EK DUM BASIC
TH-Delhi_02_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 2nd MAY
Mercury rising: On intense heat in several parts of the country
India has been in the grip of what seems like an eternity of heatwaves. April temperatures over north-west and central India are the highest in 122 years. During April 1 to 28, the average monthly maximum temperature over northwest India was 35.9° Celsius and the same over central India was 37.78° C. These averages belie measurements at the district and sub-divisional level where several parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have seen temperatures inch towards the mid-40s and breach normals. There is little respite expected in May, which is anyway the hottest month, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) says that while north and west India will continue to sizzle on expected lines, and must likely brace for more heatwaves, the rest of the country is unlikely to see the levels of March and April. A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40° C and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4° C, according to the IMD. The proximate causes for the searing heat are an absence of rain-bearing Western Disturbances, or tropical storms that bring rain from the Mediterranean over north India. Cool temperatures in the central Pacific, or a La Niña, that normally aid rain in India, too have failed to bolster rainfall this year. This is an unusual occurrence.
Despite five Western Disturbances forming in April, none was strong enough to bring significant rain and depress temperatures. The IMD has forecast a ‘normal’ monsoon or 99% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm and is expected to forecast the monsoon’s arrival over Kerala later in May. On the surface, there is no direct bearing between the intensity of heatwaves and the arrival and performance of the monsoon. In fact, even as northern India baked for want of rain, April saw monthly rainfall break a four-year record with high rainfall in several parts of southern and north-eastern India. May too is expected to see 9% more rain over India than is usual for the month, though it must be kept in mind that base rainfall is so low in this month that it is unlikely to make a mark. While individual weather events cannot be linked to greenhouse gas levels, a warming globe means increased instances of extreme rain events and extended rain-less spells. What is better known is it helps to have disaster management plans in place that help States better deal with heatwaves and their impact on health. The official toll due to heatwaves in the last 50 years is put at over 17,000 people, according to research from the IMD. The heat island effect means urbanisation adds degrees to the already searing conditions; and so, heatwave deaths must be treated as a disaster that merits compensation. Private and public workplaces too must be better equipped to factor heatwave risk.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Eternity (N)- a seemingly endless period of time.
2. Belie (Adj)- fail to fulfil or justify (a claim or expectation).
3. Sizzle (N)- a state or quality of great excitement or passion.
4. Proximate (Adj)- (especially of the cause of something) closest in relationship; immediate. निकटस्थ
5. Bolster (V)- support or strengthen.
6. Toll (N)- the number of deaths or casualties arising from a natural disaster, conflict, accident, etc.
7. Equip (V)- supply with the necessary items for a particular purpose.
Mercury rising: On intense heat in several parts of the country
India has been in the grip of what seems like an eternity of heatwaves. April temperatures over north-west and central India are the highest in 122 years. During April 1 to 28, the average monthly maximum temperature over northwest India was 35.9° Celsius and the same over central India was 37.78° C. These averages belie measurements at the district and sub-divisional level where several parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Maharashtra have seen temperatures inch towards the mid-40s and breach normals. There is little respite expected in May, which is anyway the hottest month, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) says that while north and west India will continue to sizzle on expected lines, and must likely brace for more heatwaves, the rest of the country is unlikely to see the levels of March and April. A heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40° C and at least 4.5 notches above normal. A severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 6.4° C, according to the IMD. The proximate causes for the searing heat are an absence of rain-bearing Western Disturbances, or tropical storms that bring rain from the Mediterranean over north India. Cool temperatures in the central Pacific, or a La Niña, that normally aid rain in India, too have failed to bolster rainfall this year. This is an unusual occurrence.
Despite five Western Disturbances forming in April, none was strong enough to bring significant rain and depress temperatures. The IMD has forecast a ‘normal’ monsoon or 99% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm and is expected to forecast the monsoon’s arrival over Kerala later in May. On the surface, there is no direct bearing between the intensity of heatwaves and the arrival and performance of the monsoon. In fact, even as northern India baked for want of rain, April saw monthly rainfall break a four-year record with high rainfall in several parts of southern and north-eastern India. May too is expected to see 9% more rain over India than is usual for the month, though it must be kept in mind that base rainfall is so low in this month that it is unlikely to make a mark. While individual weather events cannot be linked to greenhouse gas levels, a warming globe means increased instances of extreme rain events and extended rain-less spells. What is better known is it helps to have disaster management plans in place that help States better deal with heatwaves and their impact on health. The official toll due to heatwaves in the last 50 years is put at over 17,000 people, according to research from the IMD. The heat island effect means urbanisation adds degrees to the already searing conditions; and so, heatwave deaths must be treated as a disaster that merits compensation. Private and public workplaces too must be better equipped to factor heatwave risk.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Eternity (N)- a seemingly endless period of time.
2. Belie (Adj)- fail to fulfil or justify (a claim or expectation).
3. Sizzle (N)- a state or quality of great excitement or passion.
4. Proximate (Adj)- (especially of the cause of something) closest in relationship; immediate. निकटस्थ
5. Bolster (V)- support or strengthen.
6. Toll (N)- the number of deaths or casualties arising from a natural disaster, conflict, accident, etc.
7. Equip (V)- supply with the necessary items for a particular purpose.
EK DUM BASIC
TH-Delhi_03_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 3rd May
GST signals: On April GST collections
The first month of the new financial year has yielded a sharp surge in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections, taking them well past ₹1.67 lakh crore — the highest, by a wide margin, in the five years since the levy was introduced by subsuming myriad State and central duties. In fact, GST revenues have scaled fresh highs in three of the last four months, having hit ₹1.41 lakh crore in January and ₹1.42 lakh crore in March. Overall GST revenues had grown 30.8% in 2021-22 to ₹14.9 lakh crore, despite slipping below the ₹1 lakh crore mark for two months when the second COVID-19 wave raged. The 20% year-on-year revenue uptick this April could be seen as a comforting signal about 2022-23 revenue prospects for policy makers at the Centre and the States, whose treasuries are fretting about the prospect of income falling off a cliff from this July when the assured compensation for implementing the GST comes to an end. Compensation cess levies will persist till at least March 2026, but they will be used to pay off special borrowings of 2020-21 to bridge revenue shortfalls and recompense States. The Centre needs a mechanism to expedite payment of outstanding compensation dues to States (₹78,700-odd crore, or four months of dues). The Finance Ministry has blamed ‘inadequate balance’ in the Compensation Cess fund, and promised to pay up ‘as and when’ the requisite cess accrues.
If overall GST collections sustain around April levels, a dialogue with States on their pending dues along with those that will accrue from now till June, could become less thorny. But the conversation needs to begin soon. The GST Council, which has not met properly since September 2021, must be convened at the earliest. Higher tax inflows backed by improved compliance, should give the Council more flexibility to approach the impending rationalisation of the GST rate slabs, beyond a mere scramble to fill coffers and factor in larger socio-economic considerations. The Centre, which called the April inflows a sign of ‘faster recovery’, must also state whether these revenue levels warrant a rethink of its concern that the effective GST tax rate had slipped from the revenue-neutral rate envisaged at its launch. A clear acknowledgement is also needed that the higher revenues are not solely driven by a rebound in economic activity. Persistently higher input costs facing producers for a year and their accelerating pass-through to consumers, seen in higher retail inflation, have contributed too, along with tighter input credit norms introduced in the Union Budget. That revenue growth from goods imports has outpaced domestic transactions significantly in recent months, also suggests India’s consumption story is yet to fully resurface. Urgent policy action is needed to rein in the inflation rally and bolster consumer sentiment, so as not to sink hopes of more investments, faster growth and even greater revenues.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Surge: move suddenly and powerfully forward or upward.
2. Levy(v): impose (a tax, fee, or fine).
3. Rage(v): feel or express violent uncontrollable anger.
4. Impending(adJ): (of an event regarded as threatening or significant) about to happen; forthcoming.
5. Scramble(v): move hurriedly
6. Evvisage(V): contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.परिकल्पित;
7. Bolster(v): support or strengthen.
GST signals: On April GST collections
The first month of the new financial year has yielded a sharp surge in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections, taking them well past ₹1.67 lakh crore — the highest, by a wide margin, in the five years since the levy was introduced by subsuming myriad State and central duties. In fact, GST revenues have scaled fresh highs in three of the last four months, having hit ₹1.41 lakh crore in January and ₹1.42 lakh crore in March. Overall GST revenues had grown 30.8% in 2021-22 to ₹14.9 lakh crore, despite slipping below the ₹1 lakh crore mark for two months when the second COVID-19 wave raged. The 20% year-on-year revenue uptick this April could be seen as a comforting signal about 2022-23 revenue prospects for policy makers at the Centre and the States, whose treasuries are fretting about the prospect of income falling off a cliff from this July when the assured compensation for implementing the GST comes to an end. Compensation cess levies will persist till at least March 2026, but they will be used to pay off special borrowings of 2020-21 to bridge revenue shortfalls and recompense States. The Centre needs a mechanism to expedite payment of outstanding compensation dues to States (₹78,700-odd crore, or four months of dues). The Finance Ministry has blamed ‘inadequate balance’ in the Compensation Cess fund, and promised to pay up ‘as and when’ the requisite cess accrues.
If overall GST collections sustain around April levels, a dialogue with States on their pending dues along with those that will accrue from now till June, could become less thorny. But the conversation needs to begin soon. The GST Council, which has not met properly since September 2021, must be convened at the earliest. Higher tax inflows backed by improved compliance, should give the Council more flexibility to approach the impending rationalisation of the GST rate slabs, beyond a mere scramble to fill coffers and factor in larger socio-economic considerations. The Centre, which called the April inflows a sign of ‘faster recovery’, must also state whether these revenue levels warrant a rethink of its concern that the effective GST tax rate had slipped from the revenue-neutral rate envisaged at its launch. A clear acknowledgement is also needed that the higher revenues are not solely driven by a rebound in economic activity. Persistently higher input costs facing producers for a year and their accelerating pass-through to consumers, seen in higher retail inflation, have contributed too, along with tighter input credit norms introduced in the Union Budget. That revenue growth from goods imports has outpaced domestic transactions significantly in recent months, also suggests India’s consumption story is yet to fully resurface. Urgent policy action is needed to rein in the inflation rally and bolster consumer sentiment, so as not to sink hopes of more investments, faster growth and even greater revenues.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Surge: move suddenly and powerfully forward or upward.
2. Levy(v): impose (a tax, fee, or fine).
3. Rage(v): feel or express violent uncontrollable anger.
4. Impending(adJ): (of an event regarded as threatening or significant) about to happen; forthcoming.
5. Scramble(v): move hurriedly
6. Evvisage(V): contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.परिकल्पित;
7. Bolster(v): support or strengthen.
EK DUM BASIC
TH-Delhi_05_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 5th MAY
In the time of war: On India’s ties with Europe without upsetting Russia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation visit to Europe comes at a time when the continent is facing its biggest security crisis since the end of the Cold War. In Germany, Mr. Modi and Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated the partnership between the two countries. Berlin has also announced €10 billion for bilateral cooperation. In Copenhagen, Mr. Modi attended the India-Nordic summit with leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. In the last leg, the Prime Minister held talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who was re-elected recently. While bilateral issues are at the centre of these meetings, the elephant in the room is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Modi’s trip comes a few days after the President of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen, visited India. New Delhi’s neutral position on the war has triggered both criticism and engagement from the West. India has seen several high-profile visits from the West, with some top officials pressing New Delhi to cut back on trade with Russia, a traditional strategic partner. Among the Nordic five, Sweden and Finland are now considering dropping their decades-long neutrality and seeking NATO membership.
In Germany, however, both sides showed pragmatism over the Ukraine question. Germany, like India, has deep economic ties with Russia — if for India it is about defence supplies, for Germany, it is for almost 40% of its gas import requirements. While the Russian aggression has prompted Germany to raise its defence spending and join the western sanctions regime, it has been reluctant in sending weapons to Kyiv, compared to other NATO members in Eastern Europe. While Mr. Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this senseless murder and withdraw your troops”, Mr. Modi’s response was more measured. He said that no party could emerge victorious and that dialogue was the only way out. India and Germany also unveiled the contours of the next level of their partnership. Germany has said India is its “central partner” in Asia and that close cooperation would continue to expand. Europe is expected to take a more securitised approach to foreign policy from now, given the direction of the Ukraine conflict. In the post-Cold War world when Europe witnessed relative stability, India managed to build strong ties with both the West and Russia. But that era of multi-directional partnerships is facing its strongest test now with the West seeking to “weaken” Russia and Moscow warning of a new world war. The challenge before New Delhi is to build a stronger strategic future with Europe without immediately disrupting its complex but vital partnership with an increasingly isolated, angry Russia.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Reiterate (V)- say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity.
2. Neutrality (N)- absence of decided views, expression, or strong feeling. निष्पक्षता
3. Pragmatism (N)- a pragmatic attitude or policy. व्यवहारवाद
4. Reluctant (Adj)- unwilling and hesitant; disinclined. अनिच्छुक
5. Contour (N)- a conceptual separation or distinction.
6. Disrupt (V)- interrupt (an event, activity, or process) by causing a disturbance or problem.
In the time of war: On India’s ties with Europe without upsetting Russia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation visit to Europe comes at a time when the continent is facing its biggest security crisis since the end of the Cold War. In Germany, Mr. Modi and Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated the partnership between the two countries. Berlin has also announced €10 billion for bilateral cooperation. In Copenhagen, Mr. Modi attended the India-Nordic summit with leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. In the last leg, the Prime Minister held talks in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who was re-elected recently. While bilateral issues are at the centre of these meetings, the elephant in the room is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Modi’s trip comes a few days after the President of the European Commission, Ursula von Der Leyen, visited India. New Delhi’s neutral position on the war has triggered both criticism and engagement from the West. India has seen several high-profile visits from the West, with some top officials pressing New Delhi to cut back on trade with Russia, a traditional strategic partner. Among the Nordic five, Sweden and Finland are now considering dropping their decades-long neutrality and seeking NATO membership.
In Germany, however, both sides showed pragmatism over the Ukraine question. Germany, like India, has deep economic ties with Russia — if for India it is about defence supplies, for Germany, it is for almost 40% of its gas import requirements. While the Russian aggression has prompted Germany to raise its defence spending and join the western sanctions regime, it has been reluctant in sending weapons to Kyiv, compared to other NATO members in Eastern Europe. While Mr. Scholz urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this senseless murder and withdraw your troops”, Mr. Modi’s response was more measured. He said that no party could emerge victorious and that dialogue was the only way out. India and Germany also unveiled the contours of the next level of their partnership. Germany has said India is its “central partner” in Asia and that close cooperation would continue to expand. Europe is expected to take a more securitised approach to foreign policy from now, given the direction of the Ukraine conflict. In the post-Cold War world when Europe witnessed relative stability, India managed to build strong ties with both the West and Russia. But that era of multi-directional partnerships is facing its strongest test now with the West seeking to “weaken” Russia and Moscow warning of a new world war. The challenge before New Delhi is to build a stronger strategic future with Europe without immediately disrupting its complex but vital partnership with an increasingly isolated, angry Russia.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Reiterate (V)- say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity.
2. Neutrality (N)- absence of decided views, expression, or strong feeling. निष्पक्षता
3. Pragmatism (N)- a pragmatic attitude or policy. व्यवहारवाद
4. Reluctant (Adj)- unwilling and hesitant; disinclined. अनिच्छुक
5. Contour (N)- a conceptual separation or distinction.
6. Disrupt (V)- interrupt (an event, activity, or process) by causing a disturbance or problem.
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05-05-2022_-_Handwritten_Notes.pdf
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05-05-2022_-_Handwritten_Notes.pdf