PEARL Multidisciplinary Journal

Role of Collective Action and Governance in Implementing Sustainable Fishing Practices: A Case Study of Karnataka Marine Fisheries

In coastal Karnataka two hundred thousand fishing households are directly dependent on marine fishing which provides livelihood, security and minimizes the vulnerability to chronic poverty. The small-scale fisheries employing labour intensive harvesting, processing, and distribution technologies to harvest near-shore fishery resources were contributing less to the output and more to the employment. However, rapid growth of mechanization and expansion of international trade coupled with growing number of non-fishing communities in fisheries sector caused a transformation of fisheries during the past two decades. Macro level assessment of per capita income from fishing shows a declining trend during the last 10 years although the overall net domestic product in the region has been increasing. The declining resources and increasing use of coastal waters for non-fishery related activities have undermined the role of small-scale fisheries and its capacity to provide ecosystem goods and services. The restoration of small scale fishing requires a multi-pronged fishery management approach including community support and action. The recently organized stakeholder consultations with different fishing groups have evolved scope for executing collective management measures. The study is based on the outcome of a number of stakeholder consultations organized during 2016 as part of the national programme of International Collective in Support of Fish workers (ICSF) to disseminate and implement the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries”. The study is based on expert consultations, meetings with community based organizations and stakeholder consultations. Two prominent community based organizations were consulted regarding the impact of executing the FAO guidelines. The stakeholders consultation have focused on three major action research issues such as identification of measures to minimize the negative impact of implementing FAO guidelines on small-scale fishers, restriction and gradual removal of fuel subsidy to destructive fishing practices, reducing the dependence of women on state sponsored support schemes, integration of community based management measures with state fishery regulations, mobilizing community support/social capital for discouraging un-sustainable fishing technologies. The results of the study was helpful in understanding the real issues of governance and collective action required for the implementation of common fishery management regulations such as extended closed seasons and areas, introduction of minimum mesh size, limiting fishing effort through scientific licensing policy

Human Rights and Stigma Reduction in the Process of Rehabilitation of the Mentally Ill

Mentally ill persons are approached with stigma and families want to abandon them even in the wake of 21st century. It is a severe human right violation. However there are emerging models caring the destitute mentally ill with individual initiative and family collaboration who bring back the human right of the mentally ill person by removing stigma and caring them with dignity and worth. This paper is a case study of a rehabilitation centre at Kottayam in Kerala run by an ordinary person along with his family caring more than 300 mentally ill including children.

The objective of the study is to find out how the stigma reduction through a grass root community assistant rehabilitation model and enhance human right of the mentally ill persons. A qualitative design with case study methodology is followed.

The result shows that factors like acceptance of the persons with mentally ill as a family member calling him/her son/daughter and treating them so, allowing them the freedom of expression and interaction, exploring their innate abilities and host of others make them to cross the barriers of stigma. It gives back the human rights lost when they were thrown into the streets. The founder of the centre visits schools colleges, temples, churches and other community centres to disseminate information on mental health. The participants of such interaction program visit the rehabilitation center and understand how mental illness is just like any other chronic illness and spread the message back home. The entire process of community involvement enables to recreate a pro human right perspective towards persons with mental illness. Their dignity is regained; care and love in the centre as if in a family pitch their rights back in position. The entire process removes stigma about mentally ill persons and place them in a high position and prepare the society to own the responsibility to care these persons with cognitive deficits. Thus the care of mentally ill ultimately leads to stigma reduction and prepare the families and communities to accept and care the persons with mental illness. The entire process of stigma reduction contributes to the promotion of human rights of the mentally ill person and creates a model of right based care and rehabilitation of the persons with mental illness.

Role of Special Banks in Agricultural and Rural Development - A Study with Reference to Karnataka

 The special banks providing long term Agricultural credit are known as Primary Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Banks (initially Land development Banks). The first of this kind of bank was established at Jhang in Panjab in the year 1920. Though, primary Cooperative Agricultural and Rural Development Banks were established dating back to independence, the real growth of these Banks took place only after passing the Land Development Act in the year 1930. These banks were initially called as Land Mortgage Banks as they were financing on the mortgage of Land for which they are used to finance. The Agriculture Credit review Committee in its Report submitted in the year 1989 recommended to incorporate Agriculture and allied activities in its credit policy. But now these banks have included rural credit in its financing policy. Since these banks are playing a greater role in the development of rural area also these banks are now renamed as ‘Primary Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Banks.
In this paper an attempt is made to explain the Role of Primary Co-operative Agricultural and Rural Development Banks in India and how these Banks are helping in the economic growth of India.

Care Givers’ Experiences in Families Living with Mentally Ill Patients

Family members play vital role in care of persons with sick especially with mental illness living in families. Their care is multiple in terms of taking day-to-day care, supervising medications, taking the patient to the hospital and looking after the financial needs as well as to bear with the behavioral disturbances of the patient. Thus, the family caregiver experiences considerable stress and burden, and needs help in coping with it.

The present study assessed the experiences faced by care givers in care of mentally ill patients living in their families. It is a part of UGC sponsored minor research project. The four rural areas were selected to assess around 100 participants who were taking care of mentally ill persons in their families. The Convenient sampling technique was adopted for selection of samples by making house-to-house visits, interviewing, and assessment of care giving and living conditions in the families. A Semi-Structured questionnaire was used for this study. In the process of development of the tool the investigator reviewed the secondary data on Mental Illness and the validity of the questionnaire was discussed with subject experts from the field of education and health profession and developed the tool.

Major findings were assessed based on the results of the study. According to this research there is mental illness existing in families, most of family members feel that mental illness is a burden, there is negative opinion (stigma) among family members. An unhealthy coping style is likely to adversely affect the care giving function. Hence, it is important to take care of the needs of the family caregivers. The family caregiver has remained as a neglected lot, often ignored by the mental health professionals. This key support system can’t be taken as granted and ignored. Further studies required to provide accurate information for assessment and effective care giving strategies to cope their burden and issues in care giving. 

India’s Co-operative Banks on the Route to Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion has increasingly attracted attention of the global community in recent years. The importance of financial inclusion can be explained in terms of maximizing the proportion of population covered by the formal financial sector, to enable the chanelling of funds for productive investment, controlling inflationary tendencies, and monitoring and widening the tax base among other things. This paper looks at the role of the cooperative banking system in promoting financial inclusion. It discusses the genesis of the credit cooperatives supported by the district central cooperative banks (DCCBs) in enabling the provision of financial services to low income families. These institutions are currently the subject of reform programmes intended to make them more efficient and effective as providers of financial services if not necessarily as promoters of inclusion.