Students’ Speak: Prepare for these CAT Group Discussion topics to make a mark

CAT exam aspirants who want to crack admission to top management colleges must prepare for the upcoming Group Discussion (GD) and Personal Interview (PI) phase. This is when the aspirant is given a topic to have a discussion on.

You may be for or against the statement. However, the idea is to put out your opinion with facts. The evaluators in GD segment score you on your language, listening and leadership skills, along with team spirit.

So, let’s discuss the top 10 topics which in my opinion will take a prime spot in GD sessions:

#METOO

US-base civil rights activist Tarana Burke founded the #metoo movement worldwide in 2006. Later, Alyssa Milana started telling people that there are not one who suffered but there are many more. She encouraged people to open up.

In India, this wave was started by Bollywood actress Tanushree Dutta in India in 2018. Following this, many celebrities, models and actresses shared their personal experience on sexual abusing and this is how it all started.

For:

• This movement encouraged women to speak up against sexual assaults. Now, every woman is aware that they are not the only victim.
• This has also created awareness among people about sexual abuse against men, too.
• Now, this is expected to inculcate fear among powerful who take advantage of people.

Against:

• This movement tainted the reputation of many who were not even guilty.
• Also, in a country like India, this movement doesn’t really reach or help the common people.
• It is mostly seen being raised by celebrities. Some, who raised their voice, have been victims shamed. There also have been no notable changes to the law after the movement.

Impact Of Technology On Job

For:

• The coming of technology has created new jobs and profiles that did not exist earlier.
• Domains such as cybersecurity have also emerged. Technology advancement results in the growth of the economy which can be used to create more employment.
• It also has the potential to create jobs in rural areas on a large scale.

Against:

• A lot of jobs have become redundant causing many to become jobless.
• Low skills work is the worst hit. With technology, things have also become more expensive.

Social Media

For:

• Social media has broadened the knowledge horizon of the people.
• It has also taught people to respect other communities. Nowadays, social media is also being used to gather knowledge, learn and share opinions.
• Today, people are earning money through social media.

Against:

• Social media has turned people into self-obsessive narcissists.
• These platforms are being easily used to harass, body shame and troll people.
• All these things have led to more cases of depressions and social aloofness.
• Moreover, these platforms are also used to circulate fake news, causing clashes among people.

Should India Ban Chinese Goods?

For:

• China has been blocking India’s path to become a member of NSG.
• While on the one hand, China wants to maintain a good relation with India, on the other hand, every move that it makes is against the country.
• Maintain good relations with China can be a threat to Indian manufacturers.
• There are also quality concerns in goods imported from China.

Against:

• India can't ban imports from its member countries because they both are a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
• Also, Chinese goods are cheaper as compare to others and can be bought by middle-class families.
• For some goods, India is completely dependent on China.

5 Years of Modi Government

For:

• The Indian government has become active globally.
• There was good interaction between the government and the public.
• Transparency has improved.
• Launched GST tax, Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, Digital India, Jandhan Yojana Scheme, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, it created better relationships with other countries.
• 100 million toilets were made.
• Recovered Rs 3 lakh crore from non-performing assets (NPA).
• Investors taking interest in investing in India, now the world’s third-largest startup base.

Against

• Intolerance is increasing.
• No proper action plan has been set up to ensure the safety of women.
• Couldn't reform the agriculture sector.
• The education system has not improved.
• Couldn't increase employment opportunities.

Future of CryptoCurrency

For:

• Decentralised currency.
• Much lower transaction fees.
• Every transaction is recorded and it is almost impossible to modify these details by hacking.
• Helpful for countries that have work economics.

Against:

• Highly volatile depends on demand.
• Transactions and hidden we can't know who did the transaction.
• Misuse of illegal activities.
• No uniform international laws.
• Some countries such as India and Canada ban cryptocurrency.
• No regulatory body.

Plastic Pollution

For:

• Usage and prediction of plastic are rapidly increasing.
• Inexpensive and no cheap alternatives to plastic bags and other plastic products plastic alternatives are not encouraged enough.

Against:

• Contributing to land, air and water pollution.
• Most of the plastic waste is mixing in Oceans posing several problems for marine life.
• Preventing rainwater from seeping into the ground.
• Many animals are dying by eating plastic.

Make in India

For:

• This campaign will generate a lot of employment opportunities in manufacturing. It is expected to create 100 million jobs in 2020.
• This campaign will increase the corporate from 2014 to 2020 almost 15-25 percent.

Against:

• Make in India is primarily based on manufacturing industries it demands the setup of various factories usually such projects consume natural resources such as water, land and trees.
• Loss of small entrepreneur as Make in India campaign also welcomes foreign countries to manufacture in India but it also dominates the small local entrepreneur and forces them out of business.

About the Author:

Neha Rajendra Deore is from Mumbai, Pursuing her 'MBA in finance' from Indira Institute of Business Management, Mumbai. A state-level sports player in diving (water sports) and she loves to dance as well.