Debate - Can direct democracy be implemented on a larger scale?    Can direct democracy be implemented on a larger scale? Representative democracy has its own limitations. Especially in developing nations such as India where corruption is a big problem, does direct democracy help to weed out corrupt politicians from the system? In India, 30% of all elected Members of Parliament have criminal cases filed against their name. The problem is even more prominent when there is a coalition government with no party getting absolute majority.

Intellifive - 5 new endangered bird species in India    India’s list of endangered birds added 5 new species to its list (The Great Slaty Woodpecker, Black-chinned Laughingthrush, Great Knot, Grey-headed Bulbul and the Japanese Quail) taking the count to a total of 154 bird species. Globally too, 1,240 species are considered threatened with extinction (in the categories of Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable). An additional 838 species are considered near-threatened and four are extinct in the wild, making a total of 2,082 species that are urgent priorities for conservation action. For the fellow bird-watchers, this is some information on the 5 species.

Debate - Should valuation of environment be a part of measurement of economic growth?    Should valuation of environment be a part of measurement of economic growth? Is Green GNP a necessity in the modern world? While India and China, the two major economies growing at a rapid rate has helped millions to come out of poverty, it has also impacted the environment in a big way. Mega power plants emitting ash into the environment, thousands of new factories are being built every year, millions of new cars on the road, thousands of miles of new roads on forest and farm land. Is sustainable GDP growth the only way forward?

Debate - Is increased government spending the only way out of recession?    When the economy goes into recession, thousands of people lose their jobs and also corporate profits decline. This reduces both the income tax and corporation tax flow to the government. Because of high unemployment, there is increased use of government programs such as social security benefits. In this given situation, is it prudent for governments to increase their spending causing the deficit to spiral, thereby affecting the sovereign debt rating, and in turn causing further damage to the economy? Should not monetary policy actions such as quantitative easing, increased business lending, and reducing the interest rates be enough to stimulate the economy? Or is increased government spending the only way out of a recession?

Intellifive - Better use of huge foreign exchange reserves    Foreign exchange reserves are foreign currency deposits and bonds held by central banks and monetary authorities, but also includes foreign exchange and gold, SDRs and IMF reserve positions. In a flexible exchange rate system, official international reserve assets allow a central bank to purchase the domestic currency to stabilize the value of the domestic currency if need arises. China tops the list with nearly $2.5 trillion, Japan with $ 1 trillion, Euro zone - $ 700 billion, Russia - $ 450 billion, Taiwan - £ 350 billion, while Brazil, South Korea, India, Hong Kong and Switzerland have in excess of $ 250 billion. Other than the risk of foreign currency devaluation against their own currency, it is also a huge risk to hold such large reserves in fewer asset classes such as US government federal bonds. How can such large reserves to better use and to stimulate jobs and income?

Debate - Corporate profits and employment or ecosystem?    Should forests be cleared for mega industrial projects to generate employment? Deforestation affects the ecosystem and also contributes to global warming. It also affects the livelihood of tribals living in those areas and displaces their whole community. Recent projects such as the bauxite mining project of Vedanta Resources in India have come under the scanner, while UK and Norway governments and many reputable NGOs have criticised the project. This whole issue was also the central theme of the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar. Are corporate profits and employment ahead of ecosystem in priority?