March 31, 2023

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.

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🗳️ POLL RESULTS – Week 118

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🗓️ THE WEEK THAT WAS

Rajasthan’s Right to Health Bill: Pioneering or destabilising Indian healthcare?

Daily | 27 March 2023

On March 21, the Rajasthan Assembly passed the Right to Health (RTH) bill, becoming the first state to legislate the rights of patients to access equitable healthcare services. It could be a pioneering move that begets a domino effect from other states. However, public and private doctor associations like the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Private Hospital and Nursing Home Society (PHNHS), and United Private Clinics and Hospitals of Rajasthan (UPCHAR) are protesting it on several fronts. Read more on this here.

Purnesh Modi vs Rahul Gandhi: Was the Surat court’s verdict correct?

Daily | 28 March 2023

A Surat court sentenced Gandhi to two years in prison in a 2019 defamation case against him over his “Why all thieves have Modi surname” remark. The court observed Gandhi didn’t change his tune despite warnings from the Supreme Court. He was convicted under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). As the BJP celebrated and lauded the decision, others see it as a chilling verdict. We discuss it here.

Can municipal bonds improve Indian cities?

Daily | 29 March 2023

Municipal bonds are a way to ease the financial burden of local governments. Last month, corporate investors welcomed Indore Municipal Corporation’s (IMC) move to issue a green bond. The bond’s success begets an inquiry into whether they can save India’s ailing municipalities from their chronic cash crunch. We unpack this here.

Was scrapping the Muslim quota the right decision by the Karnataka government?

Daily | 30 March 2023

On March 25, the BJP-led government in the state scrapped the 4% reservation granted to Muslims under the 2B category in the OBC list. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Home Minister Amit Shah have passionately defended the move. The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) call the rollback unconstitutional. Find the debate here.

Is a moratorium on Artificial Intelligence models necessary?

Daily | 31 March 2023

Recently, Future of Life Institute published an open letter signed by over 1,377 Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts and industry leaders calling for a six-month pause on training AI systems more powerful than ChatGPT-4. While they argue that such a break is necessary for the responsible development of AI, other experts in the field find it impractical and something of an overhype. Find more here.