Opportunity brief
About The Debate
Every account of a state's economic trajectory rests on choices made earlier about what to measure, what to prioritise, and what to accept as an acceptable cost of progress. West Bengal's economy, shaped as it has been by decades of structural change, offers a particularly rich subject for such scrutiny — not because its record is settled, but because so much of it remains genuinely open to interpretation. Where one observer sees adaptation, another may see drift; where one sees the deliberate building of a future, another may see a future arrived at by default. It is this openness to competing readings that makes the theme fit for debate rather than mere description.
To navigate change is to take a position on what ought to be preserved and what is allowed to pass, even when that position is never stated outright. To build the future is to commit resources, attention and credibility to outcomes that cannot be guaranteed in advance, on the strength of a judgement about which risks are worth taking and on whose behalf. Neither task admits of a demonstrably correct answer; both invite argument, and it is on this contested ground that the debate is built.
Debate, properly understood, is not the search for consensus but a method of testing conviction — a discipline in which a position is held up not to sympathetic audiences but to its most capable opponents, and refined, abandoned or vindicated in the encounter. Applied to an economy as large and as unevenly transformed as West Bengal's, this method has particular value: it forces into the open the assumptions that quieter analysis often leaves unexamined, and it makes visible the values that any account of "progress" or "change" necessarily smuggles in.
We invite participants to bring to this contest the same intellectual discipline the theme itself demands, and to help us examine, argument by argument, what it truly means to navigate change and build a future worth having.
Debate Guidelines
- Each team must comprise two members: one speaking for the motion and one speaking against it. Cross-college teams are not permitted. - The preliminary round will be an extempore round, in which participants will be given a distinct motion on the spot. - Qualifying teams will be notified of the flow of the On-Campus Finals in due course of time. - The medium of speech must be strictly English. The content of the speech must be relevant to the given motion and as closely associated with the Economics domain as possible. - Slot allocation for all rounds will be done at random. In the case of overwhelming registrations, the organising committee's decision on slot allocation will be final and binding. - Participants must maintain decorum. The use of any unparliamentary language will lead to immediate disqualification. - The decision of the organising committee and the judges on any miscellaneous matter shall be final and binding.
Flow Of The Event
- An online preliminary round will be held on the 13th of September, 2026. - The top twelve teams will qualify for the On-Campus Finals. - The offline rounds will take place on the 28th of September, 2026, on the campus of St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata. - The motions will be provided to the contestants before the respective rounds.
Online Prelims Format
- Each team must comprise two members: one speaking for the motion and the other against it. - The Prelims will be an extempore round where participants will be given a distinct topic on the spot. - Each team will be given 1 minute preparation time and a total of 2 minutes (1 min: For followed by 1 min: Against) speaking time on the motion. - There will be no rebuttals; however, the against speakers may incorporate the same into their speeches.
Offline Semi-Finals Format
- A common motion will be released a day before the event. - Each speaker is allotted 2 minutes to present their arguments, followed by 1 minute for rebuttal. During rebuttal, only one question is allowed per speaker. Cross-questioning is not permitted. - Students from the same college may not ask each other questions, despite being on opposing sides. If students fail to ask a question, judges will be requested to pose one.
Offline Finals Format
- A common motion will be announced just prior to the Finals Round with 10 minutes preparation time. - Each speaker is allotted 3 minutes to present their arguments followed by 1 minute for rebuttal.
Contact
Event Heads:
-
Ayush Ghosh — 9836957815
-
Niharika Bansal — 9874844147
-
Akshat Rungta — 9073797591
-
Rajveer Motwani — 9073393039
-
Rupsa Bose — 6289273401
Student Convenors:
-
Srijit Kumar Mondal — 9073454008
-