WSDP Bulletin (01-09-2021)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. 8th Meeting of Agricultural Experts of BIMSTEC Countries held READ MORE
2. Indian envoy in Doha meets Taliban leader READ MORE
3. UNSC resolution addresses ‘key concerns’ on Afghanistan: India READ MORE
4. Mumbai Climate Action Plan: What is it, and why does the city need one? READ MORE
5. PPP model of BharatNet: DoT starts meets, hopes to float bid by Sept-end READ MORE
6. India’s GDP grows by 20.1% in April-June quarter of 2021-’22 READ MORE
7. Ahead of biodiversity meet, study finds amphibians face highest risk of extinction READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The next step in democratic evolution is overdue: India must change, from a darkening elected authoritarianism to building institutions for citizens’ inclusion in governance READ MORE
2. CAA is inadequate and flawed. Devise a new refugee policy, set up a commission READ MORE
3. Judiciary Must Keep Holding Untrammelled Regime to Account READ MORE

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Should schools reopen only after all children are vaccinated? READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. It’s time to build BRICS better: The grouping succeeded up to a point but it now confronts multiple challenges READ MORE
2. India, don’t forget Afghans: As Kabul gets a new regime, GoI must maintain people contact and not squander hard-won goodwill READ MORE
3. US-China Relations at Crossroads READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. More flexible policies needed to boost trade READ MORE
2. Covid-19: Impact on income inequality in India READ MORE
3. Does the economy need more people? READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Should 30% Of Earth’s Land and Sea Areas Be Conserved? READ MORE
2. Land, freshwater species in Asia-Pacific impacted by plastic pollution: UN Study READ MORE
3. Monsoon 2021: Is it time for severe drought in India’s northeast and northwest? READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Steps of Awareness READ MORE
2. The Power of Concentration READ MORE
3. Receptive intelligence: ‘Receptive Intelligence’ is the critical factor for all active learning in human beings READ MORE

Questions for MAIN exam

1. ‘The Government of India should act promptly and come up with a refugee law that supports the people of Afghanistan and promotes India’s reputation as a champion of human rights’. Discuss the statement.
2. ‘In the age of technological disruptions and climate change, the case for a young and fast-growing population driving India’s economy is growing weaker’. Examine the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident. — Dale Carnegie
• Digital tools have helped a world adversely hit by the pandemic, and India has been in the forefront of using new technological tools to improve governance. But enhancing people-to-people cooperation will have to wait for international travel to revive.
• BRICS negotiators need to master the art of brevity and tight drafting. When they do so, they will realise that unduly lengthy communiqués are an index to the grouping’s weakness, not strength.
• Democratic constitutions provide elected assemblies for citizens’ representatives to shape new policies and pass laws.
• The Government of India should act promptly and come up with a refugee law that supports the people of Afghanistan and promotes India’s reputation as a champion of human rights.
• The agricultural sector needs to be given enough facilities to ensure faster growth of processed food exports. Such policies could well ensure that India heads slowly but surely in the direction of becoming a leading trading nation yet again.
• The humiliation in Afghanistan is a chance for Americans to reconsider their country’s behaviour.
• The objective of gas-based economy is laudable but the existing regime of gas allocation and administered prices has to be dismantled first.
• The judiciary is stepping in to curb the regime’s excesses, and the executive arms as a whole. It is cause for cautious optimism.
• In the age of technological disruptions and climate change, the case for a young and fast-growing population driving India’s economy is growing weaker.

50-WORD TALK

• The focus on commodities needs to shift to finished products as these provide value and aid in the creation of jobs. The future outlook could be promising as more manufactured products are likely to move into the export basket after investments in the production-linked incentive scheme bear fruit. The results may be visible in the medium term after projects go on stream.
• Reversing the neglect of temple-towns is a good idea, but has to be done smartly and not at the expense of livelihoods and economic activity. Banning meat and liquor in Mathura and calling upon people to start selling milk runs counter to the logic of both urban renewal and preservation.

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.