WSDP Bulletin (20-05-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. RBI to pull out ₹2,000 notes from active circulation READ MORE  
2. Centre reverses Supreme Court order, gives Delhi Lieutenant Governor final say on bureaucrats READ MORE
3. RBI triples payout to govt., to transfer ₹87,416 crore as surplus READ MORE
4. Supreme Court gets two new judges as CJI administers oath of office to Justices Mishra and K.V. Viswanathan READ MORE
5. Turkey, Saudi skip registration for Srinagar G20, China stays away READ MORE
6. Pakistan and Iran inaugurate border market: What it is and why it has been launched READ MORE
7. What is  the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), and why is everyone talking about it? READ MORE
8. Project Cheetah: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh can share some animals, expert tells DTE READ MORE
9. Oxford University’s WildCRU, Panthera join forces for Africa’s lions; appoint joint programme director READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Safeguarding ocean lifelines is India’s goal READ MORE  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Centre-state friction taking its toll on governance READ MORE
2. Parliamentary panels are indispensable READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Apathy of family and high costs hinder maternal healthcare READ MORE
2. Foundational learning outcomes: More recovery than loss READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. On India at the G-7 summit: India’s presidency of G-20 gives it additional heft at G-7 summit READ MORE  
2. G-7 summit to focus on countering China READ MORE
3. Indian Diplomacy in Overstretch READ MORE
4. G20, G7 and Nuclear Diplomacy READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. How India can become the global supplier for digital metrology and remote calibrations READ MORE  
2. A sustainable growth rate: At what level will India have no output gap? READ MORE
3. It’s clear Indian economy is not ‘fast-growing’, govt must raise capacity for growth & employment READ MORE
4. Equality versus Empowerment: Women in Indian Legislature READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Explained: Climate Change, Earthquakes and Hydropower in the Himalayas READ MORE

SCIENCE

1. India’s women in science, and their struggle READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Fighting cyber crimes better READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Warming warning: On the World Meteorological Organization projections for temperature trends READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Think Less to Live Longer READ MORE
2. Learn to listen READ MORE
3. In search of a pluralistic paradigm READ MORE
4. Things to be desired READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. In state administration, the bureaucracy, which serves as the executor of government policy, needs to be answerable only to the state’s legislative assembly. Comment on the statement in light of the recent Supreme Court judgement.
2. It is imperative for India to not only form and engage with new frameworks but also strengthen old ones, which will increase its options and influence among both developing and developed countries. Comment on the statement in light of recent geo-political developments.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts… perhaps the fear of a loss of power.
• The need for young civil servants to get things done rather than letting them linger is very important. It is critical to our entire development process. Similarly, the need for transparency in appointments is important in our democracy.
• Capitalism is facing multifaceted challenges due to the problem of policy-making based on incorrect data. Governments and international agencies like the World Bank that depend on faulty official data cannot correctly analyse and help resolve the problems facing the world and its poor.
• To be effective, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation needs to come out of Chinese influence and push its own cherished goals.
• The hidden nature of caste atrocities indicates that the problem is more pervasive and deeply rooted than official records may suggest!
• Our steps for sustainable groundwater management are in the right direction and these are bringing a paradigm shift towards positive change.
• India’s increasing engagement with Africa has largely been through bilateral channels, with limited participation in multilateral forums.
• India’s engagement with the Commonwealth should not be treated as a subset of its relationship with the UK. India–UK bilateral ties could face divergences due to variety of domestic and structural factors.
• It is imperative for India to not only form and engage with new frameworks but also strengthen old ones, which will increase its options and influence among both developing and developed countries.
• Data is the next big chasm for regulators to cross, with its growing importance in the financial system and the challenges in its management.
• In the geoeconomic domain, there is growing convergence of interests between India and the US. A model less driven by market fundamentalism presents an opportunity for India.

ESSAY TOPIC

• In our changing world, nothing changes more than geography.

50-WORD TALK

• The Jallikattu matter should have never gone to a constitution bench. Time has been wasted. The court said whether a law to “preserve cultural heritage” is a debatable issue has to be concluded in the House of people. The legislature had already taken a call on the animal rights-tradition conflict.
• The killing of a 23-year-old doctor in Kollam by her patient is disturbing. Kerala’s approval of an ordinance prescribing imprisonment for perpetrators of violence against healthcare workers is a step in the right direction. However, the state must take measures to protect its medical community before the crime is committed.
• Supreme Court has rightly faulted Manipur High Court for its factually incorrect verdict on ST status for Meiteis. The power to modify the ST list is with the President, the HC does not have the remit. Having disapproved of it in strong words, the Supreme Court should have stayed it.

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.