Patiala to host Great Britain Debate on Tuesday

New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Patiala city in Punjab is to host Britain's premier debating competition in India, the 'Great Britain Debate', on Tuesday, an official statement said here.

Thapar University will host the debate, organised by the British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh. The topic will be "India's young population is its biggest advantage over its competitors".

The event aims to celebrate and encourage debating prowess and offers an opportunity for informed discussion amongst the student fraternity, said a statement on Monday from the British High Commission here.

British Deputy High Commissioner David Lelliott said, "For the last two years we have held the Great Britain Debate in Chandigarh, and it has been a big success, so I'm very pleased we are able to follow that up by bringing it to Patiala."

Organised by the British High Commission network in India, the Great Britain Debate competition is the biggest since its conception.

In its fourth edition, the competition will be organised in eight cities -- Indore, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Dehradun, Jaipur and Patiala.

The debate is being organised in association with Chevening Scholarships. Chevening is the British government's flagship global scholarship and fellowship programme, funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and partner organisations.

The India programme is the largest Chevening country programme in the world, funding 130 scholarships for future Indian leaders.

Last year's Great Britain Debate in Chandigarh was won by Thapar University.