Suchergebnisse

The role of cooperative federalism in India in dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects such as economic crisis and large-scale human migration, among others, is put to test. The initial stages of the pandemic response highlighted the unitary tilt in the Indian federal structure. At the later stages of this crisis, cooperative federalism also appears to be visible. Nevertheless, the lack of cooperation between the States, and the Centre's failure to facilitate horizontal federalism without invoking any intergovernmental agency for the purpose has made the lives of migrant workers miserable. An intergovernmental institution such as Inter-Sate Council (ISC) could have been used as a common forum for the Centre and the States for the purpose of both vertical and horizontal cooperative federalism. The pandemic has also brought to the fore the importance of India's grassroots level of government, though, unfortunately, their potential remains underutilised.

The article examines the recent trends and issues in Indian federalism. The federal system has become transformedy in the last seven decades—from being dismissed as a full-fledged federal system to a widely acclaimed federal system in the world. Simply put, Indian federalism has become more meaningful and functional post-liberalisation. The article has examined this turnaround. From a subordinate position till the late 1980s, states rose to occupy a strategic position in India's move from a command economy to a market economy. No wonder, therefore, the Centre became more interested in involving states in even forbidden area such as foreign policy matters. Divisive politics in several states today is being replaced by developmental politics. States are not only competing but also learning from each other. States are being seen by the Centre as drivers of India's growth.

BACKGROUND: Depression, a multi-dimensional disorder adversely affects the interpersonal, social and occupational spheres of students' life. It is the 11(th) leading cause of global disease burden. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms among various professional course students including medical, dental, and engineering students in Patna, Bihar. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present investigation was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 3,100 students attending government and private medical, dental, and engineering colleges in Patna were approached during the course of this study. Students were briefed about the study and questionnaire. BDI-II (Beck's Depression Inventory-II) was administered to the students and they were instructed to fill it. Beck's scores were recorded and a descriptive analysis performed. RESULTS: 2798 students out of 3,100 responded positively to the survey by completely filling out the form. The overall response rate was 90.25%. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was found to be 47.78%. Of the three streams, students belonging to the engineering stream (40.28%) showed a maximum prevalence of depressive symptoms followed by dental (38.50%) and medical students (34.74%). CONCLUSION: Our study showed an alarming prevalence of depression among professional course seeking students. This multi-dimensional disorder continues to affect student's performance and professionalism, thus, extending its negative impact to the community at large. This may carry out later in their lives, thus leaving a long-term negative impact. Considering the high rate of depressive symptoms, establishing a unit or facility to identify or diagnose it at an early stage and providing psychological support to students is recommended.