Essey From Competition Master

CONTRADICTIONS IN SOCIETY

“Indian society is full of various contradictions.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Most of the societies in the world have  unique features and characteristics. The societies in the South Asian countries are agrarian in nature. With plethora of languages spoken and religions practised in India, it becomes a unique case of unity in diversity. Every such society becomes difficult to tackle administratively. Indian society has had its own problem from time to time. Economically as well as socially, the Indian society has wide variations. There are various divides, including rural-urban divide, rich and poor divide and the class divide. This is why many people believe that the Indian society is full of contradictions. Arguments For the View (a) India has almost 250 million people living below the poverty line, which in absolute terms is the largest number of such people in any country. But at the same time, the number of the billionaires in the country is also on the rise. This is a great contradiction for any society. (b) India is considered to be a tolerant society. Indian history is  replete with the instances that would vouch for this fact. But at the same time, we do experience the ghastly instances riots, blasts and  communal clashes every now and then.   This is a glaring example of social contradictions. (c) While majority of the Indian population lives in the rural areas, constituting almost 60 per cent of the work force, the incomes in the rural areas have been the slowest to rise during the era of rapid economic growth. This contradiction has made the large rural majority suffer despite the high growth rate. Arguments Against the View   (a) All the societies in the world, including the most developed ones, have had certain contradictions and the contradictions in Indian society are the extension of this global phenomenon.  There is nothing unique in the Indian society. (b)  No society in the world is absolutely equitable. Even the most developed societies like the US have their own contradictions and divides. The erstwhile communist countries also could not achieve completely equitable societies. Disparities and contradictions are the law of nature and cannot be avoided in any modern society. (c) The government has taken several steps to reduce the contradictions in Indian society. Several mega schemes to uplift the people of the backward classes and backward areas to bring them at par with the mainstream population are also being implemented.

RECESSION IN THE MIND?

“Recession in India is nothing but a psychological phenomenon.” Give arguments Forand Against this view. The global economic meltdown has begun to show its effects in India also. The growth rate of the economy, which was initially expected to be around 7.5 per cent during 2008-09, is now expected to be much less after being more than 9 per cent during the previous year. But at the same time, various sectors of the economy have been doing very well despite the global slowdown. The capital markets are down and are not expected to do well in the next several months. Rural economy, on the other hand, does not seem to be affected by the slowdown and continues to do well. Many people feel that various economic indicators in the economy do not give ample evidence of the recession in the country. Arguments For the View (a) There has been no economic crisis in the country and except for the plummeting of the stock markets most sectors have shown good performance. It would be correct to say that the recession in India is more in the mind. (b) Over 60 per cent of Indian population lives in the villages and is dependent on agriculture and allied activities. With huge sums of public expenditure being made by the government, the economic activity in the rural areas is robust and there is no sign of slowdown in these areas. (c) There has hardly been any unemployment in the country due to the domestic economic operations going slow. It is only in the sectors like the BPOs, export- oriented sectors or other outsourced IT services sectors that the global effect of the slowdown has been experienced in India. The very fact that the domestic sectors are doing well implies that the effect of recession is largely in the mind in India. Arguments Against the View (a) The very fact that during  2008-09 actual growth rate in the country has come down by more than two percentage points, the recession in India can no longer be termed as psychological and is real and tangible. (b) Jobs have been lost by lakhs of professionals in the country in the recent months and the government for the first time has been forced to provide the unemployment dole to the professionals who have lost their jobs due to the recession. This is official testimony of the fact the global recession in India has taken its toll. (c) The government of India has taken several economic policy measures in the recent months to improve the liquidity position in the country. A few economic packages were announced towards the beginning of 2009 and the interest rates were brought down with the aim of increasing money supply in the economic system. There can be no better confirmation from the government about the slowdown than this.

SOCIETY AND POLITICS

“In India, the social factors and politics have got precariously mingled.” Give arguments For and Against this view. India is the largest democracy in the world in terms of the number of its voters. In most of the democratic countries, many factors which are of national and international importance come to the fore during the elections and the political parties seek votes from the electorate on the basis of their ideas and  stand on various such issues. There are healthy debates and the people decide about the party or the candidate to be voted on the basis of such debates and ideologies. Unfortunately, in India, though  democracy has matured considerably, yet the basis on which the elections are fought have nothing to do with issues or ideologies. Arguments For the View (a) Though the Indian Constitution bars the caste system, yet even after more than six decades of independence caste considerations remain among of the most important considerations in the society, creating serious social problems. (b) There are several so-called ‘secular’ and ‘non-secular’ political parties in the country. But every party, at the time of selecting its candidates gives due consideration to the caste composition of voters in every constituency. In other words, caste continues to play an important role in selection of candidates as well as the perceived character of political parties. (c) The serious mingling of the politics with caste has created a serious social problem and has also resulted in persistence of caste-based divide in the society. Arguments Against the View   (a) Group politics is witnessed by the countries all over the world and even in the developed democracies there are several pressure groups that influence the policy formulation by the government on many issues. There is nothing wrong in the practice of mingling the politics with caste system prevailing in India. (b) Indian democracy is a matured one and its voting patterns have been accepted by the world observers as among the most progressive ones. Indian electorate has shown immense maturity and people are not unduly influenced by the caste politics played by the political parties. (c) Every party has its own ideology and functions in pursuance of the mandate of its established ideology. The parties would continue to pursue their ideologies so long as their supporters approve of these. If the policies are unreasonable, the voters would reject the party concerned and such party would reorient its ideology. After all, it is the voter who determines the ideologies and is supreme in a democratic set up like ours.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHANGE

“With the economy poised for high growth rate in the coming years, it is time that the country introduced several measures for social development/change as well.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Indian economy is among the fastest growing economies in the world today. The post reforms period has witnessed high growth rate with the last about seven years posting more than 7.5 per cent average annual growth rate of the GDP. But at the same time it is also felt that bulk of the growth is being experienced in the organized sector, urban areas and the industrial centres. The fruits of rapid economic growth are trickling down to economically backward categories very slowly, causing a problem in the equitable distribution of the rapid growth of the GDP. It is time for the government to introduce some reforms aimed at social development so that the deprived categories also get their due share in the developmental process. Arguments For the View (a) Any growth in the incomes of the country, which is not coupled with the equitable distribution of wealth, is incomplete. If the incomes grow fast but the economic disparities also continue to persist, the entire effort of economic growth would go waste. The social development and change must accompany the rapid economic growth. (b) The socio-economic disparities in the country were very high at the time of independence. Several actions were taken after that but the results have not been very encouraging. In a country like ours, having large agrarian base and huge rural population, focus on achieving social development must be there. (c) Economic growth contains only growth of the GDP and per capita income  while economic development encompasses overall development of the country. Since the ultimate aim of the government is to secure overall development, it is high time that the government took serious steps to put social development on the fast track. Arguments Against the View (a) Prosperity is generally accompanied with changes in the society through changes in the income levels of the weaker sections, more number of working women and several other social factors. There is no need for the government to separately target social change. (b) Compared to pre-independence socio-economic situation, the society has undergone drastic changes and there is no need for focusing specially on the social issues. (c) Every society evolves over years gradually and no amount of legally supported social change may work if the change is desired against the wishes of the society. It is futile to introduce any changes forcibly.

CD RATIO

“Increase in credit/deposit (CD) ratio can turn around the economy and help it come out of the recessionary phase.” Give arguments For and Against this view. One of the reasons for current recession is said to be the liquidity crunch. Lack of liquidity results in putting various investment proposals and new projects on the hold, reducing the overall investment in the economy considerably. Reduced investment thus becomes the main cause for reduced economic activity and employment generation. To increase the investment in the economy, increase in CD ratio can play an important role. CD ratio is the ratio of the credit extended to the total deposits received in the banking sector. Arguments For the View  (a) Increase in CD ratio would mean increase in the availability of liquid cash in the economic system. Such increase would have an easing effect on the interest rates and encourage the investors to start investing in the projects put on hold by them. Hence, with the help of higher CD ratio the recession can be tamed. (b) One of the important factors that determine the economic activity is the state of mind of the investors which is further determined by the market conditions. Attempt of the government to increase the CD ratio itself creates a positive impression and environment for positive psychological impact on the markets. (c) Higher CD ratio not only results in pumping in more funds in the economy but also improves the profitability of the banking sector as a whole, as it results in more revenue in terms of interest income for them. (d) Higher CD ratio of the commercial banks also means optimum utilization of the economic resources of the country for economic  development. Arguments Against the View (a) Even if liquidity is available in the money market, it is the expectation of profit which would be the motivating factor for future investments. Hence, the higher CD ratio may not play an important role to that extent. (b) Higher CD ratio may be only one of the many positive factors required to take the economy out of the recessionary phase. But this cannot be said to be the only condition. (c) Recession is one of the phases of cyclical fluctuations which are faced by all the economies from time to time and takes some time to overcome. The government is required to take several measures to create positive conditions for talking such situation. It would be wrong to say that CD ratio increase alone would take care of the recession. (d) It is combined set of measures with respect to both monetary and fiscal policies which enable the government to take care of any difficult economic situation. Increasing the CD ratio is just one of the many monetary measures that the government takes.

UNORGANIZED SECTOR

“Even though the income levels in the country have doubled during the last seven years, there is a need to pay attention to the unorganized sector”. Give arguments Forand Against this view. Last few years have seen unprecedented increase in the per capita income, which as per one report, has doubled in the last seven-year period. This has happened mainly because of the high growth rate of the economy during this period, which has averaged around 8 per cent per annum. The services and manufacturing sectors have been booming and IT and automobile sectors in particular have done very well. As a result, incomes of the people employed in these sectors have increased manifold. While the growth was outstanding in the organized sector, the income levels in the unorganized sectors, including the economic activities in the primary sector, have been subdued. The growth rate of the agricultural sector has been less than half the average growth rate of the economy. It is felt by many that it is the time the government paid special attention to the plight of the unorganized sector as well. Arguments For the View (a)  Agricultural sector is traditionally a low growth sector and unless special attention is paid by the government it may be difficult for the workers engaged in this sector to catch up with their counterparts in the industrial or services sectors. (b) While the government has introduced a programme called Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission for upliftment of cities, no such programme is there specifically for the unorganized sector in the rural areas, which is a dire necessity at present. (c)  Low growth of income in the unorganized sector has resulted in what is referred to as the ‘digital divide’ in the Indian society. To bridge this gap and ensure that the fruits of high growth trickle down to all the sections, special attention must be paid to the unorganized sector. Arguments Against the View (a) The government has already introduced an ambitious programme called Bharat Nirman under which basic infrastructure is being created in the rural areas of the country. This would help the unorganized rural areas catch up with the urban and industrialized areas. (b) In a free market economy, there is no need for over-regulation. The high growth rate of the economy takes care of all the sections of the society over a period of time. (c) It is wrong to presume that the incomes have not risen in the unorganized sector. Since increase has been taking place, it would be better to leave this sector alone to grow in natural manner.

CORPORATE SCAMS

“Recent corporate scams have highlighted the necessity for enacting or amending suitable laws to protect the interests of investors and share- holders.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Recent corporate bungling in Satyam Computers has triggered  a debate in the corporate circles as well in the government. The attempted move was aimed at benefiting two promoters of Maytas by more than Rs 7000 crore, by proposing to buy their shareholding in Maytas Infrastructure in a slip-shod manner, without any transparency. The most startling issue was that the proposal was only to buy the stake of the promoters and not that of the company as a whole. This was an overt move to transfer the investors’ money from Satyam Computers to two promoters of Maytas, who happen to be the sons of the CMD of Satyam Computers, without following any prescribed procedure under the Companies Act, highlighting the need for amending the statutes to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Arguments For the View (a) The Companies Act was legislated several decades ago when  the trade and industry were in a nascent  stage in the country. At that stage several contingencies, which are obvious now, could not be anticipated. Hence, with the changing times, the legislation must also be amended suitably. (b) Fraudulent moves by the corporate houses have been experienced even in the past. It is a matter of concern, as the lacuna in law has been identified by the law breakers very well. With a view to obviate such moves in future, it is necessary to plug the loopholes by enacting a new piece of legislation. (c) It is the responsibility of the government to protect the rights of the small investors. The government must come out with a new set of legislation or amend the Companies Law suitably. Such a move would also restore the confidence of the investors in the markets. (d) By virtue of their shareholding, the promoters are at the helm of affairs of the companies promoted by them and are actively involved in the decision-making process. Unless there are certain safeguards, such decisions aimed at benefiting the promoters would continue to take place. Arguments Against the View (a) The case of Satyam Computers is an isolated one and cannot be treated as a routine affair. It would be inappropriate to enact another piece of legislation just because of a mischievous move by one company. The possibility of similar moves by other companies in future, which are otherwise covered by the existing laws, is remote. (b) The existing legal framework is sufficient to tackle frauds. The need is to execute the existing legal framework efficiently, rather than creating new set of laws and rules. (c) SEBI has been set up by the government to safeguard the interests of the investors and to ensure that no company enters in to any unethical practice. There appears to be no need to have new set of laws to tackle such problems in future. (d) Deregulation of the economy is one of the objectives of the new economic policy. Under such a scenario, it would be wrong to enact new laws to regulate the economy further.

MEDIA AND SOCIETY

“Media in India has not been responsible enough towards the society.” Give arguments For and Against the view. Last about two decades have witnessed very high exposure of the Indian masses to the media, both print and electronic. Today, every household has access to newspapers, magazines, television etc. With its reach and effectiveness, the media has been eying the highest viewership in various categories by using imagination and professional acumen. But this has also encouraged the media to remain in the race for increased viewership. Many people in the country feel that in its efforts to capture more and more advertisements the media at times loses focus and indulges in irresponsible behaviour and conduct by being a bit reckless at times. Arguments For the View (a) During the last few years, the media in the country has been after the increase in the viewership which has resulted in irresponsible reporting many a times. (b) With a view to get increased viewership, the media does not hesitate to transmit or telecast interviews of dacoits, terrorists and criminals. This practice is part of irresponsible behaviour of the media and must come to an end. (c) One of the bane of Indian media is that the western culture is being glorified at the cost of traditional Indian culture. (d) There are many instances when the irresponsible reporting by the media has created several problems in the Indian society. Violating all norms, religious communities are named while reporting on the riots and many a times news is reported without confirmation. This must be stopped immediately. Arguments Against the View (a) By and large the media has been highly responsible and mature. There are stray incidents of irresponsible reporting but such a thing can happen in any stream of life. (b) There are several incidents when the Indian media has shown absolute maturity and restraint. The reporting by various television channels during the Kargil war and even during the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks has been highly responsible. (c) Print media has a very long history in India and most of the leading newspapers have been established since more than a century. It would be wrong to expect the print media to report irresponsibly. The electronic media has also been catering to the need of the society to explore the truth in the best possible manner. (d) All the media persons are also part of the Indian society and it would be wrong to presume that the media persons are trying to mislead the society, including themselves. With responsible people of the society being part of the media, it is hard to believe that they act in an irresponsible manner.

SLOWDOWN AND PSYCHOLOGY

“It is believed by many that the economic slowdown is more psychological than economical.” Give arguments For and Against this view. The economic slowdown has affected the banking business all over the world. Gradually, other sectors like housing, real estate, civil aviation, automobiles, industries and services also got affected and engulfed the entire world economy. Indian economy has been no exception and got influenced by the happenings. As a result, the effects of the slowdown have been experienced all over the country, across all the sectors. Many people, including some of the economists, feel that in a diverse economy like ours, economic slowdown is more of psychological in nature, as there appears to be no plausible explanation for it. Arguments For the View (a) India is a diverse economy and has a strong base in agriculture and services sectors. The economic slowdown being experienced in the country is more of a psychological than a tangible reality. (b) USA is the largest economy in the world and most of the economies of the world are dependent on its performance, directly or indirectly. This nature of the American economy, coupled with its performance, creates a lot of psychological impact on the investors, both domestic as well as  foreign. (c)  In an economy which is led by booming services sector, economic slowdown is more in the mind. Even after slowdown in the BPO sector, other services like insurance, finance, hospitality, telecommunication etc. Arguments Against the View (a) The growth rate of the Indian economy is likely to come down from over 9 per cent to 7 per cent in 2008-09. There is no denying the fact that the economy has actually slowed down. (b) Indian government has taken several steps in addition to a few bail out measures in the last few months because the slowdown was being experienced and was likely to get worse. (c) Economic performance of an economy is measured on the basis of some economic criteria. It is not a psychological problem. Its causes and effects are all economic in nature and there is no scope for any psychological manipulations.

TERRORISM AND ECONOMY

‘Terrorism may affect the Indian economy more than any other economic problem in the coming years.’ Give arguments For and Against this view.  Every now and then there are instances where the stock market indices get affected by the events in the world which are either social, political or diplomatic in nature. Similarly, the performance of the economies also gets influenced by various events which are not related to economics. Politics is one such factor. Elections, political changes and uncertainties, wars, international relations, global non-economic events etc. are some of the events that influence the performance of the economies across the world. In the recent years, a spurt in terrorist attacks and activities in the world has turned out to be an important factor that influences the economic prospects of the economies. Arguments For the View (a) Terrorism poses threat to the human life and if continued for long, has the potential of driving the economic activity away from a country or a region, thereby affecting its growth. (b) A lot of terrorist outfits are operating in the country these days. Every now and then there is an act of terrorism which directly hits the trade and business in the local area. Not only innocents lose their lives but the trading community and businessmen area are also forced to shift their business or industry to some other place. (c) Metropolitan cities are the centres of economic growth in India. All high growth potential sectors are also located in these areas. The terrorists are purposely targeting the cities and growth centres to retard the process of growth. Arguments For the View (a) Non-economic factors influence the economies only marginally. It would be wrong to say that the terrorism, which is a non-economic factor, would actually influence the economy materially. (b) After 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2003, the US economy was only temporarily de-railed. But the current sub-prime crisis, which is purely an economic issue is likely to influence not only the US economy but also the other economies of the entire world. Only the economic factors have long term effect on the economies. (c) Terrorist attacks are localized in a particular place or area, while the growth of the economy encompasses the economic activities in all sectors/sub-sectors of the economy. The terrorist attacks cannot influence the performance of any economy on a long term basis.

EVOLVING INDIAN SOCIETY

“Even after over six decades of independence, India is still an evolving society.” Give arguments For and Against this view. India, by nature is a very complex society. The period after independence has been eventful and country has seen several phases of growth. While the initial phase was that of rebuilding and rehabilitation, the subsequent times were marked by the quest of the country for rapid growth with social justice. The benchmarks for socio-economic development were laid down by the government keeping in view the provisions in the Directive Principles of the State Policy provided for in the Constitution. At the same time, there are certain things which have not changed much. The attitudes of the people towards life have hardly undergone any change over the years. There has been some change in the politico-social governance, but only for the worse and the delivery system of the government agencies still leaves much to be desired. Many people believe that even after over 61 years of independence, Indian society is still in the process of evolution. Arguments For the View (a) The Indian society is still grappling with social problems like Dowry, which is a serious problem in many parts of the country even today. Crimes against the women are on the rise. Caste system is prevalent and has been in practice with impunity in various parts of rural India. The Indian society is still evolving. (b) In the urban areas, new and western ethos and values are creeping in to our social system. The modern and affluent belonging to the new generation in metropolitan cities have turned into change agents for the traditional Indian society in transition. The confluence of the tradition and modernization is resulting in evolution of a new society. (c) New India is young and vibrant. The expectations are high and hopes are skyrocketing. New socio-economic orders are in the pipeline. The process of evolution is still not over and the Indian society can rightly be called a society in evolution. Arguments Against the View  (a) We live in a dynamic situation where nothing is static. All the societies of the world are experiencing some change or the other, economically or socially. Being a part of the global society, the changes in the Indian society do not make it different from rest of the world.  (b) Indian political system has by and large stabilized and no changes in the political system can be effected which would alter the basic structure of the Constitution. Indian legislative and social framework is also stabilized. It would thus be wrong to say that the Indian society is still in the process of being evolved. (c) Change is the law of nature and under no circumstances, the change can be blunted or blocked. The routine change process cannot be described as the process of evolution.

SOCIAL SECTOR FINANCE

“The responsibility of priority sector financing, which is with the public sector banks, should also be assigned to the private sector banks.”  Give arguments For and Againstthis view. Before the nationalization of the banks in the late sixties and early seventies, it was realized by the government that the bank finance was not available for the poorer sections of the society and only the industrialists or well to do businessmen were having access to the bank finances. The banks were also shying away from funding smaller projects for the underprivileged sections of the Indian society. Main aim of the nationalization of the banks was to ensure that the ownership of the banks rested with the government and the government could control and direct the flow of credit towards the sectors urgently requiring financing. Now, after almost four decades of bank nationalization many feel that the responsibility of financing the priority sector should also be assigned to the private sector banks. Arguments For the View (a) Private Banks are also part of the Indian economic system and have equal responsibility towards the Indian society. They have to be partners in the process of rapid economic development, which can be done if the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) assigns the responsibility of social sector funding to them also. (b) The quantum of fees and commissions being charged by the private sector banks are higher than those charged by the public sector banks. Hence, it is only reasonable that the category of the banks that earns more profits also shoulders the responsibility for social upliftment. (c) By assigning the responsibility of priority sector lending to the private sector banks, the RBI shall create a situation of healthy competition in the banking sector, with fair amount of competition for lending to all sectors. This would also provide the public sector banks with level playing field. Arguments Against the View (a) The government is the owner of the public sector banks and is well within its right to ask its banks to lend in any manner to ensure fulfilment of its democratic responsibilities of equitable distribution of resources. It would be unreasonable to expect the private banks to follow the same line. (b) Private investors carry out all the ventures with the aim of making profits. Forcing the private bank owners to lend to the less remunerative and more uncertain priority sector would be highly unreasonable. (c) It would be wrong to ask the under-privileged and the poor to avail the services offered by the private sector banks at higher service charges. It would be better if this responsibility remains with the public sector banks.

ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

“When a choice is to be made between the socio-economic development and the environmental protection, we must choose the latter.” Give arguments For and Againstthe view. The developing countries of the world, including India, are grappling with the problem of poverty and deprivement of large sections of population. While the focus of the public policy in the developed countries is on the environmental protection, the developing world is busy in ameliorating the poverty and empowering the underprivileged sections of the society. The socio-economic development at times tries to strike a compromise with the environmental issues and many believe that when there is a conflict between the environment and the socio-economic development, the environment must be accorded priority. Arguments For the View (a) Environment is under tremendous stress because of increasing population pressure on this planet. It may be disastrous for the entire world if the issues relating to the environmental protection are overlooked. And when the disasters strike, these do not distinguish between the affluent and the poor or the developed or the underdeveloped. (b) Placing more emphasis on the socio-economic development by ignoring the environmental issues is a short- sighted and short-term approach. (c) In the overall interest of humanity, it is imperative to give priority to the environmental issues over the  economic development, in case of a clash between the two. (d) Socio-economic development has no meaning if the whole humanity is endangered. The environmental degradation would not only affect the climate, but also the air and water quality on this earth, which are essential requirements for sustaining the life. Arguments Against the View  (a) The environmental issues can come to the fore only after the basic needs like food, clothing and shelter are met. (b) The developed nations have exploited the earth and its resources for several decades and now when the developing nations are growing rapidly, these countries fear that the resources may actually be stretched and less and less would be left for them on earth. That is why these countries now talk of the environmental protection. (c) When we talk of human rights, the primary concern is the dignified and sustainable livelihood for all, on the one hand, and physiological needs, on the other. Human rights would be grossly violated if these basic needs of the citizens are not met. The environmentalists must understand this. (d) The poor want their government to make suitable arrangements for the bare minimum needs first. In other words, unless the minimum needs are met, it is useless to talk about the environmental issues.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

“Over the past few years, India has done exceedingly well in the field of empowerment of women.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Traditionally, women are socially backward and are not consulted during the process of important social and economic decision-making in the family. Such traditions are continuing even today. In addition, crime rate against the women is relatively high, they suffer from several social and religious disabilities and are generally considered to be dependent on their male spouses. India is also no exception in this regard. The participation of the women in the economic activities is low and their percentage in the total representation in the government jobs is also low. Participation of the women in the political governance also needs improvement. But it is felt by many that despite the above handicaps, the country has done very well in the field of women empowerment during the past few years. Arguments For the View (a) Since independence, there has been a lot of improvement in the status of the women particularly in the urban and sub-urban areas. (b)  One of the outstanding strides in the field of women empowerment was achieved by the country through 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment when at least one-third of the seats in the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the Urban Local Bodies were reserved for the women. (c) India is among a few countries of the world where women have held the post of Prime Minister as well as the President of the country. (d) With improving socio-economic indicators like the female literacy, as well as increasing proportion of working women, the status of women has been on the increase since independence. Arguments Against the View (a) In the rural areas where most of the women population lives, a lot more needs to be done for the status of women to improve. (b) There is an utter lack of political will to improve the status of the women. For the last more than a decade, the Women Reservation Bill has been hanging fire and many political parties have tried to scuttle or postpone it on one pretext or the other. (c) Indicators like the maternal mortality rate, female literacy rate, adverse sex ratio in most States of the country reflect the low empowerment level. (d) The increasing crimes against the women, particularly in the cities and towns, reveal the true picture of our achievements in this regard.

REDUCING LENDING RATES

“Unless the prime lending rates are cut down by the banks, it would be difficult to achieve the revival of the Indian economy.” Give arguments For and Against this view. During the last almost one year now, the Indian economy has been experiencing economic slowdown, thanks to the sub-prime crisis of the United States. Indian economy has been experiencing a very peculiar phenomenon where the inflation rate is high but, at the same time, the interest rates are also very high.  It is paradoxical to have high interest rates with low liquidity. In fact, high interest rates are adopted to reduce the availability of cash liquidity in the economic system. Many feel that unless the lending rates were cut, the revival of the economy may be difficult. Arguments For the View (a) Higher lending rates in any economy deter economic activity, as the higher cost of capital requires higher rate of return, which is difficult to be obtained at a time when the world economy is experiencing recession. (b) Rate cut by the RBI as well as by the banks would reduce the cost of capital and even those projects which were having lower rate of return would become economically viable and the economic activity would pick up. (c) High lending rates are generally accompanied by higher deposit rates in the economy. High deposit rates encourage higher savings rather than higher investment. (d) Historically, all the developed countries have lower interest rates. It is one of the undeclared pre-condition for rapid growth of any country. No country can grow faster with higher interest rates. Arguments Against the view (a) It is wrong to say that the Indian economy is experiencing any type of slowdown. There has been minor impact of the global developments resulting in reducing of the expected growth rate to around 7 per cent, which by no standards can be termed as low. (b) The world economy is undergoing the recessionary phase at present, which developments may impact the pace of development in the country only to some extent. (c) Economic situation in the country at present is complex and it would be wrong to blame only the higher prime lending rates. There are many other factors in the market which need to be attended.  (d) Along with the cut in the lending rates, the government is required to take several other measures like adoption of pro-active monetary policy, effecting the credit control measures and other economic policy measures. Cutting the lending rates itself may not actually help. It is wrong to say that unless the prime lending rates are cut down by the government, Indian economy would not revive.

MEASURE OF PRICE RISE

“The current measure of price rise in the country is faulty and misleading, requiring complete overhaul.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Data about price level and the pattern of price rise or decline is essentially required by every economy and measurement of inflation rate in every economy is thus a crucial input for the economic policy makers. Several economic decisions depend heavily on the measure of inflation rate. Various monetary policy measures like the Bank Rate and the resultant interest rates (both lending and borrowing), money supply, credit creation by the banks are dependent on the rate of price rise. Similarly, fiscal policy measures like the rates of import and export duties, excise duties and personal taxation rates are also influenced by the rates of price rise and decline prevailing in the economy. In India, the inflation rate is worked out on the basis of the variations in the Wholesale Price Index (WPI). Consumer Price Index (CPI), on the other hand, determines the amount of  dearness allowance to the industrial workers. Arguments For the View (a) The WPI is a representative index which includes the variation in the rates of certain commodities in which the food articles, engineering goods, manufactured products and other goods produced in the country are represented. The data is then used to measure the rise in wholesale prices. It does not completely represent the change in price of the food articles fully and requires changes to achieve this. (b) The economy has become globalised and open now and the composition of its total production as well as exports has undergone drastic changes. The composition of WPI must also change to meet the requirement of the modern times. (c) For the consumers, it is the CPI which is more representative of the price situation of the goods required by the households. Hence, for the purpose of consumers, the CPI-related inflation rate must also be revealed to the general public so that the true picture on the price front becomes known to everyone. Arguments Against the View   (a) The WPI-based inflation figures are used by the government for various decisions and not specifically for the consumers. These figures have to be broad based and representative of the whole economy and not of a particular segment of it. (b) As per the practice followed in other parts of the world also, the WPI is considered to be a true representative of the measure of the fluctuations in the general price level in the country. The data is used for various economic applications by the government, as also by various private sector organisations. (c) WPI and CPI are used for two separate measures and applications. Their purpose is also different. Rather than complete overhaul of the system, it would be better if the composition of the two is re-worked and suitably modified to meet the current day requirements. Further, efficient application of the two is also very important.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY

“The Indian society has become the slave of English language and it must be broken free of it.”  Give arguments For and Against this view. It is a historical fact that India remained under the British rule for about two hundred years before its independence. This was the time when most of the developed countries were consolidating their economic gains and the technology and modernisation was getting evolved. It was the British who laid the foundation of modern industries, railways, press and media and the modern education system in the country. In the meanwhile, during their rule, the British administration carried out all its administrative work in English language and everyone who wanted to be in government service or to be associated with the British in any manner, had to learn this language. As a result of all this, the legacy of English language remained in India even after the British left this country. Arguments For the View (a) Today the worth of an individual is generally judged in India by his knowledge and proficiency in the English language. This smacks of the colonial attitude and must be stopped. (b) Countries like China, Japan, France and various other non-English speaking countries take pride in their mother tongue and ensure its development in their respective countries. In Japan, till recently, even the advanced scientific research and development had been taking place in Japanese language. It would be appropriate if India also goes ahead with a similar policy. (c) Majority of the population in the country does not have access to instruction in English medium in schools. The students of these schools are treated as illiterates for various jobs even after the completion of their studies. (d) Even after achieving the aims of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, if the emphases on English is not reduced, the neo-literate would virtually remain illiterates. Arguments Against the View (a) While it is important to promote Hindi and other regional languages in the country, the importance of English language cannot be undermined, as most of the advanced scientific research in the world is taking place in English only. Doing away with English may put the country back by a few decades. (b) In a country having multiple languages and where a few States fear imposition of Hindi language on them by the government of India, English is the only acceptable link language with the non-Hindi States and cannot be abandoned in an undue haste. (c) English is one of the most widely spoken and understood international languages and its good knowledge provides Indians with an edge over the citizens of the non-English speaking countries.

LOAN WAIVERS BE BANNED?

“The policy of loan waiver is a populist decision, rather than being a prudent economic policy measure and for future it should be barred by law.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Whether it is the free power for a particular section or the waiver of loans, the elections become the immediate causes for such policy measures. The parties try to draw two benefits—one at the time of elections to make populist promises and the second at the end of term and before the next elections to win over the voters.  One such recent example is the decision of the UPA government to waive the farm loans amounting to over Rs 65,000 crores. Considering the adverse economic impact of such decisions, many people are of the view that such measures should be barred by enacting suitable laws. Arguments For the View (a) The loan waiver amounts to rewarding the default on repayment of loans and may encourage such tendency among the farmers in future. Such a practice must be curbed. (b) A waiver scheme for the small and marginal farmers is understandable but there is no logic in extending its benefits to medium and large farmers. Taxpayers’ money can not be squandered like this. (c) Loan waivers have disastrous effect on economy, as the fiscal discipline of the government as well as that of the public sector banks is shaken badly. (d) The Election Commission of India must put restrictions on such populist announcements in the manifestos of the political parties, so that the evil is nipped in the bud. Arguments Against the View  (a) Other than the agriculture, other sectors of the economy are doing extremely well and the fruits of economic development are not trickling down to the rural economy. Many farmers have committed suicides. In such a scenario, loan waiver has come as a great relief to the poor farmers. (b) Bad debt caused by non-payment by the industrial houses and other well to do persons of the country is quite huge every year. When we are not in a position to recover all the loans from well to do people of the economy, extension of this benefit to lakhs of poor and needy farmers should be welcomed. (c) In a democracy, it would be wrong to restrict the right of the political parties. The manifestos are the pre-election policy indications and if the people of the country choose a particular set of such indications and vote for a particular political party, there is nothing wrong. It rather strengthens the democracy in the country.

DISCRIMINATION IN INDIAN SOCIETY

“India is not a true democracy but a discriminating society where a few privileged are given preferential treatment in all walks of life and the common man is ignored.” Give arguments For and Against this view. India is basically a traditional society where most of the population is still rural-based and values its old heritage, culture and traditions. After independence, the framers of Indian Constitution wanted to transform the Indian society into a modern and liberal one by incorporating the best possible provisions, like the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles. Aim was to bestow all the liberties on the Indian citizens to make sure that the principle of equality was ensured in the society. Further, under the Directive Principles, the State is required to adopt such policies as may result in setting up an equitable society. Under the Directive Principles, the State is also required to take such necessary steps as may be required to uplift the poorer and the under-privileged sections of the society. These measures are used as supplements to the politico-legal provisions under the Constitution, with the objective of achieving social and democratic equality among all the citizens of the country. But the actual practice of democracy in the last over five decades has made many feel that rather than being a democracy, India is like an Aristocracy where some privileged categories are given preferential treatment over the common man. Arguments For the View (a) Although the Constitution of India provides for equality before law, yet as per actual practice there are certain categories in the society which have emerged as privileged classes and are given preferential treatment in all spheres of life. Hence, despite the constitutional provisions the equality has not yet been achieved in Indian society. (b) As per the estimates of government of India, about 25 per cent of the population in the country lives below poverty line. Democracy has no meaning for such poor people who are mainly concerned about basic needs like food, clothing and shelter. The democratic rights and privileges are left only for some privileged ones to enjoy. (c) Political bosses have emerged as a privileged class in Indian society which is using the democracy to grind their own axe. While the common man votes the politician to power, it is the latter category which enjoys the power to the utmost. Lack of accountability, rampant corruption in high places and other social advantages make the politicians a privileged lot in the society. (d) In addition to the politicians, highly placed government officials also form a privileged class in the society which enjoys all the facilities but little responsibility and accountability. Be it official functions, free passes, rest houses, discretionary quotas or financial benefits from the government, this class of Indian citizens score much above the common man in all these matters and many others.   Arguments Against the View    (a) India is the largest democracy of the world in terms of the number of electorates and has performed well in the past. It is also one of the most matured democracies in the developing world. It would be wrong to call it an Aristocracy. (b) Democratic set up in the country has been ensured through one of the most comprehensive and written Constitutions. For the last more than five decades, the Constitution of India has delivered very well.  (c) Fundamental Rights are the cornerstones of Indian Constitution and provide for equality before law as well as equal opportunity for employment under the State. The Constitution does not provide for any privileged classes in Indian society. (d) India is a welfare State and under the Directive Principles of  State Policy, the government has taken several measures after independence, which are aimed at the welfare of the underprivileged and socially backward sections of population. Overall public policy, poverty alleviation programmes, reservation policy, direct taxation policy, cross subsidisation, etc. are some of the examples of the government policy aimed at benefiting the poorer and the down-trodden in India.

COMMUNAL HARMONY

“Communal disharmony in India is a social problem but has economic causes for it.” Give arguments For and Against this view. India is an emerging society and the process of socio-economic development is continuing.  After the independence not only rapid economic development was need of the hour, but social development of many sections of society was also a major challenge. The government adopted several policy measures to achieve this twin objective of economic development and social upliftment.  But despite its policies, as well as the constitutional provision of being a secular State, Indian society has continued to face social disharmony, particularly resulted by the communal unrest. Religious fundamentalism is one of the reasons for persistence of this problem. Politics of religion practiced by the political parties for political gains may be another reason. But many feel that though this is a social problem, the causes for this are mainly economic in nature. Arguments For the View  (a) Even after five and a half decades of economic planning, about 260 million people in the country are still living below poverty line. This high incidence of economic deprivation is one important reason for social and religious unrest. (b) Yet another serious socio-economic problem in India is the growing incidence of unemployment. Increasing unemployment is raising the social tensions and the idle and unemployed youth is being misdirected to communal riots in the country.  (c) Some of the religious communities are economically backward and some other are educationally backward.  The youth of such communities fall easy prey to the  elements who do not want the country to grow faster and want the communal tensions to dominate the socio-economic scene of the country.  Arguments Against the View (a) Communal disharmony is primarily a social problem caused mainly by the social inadequacies and social tensions. This is the reason that the communal riots do not necessarily take place only in the low income and less developed regions. It would be wrong to say that the causes for communal disharmony are purely economic in nature. Communal disharmony is a social problem and its solutions are also social in nature. (b)  India is a multi-ethnic society and traditionally people belonging to several religions live harmoniously in India. Communal clashes take place sporadically and there is generally some urgent and immediate cause behind every communal riot. Most of such immediate causes are social in nature, calling for a social remedy.  (c)  Many a time, communal disharmony is a result of communal politics propagated by some political parties. In such cases religious passions are raised by the interested parties for small political gains. Hence  the problem is that of petty politics and has got nothing to do with economic causes. (d) Rise of fundamentalism in the recent decades is an important reason for growing communal disharmony. There are several fundamentalist groups, protected by some political parties at times, which have surfaced in India.  Tolerance level is low in such people, which brings down the overall tolerance level of the society as a whole.

PRIMARY SECTOR AND GROWTH

“Primary sector is of prime importance to the Indian economy and without rapid growth of this sector the impending targets of higher growth rate of the economy cannot be achieved.” Give arguments For and Against this view. With a growth rate of less than 2 per cent during 2008-09, the agriculture sector neither offers any cheers to the farmers nor to the economy as a whole. With the target for growth rate during Eleventh Five Year Plan being fixed 8 per cent, the below par achievements in the primary sector are apprehended to act as dampeners. Many believe that without  rapid growth in primary sector it may not be possible to achieve the hyper growth targets in the coming years. Arguments For the View  (a) Indian economy has been growing rapidly in the post reforms era. But except for a few exceptionally good years like 2000-01 and 2003-04, the growth rate of the agricultural sector has been very low, at around 2 to 3 per cent per annum. To hike the overall growth rate of the economy, the primary sector has to improve its performance. (b) More than 60 per cent of the total labour force in the country is engaged in the farm sector operations. With such a huge proportion of population experiencing increase of just around three per cent in their income levels, the overall growth rate of the economy also tends to get suppressed. (c) It is well-known that the farm productivity in the country is among the lowest in the world and there is a vast scope for increasing the same. Any substantial increase in the productivity of this vital sector would result in overall high growth rate of the economy. (d) The years in which the agricultural sector has not performed well have witnessed lower growth rate of the economy. Hence, it is imperative that the primary sector does well. Arguments Against the View (a) In India, agriculture is largely dependent on monsoons. Under such a scenario, it is wrong to expect the farm sector to grow at par with the industries or the services sectors. The government knows this reality well and has been focusing on rapid growth of those sectors which have high growth potential.  (b) Indian agriculture is primitive in nature and employs old technology and lesser capital. With these features, the agricultural sector is likely to continue with its current low growth rate trend and the attempts to boost up the growth rate of the economy have to be without the agriculture sector changing much. (c) With services contributing half of the national income at present, it is better to rely on this sector for sustaining the higher growth of the economy, rather than putting efforts in the primary sector without results.

REDUCING UNEMPLOYMENT

“Rather than aiming at increasing the growth rate, the government must specifically aim at reducing the unemployment level in the country.” Give arguments For andAgainst this view. Though unemployment has been one of the major socio-economic problems in the country since long, yet during the past about a decade unemployment has been increasing rather rapidly. It is ironical that while the average annual growth rate of the economy during the last one decade has been close to 7 per cent, there has not been any corresponding reduction in the unemployment rate and its incidence has in fact increased. Even in case of those who are employed in the rural and urban areas, there is a wide gap in the wages earned by them for the same job. In successive Budgets and Plans, the policy makers talk of high growth rate, but no specific and effective schemes have been unveiled for reducing the scourge of unemployment. Many feel that it is high time that the government comes out with a specific scheme for substantially reducing the incidence of unemployment in India. Arguments For the View (a) During the past about 15 years the average annual growth rate has been high at more than 6.5 per cent. But that notwithstanding, the incidence of poverty in the country has not reduced proportionately, and even today the percentage of people living below poverty line is about 25 per cent. It implies that while the income levels have gone up, only the well to do people have largely been benefited. This trend can only be reversed if more employment more opportunities are generated, particularly in the rural areas. (b) India is endowed with a large number of trained and skilled human resources and most of the developed countries are scarce in this regard. The country must take advantage of this situation by utilising its human resources to the optimum. This would not only provide opportunity to most of the labour force to contribute to the nation-building, but would also remove economic disparities and poverty. (c) The surge in IT and Telecom sector has resulted in a ‘digital divide’ in India, between the urban and educated people, on the one hand, and the rural and the illiterates, on the other. The only way to bridge this gap is to generate more employment opportunities, particularly in the rural areas. (d) India cannot achieve hyper growth rate on sustainable basis without providing fruitful employment opportunities to its unemployed. Hence, rather than concentrating on high growth rate, more employment generation must be targeted. Arguments Against the View  (a) It is well-known that as a result of trickle down effect, high growth rate automatically takes care of all the problems of the economy, including that of unemployment.  (b) Labour intensive methods of production are generally less productive. That is why even more populous country like China has followed the capital intensive technologies for mass production. The resultant benefit of industrialisation is more employment opportunities in future. (c) While following the policy of achieving high growth rate of the economy, the country is also taking care of the needs of those who desperately need employment to meet both ends. The recent Employment Guarantee Schemes are an example. (d) Employment opportunities can only be created by rapid growth of the industries and the services sectors. This is exactly what is being done, and the employment generation is going to follow soon.

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

“Instead of wasting the resources in educating all up to the elementary level, the country should aim at providing higher and technical education to those who have the right aptitude, as there would be no gains by educating millions of people only up to the elementary level.” Give arguments For and Against this view. One of the areas in which the performance of India has been below expectations is literacy. Even after more than five decades of economic planning in the post independence era, about 35 per cent of the total population in India is still illiterate. The performance in the field of female literacy, in particular, has been dismal, with over 45 per cent of them still being unable to read and write. But at the same time, India has the distinction of having the largest scientific manpower in the world. The country also has the largest number of graduates, as well as software professionals. It is mainly this section of the educated and technically and professionally qualified manpower which has contributed towards rapid economic growth of Indian economy in the recent years. With a view to improve its record in the field of literacy, the country launched an ambitious campaign called “Sarv Siksha Abhiyan”, which aims at providing at least elementary education (8th Standard) to all. Emphasis are also on checking the drop outs from the primary and elementary schools. But many feel that such a campaign is a national waste and the country should concentrate only on providing technical and professional education to those who have the required aptitude and the intellect. Arguments For the View (a) Majority of the children to be covered in the campaign for universalisation of elementary education would be those who would leave studies after 8th standard. Such limited education would neither be of any use to the individual nor to the country. (b) A person with 8th pass qualification has no technical or employable skills and would remain an unskilled worker. It would be appropriate to concentrate on improving the vocational as well as technical education so that the students have some employable skills. (c) India is a developing economy and the economic resources are limited. Available resources must be utilised optimally in such a manner as to have the maximum benefit for the economy. Hence, it would be better to improve the higher education, particularly the technical and professional education. (d) Higher education has been the strength of Indian economy in the recent past. Rather than wasting resources on elementary education, India must consolidate its gains in this regard, lest the other developing countries like China and South Korea overtake it.  Arguments Against the View (a) Most of the developed countries in the world have literacy rate of over 90 per cent. Most of the developing countries also have better literacy rate than India. It is thus imperative that the literacy rate is pushed up to near 90 per cent level in India also. (b) India is the largest democracy in the world and the Indian Constitution has enshrined several novel features like the Fundamental Right, Fundamental Duties and the Directive Principles of the State Policy. These provisions would be fruitful only when the Indian citizens are able to understand them. This would come only with at least elementary education. (c)?No society can be considered socially developed if 35 per cent of its population cannot read or write. For proper growth of Indian society, it is important that all its citizens have education at least up to the elementary level. (d) Elementary education lays the foundation for good higher, technical and professional education. Hence, without undermining the importance of higher education, good elementary education is a must.

FORESTRY AND DEVELOPMENT

“Forestry can only be encouraged by active participation of the people but in certain areas government intervention is a must.” Comment. Forests play a vital role not only in maintaining the ecological balance but also in rapid economic development of the country. With increasing population pressure on the Earth, more particularly in a country like India, pressure on forests is increasing with every passing day. Community needs of fuel, fodder and timber are required to be fulfilled through scientific exploitation of forests. In addition to catering to the above three needs, the forests also provide several valuable products like raw material and herbs.  In India, 23 per cent of the total geographical area is under the forest cover but out of this 41 per cent of the forests are degraded. For environmental sustainability and meeting the needs of the economy for various purposes forests are not only required to be protected but also to be regenerated. During the past few decades, social forestry has emerged as an important branch of forestry capable of meeting the demands of the community and regenerating forests in a short span of time. With a view to achieve the goals of afforestation and forest protection in general and those relating to social forestry in particular, there is an urgent need for people’s participation and involvement.  Community thus has a larger role to play, as it may not be possible for the government to protect each nook and corner of forests. People have to realise that the forests are needed for their well being and the degradation of the forests would threaten the very existence of humanity.  Awareness of people about healthy environmental and forest exploitation practices is essential. This is the reason that all the new schemes aimed at forest generation, protection and scientific exploitation being framed by the Union government and the State governments depend heavily on people’s participation.  But there are certain compelling reasons due to which government intervention in this regard would continue to be important. Some of the reasons are as under: (a) During the last about one decade, agro-forestry in the rain-fed and semi-arid regions has assumed importance in India. Most of the marginal and waste lands in India can be used appropriately for social forestry so that some pressure on the forests is reduced. (b) The government would continue to play an important role in forming social forest cooperatives, joint forest management groups and involving the Panchayati Raj Institutions in forestry by the community. Even in the new plantation, the government would continue to act as a catalyst. (c) Women have an important role to play as forest managers, as they are actively involved in collecting forest produce and acting as wage earners. Protecting the women’s traditional usufruct rights and enabling them to collect and market the forest produce in a scientific manner would also result in their empowerment. Government will have an important role to play in dovetailing this with the forestry development practices. (d) The government will have to reduce and gradually stop the practice of auction of timber and bamboo to the industry so that the farm forestry is encouraged, reducing considerably the pressure from the traditional forests. (e) Government has to take deliberate action to gradually stop traditional plantation and change the forestry policy by shifting attention from timber to floor management and production of more gatherable bio-mass.  (f) Forest fire prevention and controls to reduce forest losses must be pursued by all the State governments. (g) Conservation and development of herbs and medicinal plants should be patronised by the government to meet the requirement of local drug industry as well as that for exports. (h) Development of watersheds, river valleys and wastelands should be appropriately looked after by the government to protect and regenerate the forests. (i) The government has a greater role to play in research and technological development, providing improved marketing, value addition and employment generation in forest management. (j) Government will have to evolve an integrated system for addressing the issues of ecology, safety and commercial exploitation of forests.

SOCIETY AND MODERNISATION

“The diverse social structure in India is getting weakened with increasing modernisation.” Give arguments For and Against this view. Indian society is unique in many ways. It has several races, religions and cultural amalgamations. That is why it is said that India has unity in diversity. In addition to people from different castes living peacefully in this country, people belonging to three great religions of the world, the Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, are found in large numbers in India. Indian society, traditionally, follows a caste system under which the profession of a person was guided by the caste in which he was born. Caste system to a significant extent was also found among Indian Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Bodhs. In addition, Indian society and culture have been greatly enriched by various immigrants and invaders over the centuries. Besides,  religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism  originated from India. The framers of Indian Constitution upheld the unique diversity of Indian society by opting for a secular State where all the religions are equally important and the citizens are free to practice any religion of their choice, without any interference from any quarter. It is said that the social structure in India is under the influence of modernisation, which is being experienced by the Indian society and economy. Arguments For the View (a) One of the causes of modernisation is globalisation. With more frequent global contact and communication, Indian values and culture are getting greatly influenced by the West. (b) Electronic media has come up in a big way during the past about a decade. Satellite Television channels have unleashed a host of western programmes and serials, themes of which are alien to composite Indian society. The social, moral and ethical values are also undergoing change, which has threatened the very composition of Indian society. (c) As compared to western and Islamic societies, Indian society is far more tolerant. Racist western societies and fundamentalist Islamic countries have also influenced Indian society and if increasing fundamentalist incidents in India in the recent years are any indication, India is also getting influenced to a great extent. (d) One of the latest vehicles of modernisation is the Information Technology (IT). As IT was first perfected in the USA and the West, most of the IT tools have the western bias which is influencing the impressionable minds of Indian youth. (e) Among important fallouts of modernisation are industrialisation and urbanisation. These two have already influenced the tradition of joint family in India and the social changes may influence the traditional social fibre of Indian society in the coming years. Arguments Against the View (a) Indian Constitution is the highest law of the land. It outlines various social strengths of India, including the abolition of untouchability, equality before law, reservation for women in thePanchayati Raj Institutions, freedom of religion, protection for weaker sections and minorities, etc. These basic strengths of Indian socio-political system have been institutionalised and cannot be taken away by any amount of modernisation. (b) Indian society and culture have the strength to enrich themselves with various other cultures that they encounter. Considering this, modernisation is no threat to Indian culture. It may rather benefit the Indian culture. (c) Indian society is too diverse and broad to be affected by modernisation. It has deep roots in the minds of people. Western influence on a handful of people living in the urban areas does not mean that urbanisation has affected the entire Indian society. (d) India lives in villages, with almost two-third of her population residing in rural areas. Economic and cultural influence of modernisation is limited to big cities. Hence, it would be wrong to say that Indian society as a whole has been affected by modernisation. (e) Even people living in urban areas are Indians at heart. Deep-rooted social values of Indian society are not easy to shun. Modernisation is an ongoing process and Indian society has coped up with it. There is nothing that has altered the position significantly  in the recent years.

PROHIBITION

“Drinking is responsible for many social evils. To solve most of our social problems, prohibition should be enforced in the country.” Give arguments For and Against this view. The Directive Principles of the State Policy provide that the State should strive to take steps to enforce prohibition in the country. But this may be the only Directive Principle which most of the State governments have not implemented. The reason is that a very significant volume of State revenues is made up of State Excise Duty, coming mainly from the sale of liquor. In most of the States, State Excise Duty contributes 20 to 30 per cent of the total State revenues and is the second largest contributor to their revenues. On the other hand, one school of thought believes that it is the increasing consumption of liquor in Indian society that is responsible for many social crimes and evils. Arguments For the View (a) The framers of the Constitution were extremely influenced by the Gandhian views about prohibition. The views of the framers of the Constitution must be honoured by enforcing prohibition. (b) If a State like Gujarat can survive financially despite the loss of State Excise revenue, any other State can do so. It is a matter of political and bureaucratic will and nothing else. (c) Many social evils like wife beating, eve teasing, rapes and murders prevail in Indian society mainly because of liquor. Most of the road accidents occur because the drivers of the concerned vehicles are under the influence of liquor at the time of accident. Hence, there is an urgent need for prohibition. (d) Drinking results in reduction in the disposable income of the low-income groups and the sum that could be spent on nutrition and health care of the entire family is spent on drinking by one member of the family. The ill effects of drinking also affect the health of the drinkers later in their lives. Hence, social cost  in terms of deterioration of public health may be much higher than the revenues earned. Arguments Against the View  (a) The revenue earned from sale of liquor is spent on social sector like education, health, housing, drinking water and sanitation. (b) The experiment of prohibition in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana  failed miserably and these States had to lift prohibition. When prohibition was unsuccessful in these States it may not succeed in others. (c) Gujarat has enforced prohibition but it cannot be said that there are no rapes, murders,  road accidents etc. in that State. (d) By stopping the sale of liquor the government would indirectly be encouraging the availability and sale of illicit liquor. This will result in loss of revenue to the government, on the one hand, without any expected benefits of prohibition, on the other. (e) Why should a moderate and sensible drinker be deprived of his drinks just because of some excessive drinkers in the society? COURTESY...www.competitionmaster.com