ETHICS BOWL 2026(Quarter Final Match-1,Group-A)

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]A warm welcome to our respected judges and enthusiastic participants. So without further ado, let's commence today's event.

[00:00:10]We are truly honored to have with us our esteemed panel of judges whose experience and wisdom will guide today's proceedings. Their thoughtful evaluation will not only assist performance but also inspire our participants to think more deeply and ethically. May I now take the honor of introducing our respected judge judges. Number one, we are honored to have with us our first judge, Major General MKkesh Agaval.

[00:00:38]Ladies and gentlemen, we are privileged to welcome Major General MKkesh Agaral as a distin distinguished judge for today's ethics ball competition.

[00:00:46]Commissioned in the six field regiment in 1987. He has had an illustrious career spanning over 38 years in the Indian army during which he held a wide range of command staff and instructional appointments. He has the unique distinction of contributing to the raising of the department of military affairs and the office of the chief of defense staff. and aluminus of premier institutions such as the defense service staff college, high defense management course and national defense college. He has been honored with the atishes sava medal and vashis sa medal by the president of India along with the army commanders commendation card on three occasions. Following his retirement in 2025, he continues to contribute to academia through his association with the National Defense College where he evaluates research work at the post-graduate level. We are truly honored to have him with us today and look forward to his valuable insights.

[00:01:46]Sir, may we request you to share a few words of encouragement with our students.

[00:01:52]>> It's always a privilege to come back to the ethic ball. This is the third time I'm here and my wife has been associated right from the inception and whenever I come here I think we hear very very refreshing ideas from all the participants and it's so heartening to see even students who are in class 11 give such great ideas. I think I go back enriched once I uh finish the ethics bowl. Uh let me also take this opportunity to wish good luck to both the teams and I'm sure there is no winner or loser. All of us get enriched from all these experiences. Best of luck to all of you and all the best to the management team also for organizing this event as always.

[00:02:40]>> Thank you so much. Thank you so much sir. Your presence adds great prelude to this event and now we are delighted to have you here sir. Now moving on, it's my privilege to introduce our second judge, Miss Kalyani Reddi.

[00:03:01]Ladies and gentlemen, it's our privilege to welcome Miss Kalyani Ready as a distinguished judge for today's ethics ball. Miss Kalyani Reddi is a dedicated professional with significant experience in her field. Contributing actively to academic and intellectual spaces with a strong background in education and a commitment to fostering critical thinking. She has been associated with various initiatives that promote learning and thoughtful engagement. Her expertise combined with her passion for meaningful dialogue makes her an invaluable presence in today's event. We are truly honored to have her with us today. Please join me in welcoming Miss Kalyani ready. As we commence, ma'am, would you like to share your insights with our young learners?

[00:03:49]Ma'am, ma'am, am I audible to you?

[00:03:56]Kalyani, ma'am, are you here? Ma'am, are you here with us?

[00:04:03]Morning everyone. I think it's a very good initiative and I'm only one of the judges here. I wish all the good luck to all the participants and truly it is going to be an enriching experience to me. Thank you.

[00:04:16]>> Thank you. Thank you so much ma'am. Now let us move ahead.

[00:04:21]Our next church is ladies and gentlemen Mr. Sil sir. It's our privilege to introduce our esteemed judge Mr. Sil Singh an internationally acclaimed debate coach and academic trainer. Mr. Salil Singh has mentored students from over 600 schools across India and several countries worldwide. As the founder of Bees, he has built a remarkable platform that has reached thousands of students and transformed the way debate and public speakings are taught.

[00:04:51]His work has been recognized with prestigious honors such as the coach of the year award at the world scholars cup and a place in business world educations 40 under 40. While his formal qualifications are complemented by vast hands-on experience. It is his dedication to nurturing critical thinking and ethical reasoning that truly sets him apart. We are truly honored to have him with us today.

[00:05:18]Please join us in welcoming Mr. Salil Singh. Sir, we would be honored if you could share a few words of motivating motivation with our students.

[00:05:30]>> Uh first of all, hi and uh good luck to all the students that are participating today. Uh when we used to have these debate programs when I was in school, it was not as interesting and as engaging as the format is today. I must compliment the entire um team behind the ethics bull for giving such a lovely and engaging and stimulating case studies and topics. This is truly what debating is about. It is about thinking about what are the various tradeoffs when we are considering uh different ethical and moral situations and this is something you'll have to face in your life as you go on whether you're working in a corporate or you're working with the government. These are considerations that we have to make in our life every day even when it comes to dealing with people who work in our own house or in our own organization. So uh please take this competition in the right spirit. Uh please be civil and uh I look forward to hearing the thoughts of all the army public school students. I myself was an army public school student so uh I know how important this event must be for you and congratulations to APS Sakur and to the entire team behind the event. I look forward to listening to everyone's arguments. Thank you so much.

[00:06:44]>> Thank you so much sir. Thank you for your inspiring and insightful words. Now moving ahead with great enthusiasm I now invite our participants to introduce themselves. Firstly AP Saknur please introduce yourself one by one.

[00:07:01]>> Good morning everyone. I am Shakhar of class 12 representing team AP Sakur as a researcher.

[00:07:06]>> Good morning everyone. I'm Harin Kore a researcher from team APSUR.

[00:07:11]>> Good morning everyone. This is Prennikar from class 9th representing team APSUR as a speaker.

[00:07:16]>> Good morning. I am Mansi Sharma a 12th grade PCM student representing APSur as a speaker.

[00:07:23]>> Greetings everyone. I am Karan Sharma from class 9 as a speaker representing APS Akno.

[00:07:28]>> Good morning everyone. My name is Manish Sharma representing APSU APS Agnore as speaker.

[00:07:35]>> Thank you team APS Aknore. Now it's time for APS Rakmorti to introduce themselves one by one.

[00:07:43]>> Good morning everyone. I am Kesh Sharma the first researcher of APS Rakmorti.

[00:07:49]>> Good morning everyone. I am Radhika and I'm the first speaker.

[00:07:55]Good morning everyone. I am Surange and I'm the second speaker.

[00:07:58]>> Good morning everyone. I'm Tanika and I'm the third speaker. Superbatria or Chihaktu.

[00:08:07]Hello everyone. This is Simran Dvi. I am the second researcher.

[00:08:12]>> Thank you APS RMI. Now everyone may have your attention please. Now the selection process for the presenter team will be determined through wheel of fortune.

[00:08:31]The team A selected as a presenter will be referred as team A and presented with the case study one. The other team will be referred as team B with case study two.

[00:08:49]Now let's spin the wheel of fortune. So team A and B, are you ready for it?

[00:09:01]So we have team A, A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Aps Rakmorti. The presenter team is team A Aps Rakmorti.

[00:09:10]Judges, please note down that the team A is APS Rakmorti.

[00:09:16]APS Rakmorti is the presenter team and team B is APS Aknur.

[00:09:22]I repeat, team A is APS RMoti and team B is APS AKUR going further now I would like to draw your attention towards the rules of this match.

[00:09:41]It is important to familiarize ourselves with the format of the ethics ball competition to ensure a fair and meaningful exchange of ideas. So this time I would like to take your attention towards the rules of match.

[00:09:55]Now rule number one is each team will be given 8 minutes to present including answering the ethical question put up by the moderator at the end of the case study.

[00:10:06]A reminder bill will be given after 6 minutes and the final bill will be given after 8 minutes to sum up the case.

[00:10:15]After that one mark will be deducted for every surpassing uh time limit. Every minute of surpassing the time limit. The other team will be given three to four minutes to confer and 5 minutes to comment. A bell will run at the end of 5 minutes.

[00:10:38]Students, please wait for a moment.

[00:10:52]Okay, April, were you clear with the wheel of fortune? B.

[00:11:01]>> Could you see the wheel of fortune?

[00:11:05]could you see the wheel of fortune?

[00:11:07]>> No.

[00:11:09]>> Okay, we'll display it to you again, right?

[00:11:14]>> Not to worry. We'll be going back now. Is it visible to you? APS Rakmuti and APSur.

[00:11:26]Yes, ma'am. It is visible. Okay. So, shall we spin the wheel now?

[00:11:46]So judges please note down APS Ankur is the presenter team now.

[00:11:52]Team A is the present team A is APS ANOUR. The presented team is APS Akmur.

[00:12:02]Judges, is this clear to you? Thank you sir.

[00:12:07]Thank you for the acknowledgement. Let's move ahead now.

[00:12:11]>> Please.

[00:12:12]>> So are you clear with the rules children? I have just narrated four rules to you. If you want me to start again with the rules, I can start.

[00:12:21]Let me know.

[00:12:23]Shall I take you through the rules again?

[00:12:26]M.

[00:12:26]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:12:27]>> Okay, but dear students, rule number one is each team will be given 8 minutes to present including answering the ethical question put up by the moderator at the end of the case study.

[00:12:53]Rule number two, a reminder bell will be given after 6 minutes and the final bell will be given after 8 minutes to sum up the case. After that, one mark will be deducted for every minute surpassing the time limit. Rule number four, the other team will be given three to four minutes to confer and five minutes to comment. A bell will be rung at the end of five minutes. Rule number five, the other team is also required to ask a maximum of two questions to the presenter team post their commentary.

[00:13:28]Then comes rule number six. The presenter team will be given three to four minutes to confer and come back with their answers. No cross questioning by the other team is allowed. Rule number seven, the presenter team is required to answer the questions put up by the other team within 5 minutes. The team can decide whether all members will speak or only one member will speak.

[00:13:52]Then a reminder bell will be rung at the end of 5 minutes.

[00:13:58]After this, the judges will ask one question each. They're allowed to cross question the presenter team members. The presenter team will get three to four minutes to confer and get back with their answers. Once the next team starts, the same format as the one mentioned above will be followed.

[00:14:19]Now I would like to brief the judges about the allotment of marks.

[00:14:27]Respected judges please note take a note of it. When team A is presenting, when team A is the presenter, you are requested to award marks to team A only under the presentation section A and team B will be evaluated only for their commentary section under section B only. Which means when team A assumes the role of the presenting team, the judges are requested to award marks to team A solely under presentation section A. Simultaneously team B shall be assessed only its commentary uh under only its commentary section B.

[00:15:08]I trust the marking procedure is clear.

[00:15:10]Judges, I trust the marking procedure is clear.

[00:15:18]>> Justin ma'am, >> excuse. Yes, ma'am.

[00:15:25]>> Ma'am, actually earlier it was team A and the wheel of fortune and now is it team B?

[00:15:32]>> Yes ma'am. Earlier actually it was APS RMoti and now it's APS Akun.

[00:15:37]Team A is APS Akur ma'am.

[00:15:41]So presenter team is APS Auror. Am I clear ma'am?

[00:15:46]>> Yes ma'am. I hope the marking procedure system is clear to you ma'am.

[00:15:55]>> But is it clear to you?

[00:15:57]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:15:59]Could you see the wheel of fortune this time?

[00:16:03]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:16:04]>> Okay. So you are the you are not the presenter team now. You are team B.

[00:16:08]Okay. APS RMI is team B and APS Aknur is team A. Noted ma'am.

[00:16:14]>> Noted. Okay. Thank you. B judges. I hope the judgment sheet is clear to you.

[00:16:23]Thank you sir. Thank you. Now, let's turn our attention to an interesting and thought-provoking case that will challenge your reasoning and ethical understanding.

[00:16:50]So before I read out the case for you, firstly I would like to mention we went for this case of spinoff wheel again because the slide was not clear to you.

[00:17:01]You could not see it right.

[00:17:04]So I hope both the teams APS Rakmuti and APS Amnur they are clear now which one is team A and which one is team B.

[00:17:13]Can I get a thumbs up from your end?

[00:17:15]Team A, >> APSur and team B. PSMI.

[00:17:22]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:17:25]>> Thank you B. Now I'm going to read out case one case study one Aadhaar inclusion and the right to privacy.

[00:17:35]So please listen to it very carefully.

[00:17:38]India's Aadhaar system administered by the unique identification authority of India is the world's largest biometric identification program. By linking fingerprints and IRS scans to welfare schemes, banking, taxation, and mobile services, the government argues that Aadhaar has reduced corruption and improved efficiency in public service delivery. Direct benefit transfers linked to Aadhaar reportedly minimize intermediaries and ensure subsidies reach intended beneficiaries.

[00:18:12]However, reports of biometric mismatches, connectivity failures, and alleged data vulnerabilities have generated concern. In certain ruler areas, individuals were reportedly denied food rations due to authentication failure. Privacy advocates warned that centralized storage of sensitive biometric data increases the risk of surveillance and profiling. The question whether citizens truly consent to data uses when Aadhaar is required for essential services.

[00:18:48]Government officials maintain that robust encryption, regularity and safeguard exist and that the benefits outweigh technical challenges. The ethical dilemma revolves around balancing efficiency and inclusion against autonomy, privacy and the risk of exclusion for vulnerable populations.

[00:19:08]As India advances toward digital governance arises whether technological innovation can be pursued without compromising fundamental rights and here are me with the two questions.

[00:19:25]Question number one is large scale biometric identification ethically justified for welfare efficiency?

[00:19:34]Number two, question number two is what limit should exist on state control over personal data. So I hope the case study along with the questions is clear to all the participants.

[00:19:47]Is clear to team A?

[00:19:49]>> Yes.

[00:19:49]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:19:51]>> Are you sure?

[00:19:53]>> Yes.

[00:19:53]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:19:54]>> Okay. So team A, you have 8 minutes to present. After that one mark will be deducted for every minute surpassing the time limit. Okay. So team A if you are ready kindly give me a thumbs up before you start.

[00:20:10]Yes, ma'am. We ma'am it. Okay.

[00:20:36]>> Team A, APS Akunur, are you ready?

[00:20:40]Yes ma'am.

[00:20:41]>> So your time starts now.

[00:20:54]My entire existence is imprisoned in this mere thumb print. This code perfectly portrays the aspect where a person's where a person's identity is reduced to machine readable string and removing the concept of privacy. To lead us with the case, I would pass to pranay.

[00:21:13]>> Well, did you receive a message on your phone this week? Perhaps a pop-up notification from your banking app or a text from your service provider. It's always the same. Your services will be discontinued. Please update your KYC and provide your Aadhaar number. We click, we type, we authenticate. But in that split second of convenience, have we ever realized what crucial information are we providing? What is Aadhaar? On paper, it's a 12digit number, a biometric C. It was given by the government to the public as the ultimate tool of inclusion giving a name to the nameless and a face to the millions of workers living in the shadows of economic society.

[00:22:00]It is the only proof of existence of a migrant labor in India and acts as a bridge to his food, his medicine and his dignity. It is a system's way of saying that we see you. But is being seen by a system the same as being protected by it? Because what happens when the system says no? What happens when a grandmother's fingerprints are worn off after years of toil and labor and the machine refuses to recognize it? Then the ration shop owner will blame the machine. The machine developers will blame the internet. The internet blames the policy. And this creates a carousel of ghosts. However, at the end, the poor grandmother is still not fed. This brings us right to the heart of this ethics bowl debate that is right to privacy. We think of it as a sacred untouchable wall, but that wall has a price tag. Imagine a future where the only currency to buy your rice and wheat are your fingerprints.

[00:23:01]We are forced to ask ourselves a question. Have we built a system that empowers the citizens or have we built a system that extremely overpowers them?

[00:23:12]>> Building on the introduction, let's move on to the facts that highlight the depth of this dilemma. The Aadhaar has fundamentally rewired Indian governance through the Jam Trinity which is integration of banks, Aadhaar and mobile. Government has transferred over 34 lakh kur directly to citizens and has saved 2.7 lakh kes by removing falls and ghost beneficiaries. However, this efficiency has come at a human cost. In rural sectors, the biometric failure rates are as high as 10 to 12%. In the for 2014 to 2018, government reports say that over 30 million ration cards were cancelled due to non-linkage and authentication failures. In the case of Kohli Dvi versus the Union of India, a mother alleged that her 11-year-old daughter died of starvation because her family ration card was cancelled for not being linked to Aadhaar. Furthermore, the centralization of 1.3 billion biometric profiles creates a massive surveillance risk. Taken together, these statistics show that efficiency is not just about numbers. It is about how technology intersects with human dignity and privacy. This case underscores several complex ethical dilemmas including the dilemma of efficiency and privacy. Here Aadhaar evidently improves speed, transparency and efficiency. But privacy is not merely a secrecy. It is the it it is linked to the dignity, autonomy and individual freedom which is which makes us question that can a welfare society claim to uphold justice even if efficiency comes at the cost of privacy. It also raises a dilemma between inclusion and exclusion. Aadhaar was introduced to include everyone. Yet some technological failures can lead to the to the exclusion of the elderly citizens and the digitally illiterate individuals. Also is consent genuine if it if it if its refusal leads to the uh to the to the developments. if it if it's a refusal leads to the uh the lack of uh the >> benefits >> benefits over to the next speaker.

[00:25:45]>> So I would like to answer some question that this cases arises. Uh the first question is that is biometrical identification ethical if we are talking about welfare of the people. What is our take that yes it is ethical but only if s certain safeguarding measures are taken. We can't disagree with the fact that Aadhaar has posed various benefits to Indian economy. For example, it has reduced corruption to a very much extent and also it has eliminated the fake beneficiaries in certain schemes. Even 80 cr individual in India got rations every month without the interruption of any middleman. All because of this biometrical identification and Aadhaar.

[00:26:26]So what should government realize is that if they are taking the data of the public definitely they should have the responsibility to manage the data. They should not sell or the data should not be leaked to a uh a company who in turn will uh who >> yes who in turn will make the public responsible for that. So second question I have that what limit should be what limit should the state have on public data? The answer is that states should not control the unlimited amount of public data means state control should not be unlimited. Uh I would just give an example of Singapore that Singapore is also a datadriven country. They had implemented an act which is PDPA, public data protection act. So what I think that similar uh steps need to be taken in India and they need to be replicated in India also for the huge masses as the population is high so that we could become we could become a country which is secure when we talk about data. For conclusion I would pass to man.

[00:27:29]Ultimately, ultimately we have to say that a dig a developed society is not the one that imposes digital compulsion in everything but one that provides choices according to circumstances. As Swami Viveanand once said, education and progress are only meaningful if they uplift humanity.

[00:27:50]So India's digital future need to combine innovation with ethics, efficiency with empathy and governance with freedom but while protecting individual dignity. Thank you.

[00:28:10]Thank you team A. That was an excellent delivery. Your mo voice modulation and expressions were commendable. Now team B, you have 3 to four minutes to confer and 5 minutes for your commentary and come back with your questions. Team B, your conferring time starts now.

[00:32:38]Team B, your conferring time is over.

[00:32:41]Are you ready team B to post your commentary now?

[00:32:47]>> Yes ma'am, we are ready.

[00:32:49]>> You can maximum ask two questions and you have five minutes to do so. So team B, APS RMI, your time starts now.

[00:33:00]>> First of all, we would like to compliment the opposing team's presentation. It captures the ethical dilemma and all the scenarios perfectly.

[00:33:08]It also explores solid facts relevant to it. However, me and my teammates would like to add certain points to it.

[00:33:16]As you mentioned the statement, my entire life is based on a thumb print and question what happens when a grandmother's fingerprint is not recognized. The concern is emotional and important but it reflects a failure of implementation not necessarily a failure of idea itself. No ethical system should rely on the mode of verification especially when dealing with elderly citizens, rural population or people facing difficult uh difficulties. This is exactly why alternatives such as OTPs, iris scans, online verification and manual human intervention should exist as safeguards. At the same time, it is also important to remember why systems like Aadhaar were introduced in the first place to reduce fake identities, welfare leakage, corruption and misuse of public resources that deprived many deserving citizens of support. The purpose of Aadhaar is not to reduce human identity or a fingerprint but to build more transparent and efficient welfare structure for a massive population.

[00:34:15]Therefore, the ethical response should not be reject to reject technology entirely because of failures but to improve the system so that technology serves people without replacing humanity. A human system is one where efficiency and compassion work together ensuring that no vulnerable citizen is excluded due to a technical error.

[00:34:36]So here's my question to you. Should an entire national welfare system be judged only by its failures while ignoring the millions the who successfully benefited of it.

[00:35:01]Foreverche.

[00:35:31]Excuse Excuse me.

[00:36:03]>> So, you are done with your questions.

[00:36:06]>> Excuse me, ma'am.

[00:36:08]>> Yeah. Okay. Team A, I hope the questions are clear to you.

[00:36:13]>> Uh, excuse me, ma'am.

[00:36:15]>> Yes, M.

[00:36:16]>> I have a small request uh that could you please translate the second question into English.

[00:36:21]>> Okay, just wait for a minute.

[00:36:25]Team B, April, can you please repeat your question?

[00:36:30]>> Hindi is good for >> your question was asked in Hindi. Can you please ask in English?

[00:36:37]Please ask your question.

[00:36:42]>> Ma'am, I'm the Hindi speaker in this presentation.

[00:36:44]>> Yeah. Yeah, you can speak Hindi. No, no worries. Please tell us your question.

[00:36:48]>> So, ma'am, my question was that Ma'am.

[00:37:13]A very please ask your question properly Please ask your question properly.

[00:37:34]>> Excuse me ma'am. Uh we would like to ask a second question in English as they have requested. So uh the question goes as should um is uh the ethical solution to abandon technology completely or to improve it with stronger safeguard and human backup systems?

[00:37:52]Can I repeat?

[00:37:59]Yes, please repeat your question.

[00:38:00]>> Okay. First of all, you're not supposed to ask question in Hindi. Your question must be in English.

[00:38:06]>> Okay, ma'am. I get your point.

[00:38:08]>> So, yes, you can continue with the question now.

[00:38:12]>> Yeah, I would like to repeat my second question again. Is the ethical solution to abandon technology completely or to improve it with stronger safeguards and human backup systems?

[00:38:24]>> Team A, are you clear with the question now?

[00:38:27]>> Yes, ma'am.

[00:38:30]Just wait for a minute.

[00:38:37]>> Team A, I repeat. Are you clear with the questions now? Apaknur?

[00:38:43]>> Yes ma'am. It is clear.

[00:38:45]>> Okay. So we give you the confer time and your confer conferring time starts now.

[00:43:04]Team APS Auror.

[00:43:07]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:43:08]>> Your time is over B but I hope you are ready with your answers.

[00:43:15]>> Yes ma'am. Yes ma'am.

[00:43:17]>> 5 minutes count.

[00:43:20]>> Thank you very much team Rakuti. Wait wait wait wait.

[00:43:25]And your time starts now.

[00:43:28]>> Thank you very much team Rakmorti. It was really thoughtprovoking. Uh and to start the answer I would like uh to quote some famous saying by Mahatma Gandhi. He said the measure of a society is not how it treats its powerful citizens but how it treats its most vulnerable.

[00:43:49]To address this, we must shift our ethical framework to prioritize inclusion over efficiency. A national system should not should only be considered useful if it has a 100% safety net for those at the margins.

[00:44:05]First, we must implement a mandatory manual override policy. If the biometric scan fails, the state must accept alternative forms of identification so that the essential services like food and healthcare are never denied. Second, we need to move away from centralized control by creating more localized flexible ways to verify identity. We can ensure that a technological glitch is in a central database doesn't result in a personal digital deletion from society.

[00:44:41]Now passing on to the second speaker.

[00:44:44]Even if the biometric failures are 1 to 2% it leaves out the vulnerable citizens. And for a already vulnerable citizen the biometric failure or authentication failure is not just a technical glitch. It is a difference between eating and um like being hungry.

[00:45:04]>> So as we saw in the case and uh when we spoke our part the grandmother still remains hungry because the biometric scanner failed. So we can't just argue about the successes because mostly failures are only highlighted. Coming now to the second question is u like should we completely abandon the technology or should we also provide balance safeguards? Well, it was never our intention to completely abandon technology because then such creations would not have been invented. We have to put proper safeguards. Safeguards such as uh timely checking of biometric machines, updation of personal details, fingerprints etc. Continuing on with the next speaker >> the main >> so in conclud conclusion we can conclude that a system that works for only 95% people but leaves the other 5% in dark is not an ethical success.

[00:46:03]>> But we must remember that a system is only true truly strong if it is grounded in fundamental rights. We don't need a system that is harder to hack. We need a system that is impossible to be excluded from. By keeping the technology but wrapping it in human- centered laws and manual backups, we can enjoy the efficiency of the future without sacrificing the dignity of the present.

[00:46:22]Thank you.

[00:46:28]Team A, are you done?

[00:46:33]>> Yes.

[00:46:34]>> Okay. Excellent effort from both sides.

[00:46:37]Your arguments reflected deep thinking and ethical awareness. You have all shown great analytical skills and respect for differing viewpoints. Thank you children. Now it's time for our respected judges to put forward their questions to team A. Each judge will ask one question. Let us now invite our first judge to present the question. Our distinguished judge Major General MKkesh Agawad. Over to you sir.

[00:47:05]Uh well done uh team APS Aknore. I think it was an excellent uh ideas which you have given plus the facts presented by you. I'll have a slightly longer question with uh some preload being in the government for 38 years.

[00:47:23]First please look at how many times you give your data to individuals.

[00:47:30]You come to immigration, you are giving all your biometrics to that country immigration.

[00:47:36]Next, you download any app, you are giving virtually all information in that app including your mobile number and email and all of us download number of apps today.

[00:47:52]Aadhaar database leakage. I think the only leakage reported was in 2023 uh when around 80 cr of uh data was sold on dark web but I think even that is doubtful.

[00:48:09]So my question is that uh is it a motivated campaign against Aadhaar that is being propagated by people who have profited from uh the system by uh using malpractices that is what is uh driving this drive against Aadhaar based direct benefit transfer.

[00:48:37]I think we need to address this question because large number of times it has happened whether it was Kundakulum nuclear plant when motivated campaign stopped it the farm laws and so many other things. So I would like you to comment on it. Is it a motivated campaign and our system is robust enough to cater for whatever small shortcomings are there in the system?

[00:49:06]AP SNU team A I hope the question is clear to you.

[00:49:10]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:49:11]>> Thank you so much sir for this wonderful question. Team A are you ready? Team A, you will be given 3 to four minutes to confer.

[00:49:20]You can take your conferring time.

[00:49:24]>> We will take the conferring time and back.

[00:49:27]>> Okay, children. So, your conferring time starts now.

[00:53:32]Team A, your conferring time is over. Bach, are you ready with your answer now?

[00:53:39]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:53:40]>> So your time starts now.

[00:53:43]>> Ma'am, we would like to start with the code. The strongest lo the strongest lock is the one that no single key can open. Now passing on to the second speaker.

[00:53:53]>> Yes. Uh sir, so to answer your question, your first question was is this a motivated campaign? Well, we believe it is not a motivated campaign. Uh generally motivated campaigns are usually done when they have to popularize something. But Aadhaar is very popular in India and we have the stats to that. uh there are over 1.38 billion Aadhaar registrations all over the country. More than 99.9% of the people uh adult youth have registered for Aadhaar. 3.2 K authentications are done every single day. So uh if Aadhaar is so popular then nobody will be trying to do a motivated campaign over this.

[00:54:33]And uh to answer your second question if it is robust. Yes sir. Uh the system is very uh robust. uh the server in UIDA which is unique identification authority of India. It is equipped with standard military grade encryption along with advanced encryption uh system with a 256 bit key. Generally whatever uh things that related to Aadhaar have been done such as data leaks or that that are usually done from the Aadhaar cards which are already available from the people they have bought it and then they have sold their >> uh then they have sold their data.

[00:55:10]Moving on to the next speaker >> with regards to data Aadhaar data leakage there was a case there was a investigation 2028 tribal investigation which revealed that data Aadhara data was being sold for just 500 rupees this raised serious questions about government responsibility in protecting citizens law citizens privacy privacy and there are a lot of cases going around the country but they are rarely reported so we cannot say that Aadhaar is being adhar data is not getting leaked. It gets leaked but it is not usually through the we can say uh the government. It is it is also from the government but citizens also play a role because they have to be aware about the data they are putting into the sites.

[00:55:55]They have to check whether the sites are safe for the data and they are like going to protect their privacy.

[00:56:03]uh uh as you said sir very small cases happen every day but that those cases do not attention those cases do not gather the attention in media. So yes as my friend has said that people should all also be aware of that means if they are uploading the data on certain website which can be uh >> harmful for them >> which can be harmful from for them. So they should be aware and uh a thing we need to implant in uh uh the whole public that the thing is data literacy.

[00:56:32]So we should make them aware of this.

[00:56:34]>> In a nutshell, we would like to say that if technology grows while humanity suffers, then we must question not its power but its purpose. And this is not a motivated campaign against Sadhar. It is an awareness campaign to create awareness among citizens so that we increase the efficiency of the system.

[00:56:53]not question its authority. Thank you.

[00:56:59]>> Very well answered. I think you have covered all the issues which I was looking forward to and comprehensively answered. Thank you and a great presentation and uh good question answering by you till now. All the best to you all. I will only add one thing.

[00:57:15]Government has all the data. If you look at all the advanced countries, they have social security benefit 100% data is stored with the government. Somebody gave that example of uh Singapore datadriven. So is most of the modern countries they are datadriven and we have also implemented DPDP act 2023 which has come into effect in November 2025. Uh very well done. Thank you.

[00:57:42]>> Thank you so much sir. Sir, would you like to cross question team A?

[00:57:46]No, it's fine. I have I I think they covered it very well and all the uh dimensions have been well answered.

[00:57:56]Thank you.

[00:57:57]>> Thank you so much sir. Now let us invite our second judge M. Kalyani ready to present the question.

[00:58:06]>> Children it was well answered. I think most of the questions are already uh on the table. Now my final question or I would like to know what is your final ethical position that is you want reformation in Aadhaar or you want to restrict Aadhaar or abolish Aadhaar.

[00:58:24]What is the final thing that you want to be done?

[00:58:30]>> Team A apore you want conf time.

[00:58:35]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:58:36]>> Okay so your conferring time starts now.

[00:58:38]>> Can you please repeat the question?

[00:58:40]Okay. So what is your final ethical position? Is it reformation in Aadhaar or some restrictions in Aadhaar? Of course from your point I don't want uh to ask the last option that is abolishing Aadhaar because you're all in for Aadhaar. I hope I'm clear with the question dear children.

[00:58:58]>> Yes ma'am.

[00:58:59]>> Thank you.

[00:59:00]>> So your conferring time starts now. Ta.

[01:03:07]team APSur your confering time is over are you ready with your answer B >> yes ma'am >> okay just wait a minute so your time starts now >> the purpose of technology is not going to place human judgment but to serve human needs.

[01:03:31]>> Ma'am, I would like to begin with like opposing two different perspectives over this case. First one being the utilitarian perspective and the other one being the deontological perspective.

[01:03:43]Ma'am, I believe that we should go with the deontological perspective keeping in mind about all the rationalities of this case. Now moving on to the second speaker. We acknowledge that Aadhaar is not an error-free system but Aadhaar has given identity to the historical invisible. Before Aadhaar many people had no government IDs which prevented them from opening bank accounts but our stance is not to abandon the system but to improvise. We have to shift the focus from digital first to citizen first.

[01:04:16]So uh to answer your question ma'am we have to allow we have to continue allow the use of Aadhaar because Aadhaar is a centralized system now you don't need two three different different cards now you can just combine everything into Aadhaar like earlier what used to happen while going for ration there used to be middlemen so they used to charge high prices and not the government prices but after adhar came the middleman got eliminated now a person can directly go and buy uh whatever his or her needs are from the ration shop. However, measures such as time to time upgradation of details and checking of biometrical scanners is required so that in the future uh a person cannot be denied uh his food just because his fingerprint is not working. That is just a straightforward violation of dignity.

[01:05:05]Moving on to our next speaker.

[01:05:07]>> So as uh to answer your question, we would just say that reformation necessary in in Aadhaar, we can't totally abolish it. we can't totally restrict it. So re uh re reformation is necessary because it acknowledge both the sides and it provides a concrete safeguard. So what I must say that in uh in reformation we what we should do is first of all we should provide a uh encryption in Aadhaar so that the data used in Aadhaar should not be misled by any other company just not government except the government also. Uh yes I would pass to >> in a conclusion we would like to say that we consider reformation with strict safeguards should be implemented in the Aadhaar. Thank you.

[01:05:51]>> Thank you children. I think that was a wonderful uh response from you and I'm really impressed that you know digitalization with human touch.

[01:05:59]Wonderful. Thank you so much.

[01:06:02]>> Thank you ma'am. Ma'am would you like to cross question them?

[01:06:05]>> No ma'am not really.

[01:06:06]>> Okay. Thank you ma'am. Now children, let us invite our third judge, Mr. Salil Singh, to present the question.

[01:06:15]>> Hi. Uh guys, I'm going to put my conspiracy theorist hat on for this question. Um and I look forward to your answer. Aadhaar is one of the biggest data collection um attempts in the history of the world. A lot of countries as surgeon uh rightly pointed out have collected people's data and so that they can give them social security net uh numbers and stuff like that. However, there's another side to the same coin.

[01:06:42]In countries like China, uh people's data and biometrics are linked to their actions or their words uh being favorable to the government or not. And in India, we have already seen an inkling of this when uh during the NRCCA protests in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, facial recognition software was used to find out who were the people who were at the helm of these protests and then not being allowed into government events and uh ruling party rallies in Delhi later.

[01:07:15]So my question to you is uh what are some safeguards you think that the government should put in place to um stop this from happening in India? Uh the misuse of data or one could say the um the use of data in the way it has been done in China and countries like that. How can we stop that from happening in India and what are the safeguards that the government should put in place to ensure that this does not happen? Over to you >> students, are you clear with the questions?

[01:07:51]>> Yes, Sakur, are you clear with the questions?

[01:07:55]>> Sir, could you please repeat the question?

[01:07:57]>> Auror, are you clear with the questions?

[01:08:00]>> Uh, they asked me to repeat, I'll do that. So, I started by giving you guys a context of China. uh where a person's biometrics and their citizenship is intrinsically linked to their uh social score. So uh social credit score. So basically uh if you tweet something against the government or if you write something like education in China is so bad I want to go to USA then the government tracks that with your social security and uh they give you a score based on that. This is one extreme of what can happen with government data collection. Right? Then I gave you an example of what has happened in India already. Like you guys are aware that there were major protests around NRC and CA. What side of it you are on is irrespective. Uh there were a lot of protests in Delhi and in UP right? NRCA.

[01:08:55]So during that time the governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh used facial recognition software to see who are the people who are sitting at the protest and later those people were not allowed to enter rallies of the ruling party as well as other governments launch events etc because they're like these people are troublemakers they should not be allowed. So um how can we stop the misuse of data or the use of data by the government for their own benefit rather than the people's how can we stop this from happening in India that's the basic question I gave you the context what is happening in China what is already happening in India and my question was how can we stop this data collection exercises from working against the people like it seems to be happening in China is that clear >> yes sir >> yes sir Awesome.

[01:09:47]>> Children, would you like to have your conferring time now?

[01:09:50]>> Yes, sir.

[01:09:51]>> Okay. So, your conferring time starts now.

[01:13:41]Come here.

[01:14:02]So your time is over B but are you ready with your answer now?

[01:14:06]>> Yes ma'am we are ready and you'll get 5 minutes to answer. Are you ready?

[01:14:11]>> Yes sir.

[01:14:12]>> Yes sir.

[01:14:16]>> Okay your time starts now.

[01:14:19]>> Okay.

[01:14:20]So sir to answer your question uh first of all we would like to take a look into Estonia. So Estonia also has a system of collecting the data of all the citizens.

[01:14:31]However it is not collected at a central server but is bifurcated between each organization such as banks, schools, hospitals etc. Also they have a system that the citizens can check if somebody has accessed their profile. Now secondly the you said that these cameras and bifurcation uh sorry biometric scans can be used to identify people. Sir in one way this is good because uh if we have this uh if we keep records then we can find people who have committed thefts, robberies or other type of uh man acts crimes. Right? However, uh sometimes this also violates the right to freedom of speech and expression because uh we uh we have >> sir because we uh have the right to speak freely and if a government is using this to just ban a person's account or is just using this to find a person and then maybe put them in jail or something then it is very wrong on uh their part. Passing on to my teammate.

[01:15:38]So like as we mentioned in like China where like government can track down uh citizens and they can block them block their yes cancel their citizenship based on their social status but I think that India is a democratic country and here we have right to protest against Iran.

[01:15:57]If we find that our data is being linked or our data is being used to scan what we are doing and what like it is like restricting our freedom of speech then we can protest against it.

[01:16:11]>> So uh sir as you have said as you have given the example of China and various as my friend has also given the example of Estonia. I would just add that I have also given an example of Singapore that PDPA is a very uh very uh nice act that has been initiated there to to uh check uh to uh to account that data is not misused by the government. So it stand for public data protection act and it is in implementation in Singapore. But I would like to say that no matter how many policies or safeguarding measure do we take it will only work if we will implement it on the ground and it is very necessary sir.

[01:16:48]>> As in conclusion we would like to say that when values collide true ethics lies not in choosing what is easy but in choosing what is just. Thank you.

[01:17:02]>> Thank you children sir. Any question from your side?

[01:17:06]>> No. Uh well answered. Good research.

[01:17:08]Thank you.

[01:17:10]>> Thank you. Thank you children. So very well articulated. Your reasoning was both compelling and reflective of a deep engagement with the case. Now we'll have a 5 minutes break children.

[01:17:23]But kindly make sure that you keep your systems on. Do not put off the camera.

[01:17:28]Just keep your systems on.

[01:17:32]Now we'll proceed for 5 minutes break.

[01:22:41]So before we start the further proceedings of the match, is everybody here?

[01:22:46]All the esteemed judges and all the participants.

[01:22:55]Judges, may I have your kind acknowledgement, please?

[01:23:02]>> Yes ma'am. Yeah.

[01:23:04]>> Okay sir. So children now we'll proceed with case study two. Are you ready? APS RMI are you ready?

[01:23:14]>> Yes ma'am we are ready.

[01:23:16]>> Okay. Case study two, Delhi's air pollution and shared responsibility.

[01:23:27]Each winter, New Delhi experiences hazardous air pollution levels leading to schools closure, construction bans and public health advisories.

[01:23:37]Contributing factors include vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction dust, and crop stubble burning in neighboring states. Farmers argue that burning residue is an economically necessary practice due to limited affordable alternatives. Urban residents demand stricter enforcement and penalties.

[01:23:58]Government authorities introduce temporary measures such as odd even vehicle schemes and restrictions on construction activities. Environmental experts argue that long-term structural reforms, including cleaner transportation systems and agricultural subsidies for alternative practices, are essential. However, coordination between multiple state governments complicates implementation.

[01:24:22]The ethical dilemma concerns an assigning responsibility fairly while balancing economic survival and public health. Should farmers bear penalties while when alternatives are insufficiently subsidized? Should urban consumers reduce consumption and vehicle use? The crisis highlights collective responsibility in addressing environmental harm within a federal system. So here we are with two questions. Question number one, who bears the greatest ethical responsibility for Delhi's pollution crisis? And question number two is, are strict penalties justified when livelihoods are at stake?

[01:25:03]Team B, APS RMI, are you ready?

[01:25:07]I hope the questions are clear, the case study is clear to you.

[01:25:14]>> Yes, ma'am.

[01:25:14]>> B, APS RMI, are you ready?

[01:25:19]>> Yes, ma'am.

[01:25:21]>> So, you have 8 minutes. The first bell will ring at 6 minute and the second will rung will be rung at 8 minutes.

[01:25:29]Okay, so your time starts now.

[01:25:52]Honorable judges, esteemed guests and participants. Numbers tell the data but stories tell the soul. So here Delhi story broken yet whole. 6 in the morning November West Delhi. Golanor steps out to find no air. only gray bit better suffocating atmosphere. She grabs the cart. Her husband Shabbas tries to pedal, stops, gasps, and says death is in the air. N was in the hospital last night. She's back at work because, as she says, dying of hunger sounds worse than dying of suffocation. Two winters ago, their 15-year-old daughter Rukana was diagnosed because of tuberculosis because of Delhi's hair. She survived.

[01:26:41]But every winter, the cuff returns because the air never got better. 40 minutes away, hundreds of mothers gathered at India gate with activist Bhavarin Kandani. Police blocked them.

[01:26:54]She said there is no political will.

[01:26:57]Only a structural overall can fix all of this. In the Supreme Court, Justice Oka notes, states blame the center, center blames the states. It has spiraled out of control. In 2023, Delhi air killed 17,000 people. Not in war, but in ordinary days. The rich rolled up car windows. Nah had no windows. They contributed the least yet they suffered the most. The Bhagat Gita wants Whatever the leader do, the leader Whatever the leader do, the world will follow. A leader sprayed water on smoke and called it a solution. N followed, Rukana followed. 17,000 other people followed to their grave. 17,000 names, no verdict, no justice. When will our leaders set a standard worthy of following before the next winter takes 17,000 more of them? Passing on to Sudy.

[01:27:58]>> Thank you Radika. When the lives of so many people are involved, the question is who bears the greatest ethical responsibility for Delhi's pollution crisis? Our team strongly believes that the greatest ethical responsibility lies with the governments and the major systemic actors because responsibility should always match power and the capacity to create change. The case study itself mentions multiple contributors. vehicular emissions, industrial pollutions, construction dust and crop stable burning. This means ter pollution is not not caused by only one villain. It is the result of an entire broken system. According to the recent reports by IIT Kpur and the center for science and environment, transport and industrial emissions remain among the biggest year round contributors to Delhi's toxic air, while stubble burning worsens the crisis seasonally. In 2023, travel creator Drew Binsky publicly criticized Delhi's pollution in a viral video posted on November 1st. Around the same time period, reports showed a decline in foreign tourist arrivals by nearly 6%. When the air itself becomes a warning sign, people stop seeing a city as a destination. They start seeing it as a danger. This shows that pollution is no longer just an environmental issue. It impacts tourism, public health, international perception and economic confidence. Now comes the ethical dilemma. Is it morally fair to punish farmers heavily when affordable alternatives are not even fully available? A farmer may know that burning stubbles harms the environment, but survival often beats idilisms.

[01:29:35]Ethically, this is the case of collective responsibility. However, collective responsibility does not mean equal responsibility. A daily commuter driving to work does not hold the same responsibility as policy makers who design those transport systems. Passing on to the third speaker.

[01:29:49]>> Taking forwards the idea shared by metitis. I would like to highlight an important concern connected to Delhi's pollution crisis. Each winter New Delhi faces hazardous pollution. While stubble burning is often blamed, but the crisis is actually caused by multiple factors including vehicular emissions, stubble burning and urban consumption. This clearly shows that the problem is not about Delhi's pollution. This also brings us to an important ethical question. Are strict penaltities justified in this case? In my opinion, alone strict penalties are not justified. Holding farmers responsible without providing them alternatives makes the approach very much unfair. At the same time, focusing only on vehicular emissions, industrial pollution and construction dust would also make it ethically unjustified as real change will only come when the responsibility is shared by all of us.

[01:30:46]Do you know that in 2025 Delhi air quality has touched the scale of 920 9 which is not just for humans but for animals also. Along with this greater phone focus should be placed on practical solutions such as better wage management, controlled construction activities and many more. A clean environment is not the responsibility of just one group alone. It is the responsibility of every individual and every institution. Passing on to speak of it.

[01:31:28]group.jk.

[01:31:31]orchestra.

[01:32:09]is jungle.

[01:32:44]Well done team B. Your presentation was impressive with excellent voice modulation and expression. Now team A, you have 3 to four minutes to confirm and 5 minutes to post your commentary and come back with your questions. So team APSU, your time starts now.

[01:37:10]team A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Aprur, your conferring time stands over here. Are you ready with your commentary now?

[01:37:16]>> Yes ma'am.

[01:37:19]>> You can ask, please remember you can ask maximum two questions. Okay. And for this you have five minutes. Are you ready? Yes.

[01:37:27]>> Yes ma'am.

[01:37:28]>> So your time starts now.

[01:37:30]>> Well presented AP Shakmoti. You rightly highlighted that how citizens are being affected by the Delhi's pollution and how they share the greatest accountability. However, we would like to extend this discussion by considering why there is disproportionate disproportionate blame on citizens.

[01:37:48]Ethically every stakeholder has a moral duty. Government should make policies.

[01:37:53]The citizens must adapt sustainable activities. The industries must reduce the emissions and the farmers must reduce the harmful practices.

[01:38:06]So I do agree with you but I would just add some lines of Ahmed Salman here that So this was a quote of man and it beautifully underlines that uh how that we make massive buildings, we make massive cities and yet in those massive city we search for we long for clean air and everything. So yes we do agree with you but as you said that citizen play a role but I would like to add that citizen just play a role. The major role is of government means government is having the power now. Government is having the power to uh grant subsidies.

[01:38:55]Government is having the power to regulate the industries. Government is having the power to make laws and government also has the power to enforce those laws. So I want to know your take on this.

[01:39:07]>> Also you mentioned that poison has become an integral part of Delhi today.

[01:39:11]Uh just as you gave the example of N at the starting of your case. However, Delhi was not always like this. It was the crown jewell of the Mughal Empire as the famous poet Miza Galib once said that if earth was the body then Delhi was its soul. So how can we justify that? How can we say that now poison has taken over the entire Delhi and what is your take on this?

[01:39:37]Moving on to the researchers.

[01:39:40]Our first question to you is if we categorize trouble burning as a survival emission born of systemic poverty can we truly assign moral agency to the individual farmer under a can frame framework of autonomy that is the moral principle that self-governing will of creating their own moral rules then rather than being driven by their own desires.

[01:40:00]Um now moving on to the second question as one of the speakers from APS Rakmuti has quoted that we can reduce uh like the pollution in air by controlling construction activities. So my question to them is when you advocate for stopping construction to save the air, are you prepared to look into the eyes of the millions of daily wage laborers whose families depend on the next break laid for the next meal? Is an abstract reduction in particular matter was the concrete reality of mass starvation and the loss of dignity for the working class.

[01:40:38]Thank you. That's all from our side.

[01:40:43]APS RMI, I hope both the questions are clear to you.

[01:40:49]Team B, April, are you clear with the questions?

[01:40:52]>> Uh, can you please repeat the first question?

[01:40:55]>> Team A, I request you to please repeat your question number one.

[01:41:00]The first question is if we categorize double burning as a survival emission bond of systemic poverty can we truly assign moral agency to the individual farmer under a canan framework of autonomy that is the moral principle that self-governing will of creating their own moral rules rather than being driven by their own desires.

[01:41:21]>> Yes team B APS RMI are you clear now? Uh >> I hope the question to you.

[01:41:26]>> Yes Patrick.

[01:41:28]>> Uh yes. Uh can you ask someone else to repeat the question? The voice is not clear.

[01:41:34]>> Okay. He'll repeat the question again.

[01:41:35]Not to worry.

[01:41:36]>> Can someone else repeat the same question?

[01:41:39]>> Okay. Hold on. APSur.

[01:41:44]>> Yes ma'am.

[01:41:44]>> APSur. Can anyone of you please repeat the question again? Question number one.

[01:41:49]>> Sure ma'am. So ma'am, if we categorize double burning as a survival emission born of systematic poverty, can we truly assign moral agency to the individual farmer under under a cantonian framework of autonomy? That is the moral principle that self-governing creating their own moral rules rather than being driven by their own desires.

[01:42:16]Atheist Rakmorti, I hope the question is clear this time.

[01:42:22]APMI are you clear with the questions now?

[01:42:27]Uh >> ma'am uh can you please provide us just a minute for we are fixing the internet connection.

[01:42:36]We didn't quite hear them.

[01:42:37]>> So there is an internet fluctuation. Are you asking me to repeat the questions?

[01:42:44]>> Do you want team A to repeat the question?

[01:42:46]>> Repeat it once more. We are sorry for that.

[01:42:48]>> Okay. No issues. APS Akur, >> please ask both the questions again.

[01:42:55]>> Both the questions?

[01:42:56]>> Yeah, please ask both the questions.

[01:42:59]So ma'am, our first question is if we categorize double burning as a survival emission born of systematic poverty, can we truly assign moral agency to the individual farmer under a canan framework of autonomy? That is the moral principle that self-governing creating their own moral rules rather than being driven by their own desires. And our second question was when you advocate for stopping construction to save the air, are you prepared to look into the eyes of the millions of daily wage laborers whose families depends on the on the next brick laid for the next meal. is an abstract reduction in particulate matter what the concrete reality of mass starvation and the loss of dignity for the working class.

[01:43:55]>> Team D APS stratmorti I hope the questions are clear to you now.

[01:44:00]>> Yes ma'am.

[01:44:01]>> Okay. So do you want Okay. So we have four minutes. You have four minutes to confer. Okay. So your conferring time starts now.

[01:48:17]APSMI your conference time is over now.

[01:48:21]>> Yes ma'am.

[01:48:22]>> And to post your commentary you have 5 minutes with you. Okay. So are you ready?

[01:48:29]AP Morti are you ready?

[01:48:32]>> Okay. So your time starts now.

[01:48:33]>> Yes I am.

[01:48:36]>> So first of all thank you for your question. It was really thoughtprovoking. an answer. I would to uh like to add some poetry lines.

[01:48:43]Between the crops and city skies lies a need for reforms long denied. Can we demand responsibility from all without helping the weakest stand tall?

[01:48:57]>> The issue of stubble burning in the Delhi pollution case study represents a eth real ethical dilemma because it places environmental responsibility against economic survival. Many farmers burn crop residue not because they want to harm the environment but because it is often the cheapest and the fastest solution available between crop cycles. Small farmers especially face a financial pressure, costic machinery and limited access to alternatives. However, the effects on public health are also severe. Every winter Delhi faces hazardous air quality, school enclosures and rising respiratory illness. At the same time, experts has clarified that pollution is not caused by stubble burning alone. Transport emissions, industries and construction should not become about blaming one group alone.

[01:49:45]Ethical responsibility must be shared collectively. Government should not provide affordable alternatives and long-term food reforms while industries, urban consumers and citizens must also reduce their environmental impact. The solution lies not only in penalties but in creating system where sustainable choices are realistically possible for everyone.

[01:50:13]>> Thank you. Smoke may rise from fields today, but policy failures pave the way.

[01:50:19]If lasting change is what we claim, must not the system have to blame? I would like to conclude this answer by saying that farmers only burn the stubbles because they don't have any other choice directly available to them. Sure, there are government subsidies and many other policies available to them, but that requires awareness and much more availability and access to them. Farmers are mostly uneducated and that puts a big constraint on them to actually access their applications and subsidies.

[01:50:52]Passing on to the next speaker.

[01:50:54]>> Now we would like to answer the second question. Construction workers registered under the building and other construction work should receive pollution subsidies paid during the constructional bars. The state must redistribute the wealth to those temporarily losing work for the greater public good.

[01:51:15]Okay.

[01:51:16]It is ethically allow a person to earn if that work causes them a chronical lung disease that will kill them in 5 years. In last 3 years they'll record over two lakh respiratory illness cases with construction worker being the most directly imposed to pollution.

[01:51:36]In December 2025, the Delhi government announced a one-time compension to 10,000 rupees for registered workers during GRP third and fourth bands. The WCOW board collected less than 1% sales from all the construction projects as for 2025 report shows that only 9% to 11% of the total receipts in the welfare funds were actually spent on workers benefits.

[01:52:07]The problem isn't at the ban, it's the administrative apathy. There's enough money to the welfare funds to pay even workers a full salary. the day 15 among some peaks. We demand better distribution not more pollution. Sorry.

[01:52:41]Very well done students. Excellent effort from both teams. Your arguments demonstrated thoughtful analysis and strong ethical awareness. You also showed great respect for diverse perspectives. Thank you children. Now it's time for our respected judges to put forward their questions to team B, APS Rakmorti. Each judge will ask one question. Let us now invite our first esteemed judge to present a question.

[01:53:08]Over to you sir.

[01:53:12]Team Rahmi, you did exceedingly well. It was a treat listen to you all. Let me put a global perspective to pollution.

[01:53:21]You look at London in 40s and 50s. It used to be covered with blanket of smog nearly throughout the year. In fact in 1952 alone more than 12,000 people died because of pollution.

[01:53:36]50s60s same was witnessed in New York.

[01:53:39]In 62 alone thousands of people died.

[01:53:43]Closer home and nearer in timeline same thing happened in China in '90s and 2000. So the bottom line is the countries which have progressed have faced it.

[01:53:58]So my point is that we should also not get overtly concerned with pollution.

[01:54:05]Educate the people. Do what is doable.

[01:54:09]Take small measures and do not take drastic measures which will actually impede our prosperity. And as such we all know every system is self-correcting. If Delhi is bad, obviously the immigration will reduce, the number of people coming will reduce.

[01:54:29]So what is your thought on this?

[01:54:36]>> Sir, it was a very well asked question.

[01:54:38]Team B, I hope the question is clear to you.

[01:54:44]APSMoti, I hope the question is clear to you.

[01:54:47]>> Yes ma'am.

[01:54:49]So would you like to have your confer time?

[01:54:53]>> Yes, ma'am.

[01:54:55]>> Okay. So your confer time starts now.

[01:59:04]team B APSMI your confering time is over now if you're ready with your answer we can start then are you ready with your answer >> yes ma'am >> okay so your five minutes start now >> okay so first of all I would like to thank you for your thoughtprovoking question. So uh now answering your question, it is true that major cities like London during the great smoke of 1952, New York City during the severe pollution episodes of 1960s and many industrial regions of China in the early 2000s face extreme air pollution while developing economically. However, these examples actually prove the opposite of what is being suggested. Those countries did not simply ignore the pollution in the name of development. They eventually introduced s strict environmental laws, cleaner technologies, public awareness campaigns and structural reforms. After realizing the enormous human and economic cost of the environmental neglect, India's situation is even more complex because we are a nation of over a 1.4 billion people with rapid urbanization, economic inequality and major millions depending on agriculture, transport, construction and industry for survival. These this means development is absolutely necessary but development without stability becomes dangerous in long term. Ignoring pollution today could lead to greater healthcare costs, reduce productivity, environmental damage and loss of quality of life in future. Therefore, awareness is definitely important but awareness alone is not enough. Real change requires both public awareness and major policy decisions working together. The lessons from London, New York and China is not that pollution should be ignored during development, but that delayed action eventually forces countries to take even stronger and expensive measures later.

[02:00:59]>> Thank you, Keshab. What I'd like to say for this question is that comparing New York and London from 50s and 16s with India in present time is slightly unorthodox to say the least since it is comparing two countries from completely different timelines. Furthermore, India has a much more concentrated population.

[02:01:20]Therefore, the impact of pollution is much more severe and we technically lose more people. We cannot ignore the loss of lives and the spread of disease just over the name of development. Passing on to the next speaker.

[02:01:33]>> Implementing green corridors, permanent construction bans in hotspots and the massive expansion of electric public transport. These are hard measures that will work regardless whether people are not.

[02:01:47]The environment justice is served when the government takes the difficult measures to fix system rather than waiting for the 13 million people to change their habits just by their own when they are choked.

[02:02:13]The never Thank you team B. APSMI sir would you like to ask any further question to team B sir please unmute yourself sir we can't hear you >> yes >> so large number of measures have been taken by Delhi government uh whether now or past uh two decades or so to control pollution.

[02:02:43]So can you list two important measures which have not been taken which needs to be taken to reduce pollution?

[02:02:53]>> Yes APS are you clear with the question?

[02:02:57]>> Yes ma'am.

[02:02:59]>> So would you like to answer it now or would you like to have the confer time?

[02:03:03]>> We would like some comfort time.

[02:03:06]>> Okay. So your comfort time starts now.

[02:03:51]Oops.

[02:06:51]Come in. Get out.

[02:07:13]Students, your time is up. So, are you ready with your answer? Do you have the answer to question?

[02:07:19]>> Yes, ma'am.

[02:07:21]>> Okay, please go ahead.

[02:07:24]>> First of all, I would like to thank the judge for cross questioning. So the first measure that uh Delhi has not introduced yet is the strong long-term public transport preferences. Schemes like the audi scheme were introduced before but they were not properly implemented. The citizens of Delhi still excessively depend on private vehicles causing more vehicular emissions and worsening the already bad condition of Delhi's pollution. Second measure I would like to mention is the sustainable con construction and dust control policies. Construction dust is one of the major causes of pollution in Delhi and some policies for this have also been introduced before. However, private constructions and many other sources verify that the construction disproduction has still been at all-time high and it still affects the pollution in Delhi as much as it has been.

[02:08:19]Therefore, the policies were not properly implemented and there was not not much benefit from them.

[02:08:27]Thank you. Okay, thank you. I'm happy with your answer. Thank you.

[02:08:40]>> Thank you so much sir. Now let us invite our second judge to present the question.

[02:08:47]>> Yeah.

[02:08:49]First of all children it was a very good and uh very good perspective that you have put forward and uh I just want to add one thing uh that is uh see if you see 40% of the Delhi pollution is because of uh the drop in pickup of the school students from the data. So what are the things or what is the role of students and how can we manage this pollution avoiding this uh transportation um percentage that is causing pollution in Delhi.

[02:09:24]>> Students I hope the question is clear to you.

[02:09:28]I hope ma'am's question is clear.

[02:09:31]>> Yes ma'am.

[02:09:32]>> So would you like to have the confer time?

[02:09:34]>> Yes ma'am.

[02:09:36]>> Okay. So your conferring time starts now. Amen.

[02:13:44]So team B April I hope you're ready to answer the question now.

[02:13:50]>> Yes ma'am.

[02:13:52]>> Okay. So your time starts now.

[02:13:55]>> So first of all thank you for your question ma'am. We cherish this opportunity to answer this subjective question. I would like to start with the poetry. We cannot halt a nation's pace nor stop the dreams people chase. But wise paths must now begin where growth and clean air can both win.

[02:14:21]>> I would like to answer this question by saying that since as mentioned by the judge that 40% of the pollution in Delhi is caused by student transport. Well, in reality, this is actually not even that bad as it seems. Since student transport usually refers to school buses or private vans that take children to their schools from their homes, this actually encourages public transport. It is not it is avoiding private vehicle emissions which is obviously many more times much deadlier in producing pollution compared to a large bus of uh students going to school. It actually carries multiple children to school and it also divides the amount of pollution that would have been otherwise produced if every single one of them went to school individually.

[02:15:11]Passing on to the next speaker.

[02:15:13]>> Ethical failure that government has not subsidized electrical school buses despite the predictable school rules.

[02:15:47]Shakrami, are you done?

[02:15:50]>> Yes, ma'am.

[02:15:51]>> Yes, ma'am.

[02:15:52]>> Okay, ma'am. Would you like to cross question team B APSMI?

[02:15:56]>> Uh no ma'am I think that was a very good uh answer to what I was expecting and uh thank you children and I think it should start with you and begin with us. So awareness and realizing and say thank you so much >> well said ma'am. Thank you so much ma'am. Let us now invite our third judge Mr. Sal Singh to present the question.

[02:16:24]Hi. Uh my question is that um if we are assigning collective responsibility for pollution is not exactly has not exactly helped over the last decade or so especially in Delhi as things have only gotten worse. Uh my question is let's say there are many players that are responsible for Delhi's pollution. We know this scientifically by now right?

[02:16:50]Uh Delhi is a smoke bowl. There's aravalis on one side. The government was discussing aravali.

[02:16:58]Uh but other than that we know that there is particulate matter because of construction. Let's ignore that for one second. Two other major players are commuters who are traveling to work and back. So the number of cars on the road is a big factor. And second factor is stubble burning in Punjab and Hana.

[02:17:18]Clearly both of these players just considering these two the commuters and the stubble burning um should responsibility be assigned on these parties depending on how much uh financial freedom and how much choice they have or should they be held equally responsible for the pollution in the capital that's my question uh I can repeat part if you don't understand >> yes team D APS I hope you are clear with sir first question.

[02:17:50]>> Uh thank you sir but can you repeat your question? Actually we are you are not audible.

[02:17:55]>> No problem. Uh I hope I am audible now.

[02:17:58]I actually just changed my internet connection. I hope you can hear me. Yes.

[02:18:03]Okay. So my question once again is that let's just consider two parties that are major contributors to the pollution in Delhi. one commuters who are traveling to work and back uh that is the cars on the road and second the farmers who are burning the stubble in North India and Punjab and Hiana which is causing the pollution to drift into Delhi.

[02:18:29]Let's say both of these are responsible for 20% of Delhi's pollution.

[02:18:35]Okay, my question is should they be are they equally responsible? Should they be held equally responsible or should they be held responsible um compared to how much money and how many choices they have. So for example the farmer and the daily commuter in Delhi going to office and back obviously are in very different financial situations. So uh should responsibility be assigned based on whether they have a choice or not or should responsibility for the pollution just be equally assigned key if you have caused it uh you should take responsibility that's my question I hope sir's question is clear to you >> yes ma'am >> okay so do you wish to have conf time >> yes ma'am >> okay so your confer time starts Oh yeah.

[02:23:35]Yes. Team B, APS RMI, are you ready with the answer now?

[02:23:38]>> Yes, ma'am.

[02:23:40]>> Okay. So, your five minutes starts now.

[02:23:43]>> Uh, thank you for your question, sir. It was a great concern. In answer I would like to say that responsibility should not be measured only by the percentage of pollution emitted but also by its financial capacity available alternatives and ability to adapt.

[02:24:00]Ethically two groups contributing the same amount of pollution may not carry the same amount of responsibility if one has far greater resources and choice than the other. Passing on to next speaker.

[02:24:13]For example, many vehicle owners in the urban areas have access to cleaner transportation and public transportation. But the farmers in Punjab and Hana mostly they do not have the access to subsidies and cleaner practices or machineries. So uh the thing is not that the farmers are not responsible for the uh pollution but the pollution uh um but the responsibility should be shared accordingly to the uh responsibility should be financial uh aids that they can um imply on and um the uh I would like to pass on to the next speaker >> on April 28 A 2009 the act was passed preservation of subs soil underwater.

[02:25:02]According to this act farmers of Hana and Punjab have to cut their crops before the deadline of the government.

[02:25:10]Because of this if they do not cut their crops they have to pay 10,000 rupees fine. This make them fear of the government. That's why they do stubble burning. Government is not even giving them alternatives that even make them do stubble burning. It's not just about being it's just not about being blaming on farmers for stubble burning. It's also about government responsibility to ensure that they are having some different alternatives to stop it.

[02:25:51]>> Yes. APS. Are you done with the answer?

[02:25:54]>> Yes ma'am.

[02:25:55]Okay. Ma'am, would you like to cross question them? Sir, would you like to cross question them?

[02:26:04]No question, sir.

[02:26:05]>> No, no question.

[02:26:06]>> Okay. Thank you so much, sir. Thank you.

[02:26:09]So, thank you everybody. An excellent effort by both the teams. Your perspectives enriched the discussion and elevated the standard of ethic bowl competition. So before we proceed for a 15-minut break, I request the esteemed judges to kindly submit their scores in the mail provided to you for the smooth compilation of results. I also request all present here. There is 15 minutes break for result compilation as we will then move ahead with much awaited announcement of the result.

[02:26:40]So now there will be a break of 15 minutes.

[02:26:47]Is it possible to send on WhatsApp also or you don't encourage that >> sir? Uh we'll be happy sir if you share us through email only sir.

[02:26:56]>> Okay fine fine.

[02:26:57]>> Thank you sir. Thank you Yes, everybody. APS Rakmorti. APS Sakur judges, am I audible?

[02:49:25]APSur, APSMI?

[02:49:28]>> Yes ma'am. And our esteemed judges, am I audible to you?

[02:49:31]>> Yes, ma'am.

[02:49:33]Okay. So shall we now start with the proceedings of the result?

[02:49:40]Sir, respected judges, I would like to have your pervision. Can we start with the proceedings of the results today?

[02:49:47]>> Yes, ma'am. We are all listening. All ears to you.

[02:49:51]>> Thank you so much, sir. Ladies and gentlemen, we have now arrived at the most awaited moment of the event, the declaration of results. So before we announce the results, let us extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the participants for their remarkable efforts, thoughtful perspectives and commendable confidence displayed throughout the competition. A sincere note of gratitude to our respected judges for their valuable time, keen observations and fair evaluation. And now without further ado, let us move towards the results.

[02:50:23]So this moment has finally come which we have been waiting for a while.

[02:50:30]I must say it was indeed a closely contested battle between both the teams.

[02:50:35]So the winner of today's competition is APS Aknore with 160.5 marks and APS RMoti with 170 point 157.5 marks. So congratulations APS Aknor you have made it to the semi-final now.

[02:50:54]So heartiest congratulations to the winning team for their outstanding performance and brilliant presentation.

[02:51:00]Children please remember every participant here is a winner in spirit for competition such as these and these are not merely about trophies but about learning confidence and growth. Once again congratulations to all the participants and winners. Thank you everyone for making this event a grand success and thank you respected judges for your thoughtful observations and impartial judgment throughout the event.

[02:51:25]So with this we conclude today's program.

[02:51:30]>> Thank you.

[02:51:31]>> Thank you.

[02:51:32]>> Thank you.

[02:51:32]>> Congratulations guys.

[02:51:34]>> Thank you sir.

[02:51:35]>> Congratulations AP Sakur.

[02:51:38]Thank you so much judges.

[02:51:50]Once again, thank you APS.

[02:51:54]Thank you APSur.

[02:52:08]>> So with this we call off today's program.