Patna, Feb. 15: New technologies have made our lives easier, but it has some shortcomings too.

On one hand cellphones and Internet have made the world a global village, while on the other they have brought with it health perils. Thus, innovation is necessary only if it is helpful in the long run.

This was the conclusion of a debate — Innovation is the Central Issue in Economic Prosperity — organised by Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) department of Magadh Mahila College on the college premises. The BBA department had jointly organised the event with economics and BCom department. Bihar State Productivity Council sponsored the programme.

Students from various departments of the college, including BBA, psychology, economics, participated in the two-hour long event.

BBA student Tahmina Rahman spoke for the motion. Quoting British politician Harold Wilson, Rahman said: “He, who rejects changes, is the architect of decay. According to me innovation is the most important aspect for achieving development. And for a developing country like India, innovations are necessary for its growth and economic stability. The US has emerged as a superpower today only because of innovation and technology. Thus, it is justified that innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity.”

Speaking against the motion Deepali Kumar Singh, a student from the economics department, said: “Innovations like chemical fertilisers are no way helpful for the society. The fertilisers were introduced to increase soil fertility, but today it has been proved that intensive use of fertilisers reduces soil fertility. How can we call this innovation a success? When cell phones were launched it was dubbed boon for consumers. But today scientists have proved that mobiles trigger health problems.”

BBA students Rahman and Vidusha Verma came first while Shalini, a psychology student, shared the second position with Jyoti of BBA.