WSDP Bulletin (07-09-2023)

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(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Finally, physicists have a way to ‘see’ inside short-lived nuclei READ MORE
2. NPCI unveils a suite of digital-payment products READ MORE  
3. Cabinet approves viability gap funding of ₹3,760 cr for battery energy storage systems READ MORE
4. Drugs regulator issues alert after pharma firm Abbott India recalls antacid syrup Digene Gel READ MORE
5. ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ retained to align varied views in Constituent Assembly READ MORE  
6. Special Session called following all rules, regulations: Pralhad READ MORE
7. How unemployment is measured READ MORE   
8. A new study says COVID-19 vaccination is not associated with a heart attack risk READ MORE
9. UN Report Reveals Scale of Threat From Invasive Species – And How to Manage It READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Kota suicides: Our children on the brink READ MORE  
2. For an expanse of blue, with air so clean READ MORE
3. After large rainfall deficit in August, how India’s reservoir levels are falling considerably READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. India, Bharat and a host of implications READ MORE  
2. SAAR initiative is key in empowering youth to drive urban development READ MORE
3. Prison reforms: Urgency needed on SC panel’s recommendations READ MORE
4. One Nation, One Election: Weigh its feasibility READ MORE
5. The CAG’s Mizoram Audit Report Leads to Numerous Questions, Some on its Own Processes READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Bridging the malnutrition gap, the Bemetara way READ MORE
2. Set social security ball rolling for informal and gig workers READ MORE
3. Nurturing Educators for a Transformed Tomorrow: Reflections on Teacher Education and Empowerment READ MORE

 INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Engagement with ASEAN is an important pillar of India’s ‘Act East’ policy, says PM Modi READ MORE
2. Onus on India to keep BRICS on right track READ MORE
3. Despite Xi’s absence, the G20 meet is poised to be a success READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Agriculture for the planet: G20 must orient farm policies towards sustainability and nutritional security READ MORE  
2. Monsoon deficiency: Outlook on rural demand is further clouded by potential risks such as El Nino READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Preserve natural habitats for national well-being READ MORE   
2. G20 nations must act fast to reduce carbon emissions READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India to become a space superpower READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Time to decide: On the Himalayan region, its carrying capacity READ MORE
2. Mountains are a fragile ecosystem, need care & upkeep READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. The dharma that’s capable of embracing all READ MORE  
2. Passionate and erotic READ MORE
3. Life lessons of Bhagavad Gita READ MORE
4. Symphony of the heart READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. The ‘One Nation, One Election’ idea presents many constitutional, conceptual and practical problems and most important among them is elections are a problem and the stability of the government is more important. Critically comment.
2. Applying a scientific understanding of mountain geology with local ecological wisdom is the way to preserve the hills and protect the life that thrives there. How would you justify this statement.
3. The expansion of BRICS not just opens new opportunities for India but there are many challenges those are waiting for new Delhi in future. Analyse the statement.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ does not allow for the fact that party positions at the Centre and in the states would fluctuate, and there could be mid-term elections anytime.
• The very idea that we were framing a Constitution for a Union of India derives from an administrative and political legacy going back to 1773.
• The 1935 Act was used as a foundation precisely because it was an extremely well-thought-out document. Accepting this “colonial legacy” was not seen as a sign of disrespect to our own ancient traditions in India.
• Modi govt needs to own its globally disruptive policies taken in India’s interest. The suddenness of export bans hurt India’s friends and go against its vishwa guru ambitions.
• The money spent by the State on elections is only a fraction of the money misspent on other matters and what political parties and candidates spend on them.
• There is a very dangerous idea underlying these arguments. It is that elections are a problem and the government is more important. It is a wrong and undemocratic idea. Free and fair elections are essential and basic to democracy.
• The federal system of government and reflects a unitary and presidential system which is at odds with the country’s political and social reality.
• It is the key to the physical, mental, intellectual, spiritual, and social development of an individual and frames various aspects of our collective life. It helps to establish one as a self-reliant and independent human being.
• Education is characterized as a learning cycle for a person to achieve information and comprehension of the higher explicit topics and implicit meanings of a given subject matter.
• The inclusion of imaginative and aesthetic subjects in the curriculum can enable students to have a more realistic view of the world around them.
• Digital transformation and automation require upskilling to meet these challenges.
• Applying a scientific understanding of mountain geology with local ecological wisdom is the way to preserve the hills and protect the life that thrives there.
• With key projects implemented and innovative ones set in motion, India’s infrastructure growth remains an instrumental force in propelling the nation’s economic prosperity.
• Only a spiritually oriented administrator can maintain the much-needed balance between humility and dignity or tenderness and toughness, love and law and cheer and care.
• An administrator, who is also called a bureaucrat, manager or executive, has to set up goals and targets and maintain the work schedule as well as the efficiency of the team that is working under him.
• The idea of ‘one nation, one election’ is fundamentally undemocratic; it is an argument against democracy itself. Both diversity and democracy stand to lose from this exercise.
• The ‘one nation one election’ proposal, premised on flimsy grounds, is politically unfeasible, administratively unworkable and constitutionally unviable.

ESSAY TOPIC

• The best education is not given to students; it is drawn out of them.

50-WORD TALK

• National Conference leader Akbar Lone’s one-page affidavit in SC affirms the oath he took as an MP. This oath bears allegiance to the Constitution and undertakes to uphold sovereignty and integrity of India. The court must put an end to the controversy and focus on the core issue before it.
• Government’s silence about agenda of Parliament’s special session is baffling. Its penchant for unnecessary secrecy and surprises suggests one-upmanship and lack of transparency. Sonia Gandhi’s complaint to PM Modi about lack of consultation is justified. A majority in Lok Sabha must bring more accountability in terms of consensus-building, not arbitrariness.

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.