WSDP Bulletin (15-11-2021)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Kaiser-i-Hind is Arunachal’s State butterfly: The insect with a 90-120 mm wingspan is found in the eastern Himalayas. READ MORE
2. Tiger tourism in Nallamala Hills: Package includes cottage stay, educational tour, jungle safari, trek up to Umamaheshwaram Temple READ MORE
3. In the den of marmots READ MORE
4. The tongue of pearls: Mutribi al-Asamm Samarqandi’s ‘Conversations with Emperor Jahangir’ READ MORE

Main Exam    

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. PM Modi Tasks Entire Council of Ministers To Suggest Governance Reforms READ MORE
2. In India, five people die in official custody every day. How does the law deal with these? READ MORE
3. Constitutional Values in Danger Say Former Civil Servants READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Nearly 51 million internally displaced in 33 countries in the first half of 2021: UN READ MORE
2. POCSO’s child-friendly policies are good in theory, but practically we need to do better READ MORE
3. On the anxiety-driven pursuit of cultural purity READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Striding back into the Afghan theatre: Though challenging, it would be a mistake to consider that there is no space for India to operate in Afghanistan READ MORE
2. Is the India-China conflict intractable? READ MORE
3. AUKUS: A new Cold War against China READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. India can contribute more to global growth READ MORE
2. Message from MGNREGA: Low-skill manufacturing jobs needed to sustain economic growth READ MORE
3. Opening govt bond market to retail investors is a good start. Challenge is making it a success READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. Explained: What COP26 achieved, didn’t READ MORE
2. Net-zero commitment has been made. It must now be met READ MORE

SECURITY

1. A lost cause: Despite severe losses, the Maoists refuseto acknowledge the futility of their cause READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. PM Modi Tasks Entire Council of Ministers To Suggest Governance Reforms READ MORE
2. Constitutional Values in Danger Say Former Civil Servants READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. How far do you agree with the view that the formation of AUKUS could harbinger a new cold war in the Asia-Pacific? Analyse your view.
2. Critically analyse India’s three-decade journey under the new economic policy. Do you think the reforms are failing at the social front? Analyse your view.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.
• It must act continually in winning over the support of tribals in the region and retaining their faith in the liberal democratic institutions of the state.
• Indian economic interests demand its presence in Afghanistan. There is no time to lose for this purpose. A heavy and long-term price will have to be paid otherwise.
• From the anger against a Fabindia ad to the ban on cutting the cake at Kodava weddings, it is shrinking our social and cultural spaces.
• The constraints to growth such as supply-side bottlenecks, financial inadequacies and macroeconomic volatility are waning.
• Our foreign policy and diplomacy are showing signs of pedantry and resembling post-doctoral research work on international relations and the world order.
• The AUKUS is a new war game. It is not just about making nuclear submarines in Australia. A New Cold War is coming up. It has already started.
• India needs to create low-skill manufacturing jobs to be able to generate and sustain higher growth in the medium term.
• The World Happiness Report which is brought out by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network measures subjective wellbeing by relying on life evaluations, positive emotions and negative emotions.
• What is at stake is no less than the life and liberty of the poor and the disadvantaged and the hard-won rights of the people of India under the Constitution.

50- WORD TALK

• With not even 60% of the target 188 crore vaccine doses administered, there is a long way to go for the Covid-19 vaccination drive in India. However, with daily new cases coming down to the pre-second wave level in February, vaccine hesitancy and complacency appear to be the biggest challenges. At this juncture, the vaccination campaign in India can benefit from expert technical inputs & guidance and a robust operational strategy.

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 main 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.