The Real Scam Behind NEET We Need To Talk About
As problems surrounding the NEET and UGC-NET exams pile up, Ruchi Gupta writes in her piece for The Indian Express that the "real problem" lies not in the exams alone but in our "dubious" categorisation of merit-based success. She adds that "the crux of the matter is the inadequate availability of opportunities, but we sidestep it ... by making it about our youth's lack of merit."
"What's more concerning is the palpable indifference towards addressing the urgent need to productively engage our youth, both economically and democratically. Instead of tackling the issue of limited opportunities, we have ratcheted up aspiration. Since our systems don't support the equal distribution of success and social status, we have superimposed the stupendous success of a few onto national pride and instead of acknowledging the singularity of their success, set them up as examples for our youth."Ruchi Gupta for The Indian Express
Seditious Hearts and Mature Democracies
Karan Thapar, in his column for Hindustan Times, argues that the Delhi L-G's sanction for the prosecution of renowned author Arundhati Roy under the UAPA – 14 years after she allegedly questioned whether Kashmir was an "integral part of India" – proved that as a country, India has "regressed from a position of sagacious tolerance to impetuous and ill-considered intolerance."
"This is not the first time a prominent Indian has questioned the accession of a state to India or called for secession. In his maiden Rajya Sabha speech on May 1, 1962, CN Annadurai did precisely this: 'Dravidians demand the right of self-determination… we want a separate country for southern India'. Nehru may have blanched but Annadurai wasn't prosecuted. It wasn't considered anti-national. Yes, offensive and distasteful it may have been but, six decades ago, India accepted this as part of Annadurai's right to free speech."Karan Thapar for Hindustan Times
Opposition and Opportunity
P Chidambaram, in his column for The Indian Express, lays down how the new and improved Opposition in India can "revive the great traditions of Parliament," which he argues the BJP, over its last two terms as government, had failed to maintain, thereby creating a dysfunctional Parliament. He adds that the Opposition "must seize the opportunity and set the narrative for the government."
"The LS elections of 2024 have given an opportunity to both the Treasury and the Opposition to revive the great traditions of Parliament. Not just the form but the substance of a parliamentary democracy. The Opposition is firmly in place with 236 seats. The Opposition should bury the Arun Jaitley thesis that obstruction of the House is a legitimate parliamentary instrument and is in 'favour of democracy'. That was a piece of fiction, the opposite is true."P Chidambaram for The Indian Express
Our Politics Must Change To Tackle Citizens' Basic Issues
Pavan K Varma, in his column for Deccan Chronicle, opines that an issue as basic as water scarcity in the national capital and elsewhere is being sidelined by politicians and their blame games, making it difficult for ordinary citizens to access their rights. Arguing that "the practice of our politics has today become an impediment to the quality of governance," he writes that "people's patience is running out."
"Sometimes, in my moments of radical desperation, I feel that the only way to jolt our politicians to find a systemic solution to the recurring misery of ordinary people, is to cut off water supply to the big bungalows of Lutyens Delhi for 48 hours every week. You can bet a solution will become a matter of the most urgent priority, but there is the always the fear that it may be only be for their own comfort zone."Pavan K Varma for Deccan Chronicle
SP Out To Counter BJP With Their New Temple Town Hero
In her column called 'Keeping Up With UP' for Hindustan Times, Sunita Aron elaborates on how the Samajwadi Party, with its candidate Awadhesh Prasad, won the crucial seat of Faizabad, where the Ayodhya Ram Mandir is located. She adds that the SP's victory against the BJP, which was hoping to ride on the 'temple wave', was possible only because the party had "done its homework before taking a serious plunge in Faizabad."
"The low-profile Prasad has emerged as the new hero in the state, attracting the limelight wherever he goes. People gather around him and ask for selfies. And now, he is going to raise utmost curiosity in Parliament. Prasad will be occupying the second line of the Lok Sabha benches, if not the front, when it will meet on June 24. And, he has a lot to talk about, from the suffering of the locals due to alleged corruption and delayed compensation for their acquired lands, houses and shops."Sunita Aron for Hindustan Times
Opposition Should Exit Harp Orchestra, Offer a Shadow Budget
As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the 2024-25 Budget of the new government next month, Shankkar Aiyar, in his piece for The New Indian Express, argues that the Opposition must also prepare an alternative or shadow budget as it "would be useful for the people of the country to compare the focus and the approach of the two formations on how to frame the development agenda."
"Typically, the debate which follows any budget is a surround sound contest of claims and counterclaims. What ensues is a harp orchestra of who did or did not do what. The babel of decibels scarcely makes for an informed debate on the challenges and opportunities for redress through allocations in the financial statement. What stops the Congress or any of the parties in the opposition from presenting a competing version of the Budget?"Shankkar Aiyar for The New Indian Express
One Nation, Many Leaks: The Wages of 'Maximum Govt, Minimum Governance'
In the backdrop of the NEET and UGC-NET controversies, Yamini Aiyar writes for Deccan Herald that India's policymakers have been making the mistake of "centralising" entrance exams, "stripping educational institutions of their autonomy and the states of their ability to find locally relevant ways of responding to the quality and corruption challenge."
"Scarcity intensifies competition beyond repair. After all, the stakes are just too high. This is one reason for the proliferation of coaching classes. But when scarcity exists alongside a broken school system, one that routinely produces shoddy learning, a toxic cheating mafia, to respond to the competition, is almost inevitable. Rather than address this fundamental scarcity and quality gap, policymakers searched for 'governance' solutions. And in doing so gave in to the urge to 'centralise', the one size-fits-all solution to all governance problems in India."Yamini Aiyar for Deccan Herald
Savarna Parties Have Once Again Isolated Dalit Voices
Suraj Yengde, in his piece for The Indian Express, argues that while Dalit-Bahujan-led parties like the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) "gained the suspicion of the media and Savarna parties" in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, parties like the Congress "did not treat the BSP or VBA with desirable respect in seat-sharing or make enough attempts to bring them on board."
"The BJP and Congress' fear tactics triumphed because Mayawati and Prakash Ambedkar failed to convince Muslim and backward class voters they relied on. Then, there is their working styles, both vastly different. The BSP is pathetic when it comes to communication and its reliance on old style of activism, something that has cost it its future. The lack of innovation and creativity to get influential masses on its side has isolated leaders from those who speak louder."Suraj Yengde for The Indian Express
The Tussle With AI Over Language
Geetha Ravichandran, in her piece for The New Indian Express, critiques artificial intelligence and language models, opining that while AI has creeped into most aspects of our life, "our tech-driven life sometimes leaves no room for common sense and practicality."
"While the ease of access to resources and reduction in time consumed are obvious advantages, there are serious concerns on the quality of learning and originality in thinking. There are also ethical questions of how much of the output is plagiarism. The flaws in the output are often bizarre. A recent campaign in the UK, 'I am not a typo', highlights the distortions of autocorrect for African, Asian and eastern European names. The predictive text becomes presumptive, armed with suggestions and altering the output as per its sweet will."Geetha Ravichandran for The New Indian Express
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