Socio Economic Status and Working Conditions of Women Beedi Workers and The Need for Social Protection

The beedi industry is one of the biggest among the unorganized sectors spread all over India, employing a large number of women. The occupational life of Beedi workers are characterized by low wages, piece rated remuneration, lack of social security and absence of organization.  The majority are home based women workers who live under the poverty line. The beedi rolling is generally done by poor women in backward areas where the workers have usually no other means of sustainable employment.

Green Banking – A Pathway to Sustainable Development

It is well known fact that our ecosystem has undergone a rapid change due to climate change and other reasons. It is the concern and duty of human beings to see that our planet is protected and would provide a safe place to live for our future generation. Banks and financial institutions can also play a major and decisive role to make our planet a better place to live in. As providers of finance, banks can ensure that businesses adopt environment-friendly practices. Incentives by way of offering cheaper funds for adopting green technologies will have a long term beneficial impact on the environment. As major implementers and users of technology, banks themselves can adopt green practices and thereby lead the way in this global initiative of protecting the planet. With this background the present studies aims at analyzing the role of Reserve Bank of India in initiating green banking practices and describe steps taken by State Bank of India (SBI) in promoting green banking.

Social Capital – A Research Agenda

There are four forms of capital which contributes to the success of any activity. They are financial capital, natural capital, physical capital and human capital. But apart from these four forms of capital, there is one more invisible form of capital that also contributes to the success of the activity/programme i.e. Social capital. Today, the concept of ‘Social capital’ gained a momentum in the research field and widely discussed by the scholars and considered as a sustainable development of Common Property Resources. By reviewing the literature, this paper explains the concept of social capital, its forms, dimensions and impact. 

Studies on Cell Inactivation Efficiency of Gamma and Proton Radiation Using MTT Assay

The radiation damage of proton beam on tissues and cells has attracted attention and the unique radiobiological effects make proton radiation a useful tool for the investigation of radiation damage mechanisms.  Potential use of protons and other charged particles for cancer treatment offer several advantages over low LET radiation cancer therapy.  In the present study the effect of different doses of gamma and proton beams from the Folded Tandem Ion Accelerator (FOTIA) on human tumor adeno carcinoma (HT 29) cells has been analysed using MTT (Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide) assay.   The cell proliferation of HT 29 cells after irradiation has been anlysed using MTT assay after a post irradiation incubation of 72 hrs.  The results of these investigations are presented and discussed in the paper.

Psychiatric Social Work Intervention in Prolonged Grief Disorder; Case study in Indian context

Loss of a loved one is always painful. When the relationship is deep it is difficult to accept the death of the dear one and it remains unresolved grief. In the West Grief Therapy is widely practiced. In Indian context where the family support system is stronger than the western countries, the incidents of unresolved grief are rare. However of late, the number of unresolved grief is on the increase as per the news reports of increasing suicides among those suffering from unresolved grief. Unfortunately several such cases indicate the symptoms of Affective Disorder or Psychotic Disorders. Only a clear diagnosis could identify the unresolved grief and do proper therapeutic intervention. This study narrates two case studies one of a teenager who lost his father and another is a mother who lost her son. Both showed the symptoms of pathological grief which were falsely diagnosed as Bipolar Affective Disorder and Psychotic symptoms respectively by two different psychiatrists. In the 1st  case after two and half years and in the second after one year they were re-diagnosed as pathological grief and proper grief therapy was given by which the affected individuals could come back to normalcy. The need of multidisciplinary assessment and psychiatric social worker's intervention are stressed as suggested.