WSDP Bulletin (28-08-2023)

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(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Chandrayaan-3’s landing spot on Moon to be known as Shiv Shakti point: PM Modi in Bengaluru READ MORE
2. Tropical forests may be getting too hot for photosynthesis READ MORE
3. What Terai tigers eat and what it tells about the habitat READ MORE
4. Asian Development Bank, Centre to open climate change and health centre in Delhi READ MORE
5. Somatic mutations: a genomic revolution hiding inside our cells READ MORE
6. Zimbabwe President hails high turnout after re-election READ MORE
7. ISRO releases graph of temperature variation of topsoil in lunar South Pole READ MORE
8. Government imposes restrictions on export of Basmati rice READ MORE
9. PM Modi to visit South Africa for BRICS summit: What is this grouping? READ MORE
10. Vector borne diseases can be fought with food READ MORE
11. How Antarctica’s melting sea ice killed thousands of emperor penguins chicks READ MORE
12. Bird species plummeting in India, says new report: What are the major threats to them? READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 READ MORE
2. How wastewater can help tackle water shortages READ MORE
3. Why zoning of flood plains is important READ MORE
4. On the Global Education Monitoring Report 2023 READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. ECI Appointments: Constitutional and Moral Imperatives READ MORE
2. Why new criminal bills are worse than colonial laws READ MORE
3. Respect the Constitution READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. India’s health research is not aligned with its disease burden READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Talking about talking: Modi and Xi need to have substantive conversations on ties READ MORE
2. BRICS De-dollarisation: Essential for an Equitable World Economic Order READ MORE
3. India should carefully pursue its BRICS strategy READ MORE
4. Is BRICS the Chinese NAM? READ MORE
5. BRICS: Alternative model of global governance READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Current dry phase, possible El Nino effects, could lead to broad-based food inflation. But trade curbs are no answer READ MORE
2. Why GST restructuring is the need of the hour READ MORE
3. Digital Competition Law must be made proactive READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Political Economy of (De)Carbonisation READ MORE  
2. To fight the climate crisis, utilise science READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. The importance of states in space missions READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Himalayan blunders that are ravaging the Himalayas READ MORE
2. India needs an integrated approach to flood management READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. PM Modi calls for expanding ‘ethical’ AI: A look at the shift in Indian govt’s stance on AI regulation READ MORE  
2. Experience the blissfulness of being READ MORE
3. Success asks for devotion READ MORE
4. Ethics in Influencer Marketing READ MORE

CASE STUDY

1. Deepening divide: UP schoolteacher’s communal bias shameful READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. Climate change is the new colonialism. Fossil fuels remain the most strategic commodity and are critical to national and international politics. Critically comment.
2. The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 is not only an affront to the rule of law but a vehicle for exploitation of forests rather than their conservation achieved through shrinking the notion of forest itself. Examine.
3. Instead of overthrowing the yoke of colonialism, the new Bills give increasing draconian powers to the police, while making some cosmetic changes to the existing laws. Critically examine.
4. Despite the serious problems and growth prospects within the organization’s members, BRICS could be an alternative system of global governance that can guide the world into a new order. Comment.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• If any agreement between two nations is to last, it must serve the best interests of both nations.
• Changing geopolitics over clean energy is replacing fossil fuel-based global power structures. Climate change is the new colonialism. Fossil fuels remain the most strategic commodity and are critical to national and international politics.
• Despite the evolution of a new global order in the post-Cold War period, fossil fuels remain the most strategic commodity and critical to national and international politics.
• The Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act is not only an affront to the rule of law but a vehicle for exploitation of forests rather than their conservation achieved through shrinking the notion of forest itself.
• Taking stock of the shifts in education and technology in an increasingly digitised world is a necessity.
• Instead of overthrowing the yoke of colonialism, the new Bills give increasing draconian powers to the police, while making some cosmetic changes to the existing laws.
• As we live in greater digitised environments, the need to define the digitally skilled, competent or literate persons becomes necessary to guide the future public policies on digital literacy.
• Technology’s deep consequences on the human mind as well as the social and political environment leading to a crisis of governance.
• The narrow view of short-term benefits and time- and labour-saving mechanisms can underestimate the long-term economic and environmental costs of techno­logy in education.
• The process of appointment in the vision of the Constituent Assembly was to “entrench” the ECI as an institution that would stand apart from and be autonomous vis-à-vis the political power structure.
• As BRICS emerges as a China shop, India should keep a sharp eye out for its strategic interests.
• BRICS has been branded as an anti-Western global platform. The smearing of BRICS as an anti-American group needs to be minimised in the global media. BRICS could be an alternative system that can guide the world into a new order, despite the serious problems and growth prospects within the organization’s members.

ESSAY TOPIC

• Technology today is shaping our lives in ways unknown before.
• Homogeneity is a necessary condition for success.

50-WORD TALK

• The move to install fans with springs in Kota’s hostel rooms to reduce suicides among students is a tone-deaf measure. It’s imperative to address the basic cause behind the deaths — a mental health crisis prompted by high academic pressure and fear of failure. One can’t stop suicides by changing fans.
• Eighteen terrorists directly involved in the 26/11 attacks, documents have revealed, remain at large despite Pakistani investigators having established their identities back in 2009. This comes on the back of endless stalling of the 26/11 trial in Pakistan. The world must push Islamabad harder on its counter-terrorism commitments.

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.