March 16, 2024

Good morning. Every Saturday, we publish the results of polls from feature stories that were published the past week. We also give a brief overview of the topics that were discussed.

🗳️ POLL RESULTS – Week 166

🗓️ THE WEEK THAT WAS

Will the Bharat Rice scheme be effective?

Daily | 11 March 2024

The government was under pressure to ensure rice was available at an affordable price to the masses amid high inflation. Their latest move is to introduce Bharat Rice at a subsidised rate. While the timing is striking, considering it’s before the country goes to the polls, will the scheme actually work? Read more on this here.

Is Google’s billing policy for Indian app developers unfair?

Daily | 12 March 2024

For the past year, there has been a tussle between Google and the Indian startup and app developer community. It concerns billing or service fees companies pay to get listed and operate on Google’s Play Store. Google said several companies violated its policy by not paying a commission for in-app purchases. Is Google being too harsh with its Play Store policy? We discuss it here.

Will the National Credit Framework help the Indian education sector?

Daily | 13 March 2024

One interesting proposal for our education system is the creation of a unified credit accumulation and transfer system developed by the National Credit Framework (NCrF). The hope is this will give students and institutions the flexibility to adapt, formulate curricula, and choose disciplines based on necessity and interest. A credit system isn’t something synonymous with the Indian education system. So, will this work? Will it be a good thing? We unpack this here.

Should AI art be protected by copyright laws?

Daily | 14 March 2024

The art world is worth billions of dollars. People are inspired by artistic styles, techniques, and imagery and put their visions on canvas. If a person, any person, makes a piece of AI-generated art, can they claim copyright to it? Some artists believe they can. Others ask why such an important law should apply to something not conceptualised and made by a human. Find the debate here.

Do the new airline rules restrict the sector’s growth?

Daily | 15 March 2024

Indian pilots are tired. A pilot’s schedule is gruelling due to lengthy working hours and little rest. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to do something about it. It revamped its Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations to give pilots more rest and ensure they’re in good shape to fly. However, airlines are worried about the new rules. They say it could affect their operations and limit their ability to cater to increasing demand. More on this story here.