WSDP Bulletin (11-03-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Reinrtoduction of tigers in Madhav National Park, Madhya Pradesh READ MORE  
2. H3N2 flu claims two lives: Health Ministry READ MORE
3. China helps Saudi Arabia, Iran reconcile READ MORE
4. Xi Jinping begins third five-year term in firmer control READ MORE
5. India, U.S. to launch a semiconductor sub-committee READ MORE
6. In a first, Gujarat to release in the wild 10 wolves bred in captivity — after training READ MORE
7. Landslide Atlas of India: Which states, regions are most vulnerable READ MORE
8. Govt rethinking ‘safe harbour’ in Digital India Bill: How this could change internet landscape READ MORE
9. Amendments to PMLA rules and its impact on ‘politically exposed persons’, NGOs READ MORE  
10. Sea ice on both poles at record low, finds WMO report READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Caste capital and myth of merit: What stops Dalits from accessing western education READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Belated, but essential: On bringing all trade in virtual digital assets under the PMLA READ MORE
2. The unchallenged run of majoritarian encroachments READ MORE
3. Nobody loves local government READ MORE
4. Elections in the North East and Dependent Federalism READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Income Inequality: A Cross-states and Cross-community Analysis READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A moment of reckoning for AUKUS and Australia READ MORE
2. India-Australia rapport: Cooperation in education sector augurs well for closer ties READ MORE
3. How to combat global terrorism READ MORE
4. QUAD to deepen engagement with asean READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. GDP not accurate measure of economic growth READ MORE
2. Weather report. Shadow of El Nino over growth READ MORE
3. When crony capitalism mars PPP mode READ MORE
4. Zero-budget Natural Farming: Can It Double Farmers’ Income? READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India has a key role in the fight to end all pandemics READ MORE
2. A harbinger of gender parity in the field of Indian physics READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Global production under threat due to climate hazards, finds study READ MORE
2. Weather report. Shadow of El Nino over growth READ MORE

SECURITY

1. India’s rapid digitisation has one major casualty—cybersecurity READ MORE
2. Dealing with the cyber threats READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Lessons from Turkey: How to make India earthquake prepared READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Give up the mind and experience the atman READ MORE
2. Change is within us READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The lack of clarity over municipal governance, and the hijacking of cities by the political economy of contracting, makes the idea of cities being governed by some sort of collective deliberation a bit of a joke. Critically Examine.
2. The management of the economy must become a PPPP enterprise — People, Public, Private Partnership. ‘People’, the missing ‘P’ in PPP, must be included and come first. Argue.
3. Local government requires many technical, administrative and financial fixes. There is a case to be made that the distinction between the 73rd and 74th amendments is now obsolete. Analyse the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A mistake repeated more than once is a decision.
• Security is an ever-changing landscape.
• Rapid international transportation and the use of sophisticated weapons have helped the expansion of terrorist networks globally.
• Appointments to top positions in the UN have also been captured by China in the two decades, giving it the unfair advantage of running its stated national policies through a global platform like the UN, thereby sculling many relevant interests of other member nations including India.
• It is observed that income inequalities among Indians are unlikely to be narrowed down on their own from trickledown effect of income growth.
• Our schools, colleges and universities possess large untapped potential. The need of the hour is to provide sports facilities to the upcoming sportspersons, provide them facilities and a conducive environment to nurture themselves.
• Indian civil society remains hierarchical and fragmented with the desire of integrating itself into ruling power structures.
• India, which holds the presidency of the G-20, has been repeatedly stressing the need for a globally coordinated regulatory response to deal with crypto assets.
• Despite performative obeisance to the idea by the state, decentralisation has always been hostage to a number of contradictory impulses.
• The lack of clarity over municipal governance, and the hijacking of cities by the political economy of contracting, makes the idea of cities being governed by some sort of collective deliberation a bit of a joke.
• Local government requires many technical, administrative and financial fixes. There is a case to be made that the distinction between the 73rd and 74th amendments is now obsolete.
• The guiding philosophy behind decentralisation was a faith in institutions. These were meant to be the pathways to inclusive growth and active citizenship. You cannot have inclusive growth without inclusive governance, so went the mantra.
• The non-seriousness about the 73rd and 74th amendments is a lack of seriousness about democracy itself.
• The domains of ‘public’ and ‘private’ have become separated in the market economy. The needs of the masses must be heeded, not just the needs of the classes who have wealth to invest in markets.
• The management of the economy must become a PPPP enterprise — People, Public, Private Partnership. ‘People’, the missing ‘P’ in PPP, must be included and come first.

50-WORD TALK

• A position of neutrality on Ukraine may have diminishing returns. A rigorous evaluation of the assumptions and calculus behind the current stance is important. While Russian support to India on the Kashmir issue may have helped at the UNSC in the past, the fact is that the context has entirely changed. A lot has changed as expending diplomatic capital on an issue that has long been pushed to the back burner at the Security Council has its costs.
• NAAC chairman Bhushan Patwardhan’s resignation after alleging corruption in higher education institute grading calls for a systemic audit. Can the young rely on ratings? Is the system gamed? Is there political interference? Aspirational Indians depend on the index to make decisions for their future. It’s time to review and reform.

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.