-2-methylprop-2-en-1-one was the most potent, had a Mol Dock score of-194.925 and gave interactions with Asp331, Gly31, and Thr57. Thus, this research can be further extended further to have more potent drugs

Pediatric scurvy case report: a novel presentation with deep vein thrombosis secondary to large bilateral spontaneous iliac subperiosteal hematomas

Abstract Background Scurvy is an uncommon disease in developed countries caused by deficiency of vitamin C. We present a case of scurvy in a 14-year-old male with autism with both novel presentation and imaging findings. This case had the novel presentation of lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) secondary to compression of the external iliac vein from large bilateral iliac wing subperiosteal hematomas. Subperiosteal hematoma is a well-recognised feature of scurvy but large and bilateral pelvic subperiosteal hematoma causing DVT has not previously been described. Case presentation A 14 year old Caucasian male with background of autism and severe dietary restriction presented with lower limb swelling and immobility. He was diagnosed with lower limb DVT. Further investigation revealed an iron deficiency anaemia, and he was found on MRI to have large bilateral subperiosteal iliac hematomata causing compression of the iliac vessels. He improved following treatment with vitamin C replacement and follow-up imaging demonstrated resolution of the DVT and hematoma. Conclusion DVT is rare in children and when diagnosed should prompt investigation as to the underlying cause. This case demonstrates an unusual cause of DVT and as an unusual presentation of paediatric scurvy

Energy input and yield relations for wheat in different agro-climatic zones of the Punjab

Modern farming has become very energy intensive. Nowadays cropping pattern, farm activities and level of technology define the energy requirements. Energy needs are not only increasing in the agricultural sector, but in all sectors involving human activities. There is a great need to balance the use and availability of energy especially in the agricultural sector, in such a manner, so as not to affect the production adversely. Realising the implications of energy use, a study was carried out on the energy consumption patterns, in different agro-climatic zones, for the wheat crop in the state of Punjab in India. Mathematical relations were fitted to the yield and total energy input. An attempt was also made to optimise the energy inputs using a frontier production function for different agro-climatic zones. Under the present conditions, where irrigation is not assured, there is not much scope for increasing the yield of wheat in zone 1. However a 5.4% increase in yield is expected in zone 2 by providing 26.9% additional energy input through irrigation and the use of a fertiliser. The yield can be increased by 3.2% to 4049 kg/ha from 3922 kg/ha by putting 18.6% more energy input in zone 3. Yield can be increased to 4934 kg/ha (an increase of 13.7%) by an additional energy input of 28.5% in zone 4. On the other hand, the additional energy input of 29.6% gives only 1.3% increase in yield in zone 5. In most cases, the proper placements of seed, irrigation and fertiliser played significant roles in increasing the productivity in addition to some unknown parameters such as soil type and weather conditions.Yield Wheat Energy input Energy-ratio Specific energy

Causes and Impact of Labour Migration: A Case Study of Punjab Agriculture

In Punjab, the influx of migrant labour particularly in agriculture sector started with the green revolution and picked up subsequently. Due to monoculture in the cropping pattern, the state has become largely dependent on migrant labourers for various agricultural operations. The influx of seasonal as well as permanent labour from outside has led to various socio-economic problems in Punjab. In the wake of this, the present study was purposively conducted in the Central Zone of Punjab for the year 2011 to find the causes and impact of labour in-migration in Punjab. A total of 105 respondents belonging to the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Nepal constituted the sample frame. The results have revealed that better income and employment opportunities at the destination place were the major factors responsible for migration. About 64 per cent of the respondents earned less than ` 20000 per annum at their native places and 60 per cent of them had less than 200 days of employment in a year, whereas 23 per cent of the labourers were unemployed at their native place. However, after migration 63 per cent of the migrants could earn from ` 20000 to ` 50000 per annum and 34 per cent earned more than ` 50000 per annum in Punjab, leading to a major share (60% of total income) as remittances sent back to their native places. On the other hand, the flip side of the influx of migrants in the study area increased the drug menace by 37 per cent, social tension by 45 per cent and crime by 43 per cent. The state government should maintain a demographic balance by regulating the migrants and should help in verification of credentials of migrating labourers to Punjab

Dynamics of Labour Demand and its Determinants in Punjab Agriculture

The study on dynamics of labour demand in Punjab agriculture has revealed that between 1985-86 and 2006-07, the per-hectare labour use has declined by about 23 per cent; more so, in the case of dominant crops like wheat and paddy that have experienced large-scale mechanization. Wheat and paddy had together accounted for about 52 per cent of the gross cropped area in 1985-86, which further increased to 73 per cent in 2006-07. However, increase in labour use in cotton cultivation has been only marginal. The positive effect of agricultural growth on labour use has got neutralized due to the significant displacement of human labour by machines and also due to rising wage rates. The elasticity of labour use in agriculture has fallen drastically during the past two decades indicating little potential for absorption of additional labour in agriculture