The arrest of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has once again thrown the spotlight on the drug menace in India. High-profile drug busts make for great headlines, but are we missing the forest for the trees? Drug use, especially among the youth, is a pervasive phenomenon. Does India's youth have a drug problem? Do we need to nip it at the source instead of focusing on the consumer?

We The People

Beyond Cruise Busts: Does India's Youth Have A Drug Problem?

Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by electricity, not fossil fuel. EVs have little or zero tailpipe emissions and are also more stable in case of collisions. However, there are few choices. The initial investment in EVs is steep and some governments do not provide subsidies. EVs are also not suitable for cities facing shortage of power. On the other hand, the service costs of fossil fuel vehicles increase significantly over the years while the fuel efficiency tends to decrease. Recently, a Bengaluru EV owner hauled his e-scooter to the 5th floor kitchen for charging. Efforts though, are being made to make up for lack of charging points. The world's highest EV charging station was installed in Himachal Pradesh's Kaza this month. Green mobility firms have also been demanding that GST on input components be reduced. The future is electric, we ask industry experts and EV users about the challenges ahead and what India needs to do.

Electric Vehicles: Driving A Green Future

The clamour against NEET refuses to die down. The only single-window exam for any medical college is mainly based on CBSE curriculum. However, there is large scale variation in syllabus of CBSE and state boards. Most coaching centres are in cities, rural and socially weaker sections are unable to afford coaching classes. Many minority institutions are unable to fill their seats due to centralised counselling. There have also been instances of question paper leaks. This month, Tamil Nadu registered three NEET-related suicides in a week. A high-level committee led by former High Court judge found that NEET skewed results in favour of English-medium students and that there has been a dip in proportion of rural students post-NEET. We ask aspirants, medical students and doctors about all the issues surrounding NEET and the way ahead.

No Neat Solution To NEET Nightmare?

In a watershed moment for the Indian Army, in a landmark decision this week, the Supreme Court has allowed women to sit for the National Defence Academy (NDA) entrance exam. What are the implications of the Supreme Court's order? Is this a big push for gender equity? Will it attract more women to the armed forces? Will women now be able to look forward to a long and ambitious career in the armed forces?

Women In NDA: Real Change?

The renovated Jallianwala Bagh memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week -- the project was carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India and NBCC. However, historians say the new memorial is a distortion of history of the site where British troops killed hundreds of Indians on April 13, 1919. On NDTV, we discuss whether the Jallianwala Bagh makeover is a distortion of history or a renovation.

Jallianwala Bagh: History Gets A Makeover?

With the devastating second wave of Covid-19 now receding, schools have already reopened in several states, at least for senior classes. Schools in most other states are scheduled to open from September 1. In this episode, we have Dr Naresh Trehan from Medanta-The Medicity and Dr Naveet Wig, chairman of the AIIMS COVID-19 task force, joining us with a panel of students and parents to discuss whether going back to school is rushed or long-overdue.

Back To School: Rushed Or Long-Overdue?

Amid a decline in fresh COVID-19 cases across India, several states have started the process of unlocking and relaxing the restrictions imposed. Is it high time we send India's children back to school too? Is it time to prioritise opening up our schools in a planned and safe manner? If we can design protocols to open malls, pools and bars without risking lives, why not schools? On the show tonight, along with students, we discuss whether it is time to learn to reopen schools with precautions in place.

India Unlocks: Time To Go Back To School?

As the Taliban make rapid gains in Afghanistan, women in the country are concerned about their future. As Afghan women on Twitter plead for help, on the show tonight we ask, will the Taliban roll back freedom won by women? And are Afghan women's rights on the verge of a roll back? The Taliban previously ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and imposed strict rules on women during that period. Along with voices from Afghanistan on the show, we are joined by Mariam Wardak from HER Afghanistan, Heather Barr from Human Rights Watch, Nishtha Satyam representing UN Women India, Lisa Curtis from the Centre for a New American Security and Aishe Ghosh from JNU's Students' Union.

The Future Of Women's Rights In Afghanistan

For the second straight Games, women athletes continue winning medals for India as witnessed at the Tokyo Olympics. While India celebrates, it is important to put our women athletes' victories in context - in a world of sport that is largely dominated by men in India. In this episode, we celebrate our athletes who have won despite an uneven playing field. We are honored to have Bhavani Devi, the first Indian Olympic Fencer, Nisha Millet who is the first Indian swimmer to qualify for swimming in the Olympics, Nikhat Zareen, a Junior World Boxing Champion, Jyoti Ann Burrett a former Indian footballer and currently Delhi state captain along with John Gloster, Ex-Indian Cricket Team physiotherapist as well as the head physio for Rajasthan Royals, Shagun Chowdhary, the first woman to represent at the Olympics in Shotgun and Sumitra Nayak, Captain of the U-18 Women's Rugby Team on the show.

Beating Patriarchy And Winning Medals One Sport At A Time

CBSE Class 12 results were declared this week and recorded a 99.37 per cent pass percentage - a huge leap from last year's 88.78 per cent. In the absence of written exams due to the ongoing pandemic, CBSE formulated a 40% + 30% + 30% formula to evaluate marks. The formula rewarded consistency, students who performed well in classes 10 and 11 stood to benefit, with over 1,50,000 students scoring above 90 per cent. This year the cut off marks for undergraduate courses are also likely to go higher, with many students scoring over 95 per cent marks in CBSE Class 12 results. On this edition of We The People, we speak to the class of 2021.

Record High Pass Percentage In CBSE Class 12 Results

The virus that emerged in China's Wuhan in December last has now spread to over 130 countries and infected about 140,000 people worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The WHO has taken the rare step to call this a pandemic. The Government has decided to treat the coronavirus outbreak in India as a notified disaster for the purpose of providing assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund. The repercussions of the spread of COVID-19 are already being felt all around us with trillions of dollars wiped off from global financial markets this week.

We The People: India Fights Coronavirus

At least 34 cases of novel coronavirus have been detected in India so far. The virus, which causes COVID-19, is not as deadly as is currently feared, but panic has set in the country. Hand sanitizer in stores are out of stock, and N-95 face masks are being sold online at inflated prices. On tonight's show, we discuss how the virus has altered life in India.

How Is Coronavirus Impacting India?

42 people have been killed in violence in Delhi. A young child is now fatherless, a young woman is now a single mother. Who should be blamed for the clashes? And how to restore harmony and trust among the people of Delhi?

We The People: Delhi Violence - The Human Cost

In a watershed moment for the Indian Army, the Supreme Court ruled in the favour of equal rights in the armed forces. In a landmark decision the top court ruled that female officers should be granted permanent commission and command positions, on par with men. Currently, female officers can serve for only 10 to 14 years in the Indian Army. So the court's ruling does not permit women to serve in army combat units, like the infantry or artillery corps, but they are now eligible to command entire battalions or head the intelligence department. The decks have been cleared for women in higher ranks in non-combat roles. What are the implications of the Supreme Court's order granting permanent commission to women on a par with men? Is this not just a big step for gender parity in the army but for all of India? The rumblings that we are hearing is that of patriarchy crumbling?

Army Command Roles For Women: Shot In The Arm For Gender Justice

As Arvind Kejriwal is sworn in as Delhi chief minister for the third time, AAP's juggernaut win in the Delhi elections continues to be analysed threadbare. Buoyed by its massive victory in the Delhi Assembly polls, a senior AAP leader has said that it will fight all local bodies elections across India to expand base by focusing on 'positive nationalism' based on love and respect as opposed to the BJP's nationalism that he says is based on hatred and divisive politics. We are asking tonight - has Arvind Kejriwal's AAP punctured the BJP's political copyright on Hindu religiosity?

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We The People

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