WSDP Bulletin (25-09-2023)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. Maharashtra’s ephemerals: plants that wait for monsoon to bloom READ MORE
2. What are the reasons for rise in global debt? READ MORE  
3. T.N., Kerala may join hands to count endangered Nilgiri tahr READ MORE
4. Aadhaar unreliable in ‘hot, humid’ India: Moody’s READ MORE
5. Land around Assam monastery to be reserved for indigenous people READ MORE
6. Refugees leave as Azerbaijan takes control of Karabakh READ MORE
7. Explained | The Fukushima N-wastewater controversy READ MORE
8. Aadhaar biometrics not reliable in India’s climate: What Moody’s has said READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Can Dalit parties reignite social justice movement? READ MORE
2. Who is responsible for suicides in Kota? READ MORE
3. Tap water for parched villages: An incredible turnaround READ MORE
4. What the September rain has meant for crops READ MORE
5. ‘Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity’ READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. What will hold up women’s reservation Bill? READ MORE
2. Simultaneous polls — but only in a presidential system READ MORE
3. Taking India back to the drawing board READ MORE
4. New criminal laws don’t deal with the real culprit – India’s institutions READ MORE
5. Simultaneous polls: ONOE can be justified as a course correction only if it cements core idea of democracy READ MORE
6. Simultaneous polls are the way forward READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. New school education for emerging new India READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Why have India, Canada tensions worsened? READ MORE
2. An economic corridor, the Israel link and the geopolitics READ MORE
3. Politicising exchanges: On China using sporting events to score geopolitical points READ MORE
4. Beyond oil: Momentum in India-Saudi ties could be a gamechanger READ MORE
5. The overarching outcomes of G20 summit READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. The job question: An extensive study finds troubling facts hidden in good headline employment numbers READ MORE
2. Following commercial wisdom will be game changer for resolving bad loans READ MORE
3. Self-reliance in fertilisers READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Balancing religion and conservation: ‘Green pilgrimages’ could help protect pristine nature reserves READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Artificial intelligence has prospects and perils galore READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Learning from Himachal floods READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Weigh security risks before enforcing data protection act READ MORE
2. Why New Delhi must closely watch Maoists reaching out to insurgents in North East READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Yom Kippur: Day of introspection and atonement READ MORE
2. Fierce and feminine READ MORE
3. Zen Buddhism: Law of attraction READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. In recent years, India’s presence in middle east countries has been seen as a legitimate recognition of India in the region and the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor will enhances India’s standing. Critically examine the statement.
2. The idea of ‘One nation, one election’ cuts at the very root of the dialectical relation between states and the Centre. Critically comment.
3. Universal health coverage is incomplete without ensuring the efficient working and presence of a well-equipped primary health care center. How would you justify this statement?
4. Political empowerment of women is rightly perceived as a powerful and indispensable tool for eliminating gender inequality and discrimination. Comment.
5. The USA bolstering its alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to counter China puts India’s strategic autonomy to the test. In light of this statement, analyse how can maintain its strategic autonomy while countering China in Indo-Pacific region?

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• Part of diplomacy is to open different definitions of self-interest.
• Clean drinking water through taps has brought about a radical change in the lives of the residents of Bundelkhand, but challenges remain.
• Frequent elections impose enormous social and economic costs on the nation, which leads to corruption and disruption.
• New India faces new challenges, especially in the field of education and skill development, which must be addressed.
• The educational landscape of ‘New India,’ which is characterized by its aspiration for innovation, inclusivity, and excellence.
• The emphasis on adaptive assessments and teacher empowerment promotes inclusivity in education, catering to the diverse needs of students in a country as diverse as India.
• AI systems often operate as ‘black boxes’; it is difficult to understand their decision-making processes, which are crucial, especially in financial matters.
• ONOE can be justified as a course correction only if it cements core idea of democracy.
• We need a robust conversation around delimitation sooner than later, so that lifting of the freeze on allocation of seats does not have to be pushed ahead further.
• The attempt being made by the government of the day to veer towards simultaneous elections will be deeply problematic in a parliamentary democracy.
• The global financial system is in a real bind, because interest rates may be peaking, global debts are at record highs, and geopolitical and climate disaster risks are looming.
• A unified front to defend the ideals of secularism and social justice will be a crucial challenge and can halt the right-wing juggernaut.
• The aforementioned laws can help attract investment in the mining and processing of ‘P’ and ‘K’ reserves, particularly in Rajasthan, besides exploring these from under the sea.
• The South’s future will be shaped not just by alternative visions of disparate and diverse views, but also how their financial institutions respond and adapt to new geopolitical realities.

ESSAY TOPIC

• The opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice.
• All that we are is a result of what we have thought.

50-WORD TALK

• The Americans spied on a fellow Quad member and tipped off Canada, an old Five Eyes ally. It wakes India up to the harsh geostrategic inequalities for a non-treaty ‘ally.’ Trust within a still new Quad alliance will be frayed as New Delhi takes a deep breath and resets expectations.
• The killing of gangster Sukhdool Gill in Winnipeg graphically illustrates Indian charge that Canada is a safe haven for extremists and their organised crime partners. Trudeau’s electorally-driven free pass to ethnic-Punjabi criminals is turning Toronto into another Chicago—or rather Wasseypur. The Canada-India crisis won’t end until his politics does.

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.