Areas of interest/Specialisation:

• Labour Economics; Gender Issues;
• Issues and Economy of North East Region, Rural Studies.

Current Area of Work: 

Issues related to North East India: Employment, Unemployment, Informal sector, Rural Studies.

Experience:   

• Lecturer, Department of Economics, St. Edmund’s College, Shillong (May 2002 to December 2006)
• Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, NEHU, Shillong since 20th December 2006.
• Associate Professor, Department of Economics, NEHU, Shillong since 1st January 2017.

Ph. D Title: Women Work Force Participation in India: A Study of Trends and Determinants.

Research Supervision:

• PhD
  – Ms. Lasara M Lyngdoh (Awarded 2019)
  – Ms. Shedrina G Hynniewta (Submitted)

• MPhil 
  – Ms. Rituparna Kalita (Awarded 2019)
  – Mr. Tialemba Jamir (Awarded 2020)

Membership of Professional Bodies/Societies:

• Life Member of North East Economic Association
• Life Member of North East India Educational Society
• Life Member of Indian Economic Association
• Life Member of  Indian Society for Training and Development
• Life Member of  Indian Economic and Allied Sciences Association

Administrative responsibilities undertaken:

• Programme Coordinator, NSS Cell, NEHU (from 15-03-2019 to 15-03-2022)
• Member Secretary, Incubation Centre Management Committee, NEHU

Research Projects

Projects Undertaken/ in Progress:  

•  “Rural Tourism: A Case Study of Mawlynnong Village, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya”. 2012. Funding Agency: ICSSR-NERC (Minor Project) - Principal Investigator. (Completed- December 2012)
•  “Land as a private property: Changing patterns of land relations in tribal societies of North East India”, 2014. OKD Institute of Social Change and Development, Guwahati and Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata. Funding Agency: ICSSR, New Delhi. Coordinator of the Meghalaya Chapter. (Completed - March, 2014)
• Dynamics of Employment and Socio-Economic Reality: A Study of Coal Mine Workers in Meghalaya. 2014. V.V.Giri National Labour Institute, Noida & Labour Department, Government of Meghalaya – Joint Investigator (Consultancy) (Completed – September, 2015).
• Educated Unemployed Among the Youths: A Case Study of Meghalaya. 2015. Funding Agency: ICSSR, New Delhi - Principal Investigator (Rs. 4,00,000/-. Completed – 2016)
• Quality of higher education in India: A study of internal and external quality assurance at the institutional level. 2015. Centre for Policy Research in Higher Education, National University of Educational Planning and Administration (NUEPA), New Delhi – Research Team Member. Completed
• Socio-Economic Status and Working Conditions of Female Domestic Workers in Shillong. 2015. Funding Agency: ICSSR-NERC - Principal Investigator (Completed – 2020).
• Evaluation and Impact Study of the National Programme for Dairy Development in Meghalaya. Funding Agency:  East Khasi Hills District Co-operative Milk Union Ltd., Shillong, Meghalaya. 2021 - Principal Investigator Completed (2021).
• Efficacy of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005: A Study in East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya. (Ongoing) Funding Agency: National Commission for Women, New Delhi - Joint Investigator
• Baseline Survey for the National Programme for Dairy Development in West Garo Hills, Ri-Bhoi and West Jaintia Hills Districts of  Meghalaya. (Ongoing) Principal Investigator Funding Agency: East Khasi Hills District Co-operative Milk Union Ltd., Shillong, Meghalaya.

Publications

Books Published: 

• Women Work Participation in India-Trends and Determinants: 1983 to 2004-05, LAMBERT Academic Publishing, Germany, 2011, ISBN: 978-3-8473-0762-4
• Dynamics of Employment and Socio-Economic Reality: A Study of Children in Hazardous Occupations in East and West Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya, Delhi, 2017, ISBN: 973-93-82902-57-7.

Research Papers Published: 

• “Educational Infrastructure in North East India”, Education: North East (Journal of the North East India Educational Society), Vol. 15 (2010-11), pp.34-40. ISSN-0973-4902.
• “Labour Force Participation Of Women And Role Of Education: A Review of Recent Literature” (with Eugene D. Thomas), Manpower Journal, Vol. XLVI, No. 4, Oct-Dec. 2011 & Vol. XLVII, No. 1, Jan-March 2012, pp.87-103. ISSN: 0542-5808.
• “Tourism In Meghalaya: A Case Study of the Cleanest Village in India”, (with Daisy Das), EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies, Vol. 2(12), December 2012, pp.65-73. ISSN-2249-8834. (Online journal available at http://zenithresearch.org.in  and http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:xijmms&volume=2&issue=12&article=007&type=pdf)
• “Gender Inequality in School Education – With Special Reference to North East India”, Indian Educational Review, Volume 51, No. 1, January 2013, pp. 13-30. ISSN:0019-561X
•  “Land Relations in the Tribal Societies of Meghalaya: Changing Patterns of Land Use and Ownership”, Social Change and Development, Vol. XI, No.2, 2014, pp.1-20. ISSN: 0975-4016.
• “Determinants of Schooling in India”, Journal of Educational Planning and Administration, Vol. XXIX, No.1, 2015, pp.59-74. ISSN: 0971-3859.
• “Geography as an Opportunity: North-East Connecting India with ASEAN”, (with Suparna Bhattacharjee), Man and Society: A Journal of North-East Studies, Vol. XIII, Summer 2016, pp. 37-52. ISSN: 2229-4058.
•  “Synergising North East India with BBIN”, Man and Society: A Journal of North-East Studies, Vol.XIV, Summer 2017, pp.85-92. ISSN: 2229-4058.
• “Socio-Economic Status of Urban Educated Unemployed Youth in Meghalaya”, Labour & Development, Vol.25, No.1, June 2018, pp.107-123. ISSN: 0973-0419.
• “Youth Unemployment in Meghalaya: A Synoptic View of Educated Unemployed”, Man and Society: A Journal of North-East Studies, Vol. XV, Summer 2018, pp.31-44. ISSN: 2229-4058.
•  “Labour Supply and Unemployment Projections for North East India (2011 – 2031)”,
• (2018), Arthshastra, Indian Journal of Economics and Research, Vol.7, Issue 6, pp.30-42. ISSN: 2278-1811  (with P.Khongji)
• “An Assessment of the Activity Status of Employed Youth in Meghalaya”, Man and Society: A Journal of North-East Studies, Vol.XVI, Summer 2019, pp.78-98. ISSN: 2229-4058. (with Shedrina Grace Hynniewta)
• “Tackling Youth Unemployment in North East India: Skill Acquisition and Employment Avenues”, Man & Development, Vol. XLI, No.4, pp.17-30, December 2019. ISSN: 0258-0438. (Parliamentary Documentation)
• “Comparison of the iCare Rebound Tonometer with Goldmann Applanation Tonometer in Refractive Errors Among Patients Attending Tertiary Eye Centre in North East India”, Indian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Opthalmology Vol 5, No.4, pp. 508-511; November 2019, DOI: 10.18231/j.ijceo.2019.119 (with L. Thankhiew, P.K.Goswami and J.Syiem)
• “An Assessment of Employment Dynamics in Rural Meghalaya”, Journal of Rural Development, Vol.39, No.2, pp.1-17, April-June 2020. ISSN: 0970-3357

Conference Proceedings:

• “Economic Diversification in Rural Meghalaya”, 19^th Annual Conference cum National Seminar of NEEA on “Structural Transformation and Economic Development in North East India” Organised by Department of Economics, NEHU, Shillong, 23^rd – 24^th March, 2018.

Chapters in Edited Books/ Volumes:

•  “Matrilineal System among the Tribal Society of North East India and its Relevance in the present day context”, Nari: Otijya Aru Bibartan, Purbanchal Prakash, Guwahati, January 2015, ISBN: 978-81-7213-251-4, pp.212-222.
• “Population Growth, Labour Supply and Female Work Participation in North East India”, Historicity, Cultural Diversity and Identities in Northeast India, Heritage Publishing House, Dimapur, Nagaland, 2015, ISBN: 978-93-80500-39-3, pp.119-127.
•  “North-East of India and BIMSTEC: A Reality Check” (with C.J. Thomas) in Prabir De (eds.) Twenty Years of BIMSTEC: Promoting Regional Cooperation and Integration in the Bay of Bengal Region, KW Publishers, New Delhi, 2018. ISBN: 978-93-87324-34-3, pp. 193-211.
• “Potential for Ecotourism Circuits in Meghalaya: An Exposition”, in U.N.Shukla and S. Kulshreshtha (eds.) Emerging Dynamics of Indian Tourism and Hospitality – Transformation and Innovation, Copal Publishing Group, Uttar Pradesh, 2019. ISBN: 978-93-83419-76-0, pp. 225-237

Other Publications:

• “Female Child Labour in India: An Econometric Analysis” (with Minakshi Chakrabarty), Child Hope, Newsletter on Child Labour, V. V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, Vol. 3 No. 12-15,July-Sep, Oct-Dec; Jan-March & April-June, 2014, pp.6-11.
• “Incidence of Child Labour in India: A Statistical Profile” (with Minakshi Chakrabarty), Child Hope, Newsletter on Child Labour, V. V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, Vol. 3 No. 16-22,July 2014 – March 2016, pp.13-20.

Papers Presented: 

• Presented a paper on “Youth Unemployment in North East India: A Profile” at the National Seminar on Labour Employment Trends in North-Eastern Region: Challenges and Opportunities, Organised by the Centre for North East, V.V.Giri National Labour Institute, Noida on March 30-31, 2012.
• Presented a paper on “Financing Education: A Special Reference to Meghalaya” at the National Seminar on Planning and Financing Education for National Development With Special Reference to North East India, Organised by the Dept. of Education, NEHU, Shillong and NEIES on November 8-9, 2012.
• Presented a paper on “Geography as an Opportunity: North East Connecting India with ASEAN” at the International Seminar on India’s Look East Policy and the North Eastern Region: Strengthening the Continental Route, Organised by ICSSR-NERC, Shillong and NEC, Shillong on March 21-22, 2013.
• Presented a paper on “Labour Market Participation & Skills: Brain Drain in North Eastern Region” at the National Seminar on Youth & Skill Development in North East India, Organised by ICSSR-NERC, Shillong and VVGNLI, Noida, Shillong 26-27, March, 2015.
• Presented a paper on “Approach to Women’s Development: From WID to GAD” at the National Seminar on Rethinking Development: Challenges in North East India, Organised by OKDISC, Guwahati and Centre for North East Studies, JNU, New Delhi, Guwahati 26-27, July, 2015.
• Presented a paper on “Dynamics of Scheduled Tribe Education in India: Evidence from Secondary Data” at the National Seminar Cum 23^rd Annual Conference and Silver Jubilee Celebration of NEIES, Organised by the NEIES and Dept. of Education, NEHU, Shillong, Shillong 26-27 November, 2015.
• Presented a paper on “India’s Near Abroad Through the Lens of Land Connectivity” at the National Seminar on India’s North Eastern States & Eastern Neighbours: The Way Forward, Organised by the Young Scholars Forum, Asian Confluence, Shillong and ICWA, New Delhi, Shillong 5-6 December, 2015.
• Presented a paper titled “Status of Children and Women in Meghalaya: An Overview” at the Consultative Workshop on “Situational Analysis of Children and Women in Meghalaya, 2016  (in the context of UNICEF’s Country Programme for 2018 – 2022)”, Organized by the UNICEF, OKDISCD and Asian Confluence, Shillong, 10^th June, 2016.
• Presented a paper titled “Women’s Work in North East India” at the 58^th Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics, Organized by IIT, OKDISCD and TISS, Guwahati, 24^th – 26^th, November, 2016.
• Participated and Presented a paper titled “BBIN and the North East of India” at the Delhi Policy Group’s Roundtable Discussion on Advancing BBIN Sub-regional Cooperation, Organized by the Delhi Policy Group and The Asia Foundation, New Delhi, Guwahati, 30^th – 31^st, January, 2017.
• Participated and Presented a paper titled “Border Trade between North East India and Bangladesh” the National Seminar on India’s North Eastern States & Eastern Neighbours: Borderlands, People and Connectivity, Organised by the Young Scholars Forum, Asian Confluence, Shillong and ICWA, New Delhi, Shillong 9^th – 10^th  March, 2017.
• Presented a paper titled “Skill Development in Meghalaya: A Case of Educated Unemployed” the Seminar on North East India Since 1947: Society, Polity and Economy in the State of Meghalaya, Organised by OKDISC, Guwahati, at NEHU, Shillong 16^th – 17^th March, 2017.
• Participated and Spoke on “Role and Importance of Border Trade: NEI Perspective” at the Delhi Policy Group’s National Conference on Advancing BBIN Sub-regional Cooperation, Organized by the Delhi Policy Group and The Asia Foundation, New Delhi, at New Delhi, 4^th – 5^th, May, 2017.
• Presented on “Regional Cooperation and NEI: Prospects and Problems” at the International Seminar on “Cross-Border Connectivity and Inclusive Growth: Issues and Challenges with Special Reference to North Eastern Region” Organised by Shillong College, Shillong, 24^th – 25^th August, 2017.
• Presented on “Customary Practices among the Khasi Tribe of Meghalaya in relation to Land” at the Seminar on “Agrarian Crisis, Rural Credit and Employment in North East” Organised by OKDISCD, Guwahati and Department of Economics, NEHU, Shillong, 23^rd – 24^th February, 2018.
• Presented on “Economic Diversification in Rural Meghalaya” at the 19^th Annual Conference cum National Seminar of NEEA on “Structural Transformation and Economic Development in North East India” Organised by Department of Economics, NEHU, Shillong, 23^rd – 24^th March, 2018.
• Presented a paper on “Reimagining Vocational Education: An Observation on the Role of Incubation Centres” at the National webinar on “National Education Policy 2020 – Higher Education” Organised by the by Department of Economics, NEHU, Shillong, 30^th – 31^st March, 2021.
• Presented a paper on “Aspects of Female Migration in Meghalaya: A Synopsis” at the National webinar on Migration and Development Organised by the Department of Sociology, NEHU, Shillong, 24^th – 25^th November, 2021.

Invited Lectures and Session Chair

• Resource Person for National Seminar on “Consolidation And Challenges Of Tourism: The Road Ahead” Organised by Shillong Commerce College, Shillong, 7^th – 8^th September, 2018. (Topic: Fostering Regional Cooperation Through Tourism”.
• Invited Panellist in the Workshop “Status of Women’s Studies in North East India”, Organised by OKDISCD, Guwahati, 18^th -19^th January, 2019.
• Resource Person for Training Programme on “Skill Development of Women for Employability and Entrepreneurship for North East Region” Organised by Department of Economics, NEHU and VVGNLI, Noida, 25^th to 28^th March, 2019. (Topic: Understanding Dynamics of Labour Market with reference to Skill, Employability in NE).
• Invited Panellist for the Webinar on “Localising Sustainable Development Goals” organised by NETRA and RIS and Department of Rural Development, USTM, Meghalaya, 1^st August, 2020 (Topic: Gender Issues in Localising Sustainable Development Goals in Meghalaya).
• Spoke at the National Webinar on “The Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi for the Youth of Today” organised by Don Bosco College, Tura, NSS and IQAC, 3^rd October 2020
• Invited Panellist for Webinar on “Development, Prosperity and the Eastern Neighbourhood: Voices from North Eastern States of India” organised by Asian Confluence, 17^th October, 2020 (Topic: A Meghalaya Perspective on Development, Prosperity and the Neighbourhood Post COVID-19)
• Chaired a Session on “Understanding the Tribes in the Region” at the Two day National Seminar on “The Changing Dynamics of Tribal Society in India With Special Reference to North Eastern Region” Organised by Department of Sociology and IQAC, Shillong College, 5^th-6^th November, 2019.
• Invited Panellist for Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Webinar on “Culture, History and Traditions of Meghalaya” organised by Kendriya Vidyalaya Gomitanagar, Lucknow, UP and NEHU, 23^rd October 2020. (Topic: Livelihood and Culture of the Khasis).
• Moderated a Session on International Leadership Webinar on “Leadership Development to Teaching Excellence” Organised by IQAC & RUSA, Sngap Syiem College in collaboration with Hundredfold Academy, 24^th and 25^th November, 2020
• Moderated a Session on National webinar “GST (Goods & Services Tax) organised by Centre for Pre-Service Teacher Education, School of Education, NEHU, and Department of Education, NEHU, 15^th January 2021
• Chaired a Session on “Sustainable Development Goals in Education” at the Two day National Seminar Organised by Department of Education, NEHU, Shillong, 18^th-19^th March, 2021.
• Chaired a Session at the National webinar on Migration and Development organised by the Department of Sociology, NEHU, Shillong, 24^th – 25^th November, 2021.
• Resource Person at the Webinar on “Status of Women in India” Organised by Goalpara College, Goaplara, Assam, 15^th December, 2021, (Topic: Status of Women in India).
• Resource Person for the “Mid-Career Training Programme (MCTP) for SAOs/AAOs (Level-2)” Organised by the Regional Training Institute, Indian Audit & Accounts Department, Shillong, 29^th April, 2022. (Topic: Gender Sensitisation, Concepts of Gender, Gender Stereotypes and its impact. The Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013).

 Seminar(s)/Workshops Organised:

• International Seminar on “Natural Resources and Rural Livelihoods among Tribes in Hilly Areas” (22^nd to 24^th March, 2012).
• Coordinator for the National Workshop on the School for Doctoral Scholars in Economics  from 26^th Feb to 2^nd March, 2013 (organized by the Dept. of Economics, NEHU and ICSSR-NERC)
• National Seminar on Youth & Skill Development in North East India from 26^th – 27^th March, 2015 (ICSSR-NERC, Shillong & VVGNLI, Noida).
• State Coordinator for the Consultative Workshop on “Situational Analysis of Children and Women in Meghalaya, 2016 (in the context of UNICEF’s Country Programme for 2018 – 2022)” organized by the UNICEF, OKDISC, Guwahati and Asian Confluence, Shillong at Asian Confluence, Shillong, 10^th June, 2016.
• Organised a Workshop on “Sankalph Se Siddhi” Mission on 13^th July, 2018. Supported by NEHU, Shillong
• Joint Organiser on the Visit to NEHU by H.E. Kenji Hiramatsu, Ambassador of Japan to India, 15^th November, 2018
• Course Coordinator for the Training Programme on “Skill Development of Women for Employability and Entrepreneurship for North East Region” Organised by Department of Economics, NEHU and VVGNLI, Noida, 25^th to 28^th March, 2019.
• Coordinator for Management Development Programme for 1997 &1999 Batch of Indian Revenue Officers, Dean, SEMIS, NEHU, Shillong, 29^th -30^th March, 2019
• Coordinator of the SOP before the XVI Convocation, NEHU, Shillong.
• Co-Course Director for Ten Days Research Methodology Course for M.Phil/Ph.D./PDF scholars in Social Sciences from 1^st-11^th December, 2021. Organised by ICSSR-NERC and Supported by ICSSR, New Delhi.