WSDP Bulletin (29-05-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Explained | Will facial recognition AI tools help detect telecom fraud? READ MORE  
2. Explained | How can citizens file Census details online? READ MORE
3. Explained | Why are cheetah cubs dying in Kuno reserve? READ MORE
4. Iron fortification: health risks of excessive iron intake READ MORE
5. Cheetahs introduced without considering spatial ecology: study READ MORE
6. Recep Tayyip Erdogan wins historic Turkey runoff vote READ MORE
7. Antarctic alarm bells over slowing down of ‘overturning circulation’ READ MORE
8. Gravitational waves: ripples in space-time produced by the universe’s celestial phenomena READ MORE
9. A Foucault pendulum swings inside the new Parliament READ MORE
10. Kerala’s Kudumbashree programme to empower poor women is at a crossroads READ MORE
11. ISRO’s new NavIC satellite launches successfully: Why a regional navigation system matters to India READ MORE
12. What is the Model Prisons Act announced by the MHA? READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. IMD retains its normal outlook for monsoon READ MORE
2. India’s hill states need sustainable cooling solutions to beat warming READ MORE
3. 2023 hurricane forecast: Get ready for a busy Pacific storm season, quieter Atlantic than recent years thanks to El Niño READ MORE
4. Anger and Aspiration in Caste Society READ MORE  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Institutions: Cooperation, Compliance, Confrontation? READ MORE
2. Don’t subvert RTI, by intent or neglect READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Menstrual health is a public health issue READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. A belligerence towards Beijing that is unsettling READ MORE  
2. India is missing Hindu Kush for the Pacific: Trade with Central Asian region remains low despite episodic bursts of enthusiasm READ MORE
3. Beijing’s BRICS? READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Workforce must have employable skills READ MORE  
2. Cash, no Cash READ MORE
3. Dipping FDI inflows READ MORE
4. Modern Slavery In The Gig Economy READ MORE
5. Digital-only banks are a great idea, but India is not yet there READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Explained | Why is the 1.5 degree Celsius target critical? READ MORE
2. Sowing climate resilience READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Cybercrime is a worry with a very wide reach READ MORE
2. Ever increasing threat of transnational terrorism READ MORE

SCIENCE

1. India can be a world leader in science READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. India’s G20 presidency can show the way on disaster management READ MORE
2. How the World Health Organization could fight future pandemics READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Lying fallow can make creative life possible READ MORE
2. To be, or not to be READ MORE
3. Why happiness is a journey and not a destination READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The decision to holding the G20 meeting in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh shows Indian government commitment for a unite India but it may create many new challenges in its neighbourhood. Discuss the statement.
2. The NITI Aayog acts as the quintessential platform for the Government of India to bring states together as ‘Team India’, to work towards the national development agenda. Critically examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.
• While the courts are examining the validity of the law of sedition, its defining logic has already transplanted itself into several different provisions of law that criminalise speech.
• The inauguration of a new Parliament building presents an opportunity for us to seriously introspect on our parliamentary conduct.
• Articles 264 to 293 deal with financial relations between the Union and the states. Because India is a federal country, it adheres to division of powers when it comes to taxation, and it is the responsibility of the Union to allocate funds to the states.
• Strengthening the federal system is critical for meeting the demands of the people governed by state governments, while also preserving India’s unity. As a result, centre-state relations, or agreements between the Union government and the states regarding their respective powers, functions, and responsibilities, have always been crucial.
• The Indian Constitution requires that no government, whatever be its hue, at the Union will discriminate against or in favour of any state government on the basis of political dissonance.
• India’s thriving startup ecosystem is a testament to the country’s digital infrastructure, which has provided entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to innovate and disrupt traditional business models.
• Democracy demands dialogue as the primary medium of achieving equilibrium among citizens who have entered into this social contract with the state.
• If India is to tackle the climate crisis, it is essential for governments to recognise the value of the role of citizens in the decision-making process and to prioritise public consultations while drafting environmental and climate policies.
• Midday meals provide a nutritional safety net for children and improve their learning outcomes and attendance.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

50-WORD TALK

• The decision to hold the G20 tourism meet in Kashmir and another in Arunachal Pradesh shows the clever geopolitical messaging by the Modi government. It also shows that the government is not shying away from being firm to reject any claims by Pakistan and China over status of these states.
• First Karnataka, now Tamil Nadu – the opposition by two states to the entry of Amul into their milk cooperative market is, at its core, an anti-competition, anti-consumer, anti-choice position. More than that, this argument doesn’t serve the milk producers either. They should have the freedom to decide where they sell.

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.