World Cup 2015- (Dissecting the Chances of Indian Team)

Source: rediff.com

White Hat- Facts and Figures
By- Erick Massey

The stage is all set for the biggest extravaganza in the world of cricket and yet again it is team India, One of the hot favorite team and the defending champions in the battle for the biggest title. The title ‘Defending champions’ is sufficient to explain the responsibility that the champions have.

We are aware of the fact that team India has done exceptionally well and there has always been that one player who has emerged in these battles as a savior for the team be it Yuvraj , Sachin , Sehwag or the captain cool dhoni but since it’s not a one-man show, all eyes are on the  entire batting and bowling department.

India has always been resilient which we have witnessed in previous world cup and other series and that is when a new start emerges with stupendous performance with the bat or with the ball.

The other thing is the record of certain players have been good in these fast and bouncy pitches that they will encounter in days to come but the other thing is the team now has been in that condition for a while now and is aware of all the odds and evens of these track.

The absence of experienced players like sachin, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir is a point of concern as it would be mere a gamble to just hit the field with new comers who have not been into such conditions much, so the nerves would be tight definitely, However the captain knows well how and when to use his resources which we have witnessed in his entire career which has been instrumental in the making of Kohli, Jadeja, Ashwin and Rohit Sharma.

The bowling department looks meek but once the ball starts swinging it is enough to take the stumps off the ground. The same has been the case with bowling and now we have a fresh spinner in the form of axar patel.

The temperament of the team is balanced with aggression and calmness in equal amount, attainment of which is enough to destruct the opposition.

  

Yellow Hat- Optimism/Support
By- Raza Naqvi

The performance of the Indian Team in the recently concluded Test Series does not inspire much confidence. The triangular series that is currently on was billed as one final opportunity to get used to the conditions in Australia in a format that the team is more suited to. However, the performance that has surfaced will worry the Indian fans, and concerns will be raised about the team’s competence to defend the world cup title.

The Achilles heel of the Indian Team has always been the extra bounce that is a common phenomenon on the Australian pitches. This new team has showed enough credentials to handle this enigma with aplomb, but then will this promise be translated into results. The solace that the team and the fans can garner is that India will play their matches in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. The history of these venues can offer comfort to the batsmen, as apart from Perth, no other surface is conducive to too much bounce.

The sudden retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from test cricket did raise many eyebrows, and many rumours were flying everywhere, speculating a rift in the team. He is back leading the team in one format he excels in, and the urge to prove his detractors wrong might instil in him one final push towards glory. Moreover, Sydney and Adelaide aid spinners and Dhoni becomes a different captain when it comes down to handling spinners. Expect a rejuvenated Dhoni, and this augurs well for the team.

The advantage that the team also carries is that it is not going into the competition as strong contenders considering the conditions, and this often pushes any team to scale that extra yard. All predictions and presumptions will cease once the team takes on the field, and this bunch of young Turks, have sown considerable mettle to fight on, and hopefully the fight becomes synonymous with victories. 
Bring home the cup boys!!!

Black Hat- Criticism
By- Manish Pathak

The defending champions are heading into the World Cup with a heavy cloud dangling over their head. The chance to defend their crown seems to be as frail, as the chances of searching a needle in a haystack.

The tag that the Indian team has carried for a long time now of being pussycats abroad has only assumed a more significant proportion considering the trail of disastrous performances the team has dished out in the recent past.

Even after spending close to three months in Australia, the failure to cope with genuine pace and bounce is a serious worry, and the application shown by the batsmen to rise and play the bouncing ball is also not very encouraging.

The bowling attack appears to be toothless. The lack of any genuine wicket taker, and also the infuriating tendency of the bowlers to present boundary hitting deliveries almost every over is appalling. Wickets have to be earned at the International level, and few good balls, followed by loose deliveries never allows pressure to be mounted on the batsman.  This has been a long tour, and the issue of burnout, particularly for the bowlers, is also a case for concern. Death bowling has always been the Achilles heel, and the trend the bowlers have been showcasing all but confirms the apathy for Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Slip catching assumes great significance in conditions conducive to fast bowling, and this particular department does leave a lot to be desired. Catching in the slips is a specialized job, but the Indian team has played musical chair to allot positions, which has resulted in multiple catches being grassed.

Most of the teams, have almost settled into a team they will play in the World Cup. India meanwhile is still tinkering with their options. The extended lean trot of Shikhar Dhawan has created a gaping hole right at the beginning. Rohit Sharma has an injured hamstring, and the experiment to send Virat Kohli at number four, revels the humongous problems the team is facing at the cusp of a World Cup.

Barring Virat Kohli, R.Ashwin, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni, no other player has the experience of playing in a World Cup. Lack of experience will impede the already flawed chances. Bowling remains the major worry, but the batting collapses and the inability to cope with genuine pace is also aggravating the concern.

Defending the Cup seems like a far-sighted dream, for there are too many question marks lingering, and the cupboard of answers is empty.

Green Hat- Creative Solutions
By- Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi

With the teams arriving the final phase of their planning for upcoming World Cup, defending champions India is one of the favorite to win the game's showpiece event. Back to back world cup win will be a nice mile stone for this young team.

No matter how strong teams like South Africa, Australia, England may be, with all their pace bowlers alternatives and bench strength, the Indian team, under MS Dhoni, has to show as always, like some trick roll up its sleeve, particularly in the one day international formats. He himself is one of the best finisher of world and strong leader in the shorter forms of the game, so he has to use full potential to win the title.

With one of the world's best limited overs batsman Kohli and captain like Dhoni together in the side, the batting looks very proficient. Players like Rohit, Raina and Rahane can always chip in with match-winning contributions and the concluding batsman already have enormous limited-overs capability and the performances too. With Ashwin and Jadeja, you have two players who can bat really well sometimes and not letting the opposition batters get away, most of the times. The pace department has to show consistently intimidating performance when we have bowlers like Yadav, Ishant, Shami and Bhubaneswar.  They have to read the pitches and bowl according to situation like using of bouncers, variation on pace etc.

Ground fielding is going to play a vital role in this world cup; youngsters like Jadeja, Binny and a couple more will enthuse the fielding department too, it will help the bowlers and become difficult to score for opponent batsman. We have to improve our slip catching technique, which is also an important factor in bouncy tracks, especially on pitch of Perth.

Blue Hat- Expert Interview
By- Namit Hans

Devang Gandhi, Former test cricketer, Commentator in on-going Ranaji trophy

Q.) What are the chances of Indian team in world cup 2015?

Ans) I think the team has a good chance. Let’s not go by what happened in the recently concluded series. It has been a long tour and I think players will get ample opportunity to regroup and refresh before the first match against Pakistan. I think it is a well-balanced side and they have to give a collective effort and it can’t be a one man show.

Q.) The team does not have any senior or experienced faces like Sachin or Yuvraj this time. How will this affect the team's performance?

Ans) I think Sachin’s retirement was already on the card and yuvraj has not been in a good form lately. Indian team has to come to terms with the fact that Sachin cannot be there in the team forever and also the team has won the champions trophy in his absence. They will definitely be missed but the team has moved on.

 Q.) Dhoni retired from test format recently which sparked controversy. Do you think it will affect his captaincy during the world cup?

Ans) I don’t think it will affect his captaincy at all because it was just one format which he did not want to play and so he retired from it. So far as the controversy goes, people will always speculate different things in our country and I don’t think it is going to bother Dhoni. In fact, his captaincy is going to be burden free and perhaps he will perform much better this time.

 Q.) Australian pitches are known for their bounce. Does Indian batting and balling line up have the capability to adapt to these situations?

Ans) The team has done well in the test series. Even though they did not do well in the one day series but playing against Australia is never easy. Also, the gap of four five days will give them a break from the game and they will be able to mentally adapt to the situation before the tournament starts. It is going to be a challenge of mental adaptation.

 Q.) Any personal comments or views? Please share.

Ans) They are the defending champions and the expectations are going to be high. As a former cricketer I can assure that the team will give its best to win.

Red Hat- Public Opinion
By- Prateek Kumar

 Uma Banerjee, Student, Delhi University

Q.) What does world cup mean to you?

Ans) Living in country where cricket is transformed into a religion, people are waiting to see their team win and bring back the title. People have already started mentioning about cricket in their daily prayers. Hence not only me but the whole nation is waiting for India’s victory.

Q.) Who according to you is a better captain, Dhoni or Kohli?

Ans) Dhoni is good as a captain and Kholi as a player. The question of Dhoni’s retirement is popping up in media for quite a long time resulting in many controversies. But experience matters and you can’t choose Kholi over Dhoni as a captain. Maybe after world cup, but for the time being Dhoni is the only option.

Q.) Selectors chose young brigade over top guns. What according to you should be the ideal team?

Ans) The decision of including young guns in the team cannot be perceived as mere experimentation, it is the place earned by the promising young cricketers to face the fierce battle in the arena.

Sahil Kashyap, Writer, Mumbai

Q.) What according to you are the major advantages for the Indian team in upcoming world cup?

Ans) One of the biggest advantages that our team has is that they have been playing in Australia since the beginning of this year, so now they might be familiar with weather and pitch conditions which might help their bowlers to perform better.

Q.) Is the selected squad capable enough to defend the title?

Ans) While some might call it a gamble, the fact remains that the heroes of the world cup 2011 such as Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan have not been able to clear the acid test and could not make it to the final list. But still the caliber of selected players is good enough to play oversees and win the series.

Q.) What are your expectations from the team?

Ans) Indian selectors have chosen the best possible squad they could, even if it lacks experience. The team of 15 players is strong enough to tackle the situations and defend the title under the captaincy of M.S. Dhoni, ignoring the fact that masters like Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag have been overlooked.

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Introduction:

Erick Massey, 23, Graduate in B.Sc from Delhi University,  Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Raza Naqvi, 21, Graduate in Business Administration from Gauhati University, Former Journalist at Hindustan Times, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Manish kumar Pathak, 23, Graduate in electronic engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Worked in Mitsubishi electric automotive India, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi, 22, Graduate in Sociology from Behrampur University, Pursuing Diploma in Odiya Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Namit Hans, 23, Graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Former Gandhi Fellow at Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Prateek Kumar, 23, Graduate in English Literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal 

Charlie Hebdo Attack- (dissecting the freedom of expression controversy)

Source: Google

White Hat- Facts and Figures
By- Namit Hans

Eleven people were shot dead when two terrorists entered into the office of French satirical magazine ‘Charlie Hebdo’ on January 7th. The attacks came in response to the alleged offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad printed in the magazine on regular intervals. Later on Al Qaeda’s branch of Yemen took responsibility of the attacks and claimed that it was done to avenge the insult of their prophet.

The whole world came together to show their solidarity for the victims and advocate the freedom of expression which is granted to every individual by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The article 19 of the declaration states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

However, every country/state has a number of strict defamation and privacy laws to restrict the freedom of expression, such that it does not reach a limit of offending someone which may in turn lead to a situation of social unrest. The Charlie Hebdo magazine has faced several attacks in the past including the 2012 bombing which happened after the magazine published a series of nude caricatures of the prophet. However, the magazine has been printing satirical cartoons which are related to different faiths apart from Islam.

We have seen similar reluctance for any speech or expression in the past which hurts the religious sentiments of people. A fatwa was issued against Sir Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini, a spiritual leader of Iran in the year 1989 after his book ‘The Satanic Verses’ was published in the year 1988. Similarly, Sir M.F. Hussain was forced to leave India in the year 2006 following death threats from Hindu right wing groups like V.H.P. in response to a nude painting of ‘Bharatmata’ made by him.

The incidents involving pulping of the book ‘Hindu’ by Wendy Doniger and all the controversy related to it, is still fresh in the minds of Indian populace. Before the lethal attacks on Charlie Hebdo, legal cases were also filed against it in the year 2007 by the grand mosque of Paris as an act of protest and resistance. Should the freedom of speech be absolute or not; the question remains.

Black Hat- Criticism
By- Saloni Saini

La liberté d'expression, French translation of freedom of expression, is one of the most commonly misemployed phrases in today’s time. Freedom of expression is vital for a progressive society but it cannot be used as a guard while mocking societal sentiments.

Every country has its own version of freedom of speech and expression with certain restrictions and exceptions, which keep colliding time and again. But this doesn’t give anybody a right to invade into a person/society’s religious, political or personal inclinations. One should respect that these limitations are mainly to keep the social harmony intact, violation of which may cause friction among different communal groups.

Advocating regulations on freedom of speech and expression, Pope Francis said, “If anyone says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch.” This simply means that no freedom is absolute to the point of its abusage. There needs to be a limit to which you can hamper one’s faith and belief.

The barbaric terror attack on French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo doesn’t even deserve a justification. However it is the responsibility of various media houses to draw a clear line of demarcation on what is acceptable and what is not. Charlie Hebdo repeatedly lampooned particular religious groups, which landed the magazine amidst controversy time and again.

One of the immediate aftermaths of this attack could be seen from the very fact that its publication 

increased to a colossal 7 million copies from a mere 60,000 copies. This was its commercial interest taking over its other occupational interests, either towards the society or its employees.

Liberalization cannot be used as an excuse to cause repugnance to a particular societal group, be it Islam or Judaism. If propagating a particular religion with a motive to influence the masses is considered erroneous, then maligning it through means of writings or creations also cannot be justified. This bigoted act by Charlie Hebdo is a classic example of misuse of freedom of speech and expression. It is such blasphemous acts which force us to circumscribe the fourth estate’s liberty of expression, for peaceful coexistence.

Yellow Hat- Optimism/Support
By- Prateek Kumar

Freedom of an individual is among one of the most pivotal right rendered to portray their thoughts and expressions to others through any medium. Freedom of expression is a keystone of democratic rights and individual’s freedom, as it upholds the public participation in decision-making and enables democracy to work properly.

The recent argument developed on the overcast incident of Charlie Hebdo has created a mark of criticism on the legal aspects of every nation and on their constitutional amendments of press. The depiction of Prophet Muhammad in their satirical cartoon is not justified enough to be forgiven which provoked a particular section of Muslim community to commit such a heinous offence with an aid of some Islamic extremists. But on the other hand, by holding the dynamism of free speech, one can help other people to know more about their government and religion.

Honesty and maturity are the terms to define freedom of speech. Charlie Hebdo in recent times became the symbol of free speech not only in France but across the globe. For some, the pictorial representation of Muhammad was vilified and racist, and for the others it was a mode of denouncing religious biases of the society. It is the most powerful weapon in the hands of every individual and should be used free as a bird if it is not vindictive and vicious. If someone’s religious or national sentiments are harmed though the publication of any impromptu representation, shooting and creating violence is not a solution.

The idea of freedom is multifaceted and it has always been protected and redefined by every other generation. Moreover, the value of freedom can only be understood by those who are educated and developed understanding of human nature.

Therefore freedom of religion, press and expression are equally important because an unquestioning monoculture leads to inaccurate ideas and also because it gives people an opportunity to think and say whatever they want and there’s rarely a good enough reason to neutralize that. Freedom of expression can also control the state authorities implemented by the society and to the maintenance of self-controlled society, which is required in the democracy.

Green Hat- Creative Solutions
By- Saba Fatmi

The act of killing is a condemnable act without any second thought but the act of denouncing somebody or explicitly any religion in an offensive manner also needs to be scrutinized. The recent Paris carnage compels us to rethink, what actually went wrong? Freedom of expression is a right given to its citizens by every country through their constitutional rights and globally this right is given by International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The guidelines are clearly described about what should be done and what not. But the need of the hour is to take stringent steps for the violations of these rights. If an individual violates these rights, it can be constrained easily but these violations by media organizations can lead to precarious situations.

Every country has a different set of laws; be it societal or religious, which deviate from the other. But when an act done in one country affects the other, then that should fall into the global arena, for which universal supervision should be sought. A universal body should be composed which not only just put forwards the parameters but also incorporates laws which cannot be violated and if violated, it should be perilous for the violator.

Freedom of expression should not be curbed in any circumstance as it brings transparency and precision in front of the world wholly. Whosoever tries to put forward his or her opinion should be safeguarded, especially media personnel who are morally and ethically bounded to do their duty.

Beholding all these aspects, a universal body should be set-up which comprises of representatives from each country and religion. If the freedom of expression is violated by media, it should have code of conduct which bans or puts censorship upon them and if any terrorist activities take place then the body should also be backed by military reinforcement to restrict terrorists from creating disharmony among the masses.

The contemporary state of affairs also necessitates amendment in regards to blasphemy laws. The fourth state as gatekeepers should themselves put a check and try to re-evaluate before disseminating the information as freedom of expression should be used to uplift understanding among religions. These steps do not suffice but it will definitely act as a catalyst foreseeing the present scenario.

Blue Hat- Expert Interview
By- Erick Massey

Rev Fr Jais Assariparambil, Catholic Archdiocese Of Delhi

Q) Do you think there should be any restriction to the freedom of expression?

A) The right to express oneself should be respected without any restriction. A person’s right to express his opinion does not depend on to the extent to which his view is shared by others. If we look at the society these people have played a significant role in not only entertaining people but also make them to think and have a critical outlook of the society. Freedom of expression should be respected to develop a sophisticated structure in a constructive manner. Having said this, freedom should also not be expressed at the cost of national integration or communal harmony. When one makes use of his freedom with political or religious agenda it becomes not a means of construction but destruction. So theses philosophies have to be guided by certain principles and guidelines set down by a body of experts.

Q) Do you think the repetitive satire from Charlie Hebdo was justified?

A)People have every right to critique ideologies, lifestyle religions etc. but it has to be done within the periphery of constructive development of the society. In this case, Charlie Hebdo took a risk and paid for it. Ideas beliefs and concepts should always be subjected to scrutiny, scepticism and be tested to see whether they stand up to parody, satire and ridicule. Ridiculing others religion is no way justified but death is definitely not a justification for such an act. The author of life is God and he alone can have authority over the life of anyone.

Q) Should there be any regulation on writing against sensitive issues like religion?

A)Religious criticism has a long story as it goes as far as the 5th century BCE in ancient Greece with Diagores of Melos. Criticism of religion is complicated by the fact that there exist multiple definitions and concepts of religions in different culture and language. When one writes or expresses ones thinking and ideas of any particular religion, he has to take in account the feeling and sentiments attached to it. Critique of something will bring out the best in it. But there should be a gap between a critique and a ridicule.

Q) What measures should be taken to avoid the suppression of freedom of expression?

A)I would say that human beings are fallible. Today I might suppress a view, tomorrow it might be turned out to be the truth. In early century the Church authorities accused Galileo Galilee as a committing a grievous offense. Today we know that who was right. Suppressing a purportedly false opinion we may in fact suppressing what the future will be shown to be true. It happened in the case Socrates. Those who engage in mistaken facts of suppression are often turned out to be sincere. The truth will survive the ordeal of suppression and has the intrinsic ability of ultimately triumphing over error. As I mentioned earlier a body comprising of experts from various disciplines of life can help the government in forming a set of principles and ethos which will help in expressing rather than suppressing.

Red Hat- Public Opinion
By- Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi

Ashok Sahu, Retd. IPS officer, cuttack

Q1.In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks, there is widespread condemnation of Islam. Is Islam responsible for the attacks? Are we misdiagnosing the problem here?

Ans- In the Charlie Hebdo terror the motive behind the mayhem was revenge against the free manner in which cartoons were drawn reflecting Islamic practice of Jihadist. The terrorists claim to be inspired by their faith, Islam. So, by diagnosis Islam is said to be preaching violence in the name 'Allah' and it is affirmed by the ISIS Jihadists.

Q2. Promoter of the Charlie Hebdo brand of humour and satire sees the need to share and endorse the culture of “Free speech.” What is your view?

Ans- Freedom for speech and expression is not a license to say anything one likes. It has to be exercised with restraint so that your neighbour feels free to co-exist with a sense of dignity. His freedom is limitation on your freedom and vice versa.

Q3. Blasphemous cartoons with a sexual theme are not new in the Europe. Is this a compromise of power, with voices in the west using the terror attacks to channelize their collective anger against Islamic fundamentalism?

Ans- Radical Islamic fundamentalism is fanaticism, which preaches intolerance and adopts terrorism as an instrument to silence criticism and dissent. It should be condemned and shunned collectively. It is against mankind as a whole.

Q4.As an Indian, what is your perspective on this tragedy?

Ans- As an Indian, I condemn this tragedy and urge all civilized nations to join together to fight against terrorism, which is the biggest threat ever to democracy and the peaceful survival of the mankind as a whole.

Shaikh Afsha, works for an NGO, Banglanatak.com, Delhi

Q1. How do Charlie Hebdo attack and free speech match up?

ANS- Before the attack it was the cartoonist freedom of speech to express their thoughts on Islam but then the attack proves the freedom of speech of the group who could see their religion getting insulted.

                                                  

Q2.Cartoonists who deliberately insult religion, how should we protect against it  instead of attack upon them?

ANS-It will be sad to ban on cartoonist’s freedom of speech and expression. Cartoonist needs to self-realize the limit of their freedom which is not to hurt the sentiment of religious people. Instead of attacking, we just need to ignore them. By attacking them they will get more attention of the world.

Q3. Religion is a sensitive issue. Do you think there's need of censorship on media before publish anything controversial?

Ans- No need of it.

  

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Introduction:

Namit Hans, 23, Graduate in Economics from Delhi University, Former Gandhi Fellow at Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Saloni Saini, 23, Graduate in Mass Communication from GGSIP University Delhi, Former intern at Indo-Asian news Service and ABP news, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Prateek Kumar, 23, Graduate in English Literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Saba Fatmi, 22, Graduate in Economics from Jamia Milia Islamia Delhi, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Erick Massey, 23, Graduate in B.Sc from Delhi University,  Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Sanjay Kumar Bissoyi, 22, Graduate in Sociology from Behrampur University, Pursuing Diploma in Odiya Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

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NITI Ayog- (Dissecting the Change and its Impact)

Source: Business Standard

White Hat- Facts and Figures
By- Vibha Maru

With the beginning of New Year, Yojana Bhawan witnessed a new look as the current government introduced the NITI Aayog (national institute for transforming India) replacing the 65 years old Planning Commission. The Prime Minister will head the Aayog and has appointed Arvind Panagariya, Asian Development Bank’s former chief economist to be the first Vice chairperson. Former Planning Commission Secretary Sindhushree Khullar has been appointed as chief executive 

of the newly formed Aayog.

The basic difference between planning commission and its restructured version is that it is just an authorized body to recommend suggestion to state and central governments but has no power to allocate funds, apparently that lies under financial ministry now. Role of state government is more relevant in NITI Aayog as earlier it was limited to National Development Council and annual interaction during plan meetings. There are only two full time members, Shri Bibek Debroy, Economist and Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Former Secretary Defence R&D, whereas the last commission had eight full time members.

Planning Commission had no provision for part time members but Aayog has a number of part-time members, depending on the need from time to time. It comprises of two council, governing council which includes Chief Ministers of all the States and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories and regional council which will be formed for a specific time period to address specific issues affecting more than one state; it will be headed by the chairperson of NITI Aayog. Ex-official and special invites team includes members from the union ministry like Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and Smriti Zubin Irani.

The basic aim of the NITI Aayog is to empower rather than arrange all sorts of resorts. It is structured focusing on future Indian policies which should provide participation of people rather than providing them with just financial support. To promote that government has reduced its role in industrial and service sector it will rather focus on enabling legislation, policy making and regulation

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Black hat- Criticism

By- Prateek Kumar

National Institution for transforming India (NITI) Aayog or we may call it as a cosmetic relabeling exercise of the Planning Commission. Contribution of state governments is much more in NITI Aayog than in Planning Commission. Planning Commission was criticized for its ineffective policies that reflected a clear policy paralysis. But does it mean that NITI Aayog will not face the same problems.

The role of Planning Commission was not restricted in “planning” exercise, which could be seen as defective in present day.  Actually, Plan and capital expenditure are required. Every Finance Department is looking out for a reason to cut the Plan and capital expenditure in an effort to reduce deficits. Before every Union budget, planning commission was the only body that was lobbied along with Finance Department to safeguard the plans expenditure.  As Niti Aayog does not have that Part to play, the function of lobbying will be absent. By that vary fact; Finance Departments will now be free to rip off the Plans expenditure and annual financial support to the Plan.

Planning commission, down the ages have followed the formula based on Gadgill Mukherjee transfer methods such as Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), but who decide that Special category role, as NITI Aayog doesn’t have any part to play. With an aid of CSS, the money allocated to different states could be questioned on its rigidity and multiplicity as citizen knew where the whole amount was being spent on. But the new government has not only abandoned the existing Planning Commission but has also put an end to CSS. CSS now has been replaced with direct allocations to Central Ministries.

Earlier in Planning Commission developing bodies such as NDC for Secretariat function, Inter State Council and National Advisory Council were playing the role of so called think tank. But in NITI Aayog government have bundled all of these together, which have made it unwieldy and complicated.

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Yellow hat- Optimism/Support
By- Ayushman Kumar

The Planning commission has been abolished by the central government and it has been replaced by the NITI Aayog. This came as a surprise to many in the country but the central government has termed it as a move towards ‘effective governance’.

The newly formed NITI Aayog has been in controversy since it has been formed, the opposition has termed it as “old wine in a new bottle”. The planning process in India required greater decentralization of power and the inclusion of state views. These two things have been considered while making the new body.

The Aayog has been based on seven pillars of effective governance that includes being ‘pro people’ to fulfill the aspiration of society as well as individual, ‘pro activity’ to anticipate the needs of common man, ‘participation’ which includes the involvement of citizenry, to ‘empowering’ the women of the nation, ‘participation of all’ taking the minorities and weaker sections of the society that would include gaon, gareeb , kisaan, for providing the ‘equality’ to each citizen of the country, to bring the transparency in the government to make it responsive and transparent.

The Aayog aims at fostering the cooperative federalism which will encourage the state centre partnership. The formulation of plans in this Aayog will take place at village level where as the aggregation will take place at the higher level. The Aayog targets the village’s entrepreneurship by knowledge and innovations.

The Aayog’s innovation centers around bringing inclusive development with cooperation of central leadership and state bureaucracy which will give way to better national economic policies that would incorporate the national security interest.

The gap between the system and people has widened in the recent years due to the policies of central government and to bridge this gap the NITI Aayog will give special attention to those who have been alienated from the path of progress and section at risk of not benefiting from the economic progress.

The Niti Aayog would be using the state-of-the art resource centre for research on ‘good governance’, the agenda that gave the Bhartiya Janta party mandate to govern the nation.

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Green Hat- Creative Solutions
By- Arshad Khan

Scrapping 64 year old Planning Commission raised many eyebrows in nation. Ruling party said its time to move forward while opposition claimed that the present government has only renamed the commission.

One of the major drawbacks of Planning Commission was its opaque nature. It lacked transparency. Free from the clutches of RTI made it difficult for masses to know its efficiency. Making NITI Aayog transparent would not only curb corruption in its body but will increase participants of citizen. At present nothing is described of RTI in the Aayog.

At present the economy is subjected to a lot of fluctuations. Implementing any program for a long duration is nearly impractical. Heavy infrastructure work like construction of railways and roadways could be subjected to 5 year long duration but certainly not every plan. The policies that are formulated should be closely monitored and any time frame that is allotted should be closely scrutinized and a framework should be rolled out so that the implementation is monitored.

Ministries of important sectors should be included in the new body, namely defense, business and commerce, rural development. At present they are not ex-office chairperson of the Aayog. This would not only help to facilitate funds but will also increase valuable suggestions.

Most of the policies formulated in the Planning Commission were formulated by keeping the entire nation in mind. Ground realities of the states were somehow left in the policies. Many allegations are made that the Centre are biased to some states, particularly to same government states. NITI Aayog should be impartial to each state.

Appointment of Arvind Panagariya as the vice-chairman is truly a good step. He is globally known for his economic measures. Like him we need many think tankers, both in Centre and State. Think tankers present the real pictures of society, unlike politicians who only boost themselves. Their analysis is based on facts. At the end of the day the lesser the politics, the lesser will be the delay.

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Blue Hat- Expert Opinion
By- Ankit Chatterjee

Prof. Subir Ghosh, Former Journalist for ABP group and The Statesman, Founder faculty member of Mass Communication course in Jadavpur University, Kolkata

Q. How different is the Niti Aayog from the Planning Commission?
A. Planning Commission had served the country for a long number of years. People are familiar with its functioning, working and to some extent its philosophy.  Niti Aayog has been set up recently by BJP, just like the Congress had originally formed the Planning Commission. So there can be some radical changes of which people are still unaware of. Whenever one plans any planning commission, one reflects the prevailing political policies and philosophies of the party in power. Just like the Planning Commission had performed well and reflected socialistic patterns in its early days, I expect the Niti Aayog to be BJP's think tank for the coming years.

Q. Should the Planning Commission have been abolished?
A. I don't think the Planning Commission is abolished. What we have here is similar to old wine in a new bottle. The newly formed Niti Aayog is very much similar to the former Planning Commission. The basic functions still remain the same, the name has been changed.

Q. How has the media given coverage to this issue?
A. Media thrives on controversies and is expert in creating hype. Since, the Planning Commission was set up by the Congress and now it is replaced by BJP's Niti Aayog, there is a controversial angle. Nothing is more welcome to media than conflict, clash and issues.

Q. What can be the repercussions or advantages of the newly formed Niti Aayog?
A. It is too early to say so, as they have not yet started functioning. But one thing I am very sure of that is just like the Planning Commission had reflected the early idealism of Jawaharlal Nehru; similarly the Niti Aayog will also reflect the viewpoint of Narendra Modi's socio-economic philosophies.

Q. Anything else that you would like to add.
A. Yes. Whenever a new government comes to power, it has to deliver and while doing so it has to keep in mind that it has to do something that the former government didn't do. A new chapter needs to be started. Everything that the former government did was wrong and it is the duty of the newly formed government to make it right. This has been the philosophy of all the political parties of the country. It is rightly said that the taste of the pudding is only in eating, so only time will tell whether Niti Aayog will deliver better than the Planning Commission.

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Red Hat- Public Opinion
By- Bhaswar Kumar

Esha Taneja, MA English (Hons) DU, PG Diploma in ADPR from IIMC Delhi

                         
Q. What do you know about the newly instituted Niti Ayog?
A. Not a lot. I do know that it is meant to replace the Planning Commission and that will be used to ensure the creation more effective policies.

Q. In your opinion how is the Niti Ayog different from the Planning Commission?
A. So far I honestly cannot tell the concrete difference between the two. But from what I have read and seen through the news the Niti Ayog will have greater involvement from the states.

Q. Should the Planning Commission have been abolished?
A. I cannot answer this question for sure. We will have to wait and see how the new body functions and what it achieves in comparison to the Planning commission to find the answer.

Q. What do you think of the manner in which the media has covered this issue?
A. From what I have seen and read the media has not covered the issue in a way in which we common people can understand what the Niti Ayog is and does in layman terms. The media needs to explain this change to the people properly.

Asif Qureshi, Proprietor of a general store

Q. What do you know about the newly instituted Niti Ayog?
A. I know that it is meant to take over the functions of the Planning Commission and that our PM had promised a new system in the place of the new commission in his Independence Day speech.

Q. In your opinion how is the Niti Ayog different from the Planning Commission?
A. I cannot say what will be different exactly but I know its work and effect will be different from those of the Planning Commission due to the kind of people who will run it.

Q. Should the Planning Commission have been abolished?
A. I think it was time for it to be abolished, it had been there for many years but we didn’t see it achieve much really.

Q. What do you think of the manner in which the media has covered this issue?
A. The media did cover the issue but I don’t know whether it provided all the details that the people would have wanted to know or not. It seems like the media itself may not know a lot about the changes.

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Introduction:

Vibha Maru, 21, Graduate in B.Com (Hons.) from Rajasthan university, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Prateek Kumar, 23, Graduate in English Literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Ayushman Arun Kumar, 21, Graduate in Zoology from Odisha University for Agriculture and Technology Bhubaneswar, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Arshad Khan, 22, Graduate in Financial Accountancy from Calcutta University, Former intern in a brokerage firm, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Ankit Chatterjee, 22, Graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication from Amity University, Former Journalist at tadpoles.in, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

Bhaswar Kumar, 23, Graduate in English literature from Delhi University, Pursuing Diploma in English Journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal

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