Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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FOR
AGAINST
poverty,
unemployment,
illiteracy,
casteism,
regionalism,
communalism etc., are rampant in present-day society. A democratic
form of government has resulted in the perpetuation of the above evils
because petty, corrupt, self-centered politicians have exploited people
and society.
2. Democracy, which means rule by the majority, in the Indian context
has turned out to be rule by the ignorant majority, - those who cannot
differentiate between good and evil while exercising their franchise.
3. Democratic rule has become synonymous with populistic rule with
welfare measures having more appeal than developmental activities.
AGAINST
judge between right and wrong, good and evil and to choose the right
man as their representative is considerably influenced by extraneous
factors such as caste, money etc. Educated people are not swayed by
these factors and hence can make a better judgement.
2. Educated voters can not only elect the correct leaders but also keep a
watch on their effective functioning, as they are well informed about the
happenings in the country. Politicians also will be careful for fear of
corrective actions.
AGAINST
1. Even the educated may lack the quality of judgment to choose between
the right and the wrong.
1. The reaction and impact of the electronic media is vast. Lack of control
may lead to activities that may hurt the sentiments of people, thereby
affecting the national fabric of unity.
2. Composition of viewer ship of this media is diverse, ranging from
children to old persons. Loosening of control will lead to programmes of
mass appeal playing upon basic emotions of people and hence will have
a negative impact on the people.
AGAINST
AGAINST
1. Lessons from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Punjab, Assam and Kashmir show
1. India, being largely an agricultural country, does not have the required
1. The root cause of corruption in our polity is the nature of elections that
periodically take place. Elections are costly affairs requiring huge sums
of money to contest. Political parties receive donations from the
business, industrial and other pressure groups. So, they expect the
members of legislatures to frame policies to suit their interests.
2. The money spent by each candidate is not honestly declared. What is
declared is a small fraction of the total money that is spent. Naturally,
unaccounted money or black money enters through the back door in
elections, which is detrimental to the economy and politics.
3. Whenever a candidate is elected, and especially if he belongs to the
ruling party, he has to prepare for contesting the next election, which
means he has to resort to unfair means for acquiring wealth that results
in corruption. This has a demoralizing effect on the bureaucracy. Thus
elections set up a vicious circle of corruption, which permeates down to
the bureaucracy corrupting the whole system.
4. The cost of contesting an election being very high, many a time, good
candidates who cannot afford the expense, stay away from elections.
Thus, criminal elements get to dominate in the august body of the
Parliament.
AGAINST
1. Every year, lakhs of man-days are lost due to strikes, lockouts and
work-to-rule methods
adopted by labour leaders. This is obviously
not conducive to the rapid growth of our economy, which is our national
goal. On an average, 54 lakh man-days per year are lost due to strikes
and lockouts. Economy improves through productivity. A country like
India cannot effectively bring about equitable distribution of wealth
among its people if productivity does not increase. As most of the
man-days are lost due to strikes, it is in the interest of the nation and
its people alike to ban strikes in the country.
2. The legitimate demands-of workers could be channelised through
various forums like workers' representatives in management, labour
ministry, welfare ministry, as these venues are open to them. But for
petty issues and personal prestige, labour leaders provoke workers to
resort to
strikes on artificial and superficial demands. Thus, instead
of using strike as a medicine, they are using it as a meal.
3. Strikes should not be considered as a 'right'. The workers and their
leaders should also realise their 'duty' towards the community. As the
Indian example shows a contrary picture, it is desirable and necessary
to ban strikes legally.
4. Strike is a key to violence. It often culminates into disruption,
destruction and loss of property and human life. This results in serious
damages to the economy and society.
AGAINST
1. Democracy implies the right to dissent. Thus the right to strike cannot
be taken away in a democracy.
2. The right to strike is the only weapon in the hands of workers, which
helps maintain the balance of power between the employer and the
employees. It protects the workers from possible exploitation by the
employers.
3. Genuine grievances of the workers find their expression through the
means of the right to go on a
strike. It gives the management and
the employers sufficient time to think rationally on their legitimate
demands. If the right to strike were taken away, there would be a
communication gap. The employers will consider tranquility amongst
the workers as an all-is-well sign, which may not be the true picture.
Explosive outbursts in some sudden and unexpected manner may result
and the resultant situation will be chaotic, unmanageable and pregnant
with deleterious consequences for the organisation in the long term.
4. The strike is a natural sequel to other peaceful means such as petitions
and lists of demands that are put across to employers. Thus, it is the
right to strike which gives rise to discussions, debates and
reconciliation, which are essential for the survival of democracy and for
putting things in the right perspective.
sanctions it. It is the Parliament that has the right to amend the
reservation policy, and since Parliament consists of people's
representatives, it clearly reflects the will and opinion of the people of
India.
2. Benefits of reservation policy have not permeated and percolated to the
most downtrodden people for whom they are meant. Scheduled castes
and tribes have not come out of the exclusion and have not joined the
mainstream of the society on their own, and so long as they are not
able
to compete with the rest of the society on equal footing,
reservation policy should continue.
3. The backward classes who have suffered for thousands of years cannot
be expected to advance in a small period of time like 30 to 40 years. If
they are to be given a proper chance of coming on equal footing with
the rest of the society, then the policy of reservation i.e. positive
discrimination should be continued for few more years.
4. In a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, multi-ethnic, multi-caste plural society
in India, the State must take special pains to make targeted efforts to
ameliorate the lot of backward classes and hence
reservation is
necessary to maintain the unity of India as a nation.
AGAINST
1. The Constitution of India enjoins its States to strive for uniform civil
code. It is thus the duty of our legislature to bring it into practice.
1. The public money invested in the public sector enterprises has not been
2.
3.
4.
5.
made good use of. A review of the working of public sector enterprises
has revealed that either the profits made by
them are deplorably low
or that they have been making huge losses.
It has been noted that in many situations, political-factors influence
decisions about location of public sector projects. This approach leads
tea considerable wastage of capital resources. Further, invariably there
is a delay in the completion of the project because of red-tapism
leading to increase in the costs of construction.
The tenure of public sector heads is generally very short, leading to a
frequent change in policy and method of working. This has proved to be
very harmful to the health of various enterprises. It is general found
that a generalist heads the public sector whereas the functioning
demands a specialist.
Capacity-utilisation is well below the required standard in public sector
enterprises and so the rate of capital formation is also not very
encouraging. Also, manpower is in excess of actual requirements. There
is no work culture in public enterprises.
Some years ago, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher, the then Prime Minister of
U.K. had undertaken a privatisation drive. She had handed over
uneconomic holdings and organisations from the
Government
sector to the private sector. The performance of these undertakings
considerably improved in the following years. This is an object lesson
to prove that privatization helps. Private initiative can overcome
formidable handicaps and can pierce through bureaucratic red tape so
that a culture of efficiency becomes an integral part of a private
venture, infused with dynamism and vitality, resulting in profits.
AGAINST
1. The utility of the public sector should be seen from the role assigned to
it in the Indian economy and not from the profit point of view. The
basic aim of the public sector was to create a proper infrastructure for
a backward country like India and this they have done quite
successfully. Their contribution to the Indian economy should be judged
from this point of view. Public sector has made investment in those
areas that do not give high profits and have high gestation periods. The
private sector was always reluctant to enter these fields.
2. The public sector has generated employment opportunities to a large
section of the society. The public sector employs 68% of the workers
employed in the organised sector of the economy.
3. The share of the public sector in the net domestic product has shown a
steady improvement. Public sector accounts for about one-fifth of the
national output.
4. The public sector is greatly responsible for the rapid industrialisation of
the economy. The public sector has greatly diversified in the post
independence period. Its operations include basic and capital goods
like steel, coal, copper, zinc and other minerals, heavy machinery,
drugs and chemicals, fertilizers, consumer goods, hotel services etc.
5. The public sector has played a vital role in export promotion. The State
country like India with a high rate of illiteracy cannot afford this loss. It
means a loss of trained technical or general manpower. It also means a
loss of their creative potential that a developing country like India can
ill-afford.
2. Migration of educated Indians also means financial loss to the
exchequer. Education is very costly. It is heavily subsidised by the
government. It is estimated that the government spends about Rs.1.5
lakhs on every medical graduate, Rs.1 lakh on every engineering
graduate and Rs.30,000 - Rs.50,000 on arts, commerce and science
graduates. All this investment is wasted owing to a high rate of 'braindrain' from the country.
3. Migrating for monetary benefits or for other materialistic values is not a
very healthy trend. It reveals a sort of anti-national trend. India is
faced with immense socio-political and economic problems like
communalism, nepotism, drug addiction, trafficking, regionalism,
smuggling etc. This situation calls for the educated and intelligent
Indians to come forward and mobilise the energies of the masses into
concrete ideas and actions and make the Indian democracy a success.
AGAINST
Pakistan has made a nuclear bomb. India is the most likely country on
the globe against which Pakistan can use this bomb. The Pakistani
bomb can be used as blackmail against India to gain concessions.
2. The security and integrity of the country is of pivotal importance and
cannot be compromised. Without a proper security, the economy
cannot be stable and hence it was necessary for India to go in for a
nuclear bomb.
3. India possessed the required nuclear infrastructure to make a nuclear
bomb.. The Indian nuclear bomb would act as a very effective deterrent
against nuclear threat from any country.
4. India has of late emerged as the regional super power in the Indian
Ocean zone. To maintain the regional balance in view of the volatile
scenario in and around the region, acquisition of nuclear weapons is
essential and will be befitting India's growing clout.
AGAINST
1. India is basically a poor country and the cost involved in making the
1. The world has changed and so have modes of thought and behaviour.
their studies if they take part in politics. Parents spend their hardearned money to send the students to college or university to complete
their education and not for "playing" politics.
2. Students are too young or immature to take important political
decisions or actions. To maintain the decorum and seriousness of
concerned issues in politics, senior politicians should keep students
away.
3. Politics is too dirty a game for students and hence they should be kept
away from the dust and din of it. It is not for nothing that someone
warned us while declaring politics as the last resort of the scoundrel.
1. As the stream of corruption flows from those at the top to the bottom in
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. Indian women get a chance to compete with women from all over the
2.
3.
4.
5.
been unique and commendable in many ways. The economy has grown
in every direction and we can today boast of a variety of capabilities
like achievement of self-sufficiency in foodgrain production; industrial
growth; a large pool of skilled work-force; and educational
infrastructure.
The green revolution that started in the irrigated areas of Punjab,
Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh has spread to other regions. As
regards manufacturing, India has developed considerable technological
capability and skills to manufacture a wide range of products.
Nationalised industries like Banking, Insurance, Mining and Civil
aviation have shown considerable growth over the decades.
The Service sector has shown considerable growth with expertise in
skill-based technologies like software development, where India has
become a leading global human resources supplier.
As a society, too, quite a few, if not all, shackles of our social and
religious past have been dispensed with. Sati, dowry etc. have been
banned.
The largest democracy in the world has shown its resilience, even when
the neighbours were losing out to military takeovers. The Judiciary and
the press are contributing tremendously in maintaining this country's
democratic spirit.
AGAINST
country set out to achieve and could certainly have achieved. Even after
succcessive five-year plans, 25 to 40 percent of our population is still
below the poverty line. The basic problems like illiteracy,
unemployment, health and shelter still persist. The situation as regards
public and primary health, drinking water, sewerage, sanitation and
housing is far from satisfactory.
2. The Public sector is uncompetitive and unprofitable. The bureaucratic
stranglehold and procedural red tape have undermined autonomy and
enterprise. Corruption is rampant at all levels of government and
accountability is misting.
3. The pressures of numbers, the economics of survival, obsolete
technologies and undisciplined development have resulted in major
environmental degradation. Many species of flora and fauna are danger
of becoming extinct.
4. Years of freedom have not yet instilled the concept of 'Indianness'.
People still fight and are divided on issues of caste, language, region
and religion.
1. Privatisation
1. Women have suffered for thousands of years and hence they deserve
1. Science has been making rapid strides in the last five or six decades.
Man has worked miracles in the field of science and there seems to be
nothing that he cannot achieve. Most of the inventions in the last 50
years have turned out to be beneficial in peacetime. For example,
invention of rocketry and missiles paved the way for space exploration
and the epochal landing of man on the moon and the landing of
'Pathfinder' on Mars. Nuclear energy is also being used for peaceful
purposes in many parts of the world, including India.
2. Scientific inventions and discoveries are important because they lead to
the creation of
mechanisms and artifacts, which improve our living
conditions. Inventions are today integral to new industrial methods and
production. Mobile telephones, faxes, radios, computers, satellite
television, Internet etc. have brought about a whole new world closer.
AGAINST
1. Science has not solved all our problems. In fact it has added to our
worries. Perhaps, it has brought tremendous stress to our lives.
2. With the advent of science in our lives, we can now kill each other more
easily and swiftly than ever before. Discovery of the atom bomb has
resulted in nuclear warfare, leading to the death of innumerable
innocent people.
3. Science may give us comfort but it cannot give us happiness. Science
has not been able to find a solution to poverty, misery and has also not
found a formula for human
happiness. In spite of
incredible
achievements in the field of science leading to materialistic happiness,
more people are turning to age-old methods of yoga, meditation and
pranayam for seeking mental peace.
4. The immense devastation and pollution of our world's environment in
the present century is because of developments in science and
consequent industrialization.
From public sector to privatization as in the U.K., is the right answer for
Indias instant economic breakthrough.
Some simple but effective electoral reforms will enable us to retain the
present parliamentary system and ensure the preservation of
democracy in India.
We can increase our food production not only to match our population
explosion but also for export provided we adopt modern, mechanized
farming methods with large size land holdings.
Private enterprise and not public sector will contribute to faster and
higher economic growth in India.
The policy of reservation is a legacy of the British and it has done more
harm than good.
Against:
1. The people have the Right to Choose. In a democratic country such restrictions
on an individuals will should not be kept.
2. Drinking is not as harmful as it is made out to be. Excessive drinking is harmful not drinking in moderation.
3. Government is receiving a big amount as tax from this industry and if prohibition
is implemented, the Government will lose this money.
4. Many people are employed for this purpose. Enforcing prohibition may produce
more unemployment.
5. The illicit liquor manufacturing in prohibited states shows prohibition has been a
failure.
6. It may be argued that some of the States in India need alcohol due to their cold
climate.
7. Social drinking brings people together. Men, it is said ,bond over a glass of
alcohol.
failed them and in this the bureaucracy at all levels must share the blame for nongovernance and the failure to deliver the goods. It is not that things are not available
at reasonable cost, but it is gross mismanagement that has made even basic things
beyond the reach of the people. When one Dr. Verges Kurten, who was conferred the
life time "Excellence Award", from The Economic Times this DRISHTI (11) of (12)
Day 6 Jan 28th, 2002 year, for making India the No.1 milk producer in the world,
can't the officialdom in India, take a leaf out of the book of this great genius and
make India No.1 in every field?
For:
1. Downsizing the Indian bureaucracy
2. Too money woks spoil the broth GOI is the largest employer in India.
3. Inefficient working and bad work culture
4. Corruption, Red tapes, Nepotism are rampant. Everyone has his or her rates fixed.
5. They hinder the functioning of private sector enterprises also. The private sector
has to have to face with humorous delays and has to spend a lot of money on bribes
etc.
6. Thelma scandal the true colors of the Indian bureaucracy.
7. In most organizations more than 70 of budget goes to pay the salary and other
compensation benefits.
8. The government departments are grossly over staffed and under worked.
9. The employers who are willing to work are also dissatisfied and have low morale.
By getting rid of deadwoods these employees will also get a chance to give their
true inputs.
10. The government officials one underplayed. One of the reasons is because of their
sheer number. By downsizing the remaining officials can get a deserving ray
package.
11. Mr. A.K. Antony, C.M. of Kevolc has openly admitted that he was not getting
cooperation of most of the officials in implementing different programs. Same
sentiments were expressed later by CM and by Mr. S.M. Krishna. If the CMs
themselves are in a soup, then what kind of service can a common man expect?
Against:
1. If down saying was carried out then what will no open to the 10005 of families
who will be without a bread earner.
2. The need is to train, empower and motivate the employees.
3. By downsizing the morale of remaining staff would go down.
4. Instead of downsizing the other possibility could be to stop recruitment or new
staff.
5. If employees are asked to leave then the states will have to face a cash crunch: as
payment of PF, gradually etc. Will cause a dent to the states pocked.
6. Instead of throwing people out of their jobs another options could be to shift then
from full time workers to part time workers who work on shifts.
7. What is the grantee that downsizing will ensure better quality and actuate ability
in government departments.
8. More than there size, it is the work culture of bureaucracy that is the main culprit.
The work culture has to change forms lassiez-faire to a participative open and halting
work environment.
9. There is a need to educate the public. If people stop giving bribes then the
systems of computation
10. Immediate redressal of public complains, giving harsh punishments to rule
breaks and implementing the some readily etc. are the ways by which the evils of
bureaucracy can be eliminated.
11. Bureaucracy is a necessary evil in a country the size of India. Administers turn of
such a huge country is not an easy goes.
In the Indian context, we have had the experience of being united as a nation in the
true sense of the term, only for the last fifty years or so. The process of nation
building was initiated in the aftermath of a prolonged freedom struggle followed by a
bloody partition. It was then that the constitution makers were faced with the
dilemma as to what would be the best cement to hold together our nation. Though
we are committed to being a secular nation and our preamble reads:
WE, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a
SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its
citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political;
LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;
EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;
and to promote among them all FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of the individual
and the unity and integrity of the Nation ; Still doubts have been raised as to
whether an average Indian really considers himself an Indian first or whether he
identifies more closely with a particular religious or linguistic group. Conventional
wisdom points to the latter. The matter of Indianness- questioning our very
identity, indeed deserves closer scrutiny.
For:
1. It was justified for us to divide the country on the basis of linguistic majority
provinces. The people with genuine affinity and close ties historically, were logically
united together as a single administrative province.
2. Religion has always been one of the unifying aspects among people everywhere.
Thus, it was only natural that religion would play a major part in post- freedom
India. E.g. special provisions and rights for religious minorities, different civic laws
for different religions were included in the Constitution.
3. The special provisions mentioned above, were indeed the reasons why we were
able to ensure that the nation stood united.
4. The lesson learnt during the Freedom Struggle was that, people participate in a
larger cause, only when matters related to language and religion are at stake.
People gave higher priority to religion than the liberation of the country. For example
linguistic struggles in various states in British India, sectarian riots in various parts of
the country at the peak of the freedom movement.
5. Religion and language, being more tangible parameters as opposed to
administrative matters- would appeal to the people and gain more acceptability.
E.g. Samyukta Maharashtra movement, struggle for a separate Andhra Pradesh soon
after independence, etc.
6. The people of the country are, indeed deeply divided and polarized to such an
extent on religious and linguistic lines, that the constitution makers had to reflect
this reality in the Constitution.
7. It was also easier to manage states that were made on the linguistic basis.
Against:
1. A modern democratic nation can never progress if its raison detre is based on
religion or language.
2. Parochialism has no place in a democracy. It goes against the principle of Unitary
Federalism adopted by the constitution makers.
3. Genuine rule of law and egalitarianism are supposed to be the cornerstone of
democracy, whereas religious bias and language barriers are an anathema for the
same.
4. The tendency to accept language as a criterion of creating separate states is being
exploited by vested interests. E.g. Demand for Vidharbha, Purvanchal, Gorkhaland,
etc.
5. Instead of religion and language, administrative convenience should have been
adopted as a benchmark for division of states.
6. Adoption of different civic laws based on numerous religious groups, leads to legal
complications, in terms of long drawn court battles and interpretation of sensitive
socio-religious laws.
7. Being a country of numerous linguistic dialects, there is no end to the demand for
creation of new states.
8. Creation of more states can only lead to more burdens on the exchequer, and
dependence on the center for day-to-day running.
For:
1. Government will always have a role to play as far as the petroleum sector is
concerned. If left to market forces alone (vagaries of international prices dominated
by OPECs arm twisting policies, customers will have to bear the brunt of highly
unpredictable oil prices.
2. An economy can ill afford wide short-term fluctuation of prices of such a key
resource. The govt. thus is duty bound to ensure a reasonable stability of market
prices of petroleum products.
3. By giving the sector the status of a strategic one, the government would be, in
principle giving it the due importance it deserves.
4. After the dismantling of the Administered Pricing Mechanism (APM) the private
players would have a much more active role in pricing at the retail outlets. The
Regulatory framework must be in place to provide a level playing filed to all the
major refineries.
5. Tie-ups would be inevitable with global majors. The govt. should ensure that the
Nirvanas- profitable producers in the petroleum sectors are not sold away are
throwaway prices.
6. Ownership of pipelines carrying petroleum products should be in govt. hands- for
reasons of security and safety.
7. It calls for the govt. to have a clear cut regulatory mechanism to work out the
details for the post March 2002 scenario when most petroleum products would be
out of the ambit of APM and would be able to compete with global giants.
Against:
1. The status of strategic sector notwithstanding, the Govt. would be wise in
encouraging Pvt.sector participation actively in exploration and drilling neglect in
this regard in the past is the reason for lack of new discoveries of oil fields.
2. The recent govt. move of awarding regions for exploration on the basis of global
tenders is a welcome step.
3. The sector id best left to market forces with minimal interference by the govt.
With Pvt. sector refineries also in the fray, the healthy competition would be
beneficial to the customers in the long run.
4. Mergers in the sector would be natural- the swap ratio worked out on the basis of
company fundamentals, should not be found objectionable by anyone.
5. Only a policy of laissez faire will be beneficial for the govt. in the long run-, as it
would conform to the inprinciple stand of the govt. to curb the burgeoning fiscal
deficit due to the Oil Pool Account.
Is EQ over rated?
Personal Competence
Self Awareness
(of internal states, preferences,
resources, and intuitions)
feelings,
Social Competence
Empathy
(awareness
of
others
Social Skills
(adept
at
inducing
responses in others)
According to Goleman:
"At best IQ contributes about 20% to the factors that determine life success, which
leaves 80% to other forces... No one can yet say exactly how much of the variability
from person to person in life's course it accounts for. But what data exist suggest it
can be as powerful, and at times more powerful, than IQ."
The ability to manage feelings and handle stress is another aspect of emotional
intelligence that has been found to be important for success. A study of store
managers in a retail chain found that the ability to handle stress predicted net
profits, sales per square foot, sales per employee, and per dollar of inventory
investment.
Emotional intelligence has as much to do with knowing when and how to express
emotion as it does with controlling it. For instance, consider an experiment that was
done at Yale University by Sigdal Barsade . He had a group of volunteers play the
role of managers who come together in a group to allocate bonuses to their
subordinates. A trained actor was planted among them. The actor always spoke first.
In some groups the actor projected cheerful enthusiasm, in others relaxed warmth,
in others depressed sluggishness, and in still others hostile irritability. The results
indicated that the actor was able to infect the group with his emotion, and good
feelings led to improved cooperation, fairness, and overall group performance. In
fact, objective measures indicated that the cheerful groups were better able to
distribute the money fairly and in a way that helped the organization. Similar
findings come from the field. Bachman found that the most effective leaders in the
US Navy were warmer, more outgoing, emotionally expressive, dramatic, and
sociable.
Empathy is a particularly important aspect of emotional intelligence, and researchers
have known for years that it contributes to occupational success. Rosenthal and his
colleagues at Harvard discovered over two decades ago that people who were best at
identifying others' emotions were more successful in their work as well as in their
social lives.
This is a small article on EQ,which will answer the basic question-what is EQ?
For:
1) IQ is as essential as EQ, if not more. In todays world one has to be tech savvy.
2) Quantification of work is being avoided. Instead of becoming more people
oriented people are becoming less result oriented.
3) Management Gurus, writers etc. are minting money by magnifying and selling the
concept as a one shot solution to peoples problems.
4) It has been realized that SQ-Spiritual Quotient is more essential than EQ.
5) Adam Smith in his book The Wealth of Nations gave Moneymaking a moral
acceptance. The result USA is a super power. If instead of concentrating results
and outcomes we focus our attention on intangibles then real progress will still elude
us.
6) EQ is very idealistic. It is not possible to achieve it completely and a half-baked
attempt is just not good enough.
7) The Indian labour class some believe can only be motivated by carrot and stick
philosophy. Spare the rod, spoil the worker!
8) Relying only on emotions, intuitions, feelings may not be a good choice as these
are quite fickle and unreliable.
Against:
1) EQ leads to emotional self-awareness. This involves:
a. Recognizing and naming ones own emotions
b. Knowledge of the causes of one own emotion
c. Recognizing the difference between feelings and actions
2) One can manage ones emotions only if one is aware of them. So, EQ helps in
management of ones emotions.
3) Stress management prerequisite for success in todays world.
4) Helps in anger management. Eliminates verbal put-downs, fights and group
disruptions. Enables the individual to express anger appropriately without resorting
to violence. Thus fewer suspensions or expulsions.
5) EQ enables the person to work synergistically with others. Enhances the ability to
deal with others.
6) Generates more positive feelings about self, family, surroundings, colleagues etc.
7) Helps in harnessing emotions effectively. The person with high EQ is:
a. More responsible
b. Better able to focus on task at hand and pay attention
c. Less impulsive; more self-controlled
8) High EQ helps in reading people
a. Better able to take another persons perspective
b. Improved empathy and sensitive to others feelings
c. Better at listening to others
9) High EQ leads to the following benefits:
a. Increased ability to analyze and understand relationships
b. Better at resoling conflicts and negotiating disagreements
c. Better at solving problems in relationships
d. More assertive and skilled at communication
e. More popular and outgoing; friendly and involved with peers
f. More sought out by peers
g. More concerned and considerate
h. More "pro--social" and harmonious in groups
i. More sharing, cooperation, and helpfulness
j. More democratic in dealing with others
strengths.
14. In our country, parents are the key decision-makers in choosing their childs
career. Even after reaching adulthood, it is not uncommon to see an Indian student
totally unaware as to why he has chosen a particular topic of study.
15. Real life phenomena, unlike bookish theories, often occur in non-linear fashion,
requiring imagination, street-smartness and presence of mind.
16. Lack of encouragement to think, has resulted in zombies being churned out
from our educational institutions.
17. Reading as a hobby has unfortunately never been pursued seriously by the
youth. This is one of the main reasons for intellectual bankruptcy in society. Our
parliamentarians, judges, lawyers, scientists and common citizens are used to
getting packaged information in the form of one minute sound bytes thanks to
the electronic media revolution.
18. We therefore think mechanically, and are prone to jump to conclusions. No
wonder rumor mongering takes a particularly nasty turn in todays real politic e.g.
fundamentalism, terrorist propaganda, etc.
19. Reflection i.e. analyzing the pros and cons after reading or hearing something- is
something quite alien to us.
20. Moreover, with kin ship ties breaking down and more nuclear families emerging,
and with the rise of each one to himself philosophy, one is unable to get the other
side of the story through healthy community debate. Without scrutinizing an issue,
we jump to conclusions.
21. Also, the sense of insecurity, unemployment, lack of state support has given rise
to herd mentality- we are easily prone to getting provoked. E.g. People are ready to
vandalize a painters works on grounds of offending sensibilities of society, without
even having seen the paintings themselves.
22. Intolerance, and acceptance of stereotypes- adopting a medieval age approach
lifestyle amongst many cultures in the world- is cause for concern. This intolerance
stems from non- establishment of rule of law and respect for institutions.
23. Wherever the state has tried to impose a homogenous mindset upon its people,
it has given rise to unrest, as it amounts to suppressing the natural tendencies for
creativity and imaginative thinking.
Against:
1. Capitalism widens the gap between the Haves and the Haves Not.
2. All the major capitalist countries are suffering from an economic slowdown.
3. Stress, frustration, depression, dissatisfaction etc. are becoming alarmingly
common in the capitalistic economy.
5. Capitalistic
maximization.
economy
usually
favors
money
maximization
6. Capitalism lets the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
to
wealth
K
At times the students may get an abstract topic like-K, frog, if, light bulb vs. tube
light etc. In such cases the students should use their imagination and creativity to
come up with as many different ideas as possible.
In a topic like K the various issues that could be discussed are:
1. Kashmir
2. Literacy does not guarantee education and liberation of mind. Even the so-called
elite and educated Indians are superstitious like Ekta Kapoor and her obsession with
the letter K. All her serials begin with K e.g. Kyonki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi,
Kkusum, Kahani ghar ghar ki etc.
3. The serials of Ekta Kapoor are regressive and glamorize a feudalistic society. They
stereotype women into the role of a dutiful housewife whose life begins and ends
with her family.
4. The movies of today, like Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham are also regressive for the
same reasons.
5. Ku Klux Klan of America and their atrocities on the black Americans
6. The concept of Karma- (a) What you sow so shall you reap.(b) Stress
management i.e. dont worry about results just do your job.
7. Kids- Impact of violence on them
5. Consumerism offers the consumer with the chance of getting a better product at a
competitive price. It is in the interest of the consumer.
6. Due to increased competition the quality of goods and services has drastically
improved in India especially in certain areas.
7. Consumer in urban India has become better informed. Thus the chances of him
being cheated by the seller have diminished.
Against:
Against:
1. It is difficult to force nationalisation in a democracy.
2. When Government takes over, the profit motive is absent, they affect the
production of finished goods as there is lack of enthusiasm for work.
3. The nationalished companies and industries show they are not successful
compared to private industries.
4. It is futile to argue that there will be equal opportunities of employment. On the
other hand Government never pays even equal to the sum a private concern pays.
5. In many cases, since there is no competition, the quality of finished goods is far
below in standard.
6. The already over-burdened Government many not be able to hold more
responsibilities.
DISARMAMENT
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are horrific examples of the destructive potential of nuclear
weapons. Nuclear weapons cannot distinguish between combatants and civilians.
They impose suffering of the most horrible kind on their victims, including on the yet
unborn through trans-generational effects. Civil and medical defence against them is
impossible. They are uniquely evil in their capacity to exterminate all life on this
planet. The International Court of Justice has unequivocally condemned nuclear
weapons. Calling them the ultimate evil, its President pronounced the decision of
the Court on July 8, 1996, declaring the threat and use of nuclear weapons
generally contrary to rules of international law applicable in armed conflict. In its
historic decision, the Court unanimously called on all states to bring to a conclusion
negotiations leading to disarmament in all its aspects.
For:
1. To save the world from the present day cold war and threat to peace is only by
disarmament.
2. By disarmament countries come closer since there is no fear of enemy.
3. Millions of dollars that are used for the armament race could be used for the
helping of under-developed countries.
4. A powerful United Nations, and co-operation between nations can easily achieve
this objective.
5. The test ban treaty and optimism.
Against:
1. The idea of disarmament, the past history shows, has been a colossal joke.
2. As long as there in no understanding between the East and the West there cannot
be any disarmament.
3. Even if disarmament is agreed upon, the vast store of atomic weapons that Russia
and USA have, will be a threat and hence it will be failure.
4. The idea of control and inspection clauses in the disbarment policies could be
used for paying purposes.
5. Disarmament may dislocate the economic structure of the world. USA is at present
helping non-leftist countries with aid and Russia the leftists. If there is disarmament
this help will not be seen.
6. More than anything, as long as there is race for power disarmament cannot be a
success.
"... democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever
been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and have in
general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths." James
Madison.
"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only
until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse (defined as a liberal gift)
out of the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the
candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that
democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a
dictatorship." Alexander Fraser Tyler. "Democracy literally means the rule of the
people, a concept which will not admit any limitation in the political power. A
Republic signifies an organization dealing with affairs which concern the public, thus
implying that there are also private affairs, a sphere of social and personal life, with
which government is not and should not be concerned; it sets a limit to the political
power." Isabel Paterson.
For:
1. Democracy is the fit governmental form for a country, fought and won by the
people.
2. Though there is delay, nobody can dictate the policies.
3. Public opinion has to be taken account of even by the Prime Minister.
4. India's economic and other developments show that democracy has been a
success here.
5. The very fact that in Burma, Pakistan, etc. people are restless against their
present dictatorship shows that we should adhere fast to democratic form of
Government.
6. In a world, which is tending towards more democratic ideals, India's democratic
stand will have its way even in the future.
Against:
1. Democracy paves the way for undue delay and soapbox orations.
2. The very fact that Burma and other once democratic nations chose the other form
shows that something is wrong with this political system.
3. Though in fact there is public opinion in democracy it is the Prime Minister and
party that is dictating the policies-there is no such thing as Government by the
people and for the people.
4. The present trends show that we are fast moving towards something other than
democracy (Congress split may be discussed).
5. If democracy fails here and the future is saved by a dictator, the better for the
country since matters like war are to be better handled by a dictator for better
results.
Family Planning
India's population has increased by nearly five times from about 238 million at the
beginning of this century to one billion now. The current annual increase of about
15.5 million people in the country-the largest in the world-puts great pressure on
resources and the environment.
Some Facts:
Although fertility has fallen from about six children per woman in 1951 to about
2.7 children in 1997, the population continues to grow by 15.5 million annually.
If couples average two children each by 2001-2006, India's population will stabilise
at about 1.7 billion. But, if it is delayed by 20 years, it will rise above 2 billion.
Achieving the national health (for all) and demographic goals is a formidable task
because 36% of the population is under 15 years of age, and represents a large
youth population- the parents of tomorrow.
Barriers to family planning include low literacy (male: 64%; female: 36%), the low
status of women, high infant mortality (ranging from 15 to 112 per 1000 live births),
and socio-cultural factors such as son preference and early marriage of girls
For:
1. The present day over-population.
2. Over-population affects the economy of the country reducing the rate of human
comforts and happiness.
3. All the modern comforts and happiness.
4. The argument against family planning as to the instance of man-power a our
disposal.
5. Science has so advanced that birth could be controlled effectively.
6. It is only by good family playing that an under-developed country can march
ahead.
Against:
1. Family panning is against the law of nature and therefore there may be refute so
far.
2. It prevents us from having enough manpower for war, as well as for other
purpose.
3. The common man is never convinced of the idea.
4. The common man cannot understand the technicalities birth control and hence it
results in failure.
5. It only helps to spur immorality as Gandhiji himself said.
Schools should introduce compulsory military cadet training to give young people
discipline and purpose. Schools should open up to the armed forces so personnel
could share their skills during weekly classes and students should also undergo
training. It would give them a sense of (belonging) to something and pulling together
with their mates, with their peers and give them some grounding. Also the Workers'
and Peasants' Government of the Republic deems it its immediate task to enroll all
citizens for compulsory labor and military service. This work is meeting with stubborn
resistance on the part of the bourgeoisie, which refuses to renounce its economic
privileges and is trying, through conspiracies, uprisings and traitorous deals with
foreign imperialists.
For:
1. It is the best solution when we anticipate a threat from an enemy.
2. In the modern world no country can maintain large standing armies.
3. It saves money and labour.
4. It spreads the ideas of nationalism in the growing minds of youngsters.
5. It makes them healthy and active.
6. It provides them with the right type of discipline
Against:
1. This compulsory training diverts a child who is studious.
2. Not all the boys take it seriously.
3. It makes them war minded.
4. When everyone is trained to handle a weapon, it may make a revolution easier in
nation.
5. When all the nations for this which could be utilized for economic development.
For:
1. History shows man is the best to run a Government.
2. Though woman may be intelligent she cannot run a Government as she lacks
courage and other qualities.
3. A womans nature itself is not running a Government.
4. Running a Government is not maintaining a house and looking after children.
5. History has shown that it has always been a mans world.
Against:
1. There is no difference between men and women except in form.
2. She is as intelligent and courageous as man.
3. Many instances could be quoted for their success in Government.
4. Women with their sweet temper can understand the problems patiently and
better.
5. If they can mould a king why not a kingdom?
For hardwork:
1. Success is about 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.
2. However intelligent one is, only hard work pays
3. A happy go lucky nature puts you on the cross roads of life
4. Gandhiji and others were ardent followers of hard work.
5. The above fact has been proved through ages in Human Civilization
6. Statistics of successful candidates in the IITs and the IIMs prove the above
statement.
For Intelligence:
1. Intelligence is a valuable faculty in human beings.
2. It reduces hard work by half.
3. Where hard work fails, intelligence easily takes one through hurdles.
4. An intelligent one can do far better if he has little hard work too.
5. There is nothing impossible for an intelligent man in life.
6. Prodigies are recognized only by their brains.
7. Stephen Hawkins, Carl Sagan etc. are synonymous to Intelligence.
Against:
1. Co-education is a curse in the modern education system, as it promotes less of
education and more of distraction.
2. Idea of education is to impart the right type of training to boys and girls while coeducation simply makes the mingling of the two genders possible.
3. An Indian girl may need more of home science and music more than the
knowledge of mathematics or logical reasoning.
4. Male teachers in a co-education institution are not advisable for girl students.
5. Close proximity often gives rise to premature sexual activities.
6. Elopement & heartbreaks cases are more a feature of co-ed institutes rather than
education.
7. It is a huge blow to the morals of the traditional Indian home.
8. This pattern has killed Indian culture.
9. Improper implementation of the above pattern has created a situation of conflict
in our Countrys Education system.
10. Our traditional schools are living on the edge due to the aggressive marketing of
all such cash hungry schools.
Against:
1. Replacing tyranny of the ruler from some of those who were also among those
ruled earlier is like pouringsalt into the wounds of the oppressed.
2. Acceptance of the domino theory of nationalism that treats demands for
secessionism as having the potential to stir similar such demands from other parts of
the country is not based on sound logic as sovereignty can never be forcibly
maintained. It has to be won from the people.
3. Free discussion and debates are the very essence of a democracy. Hence equating
any such discussion with treason and sedition is unwarranted
4. Devolution of unequal powers to provincial administrative units is the best
compromise that takes into account the unique circumstances associated with the
formation of multi-cultural federal nations
Against:
1. Our civilization is just an illusion.
2. Though we have so-called comforts, our forefathers were having more peace of
mind.
3. It is difficult to say which civilization is better since we are partial to measure
them with our own standards.
4. If they killed their brothers we are killing people by thousands by atomic bombs.
5. A civilization with all this unrest and suspicions is worse than our forefathers who
lived just through the day and knew nothing.
6. Our society is burdened more by the educated illiterates rather than illiterates
themselves.
7. The dahej system, widow burning, female infanticide etc. are all features of our
modern society.
8. War is a feature of our civilized society.
9. Numerous divorce cases have put a question on the existence of our family
system, which
is in the core of our civilization.
10. Living with the third world war just by our doorstep we have put the existence of
our own civilization in question.
for
fishing
which
solves
5. Long coast line affords not only the expansion of shipping industry but also paves
the way for valuable materials like pearls etc. (e.g., Tuticorin).]
6. It can also be used for inland trade as we have commercial services plying from
Bombay to
Calcutta.
7. It affords good climate over the coastal area.
8. The coastal sand affords many valuable minerals like uranium, silicon etc.
9. Affords raw material for salt industry.
Liability:
1. More of coastal line means a greater threat from foreign aggressors.
2. Coastal line is more easily accessible than the land as we have instances of the
Portuguese,
French and English invasions.
3. This means more of navy, armament and expenditure.
4. This means burden on foreign currency.
5. Even in times of peace, natural calamities like floods and tides tax the
Government budget and are also responsible for taking away human life.
Curse:
1. The evil effects of Science are the cause of unrest in the world today.
2. It has helped arms race and power politics.
3. The threat of atom bomb and the Hiroshima affairs are still ringing in everyones
ears.
4. There is no way of preventing politicians who use scientific advancement for bad
purposes.
5. The advancement of Science has made our society more complex and in the name
of comforts we have lost our mental peace.
Boon:
1. The advancement of Science has brought forth many comforts. It has brought
men closer than ever.
2. It has brought men closer than ever.
3. It has made human labour reduce to the minimum by the use of machines.
4. By the advancement of Science, luxuries of life have become a reality
5. The ill effects of Science help innovation and human advancement, (many
attempts that are being made may be discussed.
Against:
1. The Government has welcomed FDI to improve the Infrastructural sector
2. We maintain one of the biggest Railway networks in the world.
3. Our GDP has been growing healthily and expected to grow at 6.5% in the coming
years.
4. India is the fourth largest economy in the World on the basis of Purchasing power
parity.
5. We have made rapid progress in the Service sector and have emerged as a Global
IT player.
Should Women be
considered equal to Men?
It is not a matter of equality but a matter of Identity. The above topic should not be
visualized in terms of endless competition between the male and the female gender
but as necessity for coexistence of these two creatures in the present world.
Moreover organisations like that of the womens lib have worsened the situation.
Thus lets think of symbiosis, of living in harmony and not of endless war in the
precincts of what we call our sweet home. The whole exercise should be towards
developing humankind as a whole through the cohesive force of both the genders.
For:
1. God created men and women to be partners and not subordinates.
2. The necessity of uplifting womens status is never over emphasized.
3. Equality of status makes them work better for the nation.
4. There is a woman behind every successful man.
5. They have a right to equality, as they should be considered as individuals first.
Against:
1. Man is usually the head of the family.
2. Such issues would only lead to quarrels in a family.
3. It will lead to the women neglecting their children and thus underdeveloped future
citizens.
4. It will lead to undue usage of power and thus frequent conflicts
5. Women should strive to be better individuals rather than competing with men.
For:
1. Most organisations have tried to encash this issue commercially.
2. Women in villages have no reach to such organisations.
3. These days most of the organisations are politically motivated.
4. Joining such organisations has become a means for whiling away time for affluent
women.
5. The leader of such organisations is nowhere near to the actual problem faced by
women
6. Because of our orthodox family set up very few cases on atrocities on women are
reported.
7. Many women have used these organisations as a platform to gain popularity.
Against:
1. Several social ads on women, supported by such organisations are frequently seen
on T.V
2. The percentage of the female child going to school has increased in the past
couple of years.
3. Various road shows by such organisations have helped in spreading awareness in
the society.
4. These organisations have helped Indian women to become self-sufficient.
5. Self-sufficiency has given the traditional Indian housewife the strength to stand
against the
atrocities of their husbands.
6. These organisations had strongly opposed the issue of gender identification.
7. The Centres dithering over allowing the Hurriyat members to visit Pakistan to
persuade the militant organizations there for a dialogue has frittered away the
goodwill generated when the idea was first mooted. Centres insistence of excluding
Pro-Pakistani Geelani from any delegation visiting Pakistan is being seen as an
attempt to create divisions between Hurriyat members.
8. Centres move to raise additional battalions of Rashtriya Rifles and giving a more
pro-active role to & K Police is being a step in the right direction, as it would reduce
the role of Army in counterinsurgency operations.
9. The Authorities in J&K must be proactive in dealing with complaints of Human
Rights violations. Fake killings and high handedness by security forces have turned
the tide in favors of militants.
10. Security apparatus in the state should be beefed up. Ceasefire should not lead to
a lowering of guard. An objective assessment of the gains and fall-outs of the
ceasefire are a must for any future decision regarding its extension.
For:
1. This is a professional world where nobody likes to work for pleasure.
2. With regards to working hours a strict schedule is required to ensure productivity.
3. People cannot enter and leave the office as and when they want.
4. Introducing flexi time will lead to lack of accountability.
5. Keeping track of every Individuals work is going to be very difficult.
Against:
1. Human beings are not Robots.
2. A person can be productive when he is not burdened by severe tensions.
3. Strict working hours should be employed in Central Government Organisations.
4. Flexi time is a high motivational factor in corporate houses.
5. Strict regimes are a reason for Employee turnovers in various companies
For:
1. T.V quiz shows bow the seed of greed in the human brain.
2. These shows are about more of showmanship and less of knowledge.
3. By offering a lot of cash and costly prizes they induce an inclination towards
gambling among people.
4. Such show limits the I.Q of our youth by making them couch potatoes.
5. The participants are not selected through any recognised filtration process.
Against:
1. Quiz shows, like those organised by people like Siddharth Basu are an asset for
the country.
2. Such shows propagate a quest for knowledge among the participants and the
audience.
3. These shows act like distant education for people.
4. Whatever the participants get is a token of their knowledge and skills.
5. Various shows are also organised by bodies like the U.G.C
For
Current visit of the Chinese premier Zhu Rongji can be seen as the beginning of a
new era of friendship between India and china. Indian corporates can now plan an
entry into the Chinese markets. Infosys was given permission by Ronghi to set up an
office in Shanghai India too has nuclear weapons so China would want to avoid the
possibility of a nuclear war. Sino-Indian alliance is going to be the best answer to
U.S.A. hegemony. Certain population in India still shares same communist ideologies
as China. Thus, there is a link, howsoever weak, between China and India. Indian
defense is as strong as Chinese defense .So; an alliance is going to be the best
option. China will benefit more economically if it aligns with India. Public opinion in
todays scenario counts a lot. Currently the world favors peaceful nations. China
would not want to go against the worlds opinion. Both the countries have cherished
cultural heritages, which they both want to preserve. This too forms a common link
between the two. China and India are neighbors. By creating a hostile situation china
would not want to rock the boat in this region. Both the countries can benefit
exchanges of trade and technology.
Against
1. China has attacked (unprovoked) before in 1962. The Indo - China war cannot be
relegated to history so soon.
2. China has always maintained an aggressive attitude
aggressiveness can be seen in its behavior towards Taiwan.
.for
example
its
3. India sheltered Dalai Lama when he fled from Tibet after china attacked it.
Political asylum given to Dalai Lama has been a bone of contention between India
and china.
4. The past has taught us not to blindly trust China (1962 war)
5. India is an economic superpower in this region. We also have nuclear weapons.
We can therefore be viewed as a threat to china.
6. China has shown pro Pakistan tendencies. One of the reasons of the growth of
Pakistan terrorists is China.
7. China has provided arms and other such aid to the neighboring countries Sri
Lanka, Pakistan and has kept India in strategic engagement.
8. China did not support Indias demand of getting a permanent seat in the UN
Security Council.
9. China has tried to destablize Indian economy by dumping goods in Indian
markets.
10. Among the upcoming superpowers of the world India is the only threat to china
becoming a superpower.
11. China has always had an insular attitude towards acceptance of other cultures.
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