South And Central Asian Studies - Mphil Thesis

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://kr.cup.edu.in/handle/32116/99

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Indo-kazakhstan trade : Trends and protocols in the post cold war era
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Jaspreet; Kaur, Sandeep
Though economic relations between India and Kazakhstan have been strengthening; still the current size of trade and investment between the two countries is relatively less than potential. In this context, the present study is an endeavour to analyze the existing trends in bilateral trade and also to highlight the future prospects for India and Kazakhstan. It has been found that the increase in merchandise trade between the two countries is mainly because of the changing demand structure and comparative advantages of both the economies in complementary sectors in recent years. The trade specialization indices (RCA and Michaely) emphasize that while Kazakhstan has been specializing in a few energy products; India's exports have been more diversified. Also, both the countries have comparative advantages in different products in the same industry, revealing the opportunity for higher intra-industry trade (IIT) in future, which would reduce cost and enhance the benefits for both the countries. However, it has been revealed that India's trade with Kazakhstan is much below than the rest of the world. Thus, there are enormous complementarities in bilateral trade that need to be tapped. It is mandatory to overcome the geographical, political and other hurdles to increase two way flow of goods. Just before fully utilizing India's potential to contribute in transition of Kazakhstan and Kazakhstan's ability to provide the energy resources to India, it is required that the process of bilateral cooperation gets a boost
Human trafficking in south asia : a case study of bathinda district, punjab
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kumar, Kovid; Varghese, Vijay
The effects of Arsenic (As) were investigated on four varieties of T. aestivum viz. PBW 343, PBW 550, PBW 621 and HD 2967 to elucidate the toxicity of As on morphological, physiological, biochemical and antioxidant processes of plant in early stage. The results showed that seed germination, root length, shoot length and biomass decreased gradually with increase in concentrations of As (125-750'M) and this decrease was biologically significant. The photosynthetic and respiratory activity of the test plants was also investigated. The decrease in chlorophyll and carotenoids content with increase in As content indicates negative effect of As on the photosynthetic pigments. However, the total cellular respiration increased with increase in As concentration and this probably may be due to the enhancement in respiratory enzymes which leads to high production of energy by the respective cells. The contents of water soluble carbohydrates and proteins increased with increasing As concentrations while their hydrolyzing enzymes i.e. ? amylase and protease were decreasing with increase in As concentration. The activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase followed the increasing trend indicating the induction of oxidative stress under high concentration of As. Further, among the various varieties HD 2967 was the most tolerant variety and PBW 550 was most affected variety.
Punjab and the great game
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Singh, Maninderjit; Varghese, Vijay
The conquest of the Punjab, its induction into the British Indian Empire and its transformation as the jewel of British crown, model agrarian province and sword arm of India is part of the eventful phenomenon of establishing British colonialism over the Indian sub-continent, alongside the British maneuvers to protect its borders from imminent attacks from across the north western frontier. This exploratory research 'Punjab and the Great Game' is an effort to bring out the significance of Punjab as a strategic region, being geographically situated near to theatre of Great Game, in Anglo-Russian rivalry for commercial dominance in Central Asia and political primacy in Afghanistan by unraveling the intricacies related to it. Generally, in the history of empires, buffer states and smaller regions often receive scant individuated consideration as they are submerged in the narratives of empire. The present research by using the optic of great game attempts to understand the trajectory of tensions in the border region, and tries to foreground the implication and transformations of Punjab in this new light
Foreign direct investment in south asia : Trends and prospects
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Kaur, Gurpreet; Kaur, Sandeep
Foreign investment for these countries is an important strategy to achieve the objectives of increasing industrial production to fulfill the basic needs of people, to generate maximum employment opportunities, to attain high growth regime, to pave way for the improvement in balance of payments. Keeping in view the importance of FDI in regional integration scheme, there is a need to look into the growth and performance of foreign direct investment inflows as well as outflows of South Asia Nations. Therefore study's objectives are to examine position of South Asia nations in FDI inflows and outflows from world during 1990-2010. To study the growth of FDI in South Asia Nations during 1990-2010. to analyze the performance of South Asia Nations in terms of different FDI indicators. to examine the pattern of foreign direct investment of South Asia Nations and to study constraints and prospects of foreign direct investment of South Asia Nations. Keeping in mind the nature of the study, secondary data has been calculated from the different sources like UNCTAD World Investment Report's various reports of SAARC economies etc. The growth rate of FDI inflows in South Asia (24.77 percent) is much more than other developing economies (14.45 percent) and Asia (13.99 percent) during 1990-2010, still the inflows are not sufficient for the development of the region. The maximum average contribution in percentage share of South Asia's FDI inflows is of India (78.02), followed by Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (12.07 percent, 5.69 percent, 2.93 percent) for 1990-2010. Regarding FDI out flows, the growth rate of FDI out flows in South Asia (47.97 percent) is much more than developing economies (15.26 percent), developed economies (11.43 percent) and Asia (14.67 percent) during 1990-2010. The comparative analysis of FDI inflows and outflows, it clearly shows that growth of FDI outflows is much more as compared to the growth of FDI inflows in developing economies, Asia and South Asia during 1990-2010. The maximum average contribution in percentage share of South Asias's FDI outflows is of India (89.28 percent) followed by Pakistan (5.76 percent), Sri Lanka (3.65 percent) and Bangladesh (1.31 percent) during 1990-2010. The comparative analysis of the percentage share of inflows and outflows, it clearly shows that the average of the percentage share of South Asia's inflows are much more than the average of percentage shares of South Asia FDI outflows during 1990-2010. They are various potentials of intra-regional FDI, yet investment from other countries outside is not satisfactory. This is due to the prevalence of some hindrances in South Asian countries which are acting as bottlenecks to the smooth flow of investment both intra-regional and outside the region, like, difference in size of economics, trade barriers, poor condition of infrastrure, appropriate and effective banking, lack of cross-border facilities, political factors etc. The study suggests that FDI in South Asia is very closely related to high economic growth of the region and most areas in these countries are under developed whereas huge natural resources exist in these regions, which can attract FDI for high growth.
Militancy and media: A case study of indian punjab
(Central University of Punjab, 2012) Bassi, Dinesh; Romana, Paramjeet Singh
Militancy in Punjab has pushed the state to turmoil for more than one and a half decades. Though diverse aspects of this dark phase in the history of Punjab have been studied, the role and involvement of media has largely escaped academic scrutiny. The present study is an attempt to explore how the print media has been caught in conflicting discourses around militancy and thereby created a fractured public sphere. The Punjabi daily Rojana Ajit, the Hindi daily Punjab Kesri and The Tribune, an English daily, all popular in Punjab, has been selected for the purpose. The study also restricts itself to the period between May and July 1984, the time surrounding the infamous Operation Bluestar. The study looks at the communitarian leanings of the vernacular press in Punjab and how they construct categories according to the positions they subscribe to. It explore into the manner in which the murder of a prominent journalist has been representationally lost in its significance due to the media divergence. The study also argue that the set positions of the newspapers allowed them to report the news stories in their own way, and that the state and the nationalist rhetoric continue to wield considerable influence in deciding the character of the mediascape.
Violation of human rights of women in south asia: A case study of punjab 1978-1992
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Singh, Rajnbir; Kaur, Sandeep
Irrespective of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 1948, which was evolved to protect the fundamental rights of human beings for realization of human life and liberty with dignity, the violation of human rights has become a global phenomenon of intimidating scale and magnitude. South Asia is seen as a major site of human rights violation, particularly that of women. The present study is a modest attempt to look at the violation of human rights suffered by the women in the state of Indian Punjab during the time of movement for separate homeland and militancy. The study presume that women are more vulnerable to human rights violation in the modern world and various struggles at the national and sub-national levels against the state driven them to the receiving end of state repression. It is known that Punjab witnessed massive violation of human rights in the course of suppression of militancy which rattled life in Punjab since the creation of Punjabi Suba in 1966. However, the slew of anti-terrorist laws used by the government to suppress militancy led to incidents in which particularly women were detained and tortured illegally by the police to get information of armed Sikhs or on the pretext that these women harbour the armed Sikhs. The field work carried out as part of the study shows that the women concerned had to suffer severe degree of torture of varying methods, which made many of them victims of medical and psychological disorders like depression, severe pain in body, damaged muscles and anxiety. It is also found that many women became homeless due to the unrest and the rehabilitation of these women remains unrealised even today. So also is the case of compensation, a gesture of justice that is long pending
India's trade with six EU countries: Trends and patterns
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Kaur, Amandeep; Kaur, Sandeep
India and European Union trade relations go back to 1960s. Both sides started their bilateral trade relations after their first summit which, was held in 2000 and after that India-EU has gone through various rounds of summits and negotiations for improving the bilateral trade ties. As a result, Free Trade Agreement was agreed upon between them in 2007 but it is still not fully implemented. EU is India's largest trading partner which has accounted 14.8 percent in its total trade in 2011. The study has taken up six nations of EU namely Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and UK as these countries have a large average share of trade with India during 1996-2011. The study strives to find out the trade competitiveness and patterns of India with these six EU countries by using various indices like Trade Intensity Index (TII), Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA), Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage Index (RSCA) and Intra Industry Trade Index (IIT). The study finds out that India's growth of exports are more as compared to imports towards these countries. Among EU's six countries, UK, Germany, Netherlands and France are the main trade partners of India. Regarding commodity composition, India's 'iron and steel', 'organic chemicals' and 'electrical equipments' are the main top ten export commodities and 'pearls and precious stones metals & coins etc', 'organic chemicals', 'electrical equipment', 'iron and steel', 'nuclear reactors', 'optical photos' and 'commodities elsewhere classified' are in the top ten import commodities of India from these six countries. Regarding RCA index of India with these countries commodities namely 'silk', 'cotton', 'articles of accessories' and 'articles of leather' and 'animals guts' have still remained in top position during the whole study period and with the severe effect of Euro crisis, some of the commodities lost their earlier place in 2011 like Indian 'cotton', 'tea coffee' and 'carpets'. RSCA index shows almost same results for these commodities. Then in the IIT index for 'chemicals and allied industries', 'wood and wood products', 'metals' and 'machinery electrical' accounted higher value of IIT index in 2000 but it has been decreasing in 2011. The study suggested that, there is diversification in goods and latest technology should be used to benefit from bilateral trade. There is still further scope to improve the FDI flows between India-EU. India should adopt policies which are open, attractive and investor friendly to enhance the FDI flows. There is a need to implement the FTA agreement at fast pace, for this there is great requirement of political will.
Indian ocean : A life -line for south asia
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Raikhy, Swati; Singh, Kiran K
Since the ancient times Indian Ocean has played significant role in dissemination of capital, goods, people etc. It has been a source of immense importance and has entered in the life of all the littoral countries .Natural harbours developed at coasts of Indian Ocean in South Asia culminated in to trading points to carry out trade activities across Asia, Africa and far Western world. Sri Lanka, being located in the middle of Indian Ocean was the main boarding station for the ships enrooting east-west or vice versa. Trade routes developed during this period were monopolized by one nation or other from time to time. The discovery of sea route to India via Cape of Good Hope brought Europe and Asia closer and the Industrial revolution that began in Europe gave impetus to trade activities and globalized the Indian Ocean world. The arrival of Portuguese followed by Dutch, British, French and other European powers led them into the tussle to gain power over the Indian Ocean region for its enriched resources, commodities and the strategic importance that naturally endowed to Indian Ocean. It later became bone of contention among various European powers that was responsible for Colonization of almost entire Africa and most of Asia. The British were successful in retaining the power over the region till the end of Second World War. After gaining control over this water-body, they became the masters of the seas. Since ancient time Maldivian economy was heavily dependent on Indian Ocean. Natural resources like fishery, cowries and coir obtained from the coconut was widely cultivated at the coasts. The natural scenic beauty of Indian Ocean sea shores gave the economy of Maldives a new dimension in the form of tourism industry. Britain used its atolls as secret harbors during the Second World War. The two island nations of South Asia heavily rely on Indian Ocean as no other mean to connect outside world since the air route is too costly and cannot handle bulk cargo. In Bangladesh trade was largely based on Indian Ocean water ways but due to problem of siltation in Chittagong port goods were collected at Colombo, Singapore ports and then iv brought to Bangladesh. The countries surrounding Indian Ocean were linked with one another through this ocean. The regular trade activities from India in ancient times catered the development of trade routes, Indian rulers from time to time carried out raids to secure their position for trade activities at the points of strategic importance. The Europeans made Indian Ocean coast as their base to expand colonies and British were successful. The period after Second World War is marked with the period of intense rivalry between major powers in Indian Ocean region. On the one hand Indian Ocean revealed a long story of transformation from a zone of conflict to a zone of peace while on another the Indian Ocean mobility experienced significant change because of growing economic activities of littoral nations. Soon after independence the south Asian countries, to cater their economic needs, relied largely on import of finished goods and export of raw materials in the initial years of their independence that had been largely traversed to various countries from the waters of Indian Ocean. The economic and strategic importance of South Asia is linked with the concentration of variety of raw material or natural resources of the world such as rubber, manganese, copper, tea, cotton, Jute and Gold in various littoral states. Indian Ocean did not only help in promoting economic growth in the region but also has played significant role in shaping the polity of south Asia. Since the Indian Ocean preserves the enormous quantity of natural resources and diverse culture it has naturally become a zone of importance in all spheres for the world and South Asia.
Indo-russian defence cooperation, 1991-2011
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Mubarik, Mudasir; Kaushiki, Nishtha
The purpose of the present study is to meticulously trace the origin and subsequent strengthening of the Indo-Russian defence ties that finally culminated into the formation of Indo-Russian joint ventures with the deal on BrahMos missile. The year 1991 has been specifically chosen because it marked the end of the cold war and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The study first brings to the surface the fact that in British India, the country was highly dependent upon the British weapons and ammunitions. Thus, the possible role of other countries in the Indian defence market was completely ruled out. India gained its independence in 1947 which coincided with the beginning of the Cold War period. The study then moves to explore the cold war conditions under which India developed strategic relations with Russia. Bilateral relations between the two countries were established on 1950's. It was due to the cold war conditions coupled with India's adoption of a mixed economic system and a planned economy that brought the two nations closer to each other. Bilateral relations since the very inception were focused on the defence trade and because of this reason the relations soon culminated into strategic one. In the due course of the Cold War, as the U.S. role in the South Asian affairs tilted heavily in favour of Pakistan, Russia saw it as an opportunity for its defence sector and also for itself to expand its sphere of influence in the South Asian region. Since then the arms have been imported from Russia. v From 1960 to 1990 India imported conventional arms and ammunitions worth U.S. $ ten to fifteen billion with some of the major arms being transferred as MiG, AN-12, MI- 4 and other arms. The depth of Indo-Russian strategic relations was at its peak in the 1971 India Pakistan war when the two nations signed the treaty of friendship. Though the study analyses the defence deals made by the two countries in a great depth, it also examines the individual role of the leadership of both the countries in taking the relationship ahead. Stalin was apprehensive about India's role in the region during the cold war and it was labeled as 'pro-capitalist'. A favorable shift in the policy towards India was seen during the reign of Khrushchev. Relations under the Indian leadership of Nehru gained an impetus. The problems that have been faced by the Indian defence sector are delays in the delivery of the consignments, high prices of the Russian imports as compared to the earlier Soviet arms supplies, Russian arms being less competitive than their western counterparts etc. All these issues pose a serious challenge for India. In 2000 India decided to diversify its sources of arms. With this, Israel, Germany, U.S. and other European nations were being viewed as potential partners. It was during this phase that Russia also sought new partners for itself and it forged new relationships with China and Pakistan. Thus, both the countries shifted their attention from each other and focused primarily on the market forces that played its role in the defence sector. India, however, could not do away with Russian technology for its defence equipments because of its past imports- finding a partner country for spare parts would have been tough. Thus, we see that despite India's quest for new relationships in the defence sector, the Indian army's arms and ammunitions is largely Russian dominated. After tracing the historical roots of the defence relations of the two nations, the study then moves to analyze joint ventures in the defence sector-yet another important aspect of the defence bilateral relations of the two countries. Agreements for the joint ventures were materialized in 1998 whereby both the nations agreed on brahmos co production. This agreement initiated a new chapter for the Indo-Russian defence cooperation. vi The study concludes with a brief summary of the dissertation and recommends that India should engage with Russia without deviating from current programs with other suppliers. Russia should manufacture the competitive arms and deliver to India at reasonable prices and on time. India and Russia should focus on long run military contracts to maintain the time tested friendship.
Women and land ownership : A case study of sundabans in west bengal
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Halder, Mandakini; Varghese, Vijay
This dissertation is an attempt to look into the discrimination of women based on gender in accomplishing property rights with special reference to Sundarbans in West Bengal. The study highlights the fact that the concept and policies of landownership, which India inherited from the colonial rule, remain significantly gender blind due to the subordinate position Indian modernity/nation offered to women. The legal and policy interventions of late to bring gender justice in landownership and inheritance have achieved little success due to entrenched patrifocal social norms. Undertaken with a considered presumption that landownership and right of inheritance is crucial in achieving gender equality and gaining self and social respect for women, the study brings out socio-economic implications of land ownership to rural women in Sundarbans. It is found that landownership by women can make significant changes in their own lives and that of the family, materially and socially, though social, familial, administrative and economic obstacles blocks them in retrieving their share in the paternal property and claiming their husband's property. The women has to fight an embedded rural patriarchal commonsense in order to claim, own and manage landed property.
Nuclearization in South Asia: The China Factor
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Mir, Arif Mohmad; Singh, Bawa
Cantomentisation and transformation in south asia: a study of colonial military of punjab/firozpur
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Singh, Bhupinder; Varghese, V.J.
Military history in general is seen as an under-researched area, though military remained important to every country from time immemorial and countries and kingdoms maintained military for protection and security as well as for satisfying their imperial designs. It is well known that military has played a major role in the making of the British Empire in South Asia/ Indian Subcontinent in which Punjab played a strategic and pivotal role. The British Indian army was heavily concentrated in Punjab with a robust of network of military cantonments, apart from converting it as one of the most important army recruitment grounds. Punjab was thus turned into a 'garrison state'. The present dissertation is an attempt to map the military landscape of Punjab under colonialism and how it impacted the geography and socio- economic life of the region. From the 1830's a series of cantonments were established in the province- Firozpur, Lahore, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Peshawar, Ambala, Kanpur, Bathinda, Rawalpindi etc. which were vital in sustaining colonialism in India and maintaining the colonial dominance over the sub-continent. The cantonments transformed the life and geography of the respective locations/areas where they were established in the terms of demography and amenities. The attempt here is to make preliminary exploration into the details of the making Punjab a garrison state with these networks of cantonments and the changes they brought to the region. The study also makes a specific exploration into the history Firozpur cantonment.
Being national or non-national: Sheikh abdullah's autobiography and the history of kashmir
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Dar, Waseem Ahmad; Varghese, Vijay
The present study encompasses a preliminary reading of Aatish-e-Chinar, the autobiography of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, the most important political figure of modern Jammu and Kashmir. It is presumed here that the autobiographies as quintessentially a modern genre of expression are decisive instruments in the forging of nations, the quintessential political form of modern times. The Aatish-e-Chinar captures the trajectories of Kashmiri nation and nationalism and values that define it and the tendencies it is opposed to. The imagination of being national by Abdullah involved a simultaneous process of exalting certain attributes as national and others as non-national while placing himself at the centre of this historic nationalistic project. His autobiography stands out for its national character and faith in secularism and multiculturalism, overriding the prevalent orthodoxies. The autobiography draws us also to the national politics that made Abdullah to think in terms of remaining independent of both India and Pakistan, which has undergone transformation and change over time- the transformation of Jammu and Kashmir from a nation to a sub-nation as an administrative entity. The narrative is in conversation with its time and beyond in seeking legitimacy for the nation and its troubled historical trajectory.
Women's participation in politics and local governance
(Central University of Punjab, 2013) Mairu; Singh, Kiran K
Where women are honoured there reside the gods' was said by Manu. In India, women have made a considerable progress and have proved themselves by conducting the worldly affairs efficiently and effectively over the periods, but still they are deprived of their rights of equality with men. Their status has deteriorated due to various social, economic, cultural and religious factors. This status of women continued for quite a long time, until some social reformers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Raja Rammohan Roy and Swami Dayanand Saraswati of Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj stood against the brutality and the grave injustice which was being done against the women. Child Marriage, Sati Pratha, Pardah, Confinement to home and non-inclusion of females in day to day affairs were the examples of women suppression. Women have not been able to achieve an equal status and equal opportunity for themselves due to various reasons. Their representation in politics and various public offices has remained nominal. Women have contributed equally in the Struggle for Independence. At the advent of Independence, provisions were made for equal status of women in Indian Constitution. On the same lines, the provisions of women reservation in local bodies were made, so that women make their presence felt in local bodies in India and are a part of decision making process at the grass root level. Studies have shown that even after having reservation in local bodies, women are still not active and their husbands or other male relatives are actively involved in using their positions and they are only rubber stamps. The present study strives to find out the reasons behind the meagre representation of woman in political arena. The study has tried to find out the representation of women, their educational background, reason for coming to the public life and avenues wherein they could do better to serve the people of their constituency in a better way. For the present study, Bathinda City has been selected and Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is a local governance body, has been chosen. For this purpose, a iv detailed schedule has been prepared to understand the above given aspects from the municipal councillors of BMC. The data collected through the schedules have been analysed and the results have been interpreted. It was observed that women are coming in local governance due to the reservations but are more dependent upon their family members to perform the election and governance related activities
Women explotation in contemporary south asia: Field experiences of child marriage in bathinda district
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Kaur, Manpreet; Kaushiki, Nishtha
Women are exploited at every step of her life. Child Marriage and marital violence happens to be the first phase and is one of the ways in which women are exploited. The present research is an attempt to bring to the surface various underlying causes and effects of Child marriage in their life. It is also a humble attempt to recommend some measures to stop child marriages and sexual abuse of the child bride/ marital rape cases. For this purpose, case studies from Bathinda District of Punjab have been selected for the field study. The study tries to evaluate the extent to which women have utilised the legislative measures against these two activities, experiences of the victims and the socio-economic causes behind the problem. Thus, this study is of immense importance for women empowerment as it attempts to create awareness among the people on the issue.
Problems of land acquistion : A case study of gobindpura district mansa (punjab)
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Singh, Gurvinder; Bhatia, Sandeep Kaur
Despite India's roaring economic growth over the past decade, and its citizens' growing belief that it is finally ready to join the league of global superpowers; the country remains vulnerable in providing electricity to all its citizens. Therefore, arises the need for construction of power plants, which creates the problem of land acquisition in India. Many studies have dealt with the problem of land acquisition from different parts of the country, like Singur Tata Case, Nandigrame and Odhisa Pasco. The present study tries to analyse the socio economic implications of land acquisition of Gobindpura, a village of Mansa. Earlier studies are mostly related to the SEZ and land for industrial projects. But the present study is concerned with the land acquisition for a new thermal power plant. In lieu of its significance, the study looks at it socio-economic impacts of land acquisition in village Gobindpura and the nature of struggle being faced by people there due to the loss of land and livelihood. It was in October 2010, the Government of Punjab had decided to establish a Thermal Power Plant of 1320 Mega Watt (MW) in Gobindpura with the help of Poena Power Company. The total land area of the village is 1458 acres, out of which 806 acres of land has been acquired by the State Government of Punjab for establishing the thermal power plant. Due to the land acquisition, the land holdings of the people reduced from 1458 acres to 652 acres in the village. The study found that there has been change in cropping pattern and leased 'in and out' pattern of the agrarian land. Annual income of villagers decreased after land acquisition due to reduction in the size of agricultural land. The compensation amount given to the farmers ranged between from Rs. 23.23 lakhs per acre to Rs. 23.77 lakhs per acre, including displacement allowances, which was less than the announced amount. The study concludes that the problems arising out of land acquisition are due to following reasons: paying less compensation to the land owners, land acquired for the private projects in the name of public purpose, not providing the alternative source of income to the affected people and ignoring the agricultural labourers. The study suggests that the compensation amount being decided by the government should be based on the actual market price. It also suggests that the government should re-evaluate the existing land acquisition norms in India. The agricultural land acquired for purpose of development projects will make the agricultural population unemployed due to the multiples externalities of the projects, which are unskilled to fetch other jobs apart from aggravating the problem of food security in future
Obama's asia pivot policy : Implications for south asia
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Ramzan, Hilal; Kaushiki, Nishtha
One of the hallmarks of US President Barrack Obama's foreign policy is the 'pivot to Asia'. This policy is aimed at rebalancing US defence policies towards Asia. The Obama administration has rearticulated its policy away from the Middle East toward the Asia-Pacific. The focus of this research is on the strategic aspect of the policy. Under this rebalancing strategy, Washington, aims to increase its naval presence from the current 50/50 split between Atlantic and Asia-pacific to 40/60 respectively by 2020. Further, the geographical scope of the Asia-Pacific has been defined as 'stretching from the Indian subcontinent to the western shores of the America's, the region spans two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian oceans that are increasingly linked by shipping and strategy. As India has been termed as a 'linchpin' of this policy; it is going to be more affected. This research is a humble attempt to analyze the consequences of the Pivot on South Asian countries, with special focus on India. The first section of the dissertation discusses the rise of China and US's relative decline in order to explain the background of the pivot. It then moves on to discuss the changing geopolitical shifts in the Asian balance of power. This part sets to explain how the US and Chinese competing interests have changed the security architecture of Asia and how South Asian countries, particularly India is going to deal with it. Finally, the study would attempt to recommend some measures that India could adopt and benefit from the geopolitical opportunity from the emerging competition between US and China.
Democratic transformation in south asia: Emerging trends
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Gulam, Mudasir; Singh, Bawa
The South Asian region has experienced authoritarian and autocratic rule since its inception. India is the only country in South Asia to become a successful democratic country after independence. Sri Lanka has also adopted the similar model with presidential type of government. While the other countries of the region like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan have experienced ups and downs in their political systems. Pakistan after attaining its independence witnessed a rapid erosion of hopes to move the new nation to a democracy. The general elections held on 11 May, 2013 in Pakistan brought the first transition between civilian governments in a country which clearly shows the transformation of democracy in the country. Bangladesh came into existence in 1971 and since then many pro- democracy movements were observed in the country. These movements led to the multi- party democracy since 1991 till late 2006. It is evident that after 2009 the country has moved towards marginal political stability in its political affairs. Nepal, a kingdom, had monarchy which kept on flip-flopping between absolute and constitutional monarchy and vice-versa for many years. Democratic regimes proved to be short lived and unstable. The Nepalese movement in 2007 created a history in the country and moved ahead towards the consolidation of the democracy and General Election 2008 was the first step towards democratic transition. This way the Constitutional Republic was adopted in Nepal with the v collapse of monarchy rule. Bhutan has transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a multi-party democracy. The growth of Bhutanese democracy has been marked since 1950s. The first democratic elections in Bhutan began in 2007, and all levels of government had been democratically elected by 2011. All this explains the transformation from an absolute monarchy to democracy in the Kingdom of Bhutan. It is now clear that the South Asian region has experienced a democratic resurgence in the recent past. All the South Asian countries now have a democratic system but this transition to democracy is still fragile and susceptible.
China-pakistan strategic relationship : Implication for south asia
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Naiko, Ghulam Mohiudin; Kaushiki, Nishtha
Strategic relations between the two countries were established in 1972. Ever since then the two countries have given to each other the much required political and diplomatic support on various issues like, Kashmir, Tibet, Taiwan and Xinjiang, etc. In this study, an attempt has been made to first analyse the rationale behind the Sino-Pak relationship. How and why India is a major factor in their bilateral relations has been probed into. The study discusses the scope of their strategic relationship. The next section of this research includes the implications of their strategic relations on South Asia and particular emphasis has been placed on India. It has been analysed how strategic relation between the countries work for tying down India to South Asia?. The second part of the dissertation has dealt with the recent geopolitical shifts in the region that have further cemented their bilateral relationship, such as Indo-US nuclear deal and a ten year defense pact; Asia pivot etc. It has brought to surface the shifting Asian balance of power and how the Sino-Pak strategic relations affect India. Finally, the study is an attempt to recommend some policy measures for India that it can adopt for neutralising the affects of their strategic partnership on its foreign policy and larger strategic goals.
Public transport and mobility in urban south asia (A study of bathinda city)
(Central University of Punjab, 2014) Kumar, Gaurav; Singh, Kiran. K
Public transport plays a vital role in the development of the modern era as an integral part of the socio-economic and political structure of the country. Thus urban transport, its infrastructure and traffic management should involve optimal integration of the means and ways of mobility to create maximum ease and comfort maintaining the socioeconomic and physical integration of the city. It has a great influence and impact on regional patterns of development, economic viability, and environment and on maintaining socially acceptable levels of quality of life. As the cities expand, there is a consequential expansion of transportation needs. Urbanization brings with it increased affluence which results in increased mobility. There is daily mobility of people on account of social, religious, economic, political, entertainment needs. In developing countries where urbanization rates are increasing, the combined effect of high rapid growth coupled with increased mobility and large increases in population is a cause for concern. The rapid growth and utilization of private transport is becoming a source of congestion as well as pollution in the cities. There is no doubt that private transport has become advantageous over public transport but their unprecedented growth will have unimaginable consequences. This study is an attempt to evaluate public transport and urban mobility in Bathinda, what is the quality and quality related perception about public transport and what is the nature of mobility? In the situation of rapid growth in the private vehicle in the city the role of public transport in the mobility of v people has become crucial to understand. The data required for the present study has been collected from both primary and secondary sources. The secondary data for the study has been collected from government, semi-government and private sources such as from the City Bus Enterprise, Punjab Roads Authority, District Transport office, books, articles, research papers, journals, magazines & other internet resources. The primary data has been collected through field survey taking personal interviews which was done under varying circumstances such as taking bus rides, riding in autos, waiting in line for a bus to come and also visiting different wards of the city. Collected data were analysed and presented using descriptive statistical methods.