WSDP Bulletin (06-04-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. IFC to stop funding new coal-powered electricity projects READ MORE  
2. Lumpy Skin Disease, increase in fodder cost: Centre foresees ‘stagnation’ in milk production READ MORE
3. Explained | What is the open-source seeds movement? READ MORE
4. Bank credit grows by 15% in FY23 as economic activity picks up READ MORE
5. How the forest conservation bill in Lok Sabha trades forests for trees READ MORE
6. MediaOne: What Supreme Court said on freedom, national security READ MORE
7. India elected to UN stats panel for 4-year term READ MORE
8. Researchers find three new species of bush cricket — two in Haryana, one in Meghalaya READ MORE
9. As Glaciers Retreat, New Streams for Salmon READ MORE
10. Kerala High Court orders translocation of Arikompan to Parambikulam Tiger Reserve READ MORE
11. What is behind the RBI’s unexpected repo rate pause? READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Imagining a New Ethic of Sociality: The Non-Brahmin Educated Woman in 19th-Century Western India READ MORE
2. The takeaways from the UN World Water Conference READ MORE
3. How the Arctic has wielded influence on India’s monsoon for at least 1,000 years READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Safeguarding media freedom READ MORE
2. Partisanship kills institutions: Once partisanship seeps into a system, it starts eating an institution from within; capitulation is rapid and guaranteed READ MORE
3. India’s police and judiciary lack caste and gender diversity READ MORE
4. Federal Propriety Demands the Union Home Minister Engage with State Chief Ministers READ MORE
5. Depoliticisation, Informality Key Reasons for Urban Voter Apathy READ MORE
6. Qualifications of Opposition Unity READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Equality and justice, for and beyond queer and trans community READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A long view of the South Asian drama READ MORE
2. Former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran writes: China is firmly in Russia’s corner — India needs to take note READ MORE
3. NATO expansion will end up shaping India’s policy READ MORE
4. India gaining ground as ASEAN partner READ MORE
5. The Dangers of India Succumbing to US Pressure for Joint Combat With Quad Nations READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The growth math: On India’s growth prospects: esurging oil prices, tight money may dent consumption, investment hopes READ MORE
2. Highway of growth: Delhi-Mumbai Expressway to boost growth, real estate in Delhi-NCR READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Promise & politics of 6G: It is a fact that 35,000 Indian villages do not even have 2G network READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Deadly for oceans but perhaps vital for climate action: Why deep sea mining divides opinion READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Should India make tactical nukes to counter China? Delhi’s no-first-use rule has no room for it READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Sacred old heritage READ MORE
2. Environmental Ethics and Climate Change Denialism in Neo-liberal Times READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The current overemphasis on acquiring skills at the cost of compromising life fundamentals would be counterproductive in the long run and needs a relook. Discuss how work-life balance can be maintained?
2. To achieve its long-term goal of stable inflation and growth, RBI needs to look at different instruments to reduce the impact of supply shock-induced inflation volatility. Critically examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
• As with the shrinkage of Russian space globally, the country that benefits most from this outcome is China, which is able to successfully portray itself as “the leader speaking on behalf of the Global South”.
• India may be face-to-face with China over its Himalayan borders, and it may even be a part of the Quad, a visibly anti-China alliance, but these only matter if the conflict comes to a head.
• Against the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, China is playing its cards tactically to expand its own influence at the expense of Russia, its ‘closest ally’.
• Developed, rather than emerging markets, have been the source of financial and economic instability since the 2008 global financial crisis.
• The future of employment might lie, counter-intuitively, in agriculture if India can adopt higher-value, employment-intensive farming practices that will increase productivity, jobs, and wages.
• For success in world-beating manufacturing, India has to invest in firm-level R&D and innovation.
• Integration into joint formation structures is a very important issue professionally impacting the functioning of the armed forces to best meet national security challenges.
• In such a complex scenario, where geoeconomics and geopolitics intersect, Chekunkov’s visit signifies Kremlin’s prioritisation of India as a key partner for the development of Russian Far East, although China is manifestly keen to connect the Arctic to its Belt and Road Initiative.
• The current overemphasis on acquiring skills at the cost of compromising life fundamentals would be counterproductive in the long run and needs a relook.
• In the recent times, there have been many challenges in managing the wildlife. A fresh innovative approach is required to manage the life on the planet.
• The first principle of democracy is to have deference for the views and feelings of others. Without this, democracy cannot endure.
• To achieve its long-term goal of stable inflation and growth, RBI needs to look at different instruments to reduce the impact of supply shock-induced inflation volatility.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.

50-WORD TALK

• Former US President Donald Trump’s claims that America is “going to hell” has charged up his base—but his demagoguery is deeply dangerous. Even if the hush-money case against Trump is fake, the place to win the argument is a courtroom. Elected politicians must respect the institutions on which democracies rest.

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.