We The People

While teenagers and children have largely been spared the ravages of COVID-19, they haven't been unaffected. The pandemic has exposed many teens and children to trauma far ahead of their time. For some, their sense of safety has been threatened. Others lost their momentum and motivation to do well in school or engage in their lives. Still, others are recovering from grief associated with the death of a parent, friend, or loved one due to COVID-19. On Children's Day, we are putting the focus on children and their mental health in this edition of 'We The People'.

The Right to Healthy Environment enjoys a constitutional status in over 100 nations. India needs to improve emissions monitoring, provide regulators with real-time data and provide the public with information about polluters. As citizens are suffering due to toxic air, we ask experts about tackling the bad air crisis.

The Right to Healthy Environment enjoys a constitutional status in over 100 nations. India needs to improve emissions monitoring, provide regulators with real-time data and provide the public with information about polluters. As citizens are suffering due to toxic air, we ask experts about tackling the bad air crisis.

It is time society takes notice of how ugly the quest for beauty really is. This is where Dove India's #StopTheBeautyTest campaign comes in. On this special edition of We The People, we are joined by Hindustan Unilever's Priya Nair, Edelweiss AML's MD and CEO Radhika Gupta, content creator Sakshi Sindwani along with Ameya and Pallavi from the "Fat. So? Podcast" and cosmetic surgeon Dr Debraj Shome to celebrate beauty in all shapes, colours, and sizes and pledge to create a more accepting society where there is no one particular definition of beauty.

The 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference has kicked off in Glasgow, Scotland. From October 31 till November 12, leaders from almost 200 countries will gather at this summit, aiming to strengthen the climate targets set in the Paris Agreement at COP21 in 2015. Watch this episode of 'We The People' for all this and more.

Petrol is above Rs 100-a-litre mark in all major cities, and diesel has crossed that level in more than a dozen states. While the government is reportedly in talks with oil exporting countries to keep the prices under check, the surging petrol and diesel prices are now becoming a major concern for the common man. The cascading effect of rising fuel prices can be seen in the prices of vegetables. Vegetable prices are at an all-time high in wholesale and retail markets due to crop damage because of heavy rainfall and high fuel rates. So, will the government ease the burden on the Aam Aadmi? Watch as panelists share their perspectives.

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?

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.

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.

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?