We The People

With the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's dogged attempt to regulate news, first with an order that was revoked by PM Narendra Modi and then with one focusing on online content regulation, the issue of "fake news" has started gathering steam in India. While countries like Malaysia and Singapore frame draconian rules to regulate fake news, India struggles to find the right balance. On this episode of We The People, we ask: is fake news an inescapable by-product of the Data Age? Who decides what constitutes fake news? Is fake news journalism's new biggest challenge?

A CBSE official suspended, two school teachers and a private tutor arrested in the CBSE paper leak scandal that has left lakhs of students worried and confused. On this episode of We The People, we ask: are these stopgap measures enough to rid the system of its inefficacies or are such leaks mere symptoms of larger problems plaguing India's education system? Is India's exam-centric education system that puts such high premium on marks at the root of the problem at hand?

There is no more powerful engine for economic growth than a young, gainfully employed workforce. But on the other hand, there is no greater catalyst for civil strife than jobless young people. A decade ago, nobody contemplated this latter possibility - India's youth, in comparison with an ageing West, China and Japan- was universally regarded as one of its biggest advantages. But today, after miniscule job creation in the last few years, some tough questions are being asked. On this episode of We The People we debate whether this is a structural problem? Is it the fault of the Modi government? Or are we simply not interpreting data correctly, and inventing a problem where none exists?

Passive euthanasia is now a legal reality in India. But this may just be the start of the road for one's 'Right to Die' as the issue continues to draw resistance from some quarters, be it religious, legal or even medical. On this episode of We The People, we ask: Who decides if a person drafting his or her 'living will' is of a 'sound mind' or not? Is the right to draft a living will a step towards death with dignity or will it unfairly end up pushing people who can't afford treatment to opt for death? Is a legal right to active euthanasia the natural next stop?

Twelve percent of India's women are single: some by choice, others by circumstance and the number is growing. On this episode of We The People, we ask: has the Indian society and family finally changed shape to accommodate 'the single woman'? Given that an increasing number of women are choosing to give birth at a later age, is the idea of a biological clock a mere myth? Do single women have it more difficult as compared to single men?

The BJP-led government which came to power on the promise of freeing the country of the corruption malaise was ironically rocked by an avalanche of scams in the past few weeks. To make matters worse, India slipped two places to 81 in the International Corruption Index taken out by Transparency International. On this episode of We The People, we ask: have the public institutions of the country failed to safeguard the people's money? Is a nexus between the corporate giants, the politicians and the banking institutions to blame? Is privatisation the solution for the deep rot that seems to pull down the Indian economic system time and again?

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat's statement claiming military-like discipline and the ability of the group to be combat-ready quicker than the army has caused a political storm with the army being the unwilling focus yet again. While the army chief had recently exhorted all political leaders to keep the military out of politics, the request seems to have fallen on deaf ears. While many BJP leaders have come to the RSS chief's defence, the Congress party has demanded that Mr Bhagwat apologise for the comment. On this episode of We The People, we ask: has the RSS statement betrayed military aspirations of the organisation? Is the BJP's defence of the RSS questioning the army's ability yet another political manoeuvre as the country moves closer to the election year?

Communal tension is a sad fact of life in India. It is also the subject of a new book written by a parent that shares what it is like to raise a Muslim child in India today. In this episode of We The People, we debate that if the most privileged children in India, with access to world-class educational resources and with highly educated parents, are not immune to the religious divide, then don't we have a serious social problem on our hands?

A Class 9 boy found dead in a school toilet, a school principal shot dead, a Class 1 boy stabbed by a senior girl - the last few weeks have jolted the conscience of the Indian society with the sheer number of crimes that have seen minors as perpetrators. On this episode of We The People, we ask: What has brought on this sudden spurt in juvenile crimes in the country? Have schools ceased to be the safe places for children where they must fear their own peers? What drives criminality in young minds? Is an increase in juvenile crimes symbolic of a systematic failure of the country's social structure?

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his maiden visit to Davos, talked about an India that promises peace, prosperity, health and wellness, back home the same India saw widespread violence including an attack on a school bus over the alleged dishonour brought to a mythical queen by the film "Padmaavat". On this episode of We The People, we ask: is the Indian society moving backwards? Has the film industry always been an easy target for cultural vigilantes? Why have the political parties kept mum about an issue that refuses to die down and continues to target innocent citizens?

Should one have the right to identify their own gender? This seems to be the main bone of contention when it comes to the recently introduced Transgender Persons Bill (Protection of Rights) 2016. The bill proposes that trans individuals be screened by committees to ascertain their gender identity. The bill has caused widespread protests across the country. On this episode of We The People, we ask: Who gets to decide what gender a person belongs to? Is screening individuals to ascertain their gender identity in line with their basic human rights? With no punitive mechanism in the bill against discrimination of transgenders in education, health, work, will the bill be yet another toothless piece of legislation?

For another year, NDTV's weekly talk show We The People held up a mirror to what Indian society thinks and feels. In a show that unfailingly captures the pulse of public opinion, the debate often turns its gaze inwards, forcing people to examine themselves. As the year comes to a close, we revisit 2017's most memorable debates on We The People.

Christmas carolers roughed up in Madhya Pradesh, a Christmas event disrupted in Rajasthan, schools warned against Christmas celebrations in Uttar Pradesh has prompted Christian groups in India to raise a safety alarm with the Union Home Minister. On this episode of We The People, we ask: what seems to have brought on this nervousness around Christmas celebrations? Do festivals like Christmas, that are celebrated across religions, warrant the fear of "forced conversions"? In a country that guarantees the right to practice any religion, is the space for that liberty shrinking?

From a senior Congress leader calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a 'neech aadmi' to the PM's own allegations of Pakistan's role in Gujarat elections, the Gujarat poll campaign has seen some of the most hateful political rhetoric in recent times. While the state of Gujarat will pronounce its mandate on December 18, on this episode of We The People, we ask: Is everything fair in a political war? Does the hateful discourse during campaign permanently malign the society's fabric or is the damage only short-lived?

According to a report, the richest 1% Indians possess 58% of all wealth in the country. With the country's growing income gap, the silver lining seems to be the deepening philanthropic streak in India's ultra rich; the Nilekanis being the latest addition to the list of Indian billionaires who have pledged a portion of their wealth for social betterment. On this episode of We The People, we ask: can the Indian rich help narrow down the widening inequality? Is philanthropy enough to push our development agenda without a streamlined structure and proper execution? Are CSR and inheritance tax feasible tools to help improve the way our resources are allocated?

A bill of Rs 16 lakh for dengue treatment in a case where the 7 -year-old patient eventually succumbed to the illness; a living newborn declared dead - cases of alleged wrongdoing or negligence at the hands of private hospitals in the last fortnight have again called into question the efficiency of India's healthcare system. On this episode of We The People, we ask: is it time the government increased public expenditure on healthcare, which, currently is much below the global average? Is public-private partnership the panacea that Indian healthcare has been waiting for? Between inadequate public healthcare and unaffordable private healthcare, where is the average citizen to go for health issues?

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court issued guidelines to curb the alleged misused of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code, meant to deal with cases of dowry-related abuse. While men's rights activists claim the law is a tool for extorting husbands and their families, women's rights activists feel the dilution of 498A will be an attack on gender justice. On this episode of We The People, we ask: Is 498A really the most abused law in the country? With no bankable data on the level of abuse of the said law, did the Supreme Court jump the gun with the July ruling? Will the top court, in its upcoming review of the law, be able to find a middle ground between the warring groups?

In October this year, a young Indian lawyer created and released on social media a spreadsheet where Indian women spoke up anonymously about unwanted advances from professors and older colleagues. It was a list of almost 60 academicians from 28 Indian colleges who have allegedly sexually harassed their students. A list where the names of the complainants were kept anonymous. This list of alleged sexual predators in Indian universities has circulated widely on the internet, creating a storm. On this edition of We The People, we ask, is this unvetted, crowd-sourced, public shaming online vigilantism? Is it a disrespect of due process and a setback to true accountability? Or is it is the last resort for unheard young women?

The Indian Medical Association has declared a public health emergency in Delhi. With a thick cloud of smog hovering over the capital city, the question of India's pollution crisis is back in focus. On this episode of We The People, we ask: with PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels much above the WHO safe levels in most Indians cities throughout the year, shouldn't the pollution issue be dealt with on an emergency footing across the year? With the Delhi government yet again pushing for its odd-even scheme despite no real success last year, has India run out of ideas to deal with this looming health crisis?

A year has passed since 86 per cent of all currency in India was declared invalid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Hailed as one of the most disruptive economic policies anywhere in the world, the practice has both supporters and serious critics. On this episode of We The People, we ask: if 99% of the demonetised currency is back in the system, where did the black money stock go? Can demonetisation and issuance of larger denominations of currency stop people from hoarding money illegally? From targeting black money to terrorism to pushing for digitisation, what indeed was the aim of the exercise which stopped the economy in its tracks also claiming multiple lives in the process?