August 5, 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 136

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🗓️ THE WEEK THAT WAS

Is Amnesty International a credible voice on human rights?

Daily | 31 July 2023

From its humble beginnings in the 1960s to now, the group has expanded far and wide to call out leaders, personalities, and governments for their failings, deliberate or otherwise, on human rights. However, the group’s functioning and reporting have not exactly been controversy-free. Has the organisation lost its credibility as a human rights observer? Read more on this here.

IIM Amendment Bill – Enforcing accountability or diluting autonomy?

Daily | 1 August 2023

Last week, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan opened the government up to a litany of criticisms against its enlarged role in the management of B-schools. He introduced, in Parliament, an amendment to the IIM Act, proposing to make the President the Visitor of all IIMs. It would make the IIMs more accountable, claims the Centre. “To whom?” the critics retort. Will the Bill truly engender greater responsibility, or are such claims too tall to be true? We discuss it here.

Are local brands the future of India’s FMCG sector?

Daily | 2 August 2023

There’s safety in the known. That’s what big global Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies are primarily banking on as they try to keep loyal consumers and bring in new ones. All this while new local brands try to give them a run for their money. Is their success guaranteed in a crowded market? What’s the likely outcome of this proverbial David vs Goliath fight? We unpack this here.

Should the Union grant ST status to Paharis and Paddaris in J&K?

Daily | 3 August 2023

On July 26, the Centre tabled The Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023. It proposes to include Gadda Brahmins, Kolis, Paddari Tribe, and Paharis in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the union territory. But the Gujjars and Bakerwals are not happy. Their protest calls out the Centre for engineering vote banks. With both sides entering the identity assertion ballgame, is the Centre making the right move? Find the debate here.

Has the FAME scheme helped India’s electric mobility ambitions?

Daily | 4 August 2023

In India, the government’s all about going electric. Several cities have electric public transport. States spend thousands of crores trying to get the public to buy electric vehicles. The Centre is leading the way with the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles (FAME) scheme. It has been several years since it was introduced. Has it done the miles or failed to charge up? More on this story here.