WSDP Bulletin (31-05-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. The world’s worst animal disease is killing frogs worldwide. A testing breakthrough could help save them READ MORE  
2. India’s growth momentum likely to be sustained in FY24, says RBI in Annual Report READ MORE
3. Hardening interest rates, geopolitical risks impacting FDI inflows: DPIIT Secretary READ MORE
4. Purana Qila excavations reveal pre-Mauryan era settlement READ MORE
5. Government drops plans to host SCO summit in Delhi, will now be in virtual format READ MORE
6. Indian scientists discover new exoplanet with mass 13 times that of Jupiter READ MORE
7. Will the US succeed in starving China of semiconductors? READ MORE
8. China’s Shenzhou-16 spacecraft launched: What is the new mission about READ MORE
9. Alternative to UPI, NEFT, RTGS: What is RBI’s planned ‘lightweight’ payments system for emergencies? READ MORE
10. Two Gangetic dolphins found dead in Bihar in the last 3 days READ MORE
11. World Health Assembly approves draft resolution on health action plan for indigenous people READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. New Forest Conservation Bill to Enable Corporate Take Over of Tribal Land, say Activists 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. Cow vigilantes’ illegal activities are a threat to law and order READ MORE
2. Re-imagine ECI, make it an institution that all Indians trust and revere: Dorab Sopariwala READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Children with disabilities need robust policies for support READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Using Buddhism as a tool of soft power READ MORE
2. Prachanda’s visit aims to boost bilateral ties READ MORE
3. Indo-Nepal ties will flourish on trust READ MORE
4. India is making its mark in the world READ MORE
5. Turning the South Pacific tides important for India READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The short history of a large note READ MORE
2. Universal cover: On the IRDA’s all-in-one insurance policy READ MORE   
3. India rising as leader of emerging economies. Now Delhi must ally with Latin America too READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. As negotiation on Global Plastics Treaty gets underway, India should reconsider contradictory stance READ MORE
2. Global warming pushes marine fish to polar waters: Study READ MORE

SECURITY

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

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Getting rid of useless stuff is not easy READ MORE
2. My way or the highway READ MORE
3. Be Mindful of Your Surroundings READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. If NITI Aayog wants to be more effective, it requires the trust of all chief ministers and their active participation. Only then a strong centre and strong states will emerge. Critically analyse in recent developments.
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

• A country that demands moral perfection in its foreign policy will achieve neither perfection nor security.
• The geopolitical wrangling over the future of Buddhism between India and China is making the Nepal Buddhists uneasy.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India’s plans to expand risk protection levels need government backing.
• India is in a rare moment of equilibrium. It has begun to reap its demographic dividend.
• It is mighty clear that not only will India pursue a Nation First policy, but it will also herald a new way of thinking that echoes One Earth, One Family and One Future.
• Chinese domination of relations with the leading powers of the oil-rich Persian Gulf region is hardly a development that India can be sanguine about. The US-India exchanges with the UAE and Saudi Arabia will hopefully enhance security, stability and cooperation across India’s oil-rich western neighbourhood.
• India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy appears distracted by external issue-based alignments and preoccupation as chair of G20 and the SCO.
• Unlawful activities of the vigilantes are a serious threat to law and order.
• The historicity of bilateral relations will depend on the stability of the coalition and Prachanda’s longevity as PM.
• The National Family Health Survey must include specific questions about disabilities to help formulate appropriate policy.
• Currently, under the Constitution, only the CEC enjoys the same protection from removal as a Supreme Court judge. It is imperative that the protection enjoyed by the CEC should also be extended to ECs.
• By providing PICs with a voice and support on Global South issues, including on existential aspects such as Climate Change or on UNSDGrelated themes, India has validated its humane and ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ credentials.
• All temporary, freelance and contract workers must be properly defined and identified to ensure minimum wages, maximum working hours and social security.
• The India-Latin America partnership can work toward building digital public infrastructure, improving financial inclusion, and reducing the cost of access to data, which is critical for engagement with the digital economy.

ESSAY TOPIC

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

50-WORD TALK

• RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das’ caution to banks over concealment of stressed assets is an alarm bell that should be taken seriously. Banks only recently emerged from balance sheet crises caused by high NPAs over the last decade. A relapse would be disastrous for an economy that finally looks stable again.
• Dozens of bystanders casually watching and passing by a teenage girl being stabbed and bludgeoned to death exposes the infamous Delhi public apathy and the deep rot in our collective conscience. Even the most broken institutions can be fixed—only if society is willing to protect the most basic values.

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.