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.

A Study on Socio-political Empowerment among Women Representatives (members) of Gram Panchayat in Puttur Taluk

It is commonly observed fact that women, half of the human resource, have been deprived of the opportunities. Recognizing the need of involving women in the political system and ensuring their participation in political process the introduction of reservation policy in favor of women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions has, therefore, been an important government intervention for maximizing the women participation and thereby to improve their status. Hence this paper examines the role awareness, participation process of elected women members, familial support received, the way they manage their household responsibilities, possible areas of blocks and constraints in performing their roles, the awareness on the local self governance and various developmental programmes/schemes , exposure to the capacity building and its impact on their role performance, the nature of public relationship established by them in the public and also their vision on the developmental aspects and suggestions to improve their functioning. 50 women representatives (members) drawn from various Gram Panchayaths in Puttur Taluk are taken through the simple random sampling method for the study. The study revealed that most of the women representatives joined politics who lack previous experience in this domain and thereby find it difficult to make balance between the household chores and tasks at Panchayath. Inadequate political knowledge in roles and communication skill deficiency add to the problem. Better political orientation and training are suggested.

The Role of Co-operative Societies in Fulfilling the Financial Needs of Village Farmers and Improving their Living Standards in Belthangady Taluk, Karnataka

Commercial banks and co-operative banks are two major divisions of banking sector in India. When the commercial banks contribute to the growth of economy the village farmers are neglected although they pool good chunk of the financial growth of the nation. Co-operative banks have emerged to fill the gap. It is a study on the role of co-operative societies in fulfilling the financial needs of village farmers and in providing their standard of living in Belthangady Taluk, in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka state, India. The results show that 75% of the members of Co-operative Societies are agriculturists among whom 80% had taken loan from the Co-operative Society. The Co-operative Societies helped those farmers to improve the standard of living and multiple schemes were planned for farmers' benefit. More than 16 types of financial help is provided by such societies.