WSDP Bulletin (23-10-2023)

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(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. As per GRAP, Stage-II is to be imposed in the entire NCR READ MORE
2. Gaganyaan test flight mission successful, crew escape module splashes down READ MORE
3. Does India need to relook the Dam Safety Act? | Explained READ MORE
4. Paintbrush swift butterfly is photographed for the first time in Himachal Pradesh READ MORE  
5. EU and U.S. envoys urge Kosovo and Serbia to resume dialogue to ease soaring tension READ MORE
6. How bat genomes provide insights into immunity and cancer READ MORE
7.  To curb evasion, EU report calls for 2% global wealth tax on billionaires READ MORE
8. Canada recalls 41 diplomats from India: What is the 1961 Vienna Convention, why it was invoked READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Legalising gay marriage: Societal shift takes time READ MORE
2. Tej turns into extremely severe cyclone; IMD issues yellow alert in eight districts on Oct. 23 READ MORE
3. Riding El Nino, this may be one of India’s five hottest Octobers READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. The Court’s ‘no fundamental right to marry’ is wrong READ MORE
2. No Indian has the right to marry READ MORE
3. Women’s Reservation Bill: After passing, challenge now to ensure promise translates to equality READ MORE
4. What ails the biggest health cover READ MORE
5. Restore RTI Act to its former glory READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Manual scavenging: Complete eradication has to be the goal READ MORE
2. LPG subsidies, free bus rides give women what they want. That precious thing called leisure READ MORE
3. The struggle for social representation in education and employment READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Institutions & laws must be re-examined READ MORE
2. It’s high time to rethink our strategy in Maldives READ MORE
3. A free Palestine is inevitable READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Have earnings grown post-pandemic? READ MORE
2. Need to stop chasing the growth chimera READ MORE
3. The glaring gender gap in SMEs must be bridged READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. Restoring the ecological health of the Himalayas READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. The ascent begins: On the progress of India’s human spaceflight mission READ MORE
2. Benefits of an intelligent automation approach READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Synergising International Cooperation and National Strategies to Combat Ransomware READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Without spiritual aim no education is perfect READ MORE
2. One cannot count on waking up early to achieve success in life READ MORE
3. Chaos to cosmos READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. How far do you think that international institutions like the UN can only be as effective as its members allow it to be? Justify your view with suitable examples.
2. Without addressing structural inequities and ensuring secure employment opportunities, increasing quotas alone won’t bridge the gap. Critically analyse the statement.
3. The idea of fixed tenure for the Lok Sabha or the State Assemblies, which is advocated by the proponents of One Nation, One Election, goes against the very essence of parliamentary democracy. Critically examine.
4. Information and transparency are antidote to corruption, inefficiency, lack of public spirit and arrogance that go hand in hand with power and authority. It is basic to democracy. In this context, discuss how RTI law has empowered citizens over the years and why there is need to further strengthen it?

 QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

• The reality is that international institutions like the UN can only be as effective as its members allow it to be.
• Our nation’s transformation as a developed country is inextricably linked, apart from strides in other fronts, with the robustness of its higher education system.
• India-Maldives relations are expected to face challenging times, and India can anticipate both an increased Chinese presence in its strategic backyard as well a greater proliferation of radicalism in its neighbourhood.
• The “India First” policy prioritised India for economic and defence partnerships and was sensitive to India’s concerns regarding the growing presence of China in the Indian Ocean.
• Without addressing structural inequities and ensuring secure employment opportunities, increasing quotas alone won’t bridge the gap.
• Increasing quotas without redress of structural inequities is a zero-sum game.
• The idea of fixed tenure for the Lok Sabha or the State Assemblies, which is advocated by the proponents of One Nation, One Election, goes against the very essence of parliamentary democracy, where the Government ceases to be in power once it loses the confidence of the House.
• Welfare programmes like Ujjwala or Shakti offer women precious moments of social time away from monotonous unpaid work, catering to the needs of the average woman voter.
• Our nation’s transformation as a developed country is inextricably linked, apart from strides in other fronts, with the robustness of its higher education system.
• Information and transparency are antidotes to corruption, inefficiency, lack of public spirit and arrogance that go hand in hand with power and authority. It is basic to democracy.
• The purpose of a genuine social enterprise must be to serve society, not to produce returns for investors. The creation of a new legal form for business enterprises has become imperative to save humanity and the planet.
• Involve the local population and grassroots bodies in determining the carrying capacity of the Indian Himalayan Region.

50-WORD TALK

• Reservation for SC, ST, and OBC communities in education and public employment has made a modicum of social and economic mobility possible. However, these prospects are now being increasingly thwarted by the secular decrease in the creation of new government jobs and the increasing trend of contractual work.
• It is well-known that women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid work within households, leaving them with limited time for leisure. Gender norms hold them responsible for unpaid and care work. The unequal burden is compounded by a lack of infrastructure and social programmes that could alleviate it. In this context, programmes like Ujjwala or Shakti may aim to offer slices of leisure or social time away from monotonous unpaid work, catering to the needs of the average woman voter.

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.