WSDP Bulletin (08-06-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Can you spot the quantum physics around your house? READ MORE  
2. ‘Crop shortages could quicken inflation following MSP hikes’ READ MORE
3. NATO to put up biggest air deployment exercise READ MORE
4. Mazagon Dock and German firm strike deal on submarines READ MORE
5. India, U.S. review export control regulations READ MORE
6. How KFON aims to bridge the digital divide in Kerala READ MORE
7. How can we transition to a low-carbon city? READ MORE
8. Fiji reconsiders security ties with China amid Pacific tensions READ MORE
9. Surplus liquidity of banks may dip on tax outflows, higher currency demand READ MORE
10. Why area under cotton cultivation is likely to shrink this kharif READ MORE
11. CSE analysis says South Delhi, New Delhi worst affected by ground-level ozone: What is this pollutant? READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. El Nino 2023: Warming this year last seen in 2009; may cause global marine devastation; here’s how READ MORE
2. Why melting glaciers are causing both drought and floods in the Himalayas READ MORE
3. An unfinished task of social justice politics READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Sedition — illogical equation of government with state READ MORE
2. End the debate: On the Law Commission’s recommendation on sedition READ MORE
3. Why Law Commission is wrong about sedition law READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Don’t drop disability questions from NFHS-6. It will create an information gap READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Preventing Chinese hegemony in expanded BRICS READ MORE
2. China may use disinformation to disrupt India, US, Taiwan. That’s modern warfare for Beijing READ MORE
3. BIMSTEC: A call for robust institutionalization READ MORE
4. An intensifying partnership READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Pitfalls of the food storage plan READ MORE
2. India’s blue economy sets sail to unlock a sea of opportunities! READ MORE
3. RBI’s caution on ‘unsecured advances’ READ MORE
4. Food can turn poison if its safety is not ensured READ MORE
5. The true picture on the economy READ MORE
6. India still fumbling in its semiconductor mission READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Behavioural change can turn the tide: Technology alone not enough to tackle climate change, drug menace READ MORE
2. A Wasted Effort: A Decade On, Task Force’s Suggestions on Garbage Disposal Have Failed READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Is India missing the graphene bus? READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Preventing landslips: NHAI initiates action on Parwanoo-Solan stretch READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Busting drug cartels: Combating crime on darknet a challenge READ MORE
2. The grammar of Naxal violence READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. When traveller and destination are the same READ MORE
2. Ways of the universe READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Democratic values are enshrined by the functioning of constitutional and legal institutions. Comment.
2. ‘An accurate estimate of India’s disabled population would help strengthen their case in Parliament and local elected bodies such as Panchayats’. Discuss the statement in light of government’s decision to drop disability-related questions from the National Family Health Survey-6.
3. Decentralising power and empowering local governments can enhance accountability and promote citizen participation in matters of national importance. Justify the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.
• Parliament has lost its effectiveness as an instrument of oversight and there is a declining process of scrutiny, debate and dissent.
• US initiatives in Indo-Pacific are paying dividends as many Asian nations are developing the political will to confront China.
• The India-Nepal ties are bound to improve after Prachanda’s recent visit, in which seven agreements have been signed at the risk of irritating the dragon.
• An accurate estimate of India’s disabled population would help strengthen their case in Parliament and local elected bodies such as Panchayats.
• Democratic values are enshrined by the functioning of constitutional and legal institutions.
• To ensure that people of high ethical values are elected as representatives of the people of India, the RPA has laid down certain rules of electoral morality and prohibited certain acts which denigrate the purity of the elections.
• It is time we revive our political morality to uphold conventional and constitutional values.
• Many democratic countries, including the UK, have removed sedition as an offence from the statute book. India should follow that. Hopefully the Supreme Court will stick to the right view.
• The Supreme Court’s criticism of the tendency of governments to engage in litigation on the most unnecessary grounds and contribute to the backlog of cases in courts must be paid heed to.
• Governments should review all cases pending before the courts and withdraw all vexatious and unnecessary cases. Such a spring cleaning will be in the interest of justice and governance.
• AI might not impact the revenues and profitability of IT companies if they are proactive in using AI and adapt to the latest developments.
• Developed countries should extend adequate financial and technical assistance to the developing countries to fight climate change.

50-WORD TALK

• Thawing of the India-German defence ties after 35 frozen years following the ill-fated Type 209 submarine deal is significant. In the rapidly evolving ‘new Cold War’ equations, India has a key position. Europe, by and large, has warmed up. Germany has been slow, hesitant. It’s just begun to catch up.
• The destruction of the Kakhovka dam signals the coming of total war to Ukraine, directed at the destruction of agricultural infrastructure, power, and even drinking water. As Ukraine’s counteroffensive gathers momentum, Russia is seeking deterrence through mass devastation. The carnage exposes the entire world to grave economic and security risks.

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.