Essays for IIM

As discussed in the update based on earlier Supreme court judgment [ Prakash Jha Productions vs Union of India] ,  ban has been lifted --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kamal Haasan's big-budget thriller 'Vishwaroopam' can finally release in Tamil Nadu, the Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday, rescinding a ban imposed on the movie last week by the state government. How quickly the film can start playing in theatres depends now on their availability. The government has said it will appeal against the verdict. In court on Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu government defended the ban it ordered just days before the film's scheduled release, citing the need to protect communal harmony after Muslim groups accused the film of portraying the community negatively. The government decided to hold the  Rs. s.  95-crore film for two weeks despite a clearance given by the country's censor board. The state's Advocate Ge...

Delegations from some 140 countries have agreed to adopt a ground-breaking treaty limiting the use of health-hazardous mercury. The world's first legally binding treaty on mercury will aim to reduce global emission levels of the toxic heavy metal also known as quicksilver, which poses risks to human health and the environment. The new treaty aims to reduce the production and the use of mercury, especially in the production of products and in industrial processes. Countries will be asked to sign the treaty next October in Minamata, Japan, in honour of the town's inhabitants who for decades have suffered the consequences of serious mercury contamination, the statement said. The adoption of the mercury treaty shows the vitality of international environmental politics and the will of states to together find solutions to world problems Mercury  is found in products ranging from electrical switches to thermometers to light-bulbs, to amalgam dental fillings and even facia...

Some IIMB essay topics in 2012 Time for thinking - 10 mins, Time for writing - 20 mins Essay - The young today, get so much too easily and in a short period of time and that is detrimental to their future. Essay Topic: Social networks like facebook are addictive and detrimental to society Essay Topic: Indian curriculum has less emphasis on sports/fitness Essay : Individuals are bound by social and political norms and cannot be truly free ,even in a democracy Essay : Strong opposition party is required for a good governance Essay : Hunger Strikes for a cause are now becoming a source of blackmail & coercion. Topic: Depiction of violence in media causes increased societal tolerance for violence. Essay Topic: Fears of global warming are exaggerated and are hindering progress Topic - As a society, we must adopt e-books over print books. Essay : The internet is an elite organization in a country where few people know how to make a phone call. Essay : The ...

Some IIMA WAT Topics in 2012 Essay Topic: Of all the inventions and discoveries in the world, which one would you have liked to do/ make and why? Topic: How social are social networks? Essay Topic: "The most inspirational person you have ever met" Essay Topic: Poverty and economic inequality in India Topic: How should India grow in the next 10 years? Topic: " Poor condition of health care in India" Essay : What explains the runaway success of Harry Potter books Essay : Preaching without Practice is an unhealthy habit Essay : Practice what you preach Topic: Common sense is a result of prejudice before age 18 Essay : Allowing people to vote on policy initiatives is the only way to weed out corruption. Essay : Sensationalism in media should be censored Topic: There is a deficit of trust between leaders of the world and people. Essay : Childhood lost in streets WAT Topic: Things should be as simple as it is but not simpler. Essay:...

With spiralling demand for gold draining huge amount of foreign exchange, government hiked the import duty on it from 4 to 6 per cent, a decision that immediately sent prices shooting up.Simultaneously, the government also raised the duty on platinum by a similar percentage from 4 to 6, as government appealed to the people to moderate their demand for gold. Shortly after news of the duty hike, gold prices shot up by Rs 315 to Rs 31,250 per 10 grams and markets sources say it may go up by Rs 700 per 10 grams in the short term. For the second time in a year, the import duty on gold has been hiked to check the spiralling trend of gold imports leading to a record current account deficit that has a cascading effect on various economic fronts including distorting the balance of trade. Prices would be a concern to the government if this prices was to impact inflation. Gold is not part of inflation index. If a part of gold lying in stock would be brought in circulation and w...

The Annual Status of Education Report -2012, published by Pratham, a community building organisation, shows a sharp decline in children’s reading levels over the last three years. This has raised serious questions about the RTE (the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education) that employed continuous and comprehensive evaluation of students, freeing them from the burden of exams through primary education. In most developed countries, whose model is followed by the RTE, primary education is free from the burden of exams.  What was meant to release the burden of stress from children has turned out to be releasing stress of the teachers. The ‘constant process of evaluation’ was treated by primary school teachers, in their parlance, freedom from the extra work of conducting exams. As a result, the study found that class V students were unable to comprehend a reading test for class II . Certainly, what the RTE meant was the students needed constant monitorin...

With only a few months left for the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan, President Barack Obama and Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai are showing signs of uneasiness. What should be the size of the US troops to be left for “training” and “assisting” Afghan security forces after July 2014? This question is worrying both Washington DC and Kabul.   After his recent talks with Karzai in Washington, President Obama reiterated that he was committed to the pullout of the 66,000 American soldiers and marines stationed in Afghanistan, but he wanted it to be a “responsible” move forward to protect “the gains the US troops have made”. One suggestion is that the US must retain between 3,000 and 9,000 troops in Afghanistan after 2014, whereas top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan Gen John Allen wants to retain as many as 15,000 troops to protect the US interests in the Af-Pak region. But will Obama be able to sell it to the war-wea...

  Acting on the Vijay Kelkar Committee recommendations, the UPA government has allowed the oil marketing companies to raise diesel prices from time to time till the pump price matches the market rate , which means wiping out the entire Rs 9.60 a litre subsidy on diesel, possibly in the next 10 months. Last September the government hiked the diesel price by Rs 5.63 a litre and invited protests. This time the price hike is in phases and is accompanied by some relief on cooking gas. The NDA government had decontrolled diesel prices in 2002 but buried the policy before the general election.  Why is the UPA government doing it so close to the elections? There are strong financial reasons. By selling oil below the cost price, the three government oil marketing companies have shown a combined operating loss of Rs 1,66,800 crore . By continuing with the existing subsidies, especially on oil, the government’s finances may go haywire, resulting in a possible rating do...

After posting impressive growth in the past few years, India-China bilateral trade declined by 10.1 per cent to USD 66.47 billion last year. According to the figures released by the Chinese Commerce Ministry, India's trade deficit mounted to USD 28.87 billion due to steady decline of export of iron ore. The deficit grew by USD 1.79 billion compared to 2011. The bilateral trade touched USD 61.74 billion in 2010 posting a high growth at 42.66 per cent followed by 19.71 per cent in 2011 with USD 73.9 billion. This is the first time in recent years the bilateral trade registered negative growth, which according to officials was in consistent with the decline in global trade. Indian exports to China declined by 19.6 per cent to USD 18.8 billion last year compared USD 23.41 billion in 2011 and USD 20.86 billion in 2010. Significantly China's exports to India, which in the past had a high volume of growth, declined by 5.7 per cent to USD 47.67 billion. China's exports tou...

The country’s headline inflation slowed to its lowest level in three years, hardening expectations for an interest rate cut by the RBI later this month to boost an economy that is set to post its slowest growth in a decade. The wholesale price index (WPI), India's main inflation indicator, rose an annual 7.18 percent in December , the slowest since December 2009 and below analysts' forecast of 7.4 percent rise in a Reuters poll. Wholesale prices rose 7.24 percent in November. The better-than-expected inflation data left most analysts debating not whether the Reserve Bank of India would cut interest rates at its policy review on January 29, but by how much. Following the inflation data, financial markets rallied in anticipation of an early rate cut. India's 10-year bond yield fell to its lowest in 29 months. The rupee strengthened against the dollar, while swap rates fell. The slowdown in the headline inflation was led by a moderation in the prices of fuel...

A well-written article in Hindu [http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/lead/overcome-by-a-sense-of-betrayal/article4307678.ece ] on the current problem facing the Indian system of governance. Major points are: Delhi rape protests show profound sense of betrayal. Democracy was meant to empower them while has done the opposite [Do not criticise democracy but the functioning of Indian democracy] Empowerment requires the rule of law. People feel empowered only when they know that they have rights, and that the institutions of government exist, first and foremost, to enforce them. The rule of law is, however, only another name for justice. Empowerment therefore requires justice. The bedrock from which the anger that erupted on December 17 sprang is the denial of justice. In spite of being a democracy for 65 years, the Indian state has not been able to create something that people value even more than material benefits: a just society. According to the National Crime Records Bureau’s annu...

The ongoing cross-border tension took a new turn as Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne spoke of “other options” to ensure compliance of peace along the Line of Control (LoC) even as Pakistan did not respond to a call for a flag meet to de-escalate tensions.  Upping the ante, Browne termed the ceasefire violations by Pakistan (117 last year) as “unacceptable” and in a way warned the western neighbour that India was being forced to look at “some other options for compliance” if incidents of ceasefire violations continued. The Air Chief is chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, a body that has all the three Chiefs of Services. Pakistan had not responded to India’s call for a Brigadier-level flag meet till 8 pm on Saturday evening to de-escalate cross-border tension. Normally, a time-frame of 48 hours is acceptable for a response. This period will lapse on Sunday morning, i.e 13 Jan 2013. NAK Browne’s remarks could set the tone of this skirmish o...

A committee appointed by the Supreme Court has suggested nationalisation of fair price shops run by private parties for the distribution of subsidised food items. The suggestion can be faulted on many grounds.  First, the committee, headed by Justice D.P. Wadhwa, has proposed judicial encroachment on executive territory. Let the government decide how best to provide subsidised food to the poor. Judges’ expertise on legal matters does not extend automatically to how best to feed the poor.  Secondly, if fair price shops are “epicentres of corruption” where shop owners, transporters, corrupt officials and politicians join hands to cheat the public, then what is the guarantee that government-run shops would not become the same?  Even the suggestion that fair price shops should be run by state corporations, panchayati raj institutions, cooperative societies and women self-help groups is impractical as they may not have the required expertise, i...

Although the prospects for most of the euro zone’s periphery[ i.e so called Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland ] remain dark, there is a glimmer of hope in the west. By the end of 2013 Ireland could leave its bail-out programme and stand on its own feet again. An Irish recovery would provide a boost for Europe and its de facto leader, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, as much as for Ireland. It would show that the controversial treatment of austerity and structural reforms imposed as the price of bail-outs can work . It would reassure the electorates of core Europe, especially German voters who go to the polls in the autumn, that rescues do not condemn them to a never-ending call upon their taxes, as seems to be the case with Greece. And a sustained return by Ireland to the bond markets would boost confidence more generally, helping other bailed-out economies such as Portugal and Spain. Unlike the struggling countries o...