WSDP Bulletin (14-03-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. 21 Greenfield Airports are to be set up in the country, 11 are operationalized READ MORE  
2. 5-judge Constitution Bench to decide if same-sex marriages can be legal READ MORE
3. SEBI probing ‘market allegations’ on Adani Group, says Finance Ministry READ MORE
4. India said to bat for sovereign rating upgrade in review with global agencies READ MORE
5. Supreme Court directs Defence Ministry to file note on arrears due under One Rank One Pension scheme READ MORE
6. 246 vultures spotted in first-ever synchronised survey in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka READ MORE
7. EC tells Allahabad HC it does not have power to ban caste rallies by parties in non-election period READ MORE
8. Antiquities abroad: What Indian, international laws say READ MORE
9. IPES report highlights global hunger crisis amid high debt READ MORE  
10. US approves Willow oil drilling project in Alaska: What is the outrage around this READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Married or partnered: Politics won’t defy a largely traditional society. So, civil unions may be a good first step for same-sex couples READ MORE
2. How Does Living with In-Laws Affect Women’s Employment? READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A chance for India to shape a data governance regime: The crafting of the country’s data governance must enable a secure, more egalitarian, and trustworthy digital future for all READ MORE   
2. Why only appoint judges as arbitrators? READ MORE
3. What Opposition-free Govt really means for democracy READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. The tricky issue of marriage equality READ MORE  
2. Poverty, population proscribe progress READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. China as peace dealer: The recent Iran-Saudi Arabia agreement is significant for the region READ MORE  
2. India-Australia ties get a boost READ MORE
3. New beginnings in West Asia READ MORE
4. A year of Ukraine Crisis: Where do EU-India relations stand? READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. A fragile momentum: On the economy and India’s growth READ MORE  
2. How the Silicon Valley Bank debacle unfolded & rocked India’s start-up ecosystem READ MORE
3. Clear the regulatory air over loan apps READ MORE
4. India’s Agriculture Is Feeling the Effects of Extreme Weather Events READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Display technologies on the fast lane READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Can the High Seas Treaty Protect the Wild West of The Oceans? READ MORE
2. Weather report. Shadow of El Nino over growth READ MORE

SECURITY

1. China-Russia cybersecurity ties taking darker turns. India needs to worry too 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. Follow the signpost and go inside READ MORE
2. Accept your errors READ MORE
3. Scientific Temper~I READ MORE
4. Scientific Temper~II READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Enumerates the reasons those are major factors for women’s under-representation in Civil Services. What are those factors that lead women to opt out of civil services?
2. In a country like India, where inequality is so prominent, a development scheme can come a cropper if it lacks inclusivity. In light of the statement, discuss how the new changes in the MPLADS scheme Will Make it More Centralised and Less Inclusive?
3. While the judgment on the CEC appointment produces an outcome that strengthens Indian democracy, it equally strengthens the court’s institutional legitimacy. Examine.
4. Any revision should have been to enrich the scheme rather than diluting the essence of inclusivity. Comment on the statement un the light of government decision on MPLADS scheme.
5. While committees and reform commissions have repeatedly stressed on civil servants becoming customer-centric and people-friendly, the situation on the ground appears to be very different. In light of the statement, discuss whether the focus of civil services reforms should be on citizen satisfaction rather than officer performance?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• A good settlement is better than a good lawsuit.
• 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.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Women are ready to take charge of this era but they can’t leave their responsibilities behind.

50-WORD TALK

• Another corruption scandal and Karnataka’s Bommai government is bouncing on potholes, as if driving on Bengaluru’s roads. Don’t write off MLA Virupakshappa in coming election though. Rousing welcome after securing bail suggests normalisation of corruption. Karnataka Lokayukta deserves praise, but for real change, voters have to feel revulsion with corruption.
• 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.