WSDP Bulletin (28-08-2021)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Assam’s Deepar Beel Wildlife Sanctuary breathes easy after eco-sensitive zone notification READ MORE
2. Indian astrophysicists spot rare merger of three jumbo black holes READ MORE
3. Explained: Govt’s clarifications on CSR expenditure; what impact will these have? READ MORE
4. Cuba to recognise and regulate cryptocurrencies READ MORE
5. Why Afforestation Isn’t Likely to Make Up for Our Loss of Carbon-Rich Forests READ MORE
6. Short-term PM2.5 exposure is deadly too — new study finds strong links to mortality in Delhi READ MORE
7. Forex reserves decline by $2.47 billion to $616.89 billion in August READ MORE

Main Exam 

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Recent Decisions by Kerala & Chhattisgarh High Courts Highlight Need to Settle Legal Position on Marital Rape READ MORE
2. Timely step: The collegium and Govt have cleared the names of new SC judges. It would speed up verdicts READ MORE
3. Government and Labour: Return of Dialogue? READ MORE
4. New IT Rules, 2021: Crucial Landmark in Digital Governance READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Two-child Norm: Curtailing Welfare, Weaponising Demography READ MORE  
2. Thrust on online classes deprives poor students of educational opportunities READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Soft power, India’s strength in Afghanistan READ MORE
2. India’s Afghan Policy: Challenges and Anxieties READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Asset monetisation — execution is the key READ MORE
2. High rural workforce, no sign of well-being READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Climate Change: The New Normal Is Not Yet Here READ MORE
2. COP 15: China Submits Draft Biodiversity Declaration to UN READ MORE
3. Land degradation in India hurts farmers and forest dwellers the most READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Climate crisis: India now confronts a drought READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The Most Important decisions READ MORE
2. Are You on Lord Mahavira’s Path? READ MORE

Questions for MAIN exam

1. Explain the process of monetisation of public sector assets. Discuss the challenges involved in the implementation of the National Monetisation Plan (NMP).
2. ‘If individual autonomy in a marital relationship is ennobled as a fundamental right, then marital sex without consent ought to be criminalised’. Do you agree with this view? Analyse your view.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.
• A drone doctrine is important to ensure not only that drones are not misused, but also their use does not trigger an escalation of hostility between India and Pakistan.
• The Government’s plan needs an Asset Monetisation Monitoring Authority to evaluate the execution.
• Amidst uncertainties caused by the Taliban takeover, India must leverage goodwill earned from its investments in Afghanistan’s infrastructure projects.
• The decline in good-quality employment options in recent times could have led to a rise in low paid work in rural India.
• At a time when women are allowed to take the National Defence Academy examination and a gender balance in the higher judiciary is becoming a reality, the Government and the courts should strive to criminalise marital rape.
• It is about a society determined to deny women their rights even though the Constitution guarantees gender equality and neutrality.
• Autonomy is now considered as a part of privacy and ennobled as a fundamental right. … In a changed scenario of marriage in the society, shifting from the social philosophy to individual philosophy, we are afraid whether the present divorce law on enumerated grounds would stand to the test of constitutionality.

50-WORD TALK

• CJI NV Ramana bared the dark underbelly of India’s police system with his plain-speak about officers targeting opponents of politicians in power. Law of rulers instead of rule of law has become a cliché. The answer lies in never forgetting that the police’s oath of allegiance is to the Constitution.
• Niti Aayog report on Northeast’s Sustainable Development Goal Index shows how decades of insurgency and lax governance have stunted the growth of states like Nagaland, Arunachal and Assam, while stable ones like Sikkim have surged ahead. The onus is on stakeholders in the Northeast to course-correct, with stability and focussed governance as key.

Things to Remember

• For prelims-related news try to understand the context of the news and relate with its concepts so that it will be easier for you to answer (or eliminate) from given options.
• Whenever any international place will be in news, you should do map work (marking those areas in maps and also exploring other geographical locations nearby including mountains, rivers, etc. same applies to the national places.)
• For economy-related news (banking, agriculture, etc.) you should focus on terms and how these are related to various economic aspects, for example, if inflation has been mentioned, try to relate with prevailing price rises, shortage of essential supplies, banking rates, etc.
• For main exam-related topics, you should focus on the various dimensions of the given topic, the most important topics which occur frequently and are important from the mains point of view will be covered in ED.
• Try to use the given content in your answer. Regular use of this content will bring more enrichment to your writing.