Impact of roads on income and employment of rural households in West Bengal

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Joyoti Gayen ◽  
Debashis Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Rural Households

Dependency of Rural Households on Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs)

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-50
Author(s):  
Sebak Kumar Jana ◽  
Mamataj Uddin Ahmed ◽  
Katja Heubach
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Rural Populations ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Joint Forest Management ◽  
Forest Protection ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Income Groups ◽  
Non Timber Forest Products

Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) are an important source for livelihoods for a significant portion of rural populations all over the world. The present study explores the dependence of rural households on forests managed under Joint Forest Management (JFM) in the state of West Bengal in India. Using primary data collected from 300 households from 57 Forest Protection Committees (FPCs) in the dryland areas of two districts of West Bengal in India, authors compare households' income levels across regions and investigate disparities between income groups, with particular emphasis on income from NTFPs. The study reveals that households in forest-fringe areas are highly dependent on forests in maintaining their livelihoods. The results show that dependency of household on NTFPs varies across the regions as well as income groups. Authors also find that dependency of households on NTFPs depend significantly on the factors like number of forest goers, possession of assets, level of education, location and occupational diversification of the households.

Nature and determinants of migration: Insights from NSSO data in three states of India

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-280
Author(s):  
Ruchi Singh ◽  
Uday Salunkhe ◽  
Vaishali Vivek Patil
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Model ◽  
Monthly Expenditure ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Internal Migrants ◽  
Significant Factors

The exodus of men is the most opted strategy adopted by rural households to diversify income and reduce risks associated with agriculture. Migration plays a very important role in reducing the liquidity and credit constraints of rural households in India. Data shows there are roughly 30 per cent internal migrants in the country. Despite the existence of studies on patterns and determinants of migration in various out-migrating states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala etc., literature on the same in States with high in-migration are scarce. This article makes an attempt to comprehensively look into patterns and determinants of in-migration in three states. We have used the unit level data on migration (NSSO 64th Round) and tabulated it with suitable statistical techniques. To have a better understanding of determinants of in-migration in the states of Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal, a binary logistic regression model have been employed. We found that the majority of male migrants in these states is from within the state and but from different districts. Another interesting finding is that determining factors for migration vary across states. Social group, education, age, monthly expenditure are significant factors in determining migration decisions.

Forest Income and Rural Livelihoods in West Bengal, India

2021 ◽  
pp. 232102222110243
Author(s):  
Biswajit Ray ◽  
Promita Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
West Bengal ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Rural Poverty ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Forest Income ◽  
Poverty And Inequality

To what extent forests contribute to rural livelihoods in developing countries? To find a plausible answer for this, this article explores whether inclusion of forest income to rural households’ total income accounts reduces poverty and income inequality, and also enables rural households to cope with shocks. To this end, we conducted household surveys in eight forest-dependent villages in the Indian state of West Bengal between August 2016 and August 2017. Using data from 407 sample households, we measured forest income of a household as the aggregate monetary value of resources extracted solely from forest ecosystem and compared this with other economic activities of the households. We calculated poverty indices and Gini coefficient with and without forest income, and we employed regression and Gini decomposition techniques to assess the safety net role and relative contribution of forest income to reducing rural poverty and inequality when compared to other sources of income. We found that the addition of forest income to household accounts significantly reduces measured poverty and inequality. Besides, the sample households, especially the poor, extract more from forests to cope with severe covariate shocks due to greater income certainty and thus adopt forest-dominated coping strategy in time of shocks and crises. The implication is that forest income needs to sustainably flow to the poor along with the development of better safety nets in forested rural areas in order to improve the forest-based rural livelihoods in developing countries like India. JEL Codes: Q23, Q56, Q57

Water Insufficiency, Health Hazards and Rainwater Harvesting in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India: Results of a Socio-economic Survey

2020 ◽  
pp. 097674792096339
Author(s):  
Satabdi Biswas ◽  
Anupam Debsarkar ◽  
Manoranjan Pal
Keyword(s):  
West Bengal ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
Hazard Index ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Poverty Level ◽  
Willingness To Adopt ◽  
Unsafe Water

Rural households suffer from various health hazards due to unsafe water. Rooftop rainwater harvesting (RRH) has been recommended by various experts as a safer alternative to contaminated ground and surface water. The rural households, however, for various reasons, may not be willing to adopt RRH. The present study was based on primary data collected from 923 rural households in 4 blocks of North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal, India to identify the socio-demographic factors influencing the occurrence of health hazards and willingness to adopt RRH (WRRH). The study was focused on how health hazards and WRRH were related to water insufficiency, water awareness, poverty level and other socio-demographic variables. RRH not only depends on its feasibility but also on the willingness of the household to install it. A set of indices, namely health hazard index (HHI), water insufficiency index (WII), water awareness action index (WAAI), willingness to adopt RRH index (WRRHI) and Poverty Level Index (PLI) were developed from the relevant indicators. A binary logistic regression of HHI and WRRH was carried out on these indices along with some other socio-demographic variables. Most of these indices were found to have a significant effect on HHI. WRRH, however, was not found to depend on these indices, rather on religious belief and awareness of the adverse effects of arsenic poisoning in the village. The study also highlights the significance of undertaking awareness programmes on the consequences of using unsafe water by the government and non-governmental organisations.

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