December 16, 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 155

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🗓️ THE WEEK THAT WAS

Is Uttar Pradesh’s Safe City project draconian?

Daily | 11 December 2023

Uttar Pradesh is the most recent state to announce its ambitious Safe City project with phase 1. At the heart of it is to ensure there’s widespread surveillance of municipalities with thousands of CCTV cameras. The government sees this as the best approach to keep watch. However, is mass surveillance of this kind something people want or need? Would this help improve women’s safety at all? Read more on this here.

Was Mahua Moitra’s expulsion from the Lok Sabha justified?

Daily | 12 December 2023

The recent expulsion of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has caused an uproar. Not just about her expulsion but the proceedings that preceded it. The Lok Sabha’s Ethics Committee took the lead in investigating allegations that Moitra took money from a businessman to ask questions in Parliament, and recommended her expulsion. Was Moitra a victim of a Kangaroo court, or was the decision justified? We discuss it here.

Does ZestMoney’s fall spell trouble for the BNPL/fintech sector?

Daily | 13 December 2023

The Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) way of consuming is seen by many as a convenient way to buy things. ZestMoney is one company in this field. It was once valued at $450 million, and its prospects seemed promising. The company is shutting down at the end of this month and laying off 150 employees. Is this a symptom of a broader problem in the sector? Should other companies be wary? We unpack this here.

Is the Supreme Court’s judgement on Article 370 a blow to federalism?

Daily | 14 December 2023

Ever since the government decided to scrap Article 370, there has been a political firestorm between the government and the Opposition parties over how J&K is governed. The matter inevitably found its way to the Supreme Court, which finally had its say. It backed the government and said that J&K should be put on par with other states and called for state elections by September 30, 2024. The court contended that the state enjoyed special status despite not having “internal sovereignty”. Has the court’s decision set a bad precedent for federalism? Find the debate here.

Should Indian cities move away from Master Plans for urban planning?

Daily | 15 December 2023

One of the common tenets of Indian urban planning is a Master Plan. It’s a detailed guide to the future development of a city. It includes everything from water systems to housing to civic amenities. But given how our cities are measuring up to handle weather events and increasing population, have Master Plans overstayed their welcome? More on this story here.