A Study Of The Marketing Channels Of Natural Rubber With Special Reference To Co-Operative Marketing In Kerala

The study is designed to gather, record, analyse and critically evaluate data on natural rubber production, consumption and marketing in Kerala. The scope of the study also covers the processing of natural rubber by rubber growers, especially small growers. Taking into consideration Kerala’s supremacy in natural rubber cultivation, a detailed study of marketing channels of natural rubber in Kerala, by giving special reference to co-operative rubber marketing has been given importance. Attempt has also been made to collect secondary data of the last 15 years

Studies on osmoregulation in the penaeid prawn Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers)

Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers) is the most abundant species along the coast of Kerala. It is cultured extensively by adoption of traditional farming practices. The geographical location and water source determines the seasonal and annual environmental fluctuations the prawn farming systems experiences. The life cycle of the shrimp includes its migration to the coastal deeper waters for spawning and the immigration of larvae to the estuaries for growth. The survival of the species in such complex ecosystems is thus critical to its life cycle. The animal adapts itself to different environments through a physiological process known as osmoregulation. The present study on osmoregulation in the penaeid prawn Metapenaeus dobsoni was thus undertaken to understand the mechanism adopted by this species to survive in different environments. A number of experimental work have been conducted to understand the effect of salinity on the internal variations. However the effect of the complex environmental conditions as existent in nature on the osmotic variations in this species has not been dealt with in any of the earlier studies.

Studies on the common penaeid prawns of the Kerala coast

Very little is known about the tolerance of the pensoid prawns in Indian waters under varying environment conditions ,except for a note on the salinityon The growth of the juvenile papacus indicus by sreekumaran nair and krishnankutty there seems to be no work on this aspect besides the oxygen consumption of metsponecus dobsoni which is a major constituent of prawn fishery in this region has not been studied so far.T he present work comprises studies on the occurrence and abudance of penacid prawnsin two major estuaries in Kerala the kayamkulam lake and cochin backwaters the salinity and tempeture tolerance the effect of salinity on the growth of three comercially important prawns of kerala namely pensecus indicus, ,metaponaeus dobsoni, M monoceros and the respiratory metabolism of M. dobsoni.

District Level Planning In Kerala And Karnataka - A Comparative Study

When we consider Kerala and Karnataka States according to their levels of decentralisation. Kerala is at the beginning of the scale of decentralisation whereas Kamataka has moved far ahead along this scale. Therefore I in order to conduct a comparative study of the SUbject under analysis t Kamataka has been selected owing to the fact that it is in an advanced stage in the experience of district planning compared to Kerala , Karnataka could successfully implement district planning and it is me of the pioneering states in this regard. But Kerala has not gained much experience in the field of decentralised district planning till now. Furthermore Kerala and Kamataka states are selected for the present study due to operational reasons I besides the author I s familiarity with the socia-economic conditions of these states. Thus. an analysis of the district planning experience of Kamataka will provide constructive and valuable information. which will be of great importance to Kerala State, which is now aspiring to introduce ful.I-f'Iedge district planning by constituting elected District Coancils in every district of Kerala. Moreover. the findings and policy implications of the present study will be of immense help to planners, politicians. administrators, academicians and people at large.

Survey of coral lagoons of Laksbadweep Atolls using line intercept transect (LIT) technique

The present study aims at surveying the coral lagoons of four islands viz. Kavarathi, Kalpeni, Kadmat and Agathi, which include quantitative survey of the major benthic forms using Line Intercept Transect (LIT) technique and hydrographical study of these lagoon waters The distribution of PHC in the lagoons has also been followed to understand, the effects of introduction of flat bottomed ferry boats to the islands.From a biological monitoring stand point for the assessment of manmade disturbance of the coral reefs, it IS highly essential to identify faunal assemblages which will contain 'flag-stones' specIes as indicators of such disturbances. Among the known faunal assemblages In coral reefs the most diverse groups of sensitive species belongs to bryozoan assemblage. Therefore, the most common species of bryozoans distributed along the atolls and reef flats were collected and described in this work Along with this, bryozoans associated with coral from other parts of Indian ocean have also been added so as to provide a comprehensive picture of the distribution of bryozoans in the coral reefs.

Water Quality Variation, its Influence on Drinking Water Treatment and Remedial Measures - A Case Study of Peechi reservoir, Thrissur, Kerala

The Kerala Water Authority requested the School of Environmental Studies to carry out investigations on the mechanism of sporadic mobilization of iron and odour in the raw water drawn to the drinking water treatment plant. The currently used treatment process failed to remove iron completely. This led to problems in the filter and complaints of taste and colour due to iron in the finished water. The sporadic nature of the problem itself made the trouble shooting difficult. The problem was looked in from three points of view. 1. Influence of environmental (climatic) conditions on the dynamics of the relevant basin of the reservoir. 2. Influence of the physical dynamics on the physico — chemical quality of water. 3. Identification of cost-effective treatment processes to suit the existing plant. Since the problem emerged only during the post- monsoon to pre-monsoon months, a related problem was investigated, namely, influence of anions on the oxidation of Fe(II) in natural waters by air. This is presented in Part II of the dissertation.

Studies on The Copepod Fish Parasites of Kerala Coast

The present study of the parasitic copepods gives an account of the taxonomic description of seventy seven species of parasites collected from the food fishes of the Kerala coast. Out of the seventy seven species described, fourteen are new to science, two new records for the Indian waters and ten new host records. The males of Parapetalus longipinnatus Rangnekar and Lerna~thropus indicus Pillai were collected and described for the first time. The parasites described belong to the suborders Cyclopoida, Caligoida and Lernaeopodoida. The available description of many species of this locality is reviewed and supplemented with the help of the present detailed study. The general observations made during this study reveale certain interesting aspects of the host parasite relationship, host specificity, adaptive modification and geographical distribution. A brief discussion of these observations made is also presented.

Sustainable Watershed Management: Illusion or Reality? A case of Kerala State in India

Soil erosion is more detrimental and affects the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil. Degradation of soil and water resources is a worldwide problem. Over the next two decades, it is expected that the world will need 17% more water to grow food for the increasing population in developing countries and that total water use will increase by 40%. The total land area subjected to human-induced soil degradation is estimated as 20 x 106 (km)2 Hence conservation of soil and water is essential for the subsistence of life. This can be made possible through sustainable watershed management. This thesis aims at investigating the condition under which sustainable watershed management is possible in Kerala, in South India. The research has been carried out in three stages. In the first stage a conceptual framework is formulated (Chapter 3) based on the relevant literature (Chapter 2) in the field of watershed management. In the second stage this framework is applied to two existing case studies in Kerala State (Chapter 4). In the third stage, the methodology is used to test out geo textile innovation (Chapter 5) in two field experiments (Chapter 6).

Studies on the freshwater copepod fish parasites of Kerala

Studies on parasitic copepods from freshwater fishes are still in its infancy. In recent years, there- is a renewed enthusiasm in the study of freshwater fish parasites due to rapidly increasing aquaculture practices. The importance of diseases and their control assumes great significance because of the adverse impact of diseases on fish production and its economy. Copepods are one of the most harmful parasites of freshwater fishes. Reports on the damages caused by copepod parasites from different parts on the world are increasing alarmingly. But the information on parasitic copepods of freshwater fishes in India is quite meagre. Knowledge regarding this group of parasites, their Biology and pathology from Kerala. is lacking. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter is a general introduction which deals with the review of literature on various aspects of parasitic copepods viz; systematics, life history, host-parasite relationship, ecology, pathogenicity, prophylaxis and control measures. Systematics of parasitic copepods of freshwater fishes collected during the present study forms the second chapter. The third chapter deals with the life cycle study of the new Lernaeid copepod, Lernaea osphronemi. The fourth chapter contains host-parasite relationship. ecology and treatment of ‘the’ new species of Lernaea On Osphronemus goramy. General observations and a summary of the entire work constitute the fifth chapter

Vocational Higher Secondary Education in Kerala: A Status Study of Students, Pass Outs and Training Components

This study analyses the socio-economic backgrounds and entrepreneurial profiles of the students and pass outs of the Vocational Higher Secondary Education in Kerala and the academic achievements of the Vocational Higher Secondary students and pass outs in Kerala in terms of their performance in the examinations. The study also analyses the quality and availability of the various training and support facilities of the Vocational Higher Secondary Schools in Kerala, nature and rate of employment and higher studies among the pass outs of the Vocational Higher Secondary Education in Kerala and the awareness of students, pass outs, teachers and principals regarding the goals and objectives, mode of implementation, apprenticeship training and higher study and employment opportunities of the programme of the Vocational Higher Secondary Education in Kerala.

Time and cost overruns of industrial projects in kerala

Poor project planning, implementation and control and the subsequent cost and time overruns are ubiquitous features that have been posing serious concern at all levels - state, national and international. It results in wastage of the nation's scarce resources and retards the socio-economic progress. Although several studies peripheral on project overruns have been made at the national level, no serious attempt has been made at the state level to identify the magnitude of overruns, their causes and impacts on industrial projects. The present study "Time and Cost Overruns of Industrial Projects in Kerala" is an earnest attempt to probe in depth the time and cost overruns and their impact on industrial projects. The study places emphasise on the identification of the real reasons behind the cost and time overruns. It also covers the present project management practices of industrial projects in Kerala.

Development of a portable composite equipment for coastal fishery and hydrographic investigations

This thesis reports on the details of the works done to develop a complete system for acquisition of the important marine environmental parameters namely, current, current direction, salinity, temperature and depth. It encompaéps transducers,signalconditioners display arrangements and remote controlled multiplexer which constitue the system. The various associate instruentation and environmental requisites and problems have been discussed and solved to considerable extend. The design and development features of this composite system includes an integrated approach in order to make the final equipment to be simple, inexpensive and easy for operation from small and large boats. This could be achieved with the successful development of all required components with features matching between them, such as sensors, signals conditioners remote operated multiplexers, comon display methods, quick performance check and calibration methods. The major success rests on the development of sensors with excellent performance characteristics suitable for marine environment. out of the 5 sensors. that of current salinity and depth are quite noval types with specific advantages. The environmental effects have been eliminated to the required extend. The common signal conditioner for salinity, temperature and depth has noval design features for achieving simplicity, reliability and accomodating the three sensors of different functional requirements.

A study of industrial co-operatives in kerala with special reference to modern small scale sector

The report of the Steering Committee of the Kerala State Planning Board for the preparation of the VIII five Year Plan on Industry and Hiningzslisted several factors inhibiting and promoting growth of small industrial units. Kerala's educated manpower, the native intelligence of the Keralites best suited for taking up logic—based professions and availability of a Hell—developed and broad~based physical infrastructure particularly in the transport and communications sectors, are a few of the positive factors identified. On the negative side, may be mentioned high wage rates, preference on the part of the educated for white collar Jobs, lack of entrepreneurship, paucity of essential resources for industrial use, high density of population and the distance factor which places Kerala away from the major domestic markets. In this context, it would appear that the industrial co-operative movement could possibly play a vital role in accelerating-the momentum of small industrial development of Kerala which has a Health of highly educated and skilled manpower. However, in spite of the encouragement extended by the Government, the movement does not seem to have.been picking up in the modern small scale sector. The present study is an attempt to analyse the factors that have affected the performance of the industrial co—operatives in the small scale industrial sector of Kerala.

Technological Changes and its Impact on Rubber Plantation Industry in Kerala An Econometric Study

The present study describes in detail the major technological advances in the rubber-growing industry in the lastfour decades. The major technological changes experienced in the rubber plantation industry during the period are the introduction of 'high yielding-planting materials, scientific application of fertilisers, use of pesticides, tapping during rainy season using‘rain guards, use of. yield stimulants and improved tapping methods School of Management Studies, Cochin University of Science and Technology

Women and political change in kerala since independence

even after 45 years of independence, it is seen that women are still left cum the periphery cnf the political process. Effective and meaningful participation of women in politics remains elusive for most of them. The representation of women in the state legislatures and in both Houses of Parliament has been very marginal. The percentage of women members in the LokSabha to the total membership of the body has never touched a two-digit figure so far. Within these 45 years, India could field only five women as Union Cabinet Ministers. In the case of the various states also, the position of women's participation in political activities is not very different. On the whole, it is seen that in independent India the role played by women in the electoral politics of the country or in the day to day activities of the different political parties is very" ineffective and insignificant. The present study was undertaken to make an assessment of women's involvement in the political process of Kerala since independence. This small state in the southernmost part of India claims ‘that it possesses certain. unique features in its social fabric that makes it different from the rest of the country as far as the place of women in society is concerned.