WSDP Bulletin (01-02-2022)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ECONOMIC SURVEY 2021-22 READ MORE
2. 3rd World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day READ MORE
3. PM addresses 30th Foundation Day programme of National Commission for Women READ MORE
4. How Auroville can teach us all a thing or two about offsetting carbon READ MORE
5. India’s first geological park to come up at Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur READ MORE
6. Cross border insolvency: UN model allows automatic recognition of foreign rulings READ MORE
7. Aditya – L1 First Indian mission to study the Sun READ MORE

Main Exam  

GS Paper- 1

1. Dig deep into why people indulge in hate crimes READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The limits of the legislature’s power to suspend a member READ MORE
2. The supreme failure: By failing to decide key constitutional cases in a timely way, the apex court has not acted as the ‘sentinel on the qui vive’ READ MORE
3. The ordinary citizen’s idea of India READ MORE
4. Learning to grow: States should give school reopening priority READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The case for vaccinating children against COVID-19: Protecting all children, especially those who have risk factors, should be a humanitarian priority for the Government READ MORE
2. Income inequalities: Tackle the root cause READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. How India can adapt to global geoeconomic churn READ MORE
2. Why UNSC joint statement on nuclear weapons is important READ MORE
3. Playing a losing game: India should turn focus from Central Asia to South Asia or Indian Ocean Region READ MORE
4. Neutrality best option for India in Ukraine crisis READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. A hazy picture on employment in India: The trends in employment have not shown any clear and consistent patterns over the years READ MORE
2. Does inequality matter? READ MORE
3. What the Economic Survey says about outlook for India READ MORE
4. In spite of global inflation, Survey signals a strong growth momentum READ MORE
5. Reforms to drive industrial recovery and growth READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY  

1. How surging oil prices threaten world’s climate goals READ MORE
2. How Auroville can teach us all a thing or two about offsetting carbon READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Believe to Succeed READ MORE
2. But the Rules Sir, I Squeaked…. READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. “The Covid-19 pandemic has made the unequal in India more unequal” Critically analyse the statement in the light of the Inequality Kills report recently released by Oxfam.
2. “A combination of a distorted tax regime, declining social sector expenditure and unbridled privatisation policy have deepened inequality in India” Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.
• The trends in employment have not shown any clear and consistent patterns over the years.
• Protecting all children, especially those who have risk factors, should be a humanitarian priority for the Government.
• The power of judicial review that the Chief Justice of India calls as critical to democracy should be exercised assiduously. Or else, India’s hard-fought constitutional democracy would be in grave peril.
• Economic Survey shows that post-Covid recovery has stabilised and projects moderate growth. But some risks will need to be addressed.
• Until now, India had the luxury of treating its foreign, economic and strategic policies as separate domains. It needs to integrate its financial, trade, technological, security and foreign policies.
• India’s selective trade arrangements and the policies to promote domestic manufacturing have drawn much criticism at home as a dangerous return to economic protectionism and deglobalisation.
• UNSC joint statement reaffirms that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought and recommits to the principles of non-proliferation.
• India would be better off deploying its already scarce resources to shoring up its ties with countries in the South Asian or Indian Ocean Region.
• Given the long-term implications of serious learning losses, especially among the poor, states should accord priority to getting children back to school sooner rather than later. It would be no exaggeration to say India’s future depends on it.
• For India, imposition of further sanctions on Russia could be an added headache as Indian procurement of defence equipment and spares continue, apart from other economic activities. India currently has 65 per cent of its equipment of Russian origin.

50-WORD TALK

• It is imperative to shift the understanding of hate crimes to a more holistic approach which goes beyond legal definitions and uncovers fundamental causes of these crimes. The existing laws hardly prescribe any ways to preventing hate crimes and the State’s imagination is woefully limited in this regard. The absence of prevention programmes which mobilise communities speaks for itself. The laws also lack a victim-centric approach to hate crimes.
• The Economic Survey’s conservative growth forecast of 8%-8.5% for the next fiscal is sensible. The pandemic curve, imported inflation and reversal of monetary policies and central bank liquidity around the world are headwinds for the Indian economy. Modi government and RBI will have to remain agile to ensure macro-economic stability.
• Fresh claims about India buying Pegasus snooping technology make it incumbent on Modi government to come clean on this scandal. It cannot hide behind Supreme Court probe where it hasn’t been forthcoming either. The government will have only itself to blame if Parliament’s Budget session is lost to this controversy.

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.