WSDP Bulletin (16-06-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Exports dip again; trade deficit hits 5-month high READ MORE  
2. ‘Generative AI could automate 50% of tasks’ READ MORE
3. 80 castes to be added to Central OBC list READ MORE
4. India to buy 31 MQ-9 Reaper UAVs; announcement during PM’s U.S. trip READ MORE
5. BIMSTEC to adopt Bangkok Vision 2030 at next summit READ MORE
6. Cyclone Biparjoy: What is the ‘landfall’ of a cyclone? READ MORE
7. Why remittance inflows growth could slow to just 0.2% in 2023 READ MORE
8. ExplainSpeaking: What is a hawkish pause? READ MORE
9. Pulses production goes up: The success story of chana and moong READ MORE
10. Compromise settlement for wilful defaulters: How RBI’s controversial move impacts the banking sector READ MORE
11. Subsidies don’t help fight climate change, World Bank report finds READ MORE

Main Exam

GS Paper- 1

1. The Consequences of an Arctic Ocean That Could Be Ice-Free in Summer by 2030s READ MORE  
2. A wandering monk who was a social reformer READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Code red: On the 22nd Law Commission and a uniform civil code READ MORE
2. What the UCC debate entails READ MORE
3. India is a ‘Union’, not a federation READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

1. Explained | Are non-communicable diseases increasing in India? READ MORE
2. How India’s G20 presidency can address global hunger READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Jumpstarting the next phase of U.S.-India defence ties READ MORE
2. Geopolitics takes three to tango READ MORE
3. PM’s historic US State visit READ MORE
4. QUAD and ASEAN READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Should India join the lithium battery race? READ MORE
2. Rethinking deposit insurance in India READ MORE
3. Banking on governance: RBI’s suggestions well-directed, but problems need to be tackled more holistically READ MORE
4. Oil prices softening, it’s time to cut retail prices READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Is This ‘Age of the Delta’ Coming to an End? READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Reflections on Artificial Intelligence, as friend or foe READ MORE
2. Importance of quantum computing for reducing carbon emissions READ MORE

SECURITY

1. Quantum warfare poses threat to national security READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Illegal mining: Nab mafia members, conniving officials READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The Odisha Story of Solidarity: A collapse of normalcy awakens something deep within us READ MORE
2. Being in the present is a critical entrepreneurial trait READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. While social media platforms play an important role in democratic discourse and free speech, they must operate within the confines of national law. In light of the statement, discuss how India can uphold a balance between democratic values and national sovereignty?
2. Discuss, how climate change is affecting the cyclonic process in the Arabian Sea? Discuss its pros and cons for India’s renewable energy push.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Strategy is not the consequence of planning, but the opposite: its starting point.
• Leveraging the panchayat system, India has successfully built robust and sustainable community institutions that have strengthened rural people’s ability to manage their own development.
• India’s core foreign policy objective has been its economic development and this should hold true even today. For India to remain focused on development it also requires a stable neighbourhood which implies ensuring stable, even if adversarial, relations with China.
• A uniform civil code for the entire country is indeed a lofty goal, but the question whether introducing one for all aspects of personal law would impinge on the freedom of religion has been part of the debate.
• Within each community’s laws, it will be desirable to first incorporate universal principles of equality and non-discrimination and eliminate practices based on taboos and stereotypes.
• There needs to be systematic evaluation of the efficacy and shortcomings of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in an Indian situation even if doomsday predictions about AI use and its impact are baseless.
• The law commission’s move is a new attempt to spark a conversation on a contentious issue.
• To create a federation on the lines of the USA was not only unjustified by the birth of the Republic of India, it would have been unwise had we done so.
• The aim is to bring India as a key player and close friend of the USA in the overall geo-political strategy with a sharp focus on the Indo-Pacific, where China is a growing threat to both nations.
• The adoption of quantum computing technology could prove to be revolutionary for India to reduce its carbon footprint.
• The muted tone in oil markets is also being attributed to increased availability, as US inventories are rising which could lead to demand continuing to moderate for the rest of the year.

50-WORD TALK

• The latest massacre shows Manipur is now terrifyingly close to full-scale ethnic warfare. Band-aids like sending more central forces won’t fix the crisis. Politics has broken down completely, with many unable to trust the government. PM Modi must now invest his political capital into bringing Kukis, Meiteis back to talks.
• Tamil Nadu is the 10th state to have withdrawn blanket consent for CBI cases since 2015, a sign of the deepening antagonism in Centre-state relations. Always in election mode, the Centre is relentlessly using the CBI against opposition-ruled states—leading to a breakdown of the trust needed in our federal system.

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.