WSDP Bulletin (14-12-2022)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Shiv Sena Rift : Uddhav Group Seeks Reference To 7-Judge Bench Of Supreme Court To Reconsider ‘Nabam Rebia’ Decision READ MORE
2. Constitution Bench lists Assam Accord citizenship case on January 10 READ MORE
3. India hits out at Organisation of Islamic Cooperation chief for visit to LoC from Pakistani side READ MORE
4. EU makes breakthrough on climate-protection import tax READ MORE
5. Bali’s water crisis threatens local culture, UNESCO sites READ MORE
6. What is base editing, the groundbreaking tech that cleared a teenager’s cancer? READ MORE
7. 75% of India’s land conflicts happen over community-owned spaces: Report READ MORE
8. Understanding the fusion energy breakthrough announced by US scientists READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Pasmanda Muslims and Their Decades-Long Fight for Equality READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The attack on the last bastion — the judiciary READ MORE
2. Selective arguments: Executive and judiciary need to find common ground READ MORE
3. Facial recognition system rollout at Indian airports raises privacy concerns READ MORE
4. Union Government is eroding judicial independence by its control over appointments READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Curbing individualism in public health READ MORE
2. Mint Explainer: India’s road to becoming a higher education hub READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. How India Can Broaden its Relationships With Central Asia READ MORE
2. Critical security dilemma for Central Asian states READ MORE
3. Challenges of G20 presidency READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Interim relief: On retail inflation’s fall to a 11-month low READ MORE
2. The rise of rural manufacturing READ MORE
3. RBI should take note of uneven credit growth READ MORE
4. Cryptocurrencies are risky: Regulate or ban them READ MORE
5. A welcome shift: GM crops will boost yields READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Carbon credit in India: The passing of bill to curb carbon emission could prove to be revolutionary READ MORE  
2. Explained: What the Newly Passed Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill Is All About READ MORE
3. Arctic Report Card 2022: The Arctic is getting rainier, seasons are shifting, with broad disturbances for people, ecosystems READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Ready for the worst: on government’s better preparedness for cyclones READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Continue on the steep path to faith READ MORE
2. Stoical in all situations READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Social indices such as women’s nutrition, education and maternal mortality and the health of newborn babies are directly related to the age of marriage. In the context of this perspective, analyse the need for increasing in rise of minimum weeding age girl child.
2. Reforms cannot happen from above. They require the transformation of the people’s consciousness. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.
• A more educated and skilled rural workforce will establish rural areas’ comparative advantage of low wages, higher reliability and productivity and hasten the process of the movement out of agriculture to higher-earning livelihoods.
• The growth of rural manufacturing, by generating new jobs, thus provides an economic base for the transition out of agriculture.
• Issues of pendency and infrastructure ought to be broached in appropriate forums and in high-level meetings to quell the growing acrimony between the executive and the higher judiciary.
• If credit demand continues to soar, banks will have to garner more deposits, mostly by hiking rates thus hurting margins.
• The Governor should be allowed to become a ‘shorthand’ expression of the state government, especially when the political executives appear to be motivated by socio-political considerations.
• Any legislation for regulation can be effective only after significant international collaboration on evaluation of the risks and benefits and evolution of common taxonomy and standards.
• A return to the NJAC may not be possible. But some sort of meeting ground that narrows the differences and hastens the appointment and transfer system transparently in a judiciary where backlogs are humongous is urgently needed.
• Using facial recognition technology would not comply with the Puttaswamy judgement the Supreme Court gave, Seetha added. In the Puttaswamy judgement of 2017, the Supreme Court had held that the fundamental right to privacy is guaranteed under the Constitution.
• Regarding the transfer of judges, the Constitution Bench held that the opinion of the CJI has not mere primacy, but is determinative in the matter of transfers of high court judges/chief justices.
• Although improving connectivity between India and the Central Asian states is a goal for New Delhi and Central Asia, an adverse Pakistan and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan restrict ambitions.

50-WORD TALK

• Last week’s skirmish near Arunachal’s Tawang demonstrates China remains committed to seizing tactically-important territories along the Line of Actual Control. The Indian Army has shown it cannot be bullied into giving ground. The real challenge, however, is to protect the borders without being sucked into an expensive, resource-sapping military build-up.
• Sushil Modi saying the Rs 2,000 note is a tool of terror financing and black money is another indictment of demonetisation. If high-value notes were removed in 2016 for being used in illegal activities, it makes sense that higher-value notes would follow the same path. The answer lies in digitisation.

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.