WSDP Bulletin (15-09-2022)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation fights ‘anti-West dictators club’ tag READ MORE
2. Cabinet approves addition of four tribes in Himachal, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh to ST list READ MORE
3. After 33 years, Kashmir’s pristine Manasbal Lake opens for NCC cadets again READ MORE
4. Who was activist-author Annabhau Sathe, whose statue Devendra Fadnavis unveiled in Moscow? READ MORE
5. August: Exports inch up, pace of growth in imports slows READ MORE
6. Sea cucumbers most frequently trafficked marine species in India between 2015 and 2021: Analysis READ MORE
7. Shallow-water mining not a ‘silver bullet’ to resolve growing global need for metals: Study READ MORE
8. ISRO and Hughes launch India’s first commercial satellite broadband service READ MORE
9. PM Modi meets Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck; poses for photo READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Gender Bias Behind 93% Gap in Earnings Between Men and Women: Oxfam Report READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Bibek Debroy writes: As PM Modi said, the onus for labour reform is on the states READ MORE
2. New telecom law must provide for basic rights READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Education must be student-centric READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Engage with caution: The latest disengagement along the LAC is a welcome step, but the border crisis is not over READ MORE  
2. Breaking the impasse on the Teesta water-sharing talks READ MORE
3. Beyond China, why SCO is key READ MORE
4. India should up global presence with leadership of non-aligned READ MORE

 GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The future of old times in India: Near-universal social security pensions would be a good start to a radical expansion of public support for the elderly READ MORE
2. Tax on the poor: Inflation disproportionately affects the economically weaker sections READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. India’s growing water crisis, the seen and the unseen: Rural-urban water disputes are very likely to occur as scarcity grows, exacerbated by climate change READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Science in India Is Plagued by Inequities and Needs Democratic Reforms READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Examining the Dolo scandal: The story stands on shaky legs, but the controversy lays bare the problem of the pharmaceuticals-doctors nexus READ MORE
2. Aspiration & achievement are backed by good actions READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. ‘IN a federal system, cooperation, collaboration and coordination are more important and powerful than competition’. Analyse the statement in the light of recent controversies between centre and states.
2. ‘Education must enhance the well-being of students and it must also take into account their psychological and emotional state’. Comment.
3. How far do you agree with this view that in present time sanctions couldn’t be substitute for military operations against any kind of invasion? Justify your view.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Cooperation, collaboration and coordination are more powerful than competition.
• Near-universal social security pensions would be a good start to a radical expansion of public support for the elderly.
• Rural-urban water disputes are very likely to occur as scarcity grows, exacerbated by climate change.
• Missing from the freebie debate are power subsidies, which constitute a significant share of the subsidy expenditure of many States.
• Any absence of constitutional values in telecom laws may further corporate profits and increase tele-connectivity, but hinder equitable access.
• Education must enhance the well-being of students and it must also take into account their psychological and emotional state.
• Non-existent social interaction, heavy dependence on gadgets, absence of practical knowledge, and monotony of life led to withdrawal symptoms with many students becoming reluctant to interact and learn.

50-WORD TALK

• Islamabad soliciting the Taliban’s help to find Masood Azhar Alvi is funny—but the real joke is on the world. Leveraging global fears about a failed nuclear-weapons State, Pakistan is seeking an economic bailout without acting against terrorists. To give it one will reward the jihadi-friendly establishment that inflicted worldwide bloodshed.
• Fierce Armenia-Azerbaijan border skirmishes show what’s happening in Ukraine won’t stay in Ukraine. Russia’s military, which enforces a ceasefire imposed in 2020, is bogged down—and Turkey-backed Azerbaijan is using the opportunity to settle unfinished business. Absent wisdom in superpower capitals, this will prove the first of many coming proxy wars.

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.