WSDP Bulletin (20/03/2024)

(Newspapers, PIB and other important sources)

Prelim and Main

1. NVIDIA wants to bring AI to the real world with Project GR00T robots READ MORE

2. The year 2023 smashed several climate records, with some being ‘chart-busting’: WMO report READ MORE

3. 27.6 Million People Are Currently in Forced Labor READ MORE

4. Norway will invest half of $100 billion under EFTA: Norwegian envoy May-Elin Stener READ MORE

5. How House terms and poll schedules are decided READ MORE

6. WMO report out: 6 charts that tell you everything about the health of our planet READ MORE

7. World Bank report says women earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns: what is the gender pay gap? READ MORE

8. Right To Food: Give ration cards to 80 million unorganised and migrant workers within 2 months, directs SC READ MORE

Main

GS Paper- 1

1. Violence, homelessness, and women’s mental health READ MORE

2. Should girls be ‘controlled’? Opinions among young boys and parents in Bihar READ MORE

3. Ocean temperature hit record high in February 2024, EU scientists say READ MORE

4. What happens when Bengaluru’s taps run dry? READ MORE

5. Bengaluru’s water crisis decoded READ MORE

GS Paper- 2

POLITY AND GOVERNANCE

1. Selection and election: On the appointment of Election Commissioners READ MORE

2. Mission Karmayogi: A Philosophical Blueprint for Transformative Public Service READ MORE

3. Rubber-stamped, as expected READ MORE

4. A democracy demolition job, carried out silently READ MORE

5. Bridge governance gaps, revitalise ULBs READ MORE

SOCIAL ISSUES

1. Microcredit courses revolutionise learning READ MORE

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES

1. Ties that epitomise India’s neighbourhood first policy READ MORE

2. Multipolarity makes waves in Indian Ocean Region READ MORE

GS Paper- 3

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

1. Guaranteed MSP is an ethical imperative READ MORE

2. Creating a skilled young workforce READ MORE

3. Growth, well-being and distribution in India in the last decade – I READ MORE

4. How Punjab’s potential for progress can be unlocked READ MORE

5. Rationalise and simplify GST READ MORE

6. India’s agri-tech revolution is leaving women farmers behind READ MORE

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. RBI and the net-zero transition — A roadmap for green India READ MORE

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. AI and data: A tale of necessity and constraint READ MORE

INTERNAL SECURITY

1. Space is becoming a global geopolitical theatre READ MORE

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

1. Mitigating risks in infrastructure development READ MORE

GS Paper- 4

ETHICS EXAMPLES AND CASE STUDY

1. Don’t let mobs give India a bad name READ MORE

2. The transformative power of education in fostering global unity READ MORE

Questions for the MAIN exam

1. At the heart of Mission Karmayogi lies a profound philosophical ethos inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, advocating for duty and action without attachment to outcomes. Comment.

2. In an era where the dynamics of governance and public service are evolving rapidly, India has embarked on an ambitious journey to transform its civil service with the launch of the Mission Karmayogi scheme. Discuss.

3. Simultaneous elections hinder political accountability as fixed terms offer representatives unwarranted stability without performance scrutiny. Examine.

4. The severe fragmentation of governance across the Urban Local Bodies, the parastatal agencies, and other departments has led to a complete absence of transparency and clear systematic processes. Comment.

5. Simultaneous elections may encourage a more cooperative federalism with national and state parties and governments working in close and synchronised alignment. Critically examine.

QUOTATIONS AND CAPTIONS

  • Mutual tolerance is a necessity for all time and for all races.
  • While no political party will win the elections on its technology promises, it is an opportune moment for all to offer an alternate digital vision.
  • The lack of a foreign policy debate today is less about a genuine consensus than declining interest in world affairs within demoralised Oppn.
  • An executive-driven process has to yield to one more rooted in the constitutional principle of having an independent body to hold free and fair elections, even if the CJI, as an institutional head, might not be the person most suited to be a part of the selection process.
  • There is much evidence of the unique level of trust between the leadership of Bhutan and India that has led to a strengthening of ties.
  • Hydropower cooperation is the bedrock of India’s relations with Bhutan.
  • The MSP regime was a vital instrument for ensuring food security in India.
  • Government intervention, and particularly a legally binding MSP, is deemed a problem. It is this adherence to free market dogma that is preventing a just solution to the ongoing crisis in farmer incomes.
  • The government itself has engaged in the narrative of a strong economy that has surpassed its past performance and one that benefits all sections of the population.
  • The state has also failed to strengthen the linkages between agriculture and industry. The Green Revolution was introduced as a flagship programme by the Central Government to ensure food security.
  • Information and smart technologies and online marketing can boost industrialisation in the state by addressing the constraints, such as it being a landlocked state, locational disadvantages of the national market, a lack of mineral resources and expensive land.
  • The GST Council has to make crucial decisions regarding inclusion of petroleum products and streamlining tax slabs to fortify the robustness of the GST system.
  • Education serves as a bridge that transcends cultural divides, fostering mutual understanding and collaboration among diverse populations.
  • In a country as diverse and populous as India, with its myriad socio-economic challenges, the need for innovative approaches to education and skill development has never been more pressing.
  • At the heart of Mission Karmayogi lies a profound philosophical ethos inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, advocating for duty and action without attachment to outcomes.
  • In an era where the dynamics of governance and public service are evolving rapidly, India has embarked on an ambitious journey to transform its civil service with the launch of the Mission Karmayogi scheme.
  • Digital connectivity in rural areas paves the way for tech start-ups to penetrate local networks and design digital systems that increase yield efficiency in terms of time, cost, and profitability for farmers across the agriculture value chain.
  • The idea of simultaneous elections is against the federal idea, which is integral to the Constitution. It would be wrong and unwise on the part of the government to proceed with it, ignoring all criticism and reservations.
  • Simultaneous elections hinder political accountability as fixed terms offer representatives unwarranted stability without performance scrutiny.
  • Electoral Bonds legalised a route for political parties to secretly funnel unaccounted money from India and abroad into their coffers. But, no one is punished. No one expected they would be. We have been trained by experience to expect so little of democracy and its institutions.
  • The severe fragmentation of governance across the Urban Local Bodies, the parastatal agencies, and other departments has led to a complete absence of transparency and clear systematic processes.

ESSAY TOPIC

  • Mutual tolerance is a necessity for all time and for all races.

50-WORD TALK

  • There is finally some sunlight in the electoral bonds matter. Data on 2018-2019 is still pending. SC has now ordered SBI to release the bond numbers that can link donors to political parties. That this exercise will drive funding underground is fearmongering. Companies must be upfront about their donations anyway.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin has won the elections again by a huge vote. Strongman leaders like Putin, Turkish President Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold farce polls to look and sound legitimate. The world knows the truth about this model of authoritarian heads who seek to rule for life.

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.
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