Professional Documents
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Analysis of GD Topics 1-20
Analysis of GD Topics 1-20
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Is China better than India in software? Should we change the present system of education in our country? Will the nuclear deal help India to develop faster? Womens reservation India should go for a presidential form of Government Is management an art or a science Globalisation Is China a threat to the Indian Software Industry? Role of media (is the media in India really free)? Premarital Sex Who says mncs are superior to Indian companies? Effects of cinema on youth Indias Performance In Olympics How to deal with International Terrorism Should we have a uniform civil code? Love marriages versus arranged marriages Advantages of Co-Education Who serves the country best- a soldier, a teacher, a scientist or a politician? Should sex education be introduced in school? Is China a threat to Indian industry? 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18 20 21 23 25 27 32 34 36 38 40 42
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Arguments against the topic India surely enjoys a lead over China, thanks to its low cost model which is difficult to emulate, followed by the number of cost benefits such as the cheapest available manpower after countries like Argentina and Brazil, which makes the Indian software industry a more lucrative proposition. India also scores over China as it enjoys the benefits of having the largest English speaking population (even more than the United Kingdom) which makes it easier for the Indian software experts to understand the demands of their foreign customers. India also enjoys the lead thanks to the biggest pool of technocrats and engineers; it churns out more then 400000 engineering professionals every year and the efficiency of an Indian software graduate is considered more than above average as compared to software professionals belonging to any other part of the world as per the software industrial norms. India also benefits as it enjoys a democratic government as compared to its communist counterpart China which makes the Indian industry more transparent and flexible in its working. India also enjoys an early lead advantage in the form of three of its companies ranking among the top-5 software firms in the world. China concentrates more on its domestic growth, whereas the Indian software industry in more dependent on exports and outsourcing. Indias long-term potential may be greater than Chinas as the communist giant faces a shrinking work force due to its one child policy whereas India enjoys an ever increasing work force. Population, in this case, seems to act as a boon for the Indian software industry rather than a liability. According to DBS, Nasscom is targeting $60 billion worth of Indian exports by 2010, while the Chinese government wants software exports to hit just $10 billion that same year. Indias software and services exports will cross $40 billion in fiscal 2008 with the domestic market estimated at $23 billion.
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Arguments in against the topic The biggest criticism that has come up is that our education system honours only merit. An intelligent student, merely on the basis of his academics, cracks the top most exams like IITJEE, CAT etc. to get the best of education and then also cracks the civil services exam to get a top administrative job. This is a serious issue for the HRD ministry because you can not honour only intelligence. Other factors which are equally important are normally ignored. The Indian education system also faces the problem of how to create quality manpower for the future demands of the Indian industry. Many surveys clearly show that we will have huge numbers of educated manpower in the next 10 years, but still we will have an enormous short fall of quality manpower. Our education system needs to address this issue. Modern education in India is often criticized for being based on rote learning. Emphasis is laid on passing examinations with a high percentage. Very few institutes give importance to developing personality and creativity among students. Recently, the country has seen a rise in instances of student suicides due to low marks and failures, especially in metropolitan cities, even though such cases are very rare. The boards are recently trying to improve quality of education by increasing percentage of practical and project marks.
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Many people also criticize the caste, language and religion-based reservations in the education system. Many allege that very few of the weaker castes get the benefit of reservations and that forged caste certificates abound. Educational institutions also can seek religious minority (non-Hindu) or linguistic minority status. In such institutions, 50% of the seats are reserved for students belonging to a particular religion or having particular mother-tongue(s). For example, many colleges run by the Jesuits and Salesians have 50% seats reserved for Roman Catholics. In case of languages, an institution can declare itself a linguistic minority only in states in which the language is not official language. For example, an engineering college can declare itself as linguistic-minority (Hindi) institution in the state of Maharashtra (where official state language is Marathi), but not in Madhya Pradesh or Uttar Pradesh (where the official state language is Hindi). These reservations are said to be a cause of heartbreak among many. Many students with poor marks manage to get admissions, while meritorious students are left out. Critics say that such reservations may eventually create rifts in the society. Expenditure on education is also an issue which comes under the scanner. According to the Kothari commission led by Dr. Vijay Kothari in 1966, expenditure on education has to be minimum 6% of the GDP. Whereas in 2004 expenditure on education stood at 3.52% of the GDP and in the eleventh plan it is estimated to be around 4%. The Sarva Shikshan Abihyan has to receive sufficient funds from the central government to impart quality education. The quality of teaching in government schools is pathetic. The reason behind it is that education is still under the purview of the state governments. They have a shortage of funds and also are not very serious about education welfare.
Arguments in favour of the topic The government has already taken many measures to revamp the education system in India. The Sarva-Shiksha Abihyan is doing very well. And we are close to achieving the same across India as we have done in Kerala. Many rational changes have been made by CBSE in its curriculum. Now there is no failure (read as exams) up to class 5th and hence students are free from all pressures. Many new updated courses have been introduced in senior classes which is directly in line with the updated requirements of the industry. Subjects like financial planning; computer programming, business studies, etc. have already been introduced. Many high level international schools have started imparting education of new standards. Many NGOs with the support of the government are doing great work for providing quality education to kids as well as adult slum dwellers for example Teach India Campaign by Times of India etc.
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Arguments in favour of the topic Looking at the way the population is increasing along with the effort of the Indian government to push the LPG reforms post 1991, the concerns of energy security cannot be neglected. The best way to secure the massive needs of infrastructure development is to shift to the next level of energy sufficiency, and nuclear energy is surely the way ahead. The ever expanding energy demand is expected to increase by 7 folds in the coming 15 years if we want to achieve the target set by the planning commission in the form of vision 2025 it is a must to get rid of the dependence on non-renewable source of energy such as coal, and the deal surely will help us reach that higher level of self dependence. India has always advocated the fact that it firmly stands by its commitment of nonproliferation of nuclear arms and armaments, so the deal will send a positive signal to the international community which will further help us to increase international cooperation along the lines to international trade and hence developing the economy. The biggest competitor that India has faced in the race of development comes in the form of the neighbouring country, China, nuclear energy will surely help us compete neck-toneck with China, and the stiff rivalries will indirectly benefit the consumers counting on the development of our economy as a whole. The deal will play a crucial role in the growth of employment in the infrastructure and the manufacturing sector, as massive infrastructure will be required for setting up nuclear power plants. With various other technical requirements, surely the Indian manufacturing, engineering and the real estate companies will be in for moolah.
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Arguments against the Bill Various political parties have staunchly opposed it because they fear many of their male leaders would not get a chance to fight elections if 33.3 percent seats are reserved for women. The Bill has also been opposed by politicians from the socially and economically backward classes. They argue that reservation would only help women of the elitist groups to gain seats, therefore causing further discrimination and under-representation to the poor and backward classes.
Lalu Prasad Yadav says the Bill would deny adequate representation to other sections of society. He favours 10 to 15 percent reservation for women. My party is not opposed to womens reservation, but the case of Dalits, backward classes, Muslims and other religious minorities should not be overlooked, is his argument. Mulayam Singh Yadav favours making it mandatory for political parties to give 10 percent of election tickets to women. His argument is that if inadequacy of representation is the issue, why not reservation for Muslim women as well (there are only two in the present Lok Sabha)?
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If 33.3 per cent reservation for women is added to the already existing 22.5 percent for scheduled castes and tribes, more than 55 percent of seats in Parliament would be reserved. This would not be fair to other sections of the population, says the present Uttar Pradesh chief minister.. What is the status of the Bill now? The law ministry has prepared two drafts of the Womens Reservation Bill. The first envisages reservation of 33.3 percent seats for women within the existing strength of the two Houses of Parliament. The second calls for increasing the strength of the two Houses by 33.3 percent. The existing 545 seats in the Lok Sabha will increase to 900 if this draft of the Bill is enacted.
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Arguments against the topic Presidential system is liable to be misused and can degenerate into sheer dictatorship. Not far from home we do have Presidential forms in Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. But what is the result? All democratic institutions are scuttled and the public at large cannot raise even its little finger whenever there is any cause for grievances. People have to dance to the tune of one single individual. In the USA itself the President is more a potentate than a spokesman of the enlightened democracy. In Parliamentary democracy, if the Prime Minister fails to deliver the goods, he or she can be replaced. But in a Presidential democracy, after electing a leader, the people can do nothing to him for the prescribed period of his tenure. Presidents often make false promises to get votes and simply ignore the welfare of the people after their election. It is not too safe to entrust the entire administration of a big country to a single person. He can go wrong and make serious mistakes and blunders. He can even take lunatic steps and let loose a nuclear war on the world. It is better to put many hands together to thrash out national problems, as in a Parliamentary democracy. The experience of the Presidential system in Asian and African countries has been that hardly any President has gone out of his office as a result of election. Only natural death or coup has resulted in displacement of President. Only in a Parliamentary system could Mrs. Gandhi be forced to step down from the office of the Prime Minister as a result of elections in 1977 and again only in a Parliamentary system could she return to that office in 1980 as a result of elections. A Presidential form of government distorts the true vision of democratic ideals and breeds a spirit of authoritarianism in the administration and general social institutions of the country. A Presidential form of government is itself a totalitarian regime like Communism and there is little to choose between tweedledum and tweedledee.
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desire for development of the self and the organisation they belong to. All management practices are based on the same set of principles; what distinguishes a successful manager from a less successful one is the ability to put these principles into practice. Management as a Science We can say that management has some characteristics of science. Management has a systematized body of knowledge. It has its own theory and principles that have developed over a period of time, but it also draws on other disciplines such as Economics, Sociology, Psychology and Mathematics. Like all other organized activities, management has its own vocabulary of terms and concepts. For example, all of us discuss sports like cricket and soccer using a common vocabulary. The players also use these terms to communicate with each other. Similarly managers need to communicate with one another with the help of a common vocabulary for a better understanding of their work situation. The principles of management have evolved over a period of time based on repeated experimentation and observation in different types of organizations. Many early management researchers subscribed to the vision of managers as scientists. The scientific management movement was the primary driver of this perspective. They used scientific processes to evaluate and organize work so that it became more efficient and effective. Scientific managements emphasis on both reducing inefficiencies and on understanding the psychology of workers changed manager and employee attitudes towards the practice of management.
Conclusion The old saying that Managers are Born has been rejected in favour of Managers are Made. It has been aptly remarked that management is the oldest of art and youngest of science. To conclude, we can say that science is the root and art is the fruit. The practice of management is an art. However, managers can work better if their practice is based on the principles of management. These principles constitute the science of management. Management as an art and a science are therefore not mutually exclusive, but complement each other.
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7. GLOBALISATION
Towards the end of 20th century the world became unipolar and globalization was supposed to bring numerous benefits to the developing nations. The yawning disparities among the industrialized world and the third world countries were reduced to an extent. This was done by accepting the models of economic management through reforms. The concept of globalization indicates the aspiring towards oneness by all countries, the desire to be part of one uniform world order. The distances both physical and mental are to be reduced to zero. Ways and means of communication will be advanced enough to enable people to live as a global parivar. Arguments in favour of globalisation Globalization has primarily become a fiscal term but its impact is not limited to the economy of the countries only, the term globalization actually refers to every aspect of life like cultural, social, psychological and of course, political. Now there is a worldwide market for the companies and for the people there is more access to products of different countries. There is a steady cash flow into the developing countries, which gradually decreases the dollar difference. Due to the presence of a worldwide market, there is an increase in the production sector and there are lots of options for the companies now. Gradually there is a world power that is being created instead of compartmentalized power sectors. Politics is merging and decisions that are being taken, are actually beneficial for people allover the world. There is more influx of information between two countries, which do not have anything in common between them. There is a cultural intermingling and people of various countries are trying to know about the cultural preferences of others and in the process of doing so, they are actually coming across things that they like and in the course of time adopting these preferences. Since we share financial interests, corporate and governments are trying to sort out ecological problems for each other. Socially we have become more open and tolerant towards one another and people who live in the other part of the world are not aliens any more. For example, now Indian girls work in call centers and work nights, which was a taboo a few years back. We are celebrating Valentines Day, scraping on Orkut, watching the Idol series, Fear factor, and have an Indian version of Big Brother. There is a lot of technological development that we have undergone over the years. There is less brain drain since Asians are working in their own countries even though for a foreign company and are earning foreign exchange for their country.
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Arguments against globalisation In the Globalised world 20 percent of the worlds richest people account for 86 per cent of the total private consumption expenditure. The poorest 20 percent consume only 1.3 percent. The adverse impact of globalization is prominently felt in the developing and underdeveloped countries of the third world. The process is called neocolonialism. Third world societies are feeling the heat because liberalized economic policies and the decentralization process being unleashed in these states is not backed up by adequate social security measures. It is true that Europeans are losing jobs and that is posing a problem for them since the companies are outsourcing work to the Asian countries since the cost of labour is low and profits the company considerably. There is immense pressure on the employed Europeans who are always under the threat of the business being outsourced. Corporate are building up units in other countries equally well equipped as they have done at their own country, thus transferring the quality to other countries. There are some experts who think that globalization; along with the positive aspects is also leading to the incursion of negatives like communicable diseases and social degeneration. There is also a threat of corporate ruling the world because there is a lot of power, which is invested in them due to globalization. For nations that are at the receivers end are also giving up the reins in the hands of a foreign company which might again lead to a sophisticated form of colonization. According to Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics in 2001, Globalisaton today is not working for worlds poor. It is not working for much of the environment and also not working for the stability of the global economy.
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Yes, its a THREAT !!! Theres no doubt about Chinas competitiveness in the IT sector, considering its hardware and telecom markets are much bigger than Indias. And even in software, China has a huge captive domestic market, as compared to Indias relatively tiny domestic market. There are some other alarming figures for India: the ratio of Chinas IT spends to its GDP is nearly 5 times that of Indias. If Indias current growth rate in IT doubles, it would still take us 25 years to catch up with China, and that only if Chinas growth rate remains stagnant. China has initiated a series of measures, which include plans to set up specialist IT training institutions on the lines of our IITs and Chinese firms are following the same strategy Indias IT majors did (bagging projects based on price) before going on to become software majors. A significant gainer in the Japanese market is China, which has been a favoured partner for Japans software imports. The synergy is easy to fathom. One, Japanese is the second language taught in the northeastern parts of China, where most Chinese companies are located. Also, most Chinese programmers are familiar with the double byte system used to generate Chinese and Japanese characters. Location wise also, China offers a great advantage to Japanese companies looking to outsource their projects. Due to these synergies, it comes as no surprise therefore that Japan continues to be Chinas largest trading partner. According to the latest survey report released by Gartner, Chinese software outsourcing earnings is expected to catch up that of India in 2006 with the export of software development service to 27 billion dollars (ExpressIndia.com, 2002). If this trend continues, China will become a major competitor in the global outsourcing market (Thiagarajan, 2002). Currently, Chinas software market is domestic-oriented. Nearly 90% software products were sold in the local market. However, it is remarkable that the growth of Chinas software export is at a rate of 80% in 2001. Heeks claims that rapid software exports prevent the growth of the domestic market (Heeks, 1996). However, the situation in China is different. While the software export is growing, the sales in Chinas domestic software market are also increasing very fast. China has absorbed foreign direct investment (FDI) many more times than that by India. Now, owing to its huge domestic market, sustained economic growth and political stability, the new membership of WTO, China is becoming the hottest spot for FDI, even more than that the United States (Laudicina, 2002). A significant part of the FDI flows is going into Chinas IT sector, specifically in recent years, the software industry. The information and telecommunication infrastructure of China is superior to that of India. While every 100 Chinese people own 20 telephones and there are 45.8 million Internet users in China, India has just three telephones for every 100 people and only 2 million Internet users out of a population of 1 billion. Compared with India, the political and social environment of China is more stable, which will give the investors and enterprises more confidence and can support software industry growth in a long run. A remarkable competitive advantage is the lower cost of manpower in China, which is one of important factors that lead to software outsourcing
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China has been enacting attractive policies for the software industry and the IT sector, such as preferential invest policies, tax concessions, favorable software export policies, policies of distribution of income, the certification for the software companies and products, policies of intellectual property rights, policies of management and organization of software industry.
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Newspapers and Media Houses require huge initial investment and incur huge running expenses. The most important source of income for them are the advertisements. The Union Government, State Governments and Industrial Houses have big budgets for advertisements. The media will suffer financially if it does not support them.
Its free In India, the press enjoys liberty under freedom of expression as a Fundamental Right in the Constitution. However, the press does not have a code of conduct. The press has no self restraint or self-discipline. The freedom enjoyed under the constitution is often misused to seek favours from the ruling party and to increase circulation. The impact of media is really noteworthy. Excessive coverage or hype of sensitive news has led to communal riots at times. The illiterates are more prone to provocation than the literates. The constant repetition of news, especially sensational news, breeds an apathy and insensitivity in the masses. For instance, in the Dhananjoy Chatterjee case, the overloaded hype led to the deaths of quite a few children who imitated the hanging procedure which was repeatedly shown in most of the T.V. news channels. There is a plethora of such negative impacts. Free competition between the various newspapers, TV channels and radio also promotes freedom of the print media. In such a healthy competition if one newspaper gives the wrong news or biased information, the other will highlight it, thus checking such negative reporting. The freedom of media is epitomized in the way two young Washington Post reporters, Woodward and Bernstein exposed the Watergate Scandal, thereby putting an end to President Nixons political career. In our country too, the ascent of Mr. V.P. Singh to the prime ministers position, is ascribed to press support. The Bofors kickbacks scandal saw the light of the day because of a determined press, in spite of the stonewalling tactics adopted by vested interests. All these examples reassure that the media is indeed free.
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Disadvantages of premarital sex 50% of the total population of H.I.V patients is between ages of 15-24. Preventive measures only reduce the risk of contracting H.I.V by 85%. Most of the people after engaging in premarital sex express feeling of guilt, embarrassment, distrust, tension, lack of respect for partner and much more. It leads you against ethics, religion and your parents. Chances of contracting S.T.D. become high. Chances of getting pregnant increase. Losing ones virginity before marriage Totally against the Indian culture and moral values.
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industrialization, the Indian companies need technology, modern managerial skills and massive induction of capital. Well, Multinational companies can play a very important role here. MNCs can help solve the unemployment and poverty problems. One of the stumbling blocks in the path of Indias progress is the large scale unemployment and the resultant poverty that exists in the country. The enormous investment that is needed to create job opportunities for all, is beyond the resources of the country. The MNCs with their clout in the money market world over can raise the needy capital easily. Large scale investments in new ventures create job opportunities. MNCs can help giving a boost to Indias international trade which has sagged after independence. At independence India had a 5% share in the world trade, even ahead of that of Japan. Now at 0.5% it is much lower than even that of some tiny countries. The MNCs with their links with subsidiaries in various countries will naturally develop profitable transactions and this can lead to a boost in Indias international trade. The MNCs can hasten up the process of globalization. Whether we like it or not, India has to go global, if we have to be abreast of the modern trends. The insular, or near insular policy of the past many decades has made us helpless onlookers, when even small countries like Singapore steal a march ahead of us. The coming of MNCs in a big way can help India to become more outward looking getting profited by the new interdependence.
Conclusion MNCs coming to India in a large way is bringing in a mixed bag. It has its perils as well as blessings. If things work well, it can bring in massive foreign investment leading to an economic spurt. The consequence can be alleviation of poverty, full or near full employment, and social upliftment. They can usher in an age, where modernized industry uses the state-of-the-art technology and the best managerial skill. And an affluent society can be created. At the same time the government should be aware of the pitfalls. Like any business concern that thinks of maximizing its profit the multinationals too will try to get the maximum from their investment. A congenial atmosphere is to be created to welcome them by providing the right infrastructure and lessening the red-tapism in government departments.
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Arguments against Cinema Cinema has its disadvantages. The Youth imagine themselves to be heroes and heroines and blindly behave in their own way. It also affects their way of thinking by taking the wrong information. However, cinema is being blamed for this although the whole responsibility falls on the individual to learn only good things from cinema and do away with the bad things.
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Cinema is bringing up the horrifying rise in teen sexual activity. The unabashed nudity, see-through dresses, rapes, violence and vulgarity have only excited the baser instincts of human beings. Female actors have been wearing very short clothes and the same trend is being followed by the youth which is further increasing the number of rapes in the society. The increasing trend in crime by teenagers is a matter of serious concern. A number of theft and kidnapping cases were inspired by films provoking younger ones to experiment, with tragic consequences. Aggressiveness and Violence has led to shocking crimes like son battering his mother to death, brothers killing one another, daughter poisoning her parents and all this over rather trivial issues for that major motive for murder- money. Films exercise profound influence and sometimes act like autosuggestions as in case of hypnosis. Frustrated lovers often take a cue from films and commit suicide. Minor boys and girls elope in a true filmy style much to the mental anguish and social humiliation of their parents. Cinema or films have an adverse effect on the eye sight. A number of air-borne diseases like influenza, cough, cold etc are spread through cinema halls. Cinema and entertainment have become such a craze that the study schedule of students has been affected. People have forgotten the reading habit as more of their spare time is now occupied by films. Knowledge and learning have thus become big casualties.
Conclusion Cinema has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. We cannot deny the fact that we can learn a lot from cinema. Though the other side of the coin is darker, and leads to negativity and violence in the society. The basic fact lies in realizing that we need to acknowledge the good things and evade the evil, wicked and bad things.
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It has been good We feel that our country doesnt lack talent to do well at the highest level. Had it been the case, we would not have seen a Rathore or a Paes or an Abhinav or a Sushi Kumar or a Vijender Kumar. We have the nerves and the ability to become world beaters in terms of medal tally. The need of the hour is to provide a proper support system and infrastructure to the athletes. Over the years the system has remained unchanged. Our officials are still as insensitive, lethargic and irresponsible as ever. As far as, countries like China, the USA and Russia are concerned, the governments of those countries act responsibly and try to do everything in their power for the promotion of sports. Our famed athletes do not receive much attention on the part of the government. They face neglect and deprivation. In China, the USA and Russia, the players like Michael Phelps of the USA and Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia are considered the pride of their respective countries. They are made to feel so by their government, officials and common people. Its a very sorry state to mention here that our country is crazy about only one sport i.e. cricket. In the meantime, we would like to mention that we are not against cricket. The people of our country should promote their children in other sports for example, shooting, wrestling, boxing, badminton, table tennis, swimming, athletics, tennis, weightlifting, football, hockey, volleyball and so on. This can happen only when there is a proper system in place. As we know the per capita income of India makes it difficult for an ordinary person to encourage his child in sports like lawn tennis, shooting and equestrian. Therefore, the government should make more investment at the grassroots level and it must see to it that the money reaches those for whom it is meant for. A lot of promising youngsters fail to do much because they lack financial support. I believe we can increase our medals tally by making more investments in the present sports system. The government should provide the national players with jobs so that they feel secure and fulfill their dream of representing their country at the highest level and winning medals. There are sportsmen who work in factories for meagre salaries to feed their family. In this type of trying and testing conditions, it is difficult for a sportsperson to single mindedly pursue his dream. The athletes of South Korean, Jamaica and even Kenya are miles
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ahead of our sportspersons. We dont think they are more talented and better athletes than Indian athletes. They excel because there is a proper system to groom the budding talent. China has proved it beyond reasonable doubt by beating the most powerful and affluent country the USA in the medals tally in the Beijing Olympics 2008. Therefore, we believe, there should be proper planning and its due implementation. If we do so, we are sure to return with more medals in London Olympics 2012. Even though it would take a lot of time. Our athletes especially shooters, wrestlers and boxers have proved that they have it in them to win many more medals in Olympics. The notable performance of Indian athletes cant be ignored. Our performance in Beijing Olympics 2008 was the greatest so far. We won one Gold and two Bronze medals which must work as a motivation for many Bindras, Sushil Kumars, Vijender Kumars, Saina Nehwals who are waiting to be discovered. Admittedly, we still dont own a sporting culture like the Chinese, Americans or Russians, but through sustained efforts we can develop it. Friends, ours is an aspiring society, one which is on the verge of change. Sporting achievements are, of course, part of that process of change. What is needed then is to sustain the Beijing momentum with a singleminded commitment, dedication and determination to harness talent across the country, especially in the small cities.
It has been bad After K.D. Jadhav won a Bronze medal in 1952, it took 56 long and frustrating years for Bronze to turn into Gold for Indias Olympic athletes, a dream that was realised when Abhinav Bindra won the Gold for us in Beijing Olympics 2008. We failed to learn from Jadhavs brilliance. His win at that time should have heralded the arrival of a young nation on the world stage. We think we Indians do not possess endurance, stamina, mental fortitude and nerves which make an athlete of world repute. History has long been a witness to the fact that we have failed miserably in our efforts to produce world class sportspersons. An exception doesnt make a rule. One or two medals do not prove that we have a lot of talented youngsters. We are sure that the Indian squad which took part in Beijing Olympics 2008 must have received world class facilities. Despite that they could win only three medals. Countries like Kenya, Jamaica and Ethiopia cannot match our economic prowess and population, but they always win more medals than India. Possibly, the major reason behind this fact is that the athletes of these countries have a far better mental set-up, stamina, endurance and nerves to perform at the highest level. They are more committed to their country. Our athletes lack a sense of patriotism. They dont have the inner urge and the fire to bring glory to their motherland. India is a country of different cultures, food habits and climate which are not fit for athleticism. Therefore, we would rather pay more attention towards other far bigger issues than Olympics. Almost 25% people of India are below the poverty line, the government should try to arrange food for them, clothing and shelter rather that plan for the impossible i.e. winning a lot of medals in Olympics. As you know Hockey is our national game and we have won eight Gold medals in the 1980 Olympics. If our national game has reached the nadir, we can easily realise the situation of the other sports in our country.
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We should never expect outstanding performances like USs Michael Phelps who won as many as eight Gold medals in Beijing Olympics 2008. Without doubts, we have won the same number of Gold medals in hockey in 112 years history of modern Olympic Games.
Terrorism is the biggest menace faced by the international community today. It has been posing a serious threat to international peace and security and has made a threat to international peace and security and has made us helpless in the wake of the horrors of violence, bloodshed, destruction, cruelly and deaths. It is not confined to one particular nation; most of the nations in the world are forced to put up with the scourge of terrorism whether it is cross-border terrorism, cyber-terrorism, narco-terrorism or any other form of terrorism. Narco-terrorism is the way by which the operations of terrorist groups are finance in various parts of the world, by smuggling narcotics and hence destroying lives of teenagers. Terrorists can do anything. They can kidnap people or hijack aero planes to pressurise for the release of their militant accomplices detained by security forces of some countries. They can kill anyone at anytime. In fact, they are ready to die anytime, by becoming fidayeen or suicide bombers. History of this global threat
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The origin of international terrorism can be traced back to the year 1948 when the partition of Palestine led to the formation of Israel. The Palestinian leaders refused to accept Israel as a sovereign entity and resorted to terrorism and destruction in the newly formed Israel. During 1960s, Red brigades in Italy, Red Army Faction in the then West Germany and Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland started indulging in terrorist activities. During the Gold War period, intense rivalry arose between the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union. It led to an arms race, making, the international system stressful, thereby resulting in local wars, ethnic wars, proxy wars and many other forms of terrorism. The intense arms race fanned violent activities in different parts of the world. Some of the nations started supporting, arming and funding militant groups to operate in their rival states. In the 1980s, a new form of terrorism cropped up which was termed as jehad or Islamic jehad. Its main motto was to establish a radical form of Islam all over the world. The jehadis called themselves the warriors of Islam and began using terror as a weapon for demanding the rights of Muslims all over the world. These Islamic jehadi groups came to thrive in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Egypt, central and west Asia and Middle East. The Afghanistan-Pakistan region turned into a grooming ground for jehadis and became responsible for introducing and spreading fundamentalism and terrorism in the Indian State of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. In the 1990s, China Saudi Arabia, Russia, South East Asia, India and many other nations became the victims of the monster called terrorism. Subsequently, the US and the UK have also joined the list. Can we forget how these militants used the sky for their crime when they hit the World Trade Centre twin towers or when they hijacked IC814? According to a research study in 2004, by the London Institute of International Security, about 18,000 potential terrorists are functioning in about 60 countries and there has been a terrifying jump in terrorist incidents 175 in 2003 to 651 in 2004. On October 17, 2005, 34 Karbi tribals were massacred by militants and 125 houses were torched in ethnic violence in Assams strifetorn Karbi Anglong district. The nefarious activities of terrorists have rendered people sleepless, be it in Jammu & Kashmir or Tamil Nadu; the North-Eastern States or Karnataka. Terrorists are not born as terrorists but they are made so by those who want to establish their control over the whole world. Teenagers are kidnapped from the Kashmir valley and forced to hold guns. Militant training centres are run in the name of religious schools called madrasaas where innocent youngsters are brainwashed and trained to become militants. According to a study undertaken by the Strategic Foresight Group, there are 40,000-50,000 madrasaas, with the enrolment of two million students, which are being run in Pakistan. Every year about 15,000 men are recruited into these madrasaas. The 9/11 Commission Report says, Some of the madrasaas have been used as incubators for violent extremism. The tenets of Islam do not favour the killing and slaughter of innocent people but terrorists interpret the teaching of Islam in such a way as would justify their heinous actions. Today, the network of terrorism has become so strong that it can destroy any city of many cities in one go. The increase in the number of arms and development of weapons as well as explosives of various kinds, together with their easy availability has exposed the world to the grave danger of mass destruction. The thought of weapons and explosives like the AK-47 and RDX scare us. The other big danger is from nuclear bombs. These terrorists can obtain stocks of biochemical weapons, where the chemical agents will destroy more than bullets or bombs. These may be nerve agents, blistering agents, or choking agents. The terrorists can infect people with
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diseases like anthrax, smallpox, botulism or viral fever and no one would have an inkling that it is a terrorist attack. Iraq is said to have used mustard gas against Iranians and Kurds in 1980s. We have to deal with this problem quickly and effectively and for this we are increasing our weapons, holding joint defence exercises with other friendly countries and diverting more of our funds into defence today, India is one of the 15 largest spenders on defence worldwide. All countries need to stand up and be united against terrorism as was seen in the SAARC Summit in Dhaka (Bangladesh) in November 2005. The European Union and India have signed a political declaration to fight against terrorism unitedly. Broadly, what needs to be done is to regain and retain the confidence of people in spite of terrorism and become bold enough to fight it with determination. Efforts of United Nations: To settle disputes, we look forward to the UN to support the world community in the fight against terrorism, but it can solve only a part of the problem. By various conventions, articles and laws, it speaks against terrorism and the terrorists. On December 18, 1972, during the 2114th Plenary meeting of the General Assembly, the UN adopted a text on international terrorism whose objective was to encourage cooperation among member states against this menace. In 1973, a 35-member ad hoc committee was created to make a report on international terrorism by the President of UN General Assembly. The same Assembly appointed an ad hoc committee for drafting an international convention against recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries. This convention was adopted on December 4, 1989. In December 1998, the General Assembly urged the member states to bring about domestic legislation on a priority basis for implementing the provision of conventions aimed at meeting the crime of international terrorism. In 1999, a Terrorism Prevention Branch was set up in the Centre for International Crime Prevention, Vienna (Austria). In 1999, the UN also adopted a resolution and invited the members for cooperating against the growing menace of international terrorism and in the same year, a resolution came against the financing of terrorism. There are many conventions, articles, laws, etc., but the real convention should be in the heart of every person. If each and every person stops getting terrified and starts resisting terrorism, the bloodshed of innocent people can be prevented. Let us ourselves become a threat to this global menace so that we can breathe cool and fresh air, free of the stench of burning dead bodies. The day is not far off when we will be able to see a wonderful environment where every one will live in brotherly affection. We will be able to hear the sweet chirping of birds in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Ten steps that should be taken to battle terror: from rhetoric to impact Create a network of surveillance cameras Britain successfully fought terrorism with them. And they do not cost a bomb. A good quality fourcamera system that will pan and take images from all directions for up to 60 feet costs just Rs. 11,500. Five thousand such cameras in New Delhi would cost Rs 57.5 crores. That is worth a single big Bollywood movie that is the amount Saawariya and Jodha Akbar reportedly earned at the box office. The cameras will be a deterrent not just against terrorists, but also for traffic violators, eveteasers, chain-snatchers and killer drivers. And for places like railway stations and bus terminals, the same cameras will see in darkness as well for Rs. 3,500 more. There is no demand of cameras for public safety. People think they are only for spying, Ahmedabad-based surveillance equipment seller Mehul Shah said by telephone hours after the serial blasts in the city.
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Pump money into forensics Indias forensic capability is highly inadequate. We do not believe in using science to tackle crime and terrorism, which is the most effective way and used worldwide. Apart from some centres of excellence, little attention has been paid to sprucing up our forensics laboratories in the states. In Jharkhand, it was actually running until recently in a cowshed. Investment in forensics would not just help get crucial leads in terror cases, but help solve other ordinary crimes. Give more work to the RTO Introduce vehicle tracking and identification systems at the time of car registrations across states, with a central database. Make them mandatory fittings; help out carmakers with tax breaks on the equipment. This is very doable. Shopkeepers as sleuths Low intensity bombs, the kind of which used in most recent bombings, were made from fertilizers and materials commonly available in the market. If we can make internet caf owners more aware, vigilant and responsible, why not the hardware stores guy and the fertilizer seller? This is admittedly a tough task, but some regulation on sales of potentially deadly chemicals, and education of the sellers, could go a long way. Why is a person who looks nothing like a farmer or gardener buying ammonium nitrate? National ID cards More than 180 million Indians do not have even voter ID cards after Rs 1,500 crores have been spent on the project for 15 years. The question of a national identity card once proposed by the BJP government remained mired in politics. Across the border in Pakistan, officials have done it seamlessly: The National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) has issued 60 million ID cards, and is set to issue them to all 150 million eligible Pakistanis. Pakistan has also launched multi-biometric e-Passports with sophisticated security features. National law on terror Bring a national law to deal with terrorism. The 2002 Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (POTA) was being misused in many areas, but what was needed was to fix those problems, not throw out the law altogether. Create a Department of National Security Dealing with terrorism is a state subject, and officers in many states find themselves at sea. A national organization perhaps modeled after the National Disaster Management Authority should be created that deals directly with terrorism and has specialized crack units all over the country, which seek help as and when required from state colleagues. National database of suspects
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If a terror suspect from Ahmedabad walks out of India through the land border with Pakistan, the security guard at the immigration counter has no way of knowing who he is. Create a national database of suspects connected in real time to the Interpol database. Bring in the CBI State police in India have a conviction rate of 20 per cent compared to 70 per cent by the CBI. The agencys hands need to be strengthened and terror cases need to be handed right away to the CBI, not after evidence has been ruined, leads have run out and state police cannot do much. Police the police Last and the most important infuse life into the beat constable, and do not bog them down with work that has nothing to do with the police force. The beat constable is the person who will first spot the stranger in the neighbourhood, the unclaimed bag and the suspect late night buzz on the third floor and possibly save lives.
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With growing education, migration, economic and social mobility, unknown and earlier socially prohibited relationships (for example, inter-caste, inter-regional, inter-community, marriages and divorce and the acquisition and disposal of self-acquired property by women) are becoming increasingly common. Under these circumstances there could be social breakdown, heartburn and strife, even among, couples without a uniform civil code. Personal codes do not accommodate emerging multicultural realities and aspirations. It is quite regressive that Muslims and Christians in India cannot adopt a child legally, for the lack of uniform code on adoption. A unified civil code does not actually infringe upon any religious rights. Ideal UCC would require the registration of marriage as well as divorce and should follow the very basic principles that are based on the human rights. There is nothing that stops two people from rejoining if they wish from a legal stand point, if they are divorced, they can go to the registrar and register their re-marriage. Whether Islam recognizes that or not is the private matter of the religion and the believers, government should not interfere with that. How the current laws suppress the rights of women, not just in Muslim or Christian personal laws, but also in the Hindu Law cannot be denied.
Arguments against the topic India is a land of diverse cultures and religions and having a uniform civil code in the country will definitely distort this cultural identity. Radical social and religious changes cannot be made in a hurry as it will only fuel tensions. A good amount of conditioning is necessary before we impose uniformity on different people. The change should be gradual. The Muslims consider Shariat inviolable. Any interference will fuel tension and we will have communal riots and meaningless killings. Where is the virtue in uniformity? It also has undertones telling us or rather imposing on us a definite mindset. Thus the code should be based on popular approval and be made optional till it is accepted by all. To implement one need to face a situation, to put it into practice there are other fields and castes to be considered which makes the civil law difficult to be unified. The British did not have a problem with caste and religion, but when we still practice them in a secular country like India the case for unifying civil law is in a major danger towards beliefs and practice of religion and rituals. After all, the situation is like a couple having to marry twice, in front of the mahall (the Islamic mosque priest and the committee) and the government staff to get registered. The idea is good, but has to see some black hands in some cases. The process of making a uniform civil code will antagonize different sections of India. Once approved, it will do well for integrity, but the process of approval will take its toll on the Republic.
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role in changing the perception of the Indian mind. People started thinking beyond the social customs and traditions of arranged marriages. They realized that they have the right to choose their life partner without any kind of social pressure. It is after all their life. They can decide without having to rely on their parents, relatives and matchmakers. This change in the mental setup of the people gave birth to love marriages .There are certain things which are found in love marriages and not in arranged marriages. Like spending time together and getting to know each other. Because when you have decided to spend the life together it is important you know the person. There should be mental compatibility and understanding between the couple. So, love marriages offer more independence and freedom as compared to arranged marriages and since the couple knows each other the social pressure and family pressure is less. If you know somebody before marriage it allows partners to have better respect and understanding for each others needs and desires. Social evils like dowry, caste system, matching of horoscopes and community issues prevail more in arranged marriages in comparison to love marriages. The love of the couple surpasses the boundaries of caste or community. Conclusion Love or arranged both are based on empathy, responsibility, commitment, love and concern. So its not just about initial love and attraction it needs a lot of dedication and effort to sustain a marriage. So, there is nothing like an ideal marriage its all about the way you perceive your marriage. After all you should be happy with your life partner irrespective of love or arranged marriage.
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Arguments against the topic Teacher favouritism is also a major issue, like some teachers favour girls and some boys. Some people claim that youth is blind, so both sexes in their teens should not study under the same roof. When students in their teens meet freely, there are chances that they may become victims of their emotions and can remove the necessary distance between them, which is harmful.
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Gender stereotyping is also seen in most of the coeducational institutes. It may also lead to distraction in studies. As students are seen bunking classes and involved in other activities. May also lead to decline in character.
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18. WHO SERVES THE COUNTRY BEST- A SOLDIER, A TEACHER, A SCIENTIST OR A POLITICIAN?
There are as many ways to serve your country as there are people. Sure, we see the military out there fighting for our country. But for every face we see, there are millions who do not. Those military personnel need equipment. What of the people who manufacture parts, weapons, clothing, and food? Those people serve their country in as real and as meaningful a way as the soldiers overseas. What of the politicians who work to preserve the Constitution of this country? Do they not serve their country as well? And what of all of the individuals who work to preserve the standard of living? They certainly serve. World War II was won by sheer strength of will. Ordinary citizens were encouraged to do their part to help the war effort. Everyone from the factory worker to the schoolchild was enlisted to help. Families planted Victory Gardens to help reduce the demand on the market for food products. And nobodys accomplishments were deemed more worthy than anothers. Some points that can be discussed for individual professions mentioned in the topic are as under: The Soldier serves the country best There is discipline in a soldier you can see it when he walks. There is honour in a soldier, you hear it when he talks. There is courage in a soldier you can see it in his eyes. There is loyalty in a soldier that he will not compromise. There is something in a soldier that makes him stand apart. There is strength in a soldier that beats from his heart. A soldier isnt a title any man can be hired to do. A soldier is the soul of that man buried deep inside of you. A soldiers job isnt finished after an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week. A soldier is always a soldier even while he sleeps. A soldier serves his country first and his life is of no consideration to him. A soldier has to sacrifice what comes first in a civilians mind. All the wars whether fought on the border or inside the country (talk about 26/11/2008 incidence or other similar cases) it is the soldier who puts his life at stake to save the civilians as well as the countrys pride. Latest disclosures in the Malegaon blasts of soldiers involvement in the act, do raise a question mark on their dedication for the country. But the entire communitys dedication cannot be brought under scanner due to some small incidents which are clearly bleak in front of the saga of their dedication. The Teacher serves the country best The Teacher is the basic string of the entire process of creation of responsible citizens. The teacher works silently in the schools and colleges of the country in designing the characters of individuals who become big time achievers and patrons of the country. Their service is difficult to rate as they teach many and only few make it to the highest level but still they help in designing the characters of law and order abiding citizens. People who pay taxes in time to those who follow traffic rules are all thankful to their teachers. Are the teachers of today loyal to their profession? There are many of them who are involved in illegal acts of taking bribes to pass the students. They also are involved in leaking the papers. They play on the insecurity of the student and earn huge money by not giving quality education in the school and asking them to come for tuition class at their centers. This and many such points raise a question mark on their credibility.
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The Scientist serves the country best Vikram Sarabhai, A P J Abdul Kalam, G. Madhavan Nair and many such names of our country clearly stand out as greatest servers of our country. These are the people who put in their heads and talent in action to produce latest inventions and gazettes that make it possible for fellow countrymen to get all the possible information at the right time. They work day and night whether on the missile programmes, or on lunar missions or on satellites or creating molecules of life saving drugs or latest seeds for increasing the production of grains, or the milk revolution and all such things. The entire nation salutes them by different methods. It could be by giving them honours of the highest order or naming the leading avenues / institutions after them.. These sons of the motherland are amazing soldiers who are normally humble and blessed at the same time. These professional geniuses are rarely found on the wrong side. But there are instances in history like A. Q. Khan of Pakistan who have defamed their country. But these are rare breeds and no doubt they serve not only the nation but the entire humanity. The Politician serves the country best Overwhelmingly, politicians in popular opinion are all evil/ corrupt. A job meant for the noblest is apparently taken over by the scum. Ambitious film makers/intelligentsia propose solutions like stringent actions against corrupt politicians and encouraging educated youth or noble men to step forward to serve the country. People act as if they have done a great favour to politicians by voting them to power and whine later that they have done nothing in return. Frankly, it is no favour, as the intention is to make them work day and night for the people. Besides, nobody loses anything by voting, except time. It is the politician who risks, spending time and money madly on election campaigns. Besides, politicians have virtually no salary out of office and their salaries while in office are ridiculously low. But in this discussion it is very difficult to come to a conclusion. As the movie Rang de Basanti rightly pointed out that either take the responsibility or else dont whine later. Otherwise remember that politics as a profession is a very noble profession. Politicians are meant to serve the country, and very few do it also. We as a country are united and growing not because of citizens only but leaders are also big time contributors to the success.
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Arguments in favour of the topic The so called information on the bees and the birds should be imparted by a parent or a peer. However, most often this information is derived from books, magazines, pornographic websites and various other sources. When this happens it was not dispensed with in a methodical way which leads to misconceptions and does more harm than good. According to the WHO, sex education for children should be imparted at the age of 12 and above. It is estimated that 34% of the HIV infected persons are in the age group of 12 to 19 years, so with proper guidance this can be controlled. The growing incidence of teenage pregnancies and the rise in HIV has made this an important issue that requires urgent global discussion. Schools have a significant role in imparting effective sex education to adolescents. Research has shown that with effective sex education to young adults in schools, it is possible to push back the age at which adolescents experiment with sex. These programmes also have the potential to encourage youngsters to use protection during their first sexual experience. Schools in the cities and suburbs of India are coming up with innovative health and hygiene workshops that deal with issues like health foods and usage of sanitary napkins, and that are helping the youngsters in coping with sudden changes happening to their body at the right time. Research has shown that comprehensive sex education benefits young adults substantially. These programmes assist teenagers deal with peer pressure and teach them the art of communication and negotiation. It assists them with imbibing assertive skills, crucial in their dealings with peers.
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The US government, since 1996, had started a series of sexual health programmes that teach abstinence only. The basic principle of these programmes advice individuals to maintain a single partner sexual relationship within the framework of marriage as a standard form of behaviour. The counselors for these programmes stress that sexual relationship with more than one partner can cause several adverse psychological and physical effects. These programmes had quite a few times censored the information related to contraception to exaggerate the success/failure rates. Parents in our country are not highly educated in India or else its considered as Taboo in Indian houses, but the fact remains that somebody has to talk to them and the best possible solution is teachers only.
Arguments against the topic The representatives of 179 countries came to an understanding on the subject of reproductive health in an international conference held in Cairo in 1994. In the name of unanimous international understanding, behind the curtains of UN, the western nations imposed their decisions on the entire world. Several programmes were chalked out keeping the year 2015 as the target. One of the programmes was imparting sex education to young children. And this decision was taken bowing to the UN decision. We know that the foundation of capitalistic imperialism lies on shamelessness. It is preaching this life code by all means like cinemas, advertisements, internet, channels, art etc. The only powerful medium left is education. Destabilizing the holy institution of family is also an agenda of the imperialist forces. For this purpose, the education is going to be utilized. To combat AIDS, its not sex education that the Govt. should provide, but moral education. Imparting sex education to the young students is like arousing hunger and then delaying food. It will generate disease not cure. The text book which is going to be taught consists of things like practical knowledge of sexual... The pictures of different sexual parts of the body will be demonstrated in the class room. In the teachers guide, it is mentioned that there may be incidence that students shout out the colloquial names of certain organs. Dont feel bad! Just correct them!!! And there is an exercise where the students eyes will be covered by a piece of cloth and the teacher (may be male or female) will slowly touch the student (may be male or female) and ask him/her whether it is a good touch or a bad touch & whether member in the family touches like this. (This is a clear permission to the teacher to do anything to the student). Education on sex is not something which should be taught to living thing. It is as natural as a new born baby sucking milk from the breast of its mother. Due to strong protests, the Governments of Kerala and Gujarat have decided boldly that it will not permit this to be taught in the state.
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loss of employment to people who are dependent on the industry. Some of such industries have taken recourse to smuggling and selling Chinese made goods to sustain themselves. In 2004, very few customers were actively outsourcing IT functions to China. Today, six per cent of the customers in the U.K. and U.S. say that they are in China. When looking at where the outsourcing leaders of the next three to five years are likely to come from, whilst the U.S. and India remained the most popular choices, there is now significant interest in emerging markets, such as China. In 2004, only eight per cent of customers were expected to establish outsourcing operations in China over a three to five year period. Today, this number has grown to 40 per cent. Customers feel that the cost of sourcing work from China is lower than from India.
Arguments against the topic The Chinese manufacturers do not seem comfortable with products made using flexible manufacturing systems, complex industrial engineering, dependent multiple vendors or products requiring customization. Though the Chinese products are priced low, they may not be of reliable quality. So quality still seems to be an issue with Chinese manufacturing industry. The Chinese challenge needs to be addressed strategically. One option is to shift the production base to China, as Ajanta Clocks is now doing. Wipro and TCS are scouting for software partners in China. Indian companies have to follow the true principles of globalization sourcing parts from wherever it is cost-effective, brand and sell it worldwide. As India has been very strong in some industrial sectors such as the pharmaceutical sector, Ranbaxy and Dr Reddys Labs moving up from intermediates to bulk substances to branded generics to new drug delivery system and finally to drug discovery where the ROI (return on investment) is the highest, we need to maintain the same momentum. Only a few world class firms compete at the upper end of the market. There is no immediate threat to India from China in the short term till Beijing overcomes hurdles including proficiency in English language and the highly fragmented nature of the Chinese IT industry. Without adequate scale, Chinese players are unlikely to attract top international clients. Besides, there are lingering concerns about Beijings ability to tackle Intellectual Property protection disputes though it has set up IP tribunals in various courts manned by judges with IP expertise.
We can sum up this discussion by putting forward the point that threats to each other can be neutralized by acting together and become a huge power in the world. Let the dragon and the elephant dance together and not be separated by a Chinese wall, wrote Amit Mitra, secretary-general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, in The Times of India, in a call for a more level playing field on trade.
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