WSDP Bulletin (24-07-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. A muted cheer READ MORE  
2. Captive-bred vultures take wing in forest expanses READ MORE
3. Imphal civil society body COCOMI writes to European Parliament on Manipur READ MORE
4. Russia strikes Odesa cathedral, as Putin says Ukraine counteroffensive ‘failed’ READ MORE
5. Ethanol+petrol: How to blend more and blend better READ MORE
6. G20 energy ministers call for cooperation on nuclear energy & low-emission hydrogen READ MORE
7. Fix at source: Bengaluru must rope in bulk generators to decentralise waste management READ MORE
8. Why India’s non-Basmati rice export ban could hit global markets hard READ MORE
9. Scientists Find Clue to What Makes Multiple Sclerosis Worse READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. What are marine heat waves, which have gripped parts of the world’s oceans this summer? READ MORE
2. Monsoon 2023: Two weather phenomena to decide fate of agriculture in Indo-Gangetic belt READ MORE
3. To help girls, focus on oversight, social evils READ MORE
4. India’s middle class is expanding, thanks to rapid urbanisation. This will reshape the economy READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Can new data panel improve India’s statistics? READ MORE
2. On ED’s power to arrest and seek custody READ MORE
3. The politics of the Uniform Civil Code READ MORE
4. How to draft a Uniform Civil Code: The first requirements are removing rules that discriminate against women, including those related to marriage and inheritance READ MORE
5. Why accountability is so important READ MORE
6. Why the recent US Supreme Court judgment on affirmative action is a race to the bottom India should avoid READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Unravelling Ayushman Card’s impact on healthcare READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Dilemmas of India’s great power ambitions READ MORE   
2. India-France can be a potent force READ MORE
3. Why NATO is enhancing engagement with Indo-Pacific allies READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Downhill driving: On India’s overall trend of exports- Shrinking trade volumes pose a risk for this year’s growth hopes READ MORE
2. Ashok Gulati, Manish Kumar Prasad write: How not to tame inflation READ MORE
3. Indian economy surges ahead despite challenges READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Deep ecology, not shallow environmentalism needed READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. A case for a new pronoun for AI READ MORE

SECURITY

1. National cybersecurity strategy should spur digital resilience READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Expressing truth READ MORE
2. Why accountability is so important READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. By addressing the barriers to healthcare access and affordability, Ayushman Bharat strives to improve health and reduce health inequalities. Critically examine.
2. The first requirement is removing rules that discriminate against women, including those related to marriage and inheritance. In light of the statement, discuss what should be the government approach in implementing Uniform Civil Code?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Our Gods of wealth and prosperity like clean spaces, hence all the spring cleaning before a festival.
• What comes with the stream will run with the water.
• Despite the affirmative action policies’ near-constitutional permanence, their ineffectiveness in holistically transforming the lives of its beneficiaries is nothing short of an incredible failure.
• The evolving consciousness of humanity is moving inexorably to the development of a new planetary culture. In an ecological sense, humanity has appeared, in many respects, to be a delinquent species running out of control.
• Land must be made fertile again with the help of trees of mixed species, and the earth once again be clothed in a green mantle of trees. The balance of nature must be restored. Paradise must be regained.”
• Present-day lifestyles of a consumerist society, from the affluent and the middle class to the vast majority of the poor in the world is unsustainable. Far-reaching changes are urgently needed.
• Civilization itself does not arise merely from material progress, but rather is defined by and founded upon the ideals and shared beliefs that weld society together.
• India and France are already working on a trilateral platform with Australia and UAE, and plan to expand the net on most critical areas of maritime cooperation, security, climate change etc to a wider bunch of nations impacted in the region.
• Interpersonal skills are not only valuable for a leader, but they are such values that one uses in everyday life.
• Interpersonal skills are important to live a happy and successful life.
• Interpersonal skills are traits one can rely on when one interacts and communicates with others.
• By addressing the barriers to healthcare access and affordability, Ayushman Bharat strives to improve health and reduce health inequalities.
• Ayushman Card has emerged as a game-changer in India by addressing the barriers to healthcare access and affordability.
• Law enforcement does not take too well name-dropping, arguments or bending the rules towards any authority of power, as they slam the rulebook at anyone caught doing a misdemeanour.
• The resilience and vibrancy shown by Indian economy gives hope and optimism for the global economy which is going through tough times.
• Exploring and harnessing the power of technology without letting it be misused and abused, also becomes important, as it is the technology that is the greatest leveller and empowering element when it comes to governance, financial inclusion and ease of living.
• The trigger for NATO’s engagement with Indo-Pacific allies is the Ukraine crisis and not the Chinese threat to the region.
• India can contain CPI inflation within 6 per cent, provided it uses import policy for food products liberally and well in time.
• Artificial Intelligence requires pronouns to establish an identity that is distinct from that of humans, and it is a right, for ethical and security reasons, to know that a person is indeed dealing with a bot.
• Even though domestic inabilities will continue to moderate New Delhi’s ability to influence the world order, being unwilling to be a ‘global rule shaper’ would be a strategic blunder.

ESSAY TOPIC

• What comes with the stream will run with the water.

50-WORD TALK

• Amid global economic upheavals, the Indian economy has shown much vibrancy, and also optimism for the global economy. Even IMF has just said that the Indian economy will contribute 15% to the overall growth of the world economy. Here, constant progress on Sustainable Development Goals is also very much needed to withstand future challenges.

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.