WSDP Bulletin (01-06-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. North Korea spy satellite launch fails as Chollima-1 rocket falls into the sea READ MORE  
2. UAE withdraws from U.S.-led maritime coalition in the Gulf READ MORE
3. Treatment worth ₹61,501 cr. provided under PM-JAY scheme READ MORE
4. Cabinet nod for second phase of CITIIS programme READ MORE
5. World’s largest grain storage plan: Centre to implement pilot project in 10 districts READ MORE
6. India joins global laboratory network for vaccine tests READ MORE
7. Jaishankar to meet Lavrov, Qin at BRICS FM meeting in South Africa READ MORE
8. Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar to be renamed Ahilyanagar: Who was the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar READ MORE
9. What California’s Ravidassia community believes and why they want caste bias outlawed READ MORE
10. Nvidia breaches trillion dollar market cap: How the chipmaker is riding the AI wave READ MORE
11. Zambia government renews commitment to end obstetric fistula by 2030 READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. Deluge in Spain continues, could still face its driest summer in over 6 decades READ MORE
2. Uncertain showers: On monsoon information and the Indian farmer READ MORE
3. Why water sustainability needs to become a climate action priority READ MORE
4. Good Faith: Why India’s society and politics need both the strength and gentleness of Hanuman READ MORE
5. Manual scavenging is a curse, must end now READ MORE  

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. A parliamentary democracy or an executive democracy READ MORE
2. Institutionalising social audits: Lessons from Meghalaya READ MORE
3. Pretoria’s choice READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Sanjaya Baru responds to C Raja Mohan: Getting multipolarity wrong READ MORE
2. Balancing act, diverging interests: The shades of grey in India-US ties and a quandary for Quad READ MORE
3. China Takes Leadership Role in Central Asia – I READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. GDP exceeds expectations READ MORE
2. Impressive growth, but will it sustain? READ MORE
3. Economic resilience READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Biodiversity is us and we are biodiversity READ MORE
2. How Butterflies Can Help Protect Natural Habitats in a Rapidly Changing World READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Is India missing the graphene bus? READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Why India’s national security needs a 21 century refit READ MORE
2. Cracking down on fraud in cyberspace READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Heisenberg Principle and trade-offs in life READ MORE
2. Key to good parenting READ MORE
3. Be Mindful of Your Surroundings READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. How far do you agree with this view that a virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit is a setback for India’s diplomacy and it shows the China’s influence in this grouping? Analyse your view.
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.
• A claim to justice becomes the new ballet of solidarity.
• The establishment can stretch time to weaken the protest. It can convert a search for justice into a law-and-order problem, even banalize it into a traffic issue.
• The growth in FY24 will very likely be lower than FY23’s level as the opportunities from the opening of the economy have been more or less exhausted.
• Both India and the USA view the Indo-Pacific region and engage with China differently but this is unlikely to impede the incremental progress in their bilateral ties.
• To end this menace Govt must provide alternative employment opportunities and encourage mechanised cleaning technologies.
• The escalating cost of education is denying higher education to students who wish to pursue it but cannot afford its prohibitive cost.
• It is crucial to recognize that girls are disproportionately affected by these financial barriers and encounter significant limitations in the absence of accessible, free, and affordable education.
• India’s relations with the US, as indeed with China, Russia or any other nation, would be defined by her interests and values and not out of fear of anyone nor in favour of anyone.
• 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

• GDP growth in FY23 at 7.2%, higher than the 7% predicted by the government itself, is a positive surprise. Buoyed by strong cross-sector fourth quarter performances, India is indeed a bright spot in a slowing global economy. No time for complacency, though. El Nino, global recession, and war still loom.
• Appointment of another acting DGP in UP, third in a row, is a mockery of SC guidelines for police chiefs’ selection. It’s to do with politicians’ intent to control police force and pre-empt central interference through UPSC. Centre-state disagreement over DGP’s appointment underlines the facile nature of double-engine government slogan.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit being held in virtual mode instead of a physical event with India as the Chair is an embarrassing setback to New Delhi’s diplomacy. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s refusal to come to India, which led to the change in format, shows how Beijing influences this grouping.

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.