Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 01 - 08
Internet Accessibility as a Fundamental Right
Mousumi Das and Sambedan Panda
The study is made in the context of pandemic, how the lack of internet access has intensified 'digital divide' in the form of an access divide, a skill divide, an economic opportunity divide as well as a democratic divide. The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly increased our dependence on 'internet' and a lot of physical operations like access to medical facilities, education as well as availing basic services etc. being transformed to a virtual mode. Prior to this pandemic too, various countries realised its importance and set up infrastructure and enacted laws to ensure uninterrupted internet availability at affordable price. U N General Assembly has already recognised the access to internet as a basic human right in 2016, much prior to this pandemic. Considering its impact on human life, the access to internet is now no longer viewed as a source of feeding information but an instrument to enlarge the job market and increase the utility value of basic necessity services, a demand for including it as a 'fundamental right', not a 'derived right' in the aftermath of the judgment of Supreme Court of India. In this context, this article highlights the consequences of lack of equal access to internet facilities and explores the possibility of including it as a part of fundamental right in this country where inequality pervades every spheres of life.
Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 09 - 33
Development, Education and Human Rights: Tribes in Transition
Tapan R. Mohanty
In a rapidly changing world order education along with economic empowerment will play a very significant role in achieving sustainable human development. In fact, it was this realization that pitch forked education into the core of millennium development goals. However, the effect of education as the harbinger of development and guarantor of human rights has had little effect on marginalized and excluded section of society. The marginalized have been further pushed to the corner due to the ill effect of globalization especially in the context of their human rights. In this article the author tries to put things into perspective by examining the travails of tribal communities in India.
Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 34 - 47
India and the Non-traditional Security Threats: Issues and Challenges
Suratha Kumar Malik
The idea of security has drastically changed over time, especially in the post-Cold War period and emphasised has been shifted from traditional security threats to non-traditional security threats as far as nation-States in the contemporary world are concerned. The non-traditional security threats in its ambit include the non-State actors, terrorist networks, biological warfare, cyber-crime networks and the present COVID-19 pandemic other than food, water, internal security and environment issues which revolve around the human face of security. These were demarcated as new security threats or 'new-age threats' with a paradigm shift where India is not outside of its purview. Therefore, discourses and debates centering to non-traditional security approach have impacted the scenario of international relations and foreign policies of the nation-States of the world in general and India in specific. With the above, the paper tries to explore the variables of non-traditional security threats in the light of India's peculiar condition and discusses the related issues and challenges. It also discusses the meaning, definition, and conceptual framework of NTS, as a basis for discussion of India's typical non-traditional security problems in present days.
Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 48 - 65
Declining Rural Female Work Participation Rate: Countering a Positivist Reductionist Rationale
Kulwinder Singh and Nisha
Declining female work participation rate (WPR) has been long ignored by the researchers in post-independence period and when the due attention was paid, it did a great disservice to the cause of women rights by explaining the cause of declining female WPR through the lens of economic prosperity i.e. income effect. The evidence from Census (2001-11) and NSS (1999-2000 & 2011-12) do not conform to this general logic as the increase in income also leads to increase in consumption in early stage of increment in income. So, it is unlikely that women from the poorest households will withdraw from the workforce. However, this has been the case which pushes one to look for the additional explanations for withdrawal of female workforce from labour market. The analysis of evidence from NSS and Census of India, confirms that though, there has been rise in proportion of young females (5-24 age group) attending education institutes but the women who have withdrawn from work are actively seeking work while performing domestic duties along with allied activities. This means that the income effect do induce the greater school attendance but does an injustice to core women workforce (25-59) by reducing the logic behind the decline in female WPR to income while completely ignoring the socio-economic scenario and its regional patterns of patriarchy. This positivist and reductionist approach must be countered to bring the focus on the better quality work for women.
Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 66 - 79
Understanding India Connect Central Asia Policy: A Study on India- Uzbekistan Relations
Raj Yadav and Jason Wahlang
Central Asia was a part of India's 'Extended neighbourhood policy' which was established in the year 2006 under the Pranab Mukherjee then Minister of External Affairs. The main aim of the policy was to establish of universities, hospitals, telecommunications, information technology (IT), improving air connectivity for the boosting of trade and tourism, strategic partnerships in defence and strategic areas. India gains access to the natural resources which are available in the region. This initiative was taken to improve the economic growth of India and expand the economic borders of India to Central Asia. One of the concerned countries involved in this policy is the Central Asian nation of Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is one of the major countries of the Central Asian Region (CAR). It is the largest military power in the region; it has one of the world largest productions of uranium and gold. India shares a historical relationship with the country Uzbekistan, Sufism which exists in India came from the Uzbekistan which was the head of Sufi learning. Over the years there has been strong relationship between the two nations especially during the Soviet period where Jawaharlal Nehru visited the Uzbek ASSR. In the Connect Central Asia policy, Uzbekistan has established good military relations with both nations having military exercises. There has been strong development in the energy sector relations. This paper is an attempt to understand the India-Uzbekistan relations since the establishment of the Connect Central Asia Policy. It further focuses on the challenges and opportunities for both the concerned countries. The research methodology adopted is qualitative, descriptive and analytical in nature and has used secondary sources in the form of books, research papers, government reports (primary sources), publications and newspaper sources.
Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 80 - 90
India Seeking it's Diaspora in South Africa: Responses from the South African Indians
Sushmita Rajwar
Since independence the Government of India chose to follow a policy of disassociation with its Diaspora, continuously giving them advise to adapt to the culture as well as aspirations of their host countries. Many a times the Government of India has not been able to provide the kind of support that the Diaspora needed in the most difficult times. But, all this suddenly changed post-globalization when India adopted a policy of active association towards its Diaspora. This left the Indian Diaspora in general and the Indian Diaspora in South Africa in particular confused. The series of policies and programmes that ensued soon after the change in Diaspora policy like organizing the annual Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas led to a lot of criticism from the South African Indians. With this background, the paper tries to analyse the role of the South African Indians in nation-building in South Africa, the policies of the Indian government to re-engage this diaspora and current challenges that India faces while engaging with its Diaspora in South Africa.
Open Access
|
Research Article
|
First Published August 31, 2021
|
Pp. 91 - 105
Deadly Virus Covid 19- An outbreak turns into epidemic in Financial Market
Rishabh Partap Singh
With persistent human headways and changes the way of life of the human race has changed, advanced and has ended up subordinate to the mechanical variables as well. In this examination we are going to perform an analysis of how the scourge circumstance resulted in a worldwide financial episode in the financial market. The reason for this term paper is to screen the defenselessness and inconsistency with the flare-up of this infection as the hotspot of this scourge isn't as it were having its origins in China but gradually moving to other nations including India. Amid the initial phase of this scourge the China monetary showcase had been influenced but inevitably the declining drop in pandemic within the advertised scattered into other nations leading to global economic crisis.