Ethical Considerations

  The thematic focus and methodological arrangements of the project do not raise any exceptional ethical issues, as they do not involve health or other such dimensions. However, as a matter of policy, ethical dimensions of research, in terms of obtaining informed consent and securing confidentiality will be governed under the following guidelines:

• In dealings with government, information letters will be drafted and sent out to concerned offices prior to any meetings, that introduce the purpose, nature and background of the project. Wherever necessary, ‘no-objection’ letters or other documents acknowledging project activities and certifying granted permission will be obtained from concerned authorities prior to any exchange of information.

• All research instruments, including questionnaires, outlines of semi-structured interviews and FGDs, etc. will include Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that will require project personnel to gain informed consent from respondents prior to data collection, by establishing rapport, informing them of project purpose and background, providing assurances of confidentiality and (where applicable) anonymity, and briefing them on the nature of the exercise. These SOPs will form an integral component of any training or orientation imparted to research teams prior to data collection.

• Confidentiality will be ensured through organizational policies and controls in place at all collaborating institutes, that include limited physical access to documents, secure data entry, processing and storage protocols, secure transmission systems for sharing data among project staff, etc.