3.2.1 What percentage of the total budget is earmarked for research? Give details of major heads of expenditure, financial allocation and actual utilization.
The college does not have separate funds earmarked for research, being as it is an undergraduate teaching institution.
3.2.2 Is there a provision in the institution to provide seed money to the faculty for research?
If so, specify the amount disbursed and the percentage of the faculty that has availed the facility in the last four years?
The faculty is dependent on grants from the UGC and other bodies such as ICSSR, ICHR etc for research. The college cooperates fully with the faculty whenever such grants are availed of. Granting of leave for research work and paper presentation at conferences forms part of the general policy followed by the authorities to bolster up a research atmosphere.
3.2.3 What are the financial provisions made available to support student research projects by students?
An annual fund of roughly Rs 22000/- for the ten Honours Departments and one General Department has been earmarked for Departmental as well as Student seminars and projects.
3.2.4 How does the various departments/units/staff of the institute interact in undertaking inter-disciplinary research? Cite examples of successful endeavors and challenges faced in organizing interdisciplinary research.
The motivation towards research is kept alive within the college environs with the Interdisciplinary Lecture Series, a platform for specialized presentations by teachers in their own area of study. Academicians of stature from the state and outside are invited regularly to lecture to the students and teachers alike. UGC sponsored National Level Seminars have been organized to ensure exposure to dynamic academic discourse. Collaboration with institutes like the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences and Khudiram Bose Central College have been an inalienable aspect of such endeavours. Apart from this interdisciplinary student seminars within the college as well as in conjunction with other colleges are organized on a regular basis.
The college strives to promote cooperation within the various academic disciplines. As stated above the Inter-Disciplinary Lectures series under which lectures by the faculty are organized is a sign of the growing inter-dependence between different subjects. This programme highlights the new, informative and extremely interesting lines of research pursued by faculty members. The students are also encouraged to participate in the inter-active sessions at the end of each lecture session.
DATE SPEAKER TOPIC
30.11.2007 Dr. Jayita Mukhopadhyay “India’s Policy Myanmar : Predicament and Prospects”
16.04.2008 Dr. Sudeshna Biswas “Microfinance: A New Path Of Development”
28.11.2008 Sri Kushal Biswas “From Lore To Lyric: A Musical Journey”
07.09.2009 Sm. Sarbani Ganguli “Acceptance of Prayer of Death By Oneself- Whether or Not”
5.10.2012 (In tandem with
Hist. Dept.)
Dr Joyshree Roy “Anton Pavlovich Chekhov: A Life Extraordinaire”
29.04.2013 Dr Manisha Deb Sarkar “ Resource Utilization and Tribal Life in Muhammadbazar: A Revelation”
Additionally, departments are encouraged to organize inter-departmental seminars of which several have been held recently in the college. The departments collaborate in UGC sponsored seminars as well. A seminar on Human Rights Education for which the UGC granted Rs. 75,ooo/- was collectively organized by a number of departments in the college as the topic in its over-arching span invited academic speculation from a variety of perspectives.
Inter-departmental and Inter-disciplinary Seminar
Inter- disciplinary Lecture Series
3.2.5 How does the institution ensure optimal use of various equipment and research facilities of the institution by its staff and students?
Since ours is a primarily an undergraduate institution so scope for laboratory equipment based research activity is limited.
The nominal facilities available, are utilized by the faculty in their individual capacities.
The college does not have to take any special measures to ensure optimal utilization.
3.2.6 Has the institution received any special grants or finances from the industry or other beneficiary agency for developing research facility? If ‗yes‘ give details.
No
3.2.7 Enumerate the support provided to the faculty in securing research funds from various funding agencies, industry and other organisations. Provide details of ongoing and completed projects and grants received during the last four years.
All the research projects mentioned below have been funded by the UGC. The college
Nature of
3.3.1 What are the research facilities available to the students and research scholars within the campus?
As the student community of the college does not really comprise research students and research scholars these facilities are not on the list of priorities of the institution.
However, the college has a well equipped Central Library, Internet ( the campus being wi-fi enabled) and reprography facilities as well as special reading space for any research scholar among the faculty who would like to avail of these. The college has attempted to provide e resources to the faculty members by providing limited access to web journals through INFLIBNET. Space constraints are a deterrent to providing any further facilities for research.
3.3.2 What are the institutional strategies for planning, upgrading and creating infrastructural facilities to meet the needs of researchers especially in the new and emerging areas of research?
This is not really applicable to our kind of institution where research is undertaken by the faculty members in their individual capacities.
3.3.3 Has the institution received any special grants or finances from the industry or other beneficiary agency for developing research facilities?? If ‗yes‘, what are the instruments/ facilities created during the last four years.
No
3.3.4 What are the research facilities made available to the students and research scholars outside the campus / other research laboratories?
Not Applicable
3.3.5 Provide details on the library/ information resource centre or any other facilities available specifically for the researchers?
The college has a Central library and departmental library, to be used by one and all.
Some of the books are of a specialized nature and meant for in-depth analytical purpose which may be put to use by researchers. Besides the UGC Resource Network Centre and INFLIBNET through which journals may be accessed comprise the rather sparse facilities provided for individual research.
3.3.6 What are the collaborative research facilities developed / created by the research institutes in the college. For ex. Laboratories, library, instruments, computers, new technology etc.
The Central Library has a written understanding with the American Centre whereby books from the latter are loaned to the college for a particular period of time.
Laboratories for the Geography Department have been set up with the aid of UGC grants and are primarily used by the undergraduate students.
3.4 Research Publications and Awards
3.4.1 Highlight the major research achievements of the staff and students in terms of
Patents obtained and filed (process and product)
Original research contributing to product improvement
Research studies or surveys benefiting the community or improving the services
Research inputs contributing to new initiatives and social development
Two faculty members, Dr. Mousumi Kar of the Department of Economics and Dr.
Jayita Mukhopadhyay of the Department of Political Science were awarded Ph. D degrees during the last five years.
Dr. Kar‘s study analyses the international competitiveness of textile and apparel exports of India vis-à-vis its major Asian competitors in major regional markets of the world before and after liberalization of the MFA quota, separately, in two phases. It also examines the structure and the performance of the garment industry in India and finds out the important factors responsible for the performance of the firms in the cotton garment-manufacturing sector of India. Dr. Kar‘s research is of immense help to all students and scholars who want to understand recent developments of the theoretical concepts relating to international trade.
Dr. Mukhopadhyay‘s research work on ‗ASEAN‘s Role in Conflict Management‘ has been appreciated by noted experts on the subject who evaluated her dissertation. In their opinion, her study has made a significant contribution in understanding the role of regional organizations in conflict management in general and ASEAN‘s role in maintaining peace in South East Asia in particular. In a rapidly integrating world, regional organizations are considered to be important mechanism in managing conflicts among regional states and maintaining peace which is indispensable for smooth conduct of trade and other economic activities. Hence, her study has provided important inputs to all those interested in strengthening the role of regional organizations.
Sm Chandrima Mondal who has submitted her doctoral thesis on ‗The Caste movement in Bengal during the late 19thC and early 20thC‘ has also made an important contribution to Caste history. In the late 19th Century, the census programme was introduced by the British Government in India. During that time, among the different castes other than the Brahmins in Bengal, a trend for social mobility became noticeable. The ultimate goal of the different castes was to enlist them in the Census-Report as upper caste, as they regarded the Census-Report as a ‗seal‘ of official recognition for securing higher prestige in the caste hierarchy. Sm Mondal has discussed the purpose behind the official decision for introducing the ‗Census‘ in India;
the attitudes of the aspirant castes towards the census authorities; relation between the caste movement and the state; and the role of women in the development of the movement. Her study is of direct relevance to the various issues of caste uplift, reservation policy and its repercussions on society at large in contemporary India.
3.4.2 Does the Institute publish or partner in publication of research journal(s)? If ‗yes‘, indicate the composition of the editorial board, publication policies and whether such publication is listed in any international database?
Yes , the college publishes an academic journal ―Images‖. The Principal of the college is its chief editor, while the editorial board is made up of a faculty member from each department.
Normally scholars and faculty members from other institutions are invted to contribute their original articles. The Editorial board reviews the submitted articles which constitutes the present publication policy. However efforts are on to upgrade this journal into a peer reviewed one with an ISSN no.
As of now ‗Images‖ is not listed in any international data base.
Apart from this in the wake of a UGC sponsored seminar on Human Rights, a project has been undertaken to publish an edited book on the subject. The Principal, Dr Ajanta Paul is the editor. She is being helped by an editorial board comprising the conveners and members of the Seminar Committee. The book which is soon to be out, is to be published by the Avenel Press, Kolkata.
3.4.3 Give details of publications by the faculty and students:
Publication per faculty
Number of papers published by faculty and students in peer reviewed journals (national / international)
Number of publications listed in International Database (for Eg: Web of Science, Scopus, Humanities International Complete, Dare Database - International Social Sciences Directory, EBSCO host, etc.)
Monographs
Chapter in Books
Books Edited
Books with ISBN/ISSN numbers with details of publishers
Citation Index
SNIP
SJR
Impact factor
h-index