WSDP Bulletin (08-04-2022)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Budget session of Parliament ends on productive note READ MORE
2. Russia suspended from UN Human Rights Council over Ukraine READ MORE
3. India-US 2+2 dialogue will provide opportunity to discuss key issues: MEA READ MORE
4. Explained: What is SDF, the RBI’s new tool to absorb excess liquidity to control inflation? READ MORE
5. Explained: Indonesia’s palm oil crisis, and its implications for India READ MORE
6. What Is Hybrid Immunity and Why Is it ‘the Best Kind of Immunity to Have’? READ MORE
7. RBI stays accomodative, warns of ‘tectonic shifts’ READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Ending extreme poverty in India READ MORE
2. Roadblocks to social cohesion and amity READ MORE
3. Rethinking agrarian suicides in India READ MORE
4. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee gave India the means to express itself. Sri Aurobindo echoed him READ MORE
5. With India’s geographical diversity, states must tailor climate change plans to localised concerns READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Parliament has just passed a dangerous bill READ MORE
2. Ensuring no migrant worker goes hungry READ MORE
3. In solving crime, the false promise of technology READ MORE
4. The Slow Poison of Hate Speech Harms in Obvious and Insidious Ways READ MORE
5. Faulty Biometrics, Duplication, Errors: What CAG Audit Report Says About Aadhaar Regime READ MORE
6. Unravelling Concerns Over the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Ukraine and the anatomy of India’s neutrality READ MORE
2. Is India’s position on Russia affecting its relationship with the U.S.? READ MORE
3. BRICS and the creation of a multipolar world READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Beyond Border-Gavaskar: Periodic reappraisal of the economic gains from the trade pact with Australia is pragmatic READ MORE
2. Driving monetary policy in troubled times READ MORE
3. The future of Indian trade deals READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY 

1. Thazhampettai: Climate change, erratic ocean currents make fishing in this Tamil Nadu village unpredictable READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Not just AFSPA, India must reboot its counter-insurgency strategy & free its Army from it READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Fill yourself with Ram Naam to be in bliss READ MORE
2. A few good officers: There are still some dedicated men & women who are keeping IPS flag flying READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘Recent Russia-Ukraine war is challenge for India’s strategic autonomy and maintaining a balance between Russia and West is not as easy as was in recent past’. In the light of statement discuss whether the NAM like initiative is still relevant for India’s foreign policy?
2. Instead of joining multilateral trade pacts like RCEP, India is focusing on bilateral trade pacts, that shows India is choosing its interests over the regional interests. In the light of the statement discuss how bilateral trade pacts are more beneficial for India?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Integrity, the choice between what’s convenient and what’s right.
• The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) signed last week is a key step in enhancing bilateral economic ties between the two major Indian Ocean littoral states and reflects the growing strategic alignment between New Delhi and Canberra.
• Ukraine crisis could catapult India to the centre of a diplomatic and economic triangle, with Russia and China, in Indo-Pacific.
• New Delhi is basking in its well-deserved spotlight with well-crafted diplomacy. India could be looking at a new dawn. After all, RIC controls 22 per cent of the global GDP and 16 per cent of global exports of goods and services.
• The right against self-incrimination is at the heart of protection against police excess and torture. Record-keeping as mandated by the Bill violates this right.
• The Monetary Policy Committee must give priority to reviving growth. Inflation threat can be addressed through non-monetary measures.
• The Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill creates a system with virtually no fetters on processing measurements from any arrestee, detainee, convicted offender, or any person whose measurement may be considered “expedient” for any investigation.
• The role played by subsidised foodgrain programmes in eliminating extreme hunger in the country has an all-round stamp of approval. Their impact on reducing the level of poverty, however, cannot be considered a foregone conclusion since poverty is not just a measure of hunger.
• The government must carry out a holistic review of India’s counter-insurgency strategy, transform the CRPF (if not done in the last 8 years) and relieve the armed forces for their primary mission.
• The vacancies raise questions on the justice delivery system as tribunals are institutions that play an important role in discharging judicial or quasi-judicial duties.

Essay Topic

• The future belongs to nations with grains, not guns.

50-WORD TALK

• The third positive indigenisation list released by the defence ministry with some big-ticket items like naval utility helicopters, light tanks and anti-drone systems is a major step forward. However, a mere list isn’t enough. Indian private industry should be better integrated and emphasis should be on spending more on R&D.

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 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.