DESCRIPTIVE

SECTION
ESSAY &
LETTERS

INFINITESIMAL
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Launching

Start Date : 1st February 2021

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 CONTENT

1.Essays & Letter : Format & How to write (Demo) 𝗲𝘁𝗰

2.Good Quotes that can be used in Essays
3.Essay Topics and Mock Essays
4.Letter Writing and Examples
 Essays & Letters : Format & How to write (Demo)

Knowing the format before going to write either an essay or a letter is very important. In the below video, I have
discussed the same along with a real time demo to assist students who fear the descriptive portion a lot. Keep the
things mentioned in video, in mind and you can ace descriptive section easily. Also do make yourself aware of the
position of various alphabet on keyboard so that your typing speed is atleast average and not too slow. Type all
the below essays once on your own and check your speed. Good luck. ☺

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 Quotes that can be used in Essays

Everyone wants to write a wonderful essay. But its not always an easy task. Getting the structure right is one thing
[Introduction → Body → Conclusion ]. However understanding the essay topic and focussing on the need of the
essay is very important. So spend some time understanding the topic first and then pull out your guns.
Furthermore the first part of the essay must be appealing and one of the ways of doing that is use a quote which is
related to the topic. But don’t forget to mention who gave that quote. So in order to help , below is the link of
some quotes which can be used in essays. Good luck. ☺

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 Glossary of Essay Topics
a. National Education Policy
b. Impact of online learning on school education
c. Be Vocal for Local/Self –reliant India/ Atma –Nirbharta
d. Pandemic and our learning from it.
e. E-commerce as a new form of trade and its challenges to India.
f. Virtue is knowledge
g. Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
h. NPA and its resolution
i. Farm bill 2020
j. Impact of climate change globally.
k. Efficacy of female leadership
l. Artificial Intelligence
m. Freedom of speech vs contempt of court
n. Too much democracy is detrimental to development
My 2 cents on topic where just the name is given like AI.
Approach :
1. Introduce the topic , what is it.
2. Historical perspective if any.
3. Gradual development
4. Recent developments and works which are worth
mentioning. (Like for AI, the development of robots to
perform surgeries with accuracy , to be able to analyze
x-rays at very efficient rate , The advent of Leela,
Stockfish and AlphaZero in the chess world had changed
it for good etc.
5. Any negative aspects. (Like AI can track patterns and it
can be used by marketing giants to track human
interests based on their suggest products etc. Also there
is a fear that it can take over human employment etc..
6. Conclusion. Try to positive here. That's it.
 New Education Policy
Education is the most important national activity, the backbone of a country’s progress. It helps to strengthen the very fabric of nation “to produce men of education
enlightenment and character”. The New Education Policy is likely to lead to 100 per cent literacy in the 15-35 age-groups in the wake of the century. The teachers and the
taught as well as the various Government agencies are going to be equal partners in this new exercise. The salient features of the New Education Policy 1986 are introduction
of a national core curriculum at the school level; special emphasis on the education of women and of the Scheduled Castes/Tribes; introduction of semester system at the
secondary stage; examination reforms; establishment of an all-India education service; establishment of pace-setting institutions called `Navodaya Vidyalayas’, in all parts of the
country as a part of the effort to provide equal opportunities, especially in rural areas; to raise the quality of higher education; de-linking of jobs from degrees; strengthening of
University Grants Commission, the All-India Council of Technical Education, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Indian Medical Council; continuation of the 10
plus 2 plus 3 system of education; splitting of 10 school year:, into elementary system comprising five years, followed by three years of middle school and two years of high
school; and provision of vocationalisation after the secondary stage.
A significant feature of the new policy is the setting up of model schools, called `Navodaya Vidyalayas’, for introducing a uniform curriculum in school education. About 5 lakh
teachers have been trained by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) during the summer vacations in order to familiarize them with the new
concepts involved. Education, which has been made a scapegoat for all social and moral evils in the country, has been put on a sound footing with this new policy. The setting
up of Navodaya Vidyalayas’ in almost all the districts of country is a right step in the direction of introducing a uniform educational curriculum. Intended to be pace-setting
schools to provide quality education, these schools have been affiliated to the Central Boards of Secondary Education, have a uniform curriculum and implement the three-
language formula (Hindi, English and the regional language), thus setting at rest the southern fears that Hindi was being imposed through backdoor on the non-Hindi-speaking
areas, at rest. Another objection to these model schools—that these will perpetuate elitism of the public school brand—is baseless as these schools have been located in the
rural areas. Each school has a sprawling buildings, hostels for boys and girls, laboratories, workshops, library, games-room, gymnasium hall, and so on.
Our system of education has often been called outdated and unrealistic. Due emphasis has been laid in the new education policy on the vocationalisation of education in order
to equip the students to take up the vocation of their choice at the end of their school education. That would definitely curtail the rush to institutions of higher learning by the
hordes of students who find themselves at a dead end when they leave school. If this can be achieved, we shall have given practical shape of Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of
basic education or `Nai Talim’. The question of de-linking jobs from degrees will only be the next logical step.
Another area of education crying out for immediate reforms is our system of examinations that gives sleepless nights to many a student and induces mass copying, cheating
and intimidation in the care of several others. The new Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) must take up this area on a top priority basis in order to remove the fear,
and accompanying horrors, of a three-hour, closed-door examination that saps our students energies and compels them to employ underhand means for achieving success by
means, fair or foul. Due emphasis had also been given in the new policy to increase the level of higher education and bring about necessary changes in the medical and
agricultural education.
Education in the country now stands on the threshold of the 21st century. As an important instrument of change and development, it must be depoliticized and modernized if
the new education policy is to be an unqualified success.
 Impact of online learning on school education

School education is a traditional educational structure wherein students gain knowledge from teachers/gurus by interacting face to face. It provides children,
especially those in their early developmental years, with a stable environment for social interactions, helping them develop skills like boundary setting, empathy
and cooperation. A school provides structure, support, and a system of rewards and penalties to groom its students. It also allows plenty of room for
spontaneity, unlike a virtual learning setup.
But all is not well with the school education given its limitations such as non- availability of teachers in remote areas, proper infrastructure, cost of travelling ,
lack of well trained teachers etc. This limitation is eliminated by the advent of online education. This not only provide flexibility to learn from various teachers,
but at the same time , they can cut cost of travelling, on the go learning etc. The usefulness of this setup is seen during the lockdown phase. It fills the gap
between teacher and students by providing a common platform to interact and exchange knowledge. Online education has also gained immense popularity
among working professionals and students pursuing higher education. Online courses can be planned around their schedule which may include full-time
employment, internships and caring for family. Online learning can also help them take out some quiet time to study. As students progress to higher classes in
school, they seek more autonomy and intellectual freedom. Online learning can help them pursue highly individualized learning programmes, possibly even
college level courses. These, combined with hands-on exercises, real world exploration, and thorough assessments, can be highly beneficial to their learning
progress. They can explore their options by trying out introductory topics from different fields, before committing to a specialization. Online learning platforms
can help these students become more independent learners, before they make their way into college.
Online learning programmes will also open up opportunities for children from the weaker socio-economic communities who have limited access to learning
resources. It will connect them to a global network of online learners, exposing them to new perspectives. The ideas that they receive will not be limited by the
number of heads in one classroom. Hence we can say it has impacted education in a positive way clearing roadblocks seen in school education.
However, Online courses call for a greater amount motivation and self-discipline than a classroom-based course. They are not moderated after the online
sessions which become very necessary for students in the preparatory phase. Also it lacks the competitive advantage that schools provide wherein students
compete against each other on daily basis. Most important it is devoid of social activeness of students. Humans are social beings and they need people around
as it helps them grow collectively by share experiences etc.
Hence in conclusion , both have benefits and shortcomings but instead of focusing on pros and cons, the conversation we should be having today is about
leveraging online education to make our education systems more conducive to learning. As the overlap of the traditional and online modes of education is
becoming more and more inevitable, we owe it to our students to make their education relevant to their future through ingenuity, passion and careful planning.
 Be Vocal for Local/Self –reliant India/ Atma -Nirbharta
While addressing the nation about the importance of local manufacturing and supply chains amid the COVID-19 crisis, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi coined the phrase, “Vocal for Local”. He asserted that it is the need of the hour for the nation to come
together to encourage local businesses and products. Shedding light on the importance of using products that are made in India
and ‘Atma-Nirbharta’ (self-reliance), he asserted that the country needs a boost to its economy that can also simultaneously
transform local businesses. He also said that the khadi and village industries had successfully transitioned from local to global and
could be a case study for all other local industries and enterprises.

In times of distress, it is important to step up and do everything we can to help revive the Indian economy and work towards
equipping our businesses with the tools to tide through such circumstances. The best way to do this is by being completely self-
reliant and calling for a new form of globalisation. By helping revive the Indian economy, we are helping create more jobs,
transform business processes and strengthen efficiency. Profit-driven globalisation revealed multiple insecurities of countries when
the pandemic began and multiplied these fears manifold overnight. By being vocal for local, we aren’t rejecting globalisation, but
calling for a new form of it. Self-reliance in the new vision for India is neither exclusionary nor isolationist. Local has helped us
through this crisis and has helped us survive. By improving our local manufacturing and productive efficiency, we can compete with
the world as well as help the world.

Creating a self-reliant India means having to be completely self-sufficient and producing and supporting local businesses and
services. It is very different from the earlier isolationist and protectionist movements around the world. A few other measures
include trying to discourage imports and the procuring of domestic goods. Import substitution, an objective that drove nationalist
economic policies in the 20th century, is back. We need to revive local industries that were previously taken for granted. It is time
to usher in economic policies that produce sustainable incomes, aid in job creation and re-energize the local economy.
 Pandemic and our learning from it.
We never know how strong we are until being strong is the only choice you have.
Life is our most important teacher because it teaches us how to face challenges, learn from them, and what should be our attitude
towards them. Since March 2020, every person on the planet has had their life shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic in any way. The
outbreak of COVID-19 brought social and economic life to a standstill. But as there is a saying: every evil has something good same
goes with the virus. It has shown us that we are all the same regardless of our religion, culture, customs, whether we are poor or rich.
Human beings are inseparable from nature. Climate protagonists have been screaming about this for most of the time But we have
largely ignored them. The rapid return of clear blue skies, breathtakingly fresh air, clean water in moribund rivers, the chirping of
birds, and even rapid healing of the ozone layer indicates that we are messing nature up very badly. Each new word that we keep
listening to during the pandemic has its significance. Lockdown has demonstrated the value of freedom. Social distancing is
something we should always maintain to experience a happy and healthier life. India has to evolve a mechanism to maintain hygiene
and cleanliness and Swachh Bharat should become a norm for 100 percent Indians. Doctors and nurses worked 24*7 and saved a
chunk of lives. Moreover, India has a large qualified and capable base of medical professionals who are not allowed into regular
practice, they should be allowed to tackle the pandemic more efficiently.
The economic impact of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India has been largely disruptive. According to the recent NSO data, India’s
GDP growth contracted by 23.9% in the first quarter of 2020. India's growth in the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2020 went down to
3.1%. The global economy is expected to contract by 3 percent this year the steepest downturn since the Great Depression of the
1930s, according to the International Monetary Fund.
The bottom line is that India has to have a robust action plan when a pandemic strikes – a plan that is creative, disciplined, and above
all sensitive.

Some more points here →

 E-commerce as a new form of Trade and it's challenges to India.

With the advent of technology, life on earth has been changed to a greater extent. Technically, we all are now living in a globalized
world, where ideas and actions of a developed country affects a developing country and vice versa. India, as one of the most
prominent developing nations of all time has done extremely well in establishing itself as a global player if we talk about
digitalization and internet penetration.
Digitalization has promoted many sectors in our country, among all these sectors one sector which has grown substantially and
captured everybody's attention is E-commerce. The availability and delivery of wide range of products from groceries to automobile
just on one click is what makes this sector quite lucrative. Huge seasonal offers and discounts throughout the year has helped these
platforms to draw customers attention. Stiff competition among different platforms has opened the door for customers to purchase
goods of highest quality. Unlike traditional shops where there is generally no provision to exchange the goods, through these online
shopping platforms people can avail this facility and get refunds easily.
In the current scenario, when the whole country is dealing with a deadly virus and bear the brunt of a pandemic, this sector came as
a saviour for all of us. Even those who have lost their usual jobs, are now working in these platforms to satisfy their basic needs.
Although, the sector has celebrated a grand success by Capturing the market in India, there is no denial of security and cyber lapses
associated with it. A lot of private companies which are not registered under companies act promulgates their businesses. They
often make phone calls to people and ask for confidential information. Even for genuine vendors, the penetration of their business
requires awareness among people particularly rural people who prefer offline products over the online products. They have a
perception that quality differs which is not always the case.
In order to facilitate smooth functioning of e-commerce platforms, government should come forward and make strict laws and
check whether these laws are getting implemented or not, government must focus on imparting digital literacy among rural people
and make them aware about different financial inclusion programs that are currently running in the country so that they could make
themselves comfortable while doing online shopping and online transactions.
 Virtue is knowledge

Virtue is the ability to call good from bad. Mankind has been bestowed with the sheer attribute of imbibing high moral
standards in day to day lives. Goodness in its pure form, is a boon to this mankind and having virtue enhances the
goodness in every living being. If one has the ability to walk towards the path of righteousness , encompass goodness
then the sheer knowledge acquired is of the highest order. If we are guided by goodness, we will never be enticed toward
the path that is embellished by wrongdoings and negativity. This very art of being guided by goodness and high moral
standards is the key to endless knowledge that is unleashed by the deeds that emanate truthfulness and high virtues.
A man is what he thinks. Thoughts are the driving force for any mortal being. Virtues decide what direction our thoughts
seek. A living being, that is guided by virtues and high moral standards will always exude benevolence, truthfulness ,
righteousness and would be the epitome of humanity. Knowledge without a soulful mind driven by high virtues is futile.
A man whose mind has been infested is prone to wrongdoings and is destined to doom. A soul devoid of virtues but
with knowledge can never outshine a soulful virtuous entity with limited knowledge as knowledge is driven by virtues.
Just like a vehicle can't function without fuel irrespective of its brand or attributes , our minds can't put our acquired
knowledge irrespective of the university we have graduated from to judicious use if they are devoid of virtues and high
moral standards.
Schools and educational centres must emphasize on making their pupils virtuous and morally sane. Academic knowledge
must not be the sole target but moral knowledge must be equally manifested in the school curriculum. Children must
inculcate within themselves the ability to call right from wrong. This ability has to be taught right from the time they start
understanding life.
Hence , virtue is knowledge. Virtue is what makes humans humane. Virtues and high moral standards combined with
academic knowledge epitomize human mind and what extraordinary things it is capable of.
 Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

Knowledge, truth, wisdom and intellect are many a times found juxtaposed while mankind tries to articulate the highest goals of a
meaningful life. Any living species on earth has knowledge needed for its survival and over the centuries all life forms have adapted
and evolved, showing a universal propensity to learn.

Men, of all life forms, have the most developed brains. Their ability to learn, to use the acquired knowledge and to prosper is
unmatched. But what do we educate ourselves with when we learn? The mystic poet Rumi may say: you know all already, it is just
about seeing that which was left in the dark. And he may be very right. The true role of an educator is many a times, to show the
pupil where to look rather than what to look for. If ignorance is darkness, then education is the candle. And what does it illuminates?
What comes to light? Our own knowledge that was hidden from us!
Throughout history it is seen that the need to have something desirable or valuable has always motivated human being to discover
new things, and education has played a powerful role in the unravelling. When we did not know anything about how to get fire to
cook food, it's our conscience which eventually helped us to think that by hitting two stones we can get it. Earlier people used to die
with cholera, polio and Tuberculosis, but with the advancement in medical science we got a cure for all these deadly diseases. So we
can see human life evolved all just because of discoveries which were once ignored as we did not have any solution how to face it and
get rid of it.
All the discoveries which took place in past are simply because of our ignorance and need. It has been said that necessity is the
mother of invention, in order to discover bulb, Edison failed many times but he kept on trying and after so many failures he got
success in designing the bulb. Education is a powerful virtue that teaches us to be logical and keep on trying different approaches till
we get the desired outcome. As a human being we all face challenges in our daily life, these challenges can be physical, emotional or
mental, and it is upon us how we react to these challenges whether we see it as an opportunity or we see it as a suffering. The
primary goal of education is to make us understand how as an individual we can grow emotionally, financially and physically.
 NPA and its resolution

“Prevention is better than cure.”

Non Performing Assets (NPAs) are a drain to the banks. The cases of NPA are increasing in the banking sector which is a matter of
serious economic concern. If the status of NPAs in banks is not controlled, banks can become bankrupt. The entire credit distribution
structure of the economy can be destructed and the country could be in a major financial turmoil.
A major cause for NPA is the fixation of unrealistic repayment schedule. Thus, it is important for the banks to observe its recovery
and upgradation by adopting few of the mentioned ways:
-Cash recovery: Banks, instead of organizing a recovery drive based on overdues, must short list those accounts. The recovery of
critical amount (overdue interest and installment) will provide impetus to the system in reducing the pressure on profitability by
reducing the provisional burden; not making repayment of interest along with the installment of principal amount.
-Upgradation of assets: Once accounts become NPA, then bankers should take steps to upgrade them by recovering the entire
overdue. The recovery can be made from institutions giving guarantee like ECGC, pending government subsidies etc.
-SARFAESI ACT, 2002: The SARFAESI empowers banks to deal with NPAs, without the involvement of court, through three alternatives:
Asset Reconstruction, Enforcement of Security, Securitization.
-Credit Information Bureau: Third party agencies such as CIBIL helps banks with data on the financial health of the borrower. It
maintains records of individual defaulters and shares it with the respective banks to aid them in making effective lending decisions.
If these steps are followed meticulously, the incidence of loans becoming NPAs will definitely reduce. Also, by proper follow up,
recovery is going to improve for some accounts as there will be the chances of upgradation of these accounts.

Do read some more on this topic.

 Farm bill 2020 [I have tried pointing out all relevant info that will be required for this essay. ]
India is an agriculture dominated country. More than 70% of India's population is either directly or indirectly involved in agricultural activities. Due to the hard
work of these farmers we are eating peacefully. These farmers feeds entire nation but it is a saddening fact that they are entangled in the fetters of starvation.
Recently Central Government has passed new bills for well being of farmers and agriculture sector. But farmers and State Governments are opposing these
bills. Farmers across the country have protested against these bills in streets and on roads. Punjab and Haryana farmer's tractor protest in July was opposition
of these agriculture bills 2020. On 28th August 2020 Punjab Assembly has passed a resolution rejecting the Central Government's ordinances.

Farm Bill 2020 or Agriculture Bill 2020 is a combination of thee bills passed by Parliament recently. These bills are; Farmers Produce and Commerce
(Promotion and Facilitation) Bill 2020, Farmers Agreement (Empowerment and Protection) on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill 2020 and Essential
Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020. These bills make big structural changes in agriculture sector. These bills also encourage corporate investments in
agriculture ecosystem to make agriculture more profitable for farmers.

Benefits to Farmers from Farm Bill 2020 Government's motive towards Farm Bill 2020
The Farm Bill 2020 envisages a path for farmers as an alternative platform to Government has introduced these Farm Bills to transform agriculture sector. This step has
sell their produce in open market. Now farmers can sell their products openly to been taken by the Government to boost agriculture sector and double the farmers income by
anyone and anywhere and they can get higher price. There will be no APMC 2022. It is thought that freeing of agriculture sector will eventually help in better pricing. When
market fee or cess on transactions in such trade areas. APMCs will continue its farmers will sell their products to corporates and exporters directly it will induce corporate
functioning. Now APMCs have to compete with these alternate platforms and sector to invest in the agri-ecosystem. This will also give farmers better access to modern
now farmers have a choice for selling their products. This bill gives powers to technology and farmers will be benefited by it.
farmers to sell their good directly to the corporate or exporter buying in bulk from
the farm.
The Farm Bill 2020 does not annihilate current MSP based procurement of food
grains. The MSP based procurement system will be continue and former can
also sell their crop products in Mandi on existing MSP.

Why Farmers are protesting against Agriculture bill 2020 ?

Farmers are apprehensive of getting MSP for their produce as New Farm Bill 2020 opens the way for farmers to sell their produce in open market and fix price by themselves on
mutual understanding of corporate and farmer. Farmers also fears that large retailers and corporates could dominate agriculture sector with money power. Farmers doubt that
APMCs may become unavailable and have to shutdown in future if trade moves substantially to other alternate platforms. Farmers fear that mandies will become redundant like
BSNL and MTNL in future days.
The Price Assurance Bill doesn't prescribe any mechanism for price fixation. Thus there is a apprehension in farmers that free hand given to private corporate houses could lead
to farmer exploitation. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance removes, pulses, oil seeds, edible oils, onion and potatoes from the essential commodities list. Thus
the amendment deregulates the production, movement, storage and distribution of these food commodities.
 Impact of climate change globally.

“We have to wake up to the fierce urgency of the now” -Jim Yong Kim, president of World bank
Climate change is the biggest threat in this era that we face and it is a global challenge that has no borders. Many people do not
know what it really amounts to, either due to unreliable sources or deliberate misinformation, which has led to a series of myths
about climate change. First, we need to clarify two concepts that are global warming and climate change. The difference between
them is global warming is cause and climate change is effect.
The main cause of climate change is global warming which is caused by green house gas effect by which the atmosphere retains
some of the sun’s heat. Without green house gas the earth's temperature would be -20 degree Celsius. The main problem here is
human activities maximize the greenhouse gases and make the earth warmer. Except greenhouse gases deforestation ,population
increase, decrease of marine eco systems also cause global warming.
When we are going to think about impact the recent accident of amazon rainforest burning knocks us. The worst climate change
impacts include the melting of the ice mass at the poles, which in turn causes rising sea level, producing flooding and threatening
coastal environments through which small island states risk disappearing entirely. It also increases drought, fire, death of animals,
floods and destructs the food chain and economic resources. The most observed and expected impacts of climate change are
desertification, melting of the poles and rising of sea level, acidification of the ocean, extinction of species, coral reef bleeching
,devastation of mangroves and massive migrations.
we should think about the Number 13 goal of SDG that is climate action and we have to mitigate the greenhouse gases emissions in
order to contribute the progress of society and bring the ecosystem as earlier. If a mentally depressed girl can protest against it then
we, the normal human being should raise our hand and have to-do whatever is good to allay the earth from becoming warmer.
 Efficacy of female leadership

With the increase in the number of women educating themselves, they are exceedingly performing well to make the impossible seem
possible. Their changing attitude make them special to deal with the chaos happening around. In order to have a fair deal, right from
their leadership roles in family, workforce, businesses make them capable enough to not lose the sight. Such a vision result to the
organizational changes based on values, ethics and sometimes emotions.
Although there have been a perception that leadership roles are supposed to be held by men, realization of having female leaders is
the need of an hour. The placement of women in power would significantly impact the nature of the system. For an instance, the
establishment of a movement where the ordinary people were regarded as the main body, a Libyan woman in an attempt to end the
Libyan civil war was largely successful. This does imply a different leadership style that would become evident. A woman holds a high
moral superiority with an increased focus on communication and reconciliation. The presence of social equality is given more
precedence by female leaders. Such supremacy is in the hands of few.
Females lead by examples. Before attaining the leadership skills, they climb a giant ladder of experiences thus becoming a phenomenal
leader. The odds are against the females, so the extra push that takes them to the top makes them to lead having the potential to bring
a more peaceful orientation.

Do read some more on this topic.

 Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is considered as the single most important invention in the history of technological advancements. It is a trait
that is being programmed into a machine which mimic the neural intelligence that of a human brain which has the capabilities to
make or break the human civilization.
We are in the next phase of industrial revolution that is being governed by technology and semiconductor devices which is being
spearheaded by AI. AI uses machine learning to take decisions based upon the data provided around it. It is the type and amount of
data that governs the functioning of AI. AI retains past experiences and information that helps it to analyze the given situation and
have the ability to reason. It has been used extensively in our banking systems in the form of chatbots, in space explorations (ISRO's
VYOMITRA) and in autonomous driving. AI have demonstrated its significance as being very accurate and fast in certain promising
fields such as weather forecasting. As the dependence of humans is continuously increasing upon AI, there have been accusations
around it. It poses grave concerns upon its characteristics of evolving and learning continuously which is based upon the data, a small
discrepancy can lead to catastrophic failure of the system. Big tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google have invested
heavily on AI that has its impact in our lives. AI is being used as their virtual assistants to make our life simpler and at the same time
there have been lawsuits filed against them for leaking private information of people and is being used to listen their customers voices
to target advertisements to them.
Nonetheless AI is highly unlikely to replace human intervention and intelligence as it is too soon to predict. Gradual integration of this
marvel of a technology has transformed our lives and will continue to do so if we are well informed about our necessities and where
to implement it.
 Freedom of speech vs contempt of court [Not so important but get some idea ]
The freedom of expression guaranteed under the constitution and the independence of the judiciary are the two basic and most important constituents of a democracy.
Constructive criticism is the most important ingredient for the development of democracy and the Supreme Court should protect free speech. But where to draw the line?
When the criticism has the tendency of lowering down the authority of the judge and even obstruct the administration of justice, the Court has the power to punish any such
act which tends to demean the value of judiciary under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 ("Act"). Section 5 of the Act states that fair criticism is not to be termed as contempt
of court. However, the irony of the situation is highlighted when it is the judiciary against whom the remark has been made, gets the power to decide whether the same was
constructive in nature or not.
THE PRASHANT BHUSHAN CASE: TOO MUCH OF FREEDOM?
The most recent contempt of court case in India is the Prashant Bhushan contempt case wherein the Hon'ble Supreme Court has initiated suo moto contempt proceedings
against Advocate on Record (AOR), Shri Prashant Bhushan for his tweets against current Chief Justice of India, Shri SA Bobde, his 2009 interview with Tehelka magazine
wherein he questioned the integrity of a few past Chief Justices of India and some of his other recent tweets where he has questioned the long absence/limited functioning
of the courts during the initial days of the lockdown period. However, when the contempt proceedings were initiated Mr. Bhushan was quick to withdraw his remarks with
regard to his tweet. He even offered an apology for this tweet and clarified that he meant no disrespect to the office of the Chief Justice of India. The suo moto contempt
proceedings against Prashant Bhushan were initiated on 21st July 2020 and on 14th August 2020, a constitutional bench found Mr. Bhushan guilty of the offence of
contempt of court and the matter is still sub-judice with regard to the quantum of punishment which is due to be pronounced later this month. This seems to be the
quickest the Hon'ble Supreme Court has disposed of a matter on merits in recent times. One can only hope this level of efficiency remains for other matters as well.
CONTEMPT OF COURT: A NEW TREND?
A similar case was observed in the post emergency era of the year 1977-78 when two editors – Shamlal of The Times of India and S. Mulgaokar of The Indian Express were
charged with contempt of court for their articles in their respective newspapers where they questioned the bench which decided the case of A.D.M. Jabalpur v Shivakant
Shukla2 which was decided by then Chief Justice of India Justice A K Ray, Justice M H Beg and Justice Jaswant Singh. The articles penned by Shamlal and Mulgaokar were
published when Justice M H Beg was appointed as the Chief Justice of India and both articles while critiquing the above-mentioned judgement questioned the integrity of the
judges. Both articles, one of which contained insights from various public intellectuals discussed the behaviour of the judges during the recently concluded emergency
period. The then government led by Janata Party eased the restrictions and re-established press freedom, which was something these articles took advantage of. One of the
articles even went on to state that Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P N Bhagawati should not be considered for the position of Chief Justice of India despite both of them
being next in line respectively in order of seniority. Two separate cases of contempt were instituted suo-moto against both the editors. Both editors chose to contest their
matters and a constitutional bench would eventually hold that neither of them acted in contempt of court. It is pertinent to note that the two editors made comments
questioning the integrity of some of the sitting judges and the then Chief Justice of India and yet they were held to be not in contempt of court. This goes to show the
importance that was given to the freedom of speech and expression of the editors' and the freedom of press as well.
In the instant case, Mr. Bhushan being an Indian citizen definitely acted well within his fundamental rights enshrined under Article 19 Clause 1 sub-clause (a) of the
Constitution of India however as his comments included some statements which were considered derogatory to the office of the Chief Justice of India and to other senior
members of the Judiciary, contempt proceedings were initiated against him. The proceedings that were conducted against Mr. Bhushan were indeed lawful and as per the
established procedure. As much as Mr. Bhushan had a right to freedom of speech and expression, he also had a responsibility especially as an officer of the court to remain
within the confines of the reasonable restrictions and above all respect the office of the Chief Justice of India.
 Freedom of speech vs contempt of court [Not so important but get some idea ]

CONCLUSION
While it is to be noted that all citizens of India are guaranteed the right to freedom of speech and expression, contempt of court is indeed one of the reasonable restrictions
that can act as a rider on this right. None of the fundamental rights guaranteed to Indian citizens are absolute. The right to freedom of speech and expression is also
subject to certain other reasonable restrictions such as defamation, decency and morality, public order and incitement of offences. One could argue that the ambit of the
reasonable restrictions enshrined between clause 2 to 6 of Article 19 of the Constitution of India are so wide that they restrict the very rights that clause 1 of Article 19
enshrines. However, the reasonable restrictions were included with the objective of maintaining balance as the framers of the constitution knew that if they were to
enshrine absolute rights on Indian citizens, dire circumstances would ensue leading to a failure of constitutional machinery. After all, the Constitution of India as we know it
is a living document that has survived for over seven decades now despite several amendments being made and various foiled attempts to dilute the spirit of the Indian
Constitution.
 Too much democracy is detrimental to development
A democracy in which the representatives of the people are directly elected by the people and they form the government and make the policies for the
development of the nation. In a democracy, people have the right to dissent whenever the government passes hasty legislation, which impacts the lives of
the people. A democracy decides on issues based on popularity, often according to the will of the majority. A republic qualifies majority decisions by
forcing them to be consistent with a set of principles that even majorities cannot violate. The most important of these principles are liberty, equality,
fraternity and justice.
Too much democracy does not have anything to do with development but it is the democratically established institutions have to work under the
constitution. Independent institutions are being undermined by a popular government. For example, the supreme court has in the recent past restrained
from hearing habeas corpus petitions, and in a statement, it mentioned that it is discouraging the hearing of petitions under article 32 which is itself a
fundamental right. In the same way, the central and state information commissions have been coerced by the government in the form of reducing their
service and deciding upon their wages to obstruct the normal functioning of the organization as per the constitutional values. If such kind of restrictions is
placed on information commissions it becomes a hindrance in unearthing the potential corruption scandals. In the same way, the lack of trust in
democratic institutions is visible from many instances such as celebrating of extra-judicial killings by the police in the recent times, vandalizing of a factory
in Bangalore, when the employer doesn’t pay the wages to the employees etc.
But what is development? Is it bringing laws which go against the interests of farmers, is it bringing laws which undermine the fundamental right to privacy
of an individual, is it investing in larger infrastructure projects such as bullet trains, in all these subject matters the people are the sufferers, and when
people suffer due to legislations and when the larger investments in infrastructure projects do not serve for the betterment of people it is of no
development. These all have not created any good to the people instead they led to massive strikes and disappointments etc.
Truly if we look into key statistics it is evident that we are not progressing towards development and there is no improvement in essential parameters such
as nutrition, human development etc. According to various reports, there is bigger corruption happens in food distribution and no government agency
could abate it. So, it is not really about democracy but of reform. Reform is hard in India because too much social distrust arising from too little
republicanism has rendered our political system.
The true development in an essence is bringing improvements in key numbers such as reducing the number children suffering from malnutrition-related
issues, enhancing the healthcare facilities, reducing the corruption in public institutions, improving the rank of India in United Nations Human
In India the crime rate is increasing on a year-on-year basis, farmers are distressing not only because of the recent laws but also few other fundamental
problems in agriculture, labour laws going against the labourers, coercive laws are being passed which undermine the fundamental rights, nutritional
challenges are increasing, the economy is entered into a recession, healthcare is not prepared to deal with emergencies etc. it can be said that democracy
is not detrimental to development but it is the corrupt practices and vested interests in the democratic institutions which are detrimental to development.
If any nation wants to achieve its respective goals, they have to reform the way their institution's function. Reforms in their functioning will help in reducing
corrupt practices and enhancing the accountability of the institutions. Thus it can be said that quantifying democracy has nothing to do with development
rather it is reform of the democratic public institutions that matters most.
Letter Writing

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