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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
10.6 MB
05-05-2022_-_Handwritten_Notes.pdf
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TH-Delhi_06_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 6th MAY
Standing on ceremony: On Charak Shapath and medical education
Observance of rituals largely serves a symbolic function; they are infused with meaning that gives a semblance of human-made order to the vagaries of nature. But pushing the meaning beyond the symbolism is fraught with danger. Standing on ceremony, particularly, does not quite fit in with the roles and the responsibilities of a medical professional, and the Charak Shapath row in Tamil Nadu, in which a top official of a government medical college was put on a waitlist, has clearly dragged one ceremony beyond its original intent and purpose. While things came to a head with the suspension of the dean of Madurai Government Medical College, the controversy has been brewing since February, when the minutes of the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) discussions with medical colleges were leaked. One of the points read: “No Hippocratic Oath. During white coat ceremony, the oath will be Maharishi Charak Shapath.” The Charak oath appears as part of Charaka Samhita, an ancient text on Ayurveda, and seeks to, much like the Hippocratic Oath, lay down the ground rules for the practice of medicine for a student. While it emphasises compassion, and the scientific and ethical practice of medicine, it also highlights certain values embedded in the cultural and social ethos of the time of Charaka, and seen today as retrograde. References to caste, old-style subjugation of student to a guru, and gender bias have been flagged since. Though it was later clarified that the oath was not compulsory, there were valid concerns about projecting it as a substitute for the Hippocratic Oath.
In the English version that was read out at Madurai Medical College, there were two references that are repugnant — ‘Submitting myself to my Guru (teachers) with complete dedicated feeling,’ and ‘I, (especially a male doctor) shall treat a woman only in the presence of her husband or a near relative’. The rest of the oath stresses, in simple language, the very principles of the Hippocratic Oath, including serving the sick, a pleasant bedside manner, and not being corrupt. Subsequent investigations have revealed that the dean was not even part of the decision to substitute the Charak Shapath for the Hippocratic Oath (the Students’ Council claimed responsibility), and he has since been reinstated. But launching severe action for what might have been just procedurally deviant, rather than a crime or violation of ethics, seems a knee-jerk reaction, or worse, the pursuit of a political agenda. The focus should rather be on ensuring quality medical education, inculcating in students a scientific temper, and a sense of service to patients. While Tamil Nadu has often rightly argued for States’ autonomy in a federal structure, this act adds little heft to that critical issue. For the NMC, even more so, the stress should not be on the bells and whistles, but rather on the quality of education.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Semblance (N)- a situation or condition that is similar to what is wanted or expected.
2. Vagary (N)- an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour. अनियमितता
3. Controversy (N)- prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion. विवाद
4. Embedded (V)- fixed into the surface of something.
5. Subjugation (N)- the action of bringing someone or something under domination or control. अधीनता
6. Repugnant (Adj)- extremely distasteful; unacceptable.
7. Knee-Jerk (Adj)- (of a response) automatic and unthinking.
Standing on ceremony: On Charak Shapath and medical education
Observance of rituals largely serves a symbolic function; they are infused with meaning that gives a semblance of human-made order to the vagaries of nature. But pushing the meaning beyond the symbolism is fraught with danger. Standing on ceremony, particularly, does not quite fit in with the roles and the responsibilities of a medical professional, and the Charak Shapath row in Tamil Nadu, in which a top official of a government medical college was put on a waitlist, has clearly dragged one ceremony beyond its original intent and purpose. While things came to a head with the suspension of the dean of Madurai Government Medical College, the controversy has been brewing since February, when the minutes of the National Medical Commission’s (NMC) discussions with medical colleges were leaked. One of the points read: “No Hippocratic Oath. During white coat ceremony, the oath will be Maharishi Charak Shapath.” The Charak oath appears as part of Charaka Samhita, an ancient text on Ayurveda, and seeks to, much like the Hippocratic Oath, lay down the ground rules for the practice of medicine for a student. While it emphasises compassion, and the scientific and ethical practice of medicine, it also highlights certain values embedded in the cultural and social ethos of the time of Charaka, and seen today as retrograde. References to caste, old-style subjugation of student to a guru, and gender bias have been flagged since. Though it was later clarified that the oath was not compulsory, there were valid concerns about projecting it as a substitute for the Hippocratic Oath.
In the English version that was read out at Madurai Medical College, there were two references that are repugnant — ‘Submitting myself to my Guru (teachers) with complete dedicated feeling,’ and ‘I, (especially a male doctor) shall treat a woman only in the presence of her husband or a near relative’. The rest of the oath stresses, in simple language, the very principles of the Hippocratic Oath, including serving the sick, a pleasant bedside manner, and not being corrupt. Subsequent investigations have revealed that the dean was not even part of the decision to substitute the Charak Shapath for the Hippocratic Oath (the Students’ Council claimed responsibility), and he has since been reinstated. But launching severe action for what might have been just procedurally deviant, rather than a crime or violation of ethics, seems a knee-jerk reaction, or worse, the pursuit of a political agenda. The focus should rather be on ensuring quality medical education, inculcating in students a scientific temper, and a sense of service to patients. While Tamil Nadu has often rightly argued for States’ autonomy in a federal structure, this act adds little heft to that critical issue. For the NMC, even more so, the stress should not be on the bells and whistles, but rather on the quality of education.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Semblance (N)- a situation or condition that is similar to what is wanted or expected.
2. Vagary (N)- an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behaviour. अनियमितता
3. Controversy (N)- prolonged public disagreement or heated discussion. विवाद
4. Embedded (V)- fixed into the surface of something.
5. Subjugation (N)- the action of bringing someone or something under domination or control. अधीनता
6. Repugnant (Adj)- extremely distasteful; unacceptable.
7. Knee-Jerk (Adj)- (of a response) automatic and unthinking.
06-05-2022_-_Hand_Written_Notes.pdf
5 MB
06-05-2022_-_Hand_Written_Notes.pdf
EK DUM BASIC
TH_07_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 7th MAY
Cowed down: On the need for strict anti-lynching laws
In yet another disturbing and dastardly act that is now part of a pattern in much of North India, two tribal men were beaten to death by alleged activists of the Bajrang Dal in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, on the suspicion that they were slaughtering cows. Apart from tribal people, Muslims and Dalits in particular have borne the brunt of these senseless acts of mob violence and murders. Reminiscent of the murder of a dairy farmer, Pehlu Khan, after he and his sons were attacked by self-described “cow vigilantes” in April 2017 in Rajasthan, the two men, Sampatlal Vatti and Dhansai Invati, were attacked by nearly 20 men; both died of injuries. The police have arrested 13 people for their alleged involvement; at least six of them were members of the Bajrang Dal, according to the family members. An insinuation by the police that one of the dead men was involved in a “cow slaughter” case has shown yet again where the priorities of law enforcement lie in such cases. In another pattern, there has been a certain acuity in the implementation of cattle slaughter laws which is missing in trying and bringing those involved in lynch mobs to justice. Stricter cattle slaughter laws have been implemented with a fervour that has less to do with animal preservation and more to do with appeasement of majoritarian impulses to garner political support.
In 2005, the Supreme Court had justified the total ban on cattle slaughter by an expansive interpretation of the directive principles of state policy, and relying on Articles 48, 48A, and 51(A) of the Constitution, that seeks to preserve breeds used in agriculture and animal husbandry, explicitly prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle, besides promoting compassion to animals. The judgment had overturned an earlier ruling in 1958 which had limited the ban only to “useful” cattle which are still engaged in agriculture and husbandry. This interpretation only laid the grounds for State governments — especially those led by the BJP and its alliance partners — to come up with stringent laws on cow slaughter, and in the public sphere, a stigmatisation of communities such as Dalits, Muslims and tribals for their dietary habits and their dependence on cattle products for a livelihood. Four States (Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Manipur) had passed laws against lynching after many such incidents but they were under various stages of implementation with the Union government taking the view that lynching is not a crime under the Indian Penal Code. While civil society in Madhya Pradesh must demand justice for the injured and dead tribal men and a return to the rule of law in which such murderous acts do not go unpunished, it is time for a judicial rethink on legislation around cattle slaughter.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Dastardly (Adj)- evil and cruel.
2. Bear The Brunt Of (Phrase)- to suffer the worst part of an unpleasant or problematic situation.
3. Reminiscent (Adj)- tending to remind one of something. संस्मरणशील
4. Insinuation (N)- an unpleasant hint or suggestion of something bad. आक्षेप
5. Fervour (N)- intense and passionate feeling. जोश
6. Appeasement (N)- the state of being satisfied.
7. Interpretation (N)- an explanation or way of explaining. व्याख्या
8. Stigmatisation (N)- the act of treating someone or something unfairly by publicly disapproving of them.
Cowed down: On the need for strict anti-lynching laws
In yet another disturbing and dastardly act that is now part of a pattern in much of North India, two tribal men were beaten to death by alleged activists of the Bajrang Dal in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, on the suspicion that they were slaughtering cows. Apart from tribal people, Muslims and Dalits in particular have borne the brunt of these senseless acts of mob violence and murders. Reminiscent of the murder of a dairy farmer, Pehlu Khan, after he and his sons were attacked by self-described “cow vigilantes” in April 2017 in Rajasthan, the two men, Sampatlal Vatti and Dhansai Invati, were attacked by nearly 20 men; both died of injuries. The police have arrested 13 people for their alleged involvement; at least six of them were members of the Bajrang Dal, according to the family members. An insinuation by the police that one of the dead men was involved in a “cow slaughter” case has shown yet again where the priorities of law enforcement lie in such cases. In another pattern, there has been a certain acuity in the implementation of cattle slaughter laws which is missing in trying and bringing those involved in lynch mobs to justice. Stricter cattle slaughter laws have been implemented with a fervour that has less to do with animal preservation and more to do with appeasement of majoritarian impulses to garner political support.
In 2005, the Supreme Court had justified the total ban on cattle slaughter by an expansive interpretation of the directive principles of state policy, and relying on Articles 48, 48A, and 51(A) of the Constitution, that seeks to preserve breeds used in agriculture and animal husbandry, explicitly prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle, besides promoting compassion to animals. The judgment had overturned an earlier ruling in 1958 which had limited the ban only to “useful” cattle which are still engaged in agriculture and husbandry. This interpretation only laid the grounds for State governments — especially those led by the BJP and its alliance partners — to come up with stringent laws on cow slaughter, and in the public sphere, a stigmatisation of communities such as Dalits, Muslims and tribals for their dietary habits and their dependence on cattle products for a livelihood. Four States (Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Manipur) had passed laws against lynching after many such incidents but they were under various stages of implementation with the Union government taking the view that lynching is not a crime under the Indian Penal Code. While civil society in Madhya Pradesh must demand justice for the injured and dead tribal men and a return to the rule of law in which such murderous acts do not go unpunished, it is time for a judicial rethink on legislation around cattle slaughter.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Dastardly (Adj)- evil and cruel.
2. Bear The Brunt Of (Phrase)- to suffer the worst part of an unpleasant or problematic situation.
3. Reminiscent (Adj)- tending to remind one of something. संस्मरणशील
4. Insinuation (N)- an unpleasant hint or suggestion of something bad. आक्षेप
5. Fervour (N)- intense and passionate feeling. जोश
6. Appeasement (N)- the state of being satisfied.
7. Interpretation (N)- an explanation or way of explaining. व्याख्या
8. Stigmatisation (N)- the act of treating someone or something unfairly by publicly disapproving of them.
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08-05-2022_-_Hand_Written_Notes.pdf
7.9 MB
08-05-2022_-_Hand_Written_Notes.pdf
EK DUM BASIC
TH_09_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 9th MAY
Third and final round: On the tussle over Delhi’s status
The complexities of the law governing the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi will once again be under elaborate judicial focus. In what will be the third round of litigation in the dispute between the Union government and the Government of the NCT of Delhi, a Constitution Bench will embark on interpreting a couple of phrases in Article 239AA, which confers a unique status for Delhi. It would indeed seem unnecessary for another Constitution Bench after five judges had rendered an authoritative pronouncement in 2018 on various questions that arose from Article 239AA. However, the Chief Justice of India, Justice N.V. Ramana, has made it clear that the reference to a five-member Bench will be strictly limited to the interpretation of a couple of phrases that were not examined by the earlier Bench, and no other point will be reopened. Broadly, the 2018 verdict, through three concurring opinions, had ruled that Delhi was indeed a Union Territory, but the Lieutenant Governor, as the Administrator appointed by the President, should act as per the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, in areas in which legislative power was conferred on Delhi’s Legislative Assembly. Under Article 239AA, except for police, public order and land, the Delhi Assembly can make law on all other matters in the State and Concurrent Lists ‘insofar as such matter is applicable to Union Territories’. The mandate of the hearing is to declare what this phrase means, and whether it is one more limitation on Delhi’s legislative, and by extension, executive powers.
The 2018 ruling limited the Lieutenant Governor’s domain by making it clear that not every decision required his concurrence. It had cautioned against the notion of representative democracy being negated, if legitimate decisions of the Council of Ministers were blocked merely because the Lieutenant Governor had a different view. The Lieutenant Governor’s power to refer “any matter” on which he disagreed with the elected regime did not mean he could raise a dispute on “every matter”. It is perhaps because of the underlying message that an unelected administrator should not undermine an elected administration that the Centre badly wanted a fresh reference to another Constitution Bench. It is indeed true that a split verdict by a two-judge Bench on the question whether ‘services’ fell under the Union government’s domain or the NCT government has flagged the absence of a determination in the Constitution Bench verdict on the question whether Entry 41 of the State List (services) is within the NCT’s executive and legislative domain. Entry 41 is not one of the excluded areas of legislation by the Delhi Assembly, but it has been argued that there are no services under the Delhi government and, therefore, it was not a matter applicable to the NCT at all. Settling this remaining question should give a quietus to the endless wrangling between the Modi government at the Centre and the Kejriwal regime in Delhi.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Embark(v) : begin (a course of action)
2. Render : to cause someone or something to be in a particular state:
3. Conferred(v): grant (a title, degree, benefit, or right).
4. ‘insofar as(phrase): to the extent that. जहां तक
5. Negate(v): make ineffective; nullify.
Third and final round: On the tussle over Delhi’s status
The complexities of the law governing the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi will once again be under elaborate judicial focus. In what will be the third round of litigation in the dispute between the Union government and the Government of the NCT of Delhi, a Constitution Bench will embark on interpreting a couple of phrases in Article 239AA, which confers a unique status for Delhi. It would indeed seem unnecessary for another Constitution Bench after five judges had rendered an authoritative pronouncement in 2018 on various questions that arose from Article 239AA. However, the Chief Justice of India, Justice N.V. Ramana, has made it clear that the reference to a five-member Bench will be strictly limited to the interpretation of a couple of phrases that were not examined by the earlier Bench, and no other point will be reopened. Broadly, the 2018 verdict, through three concurring opinions, had ruled that Delhi was indeed a Union Territory, but the Lieutenant Governor, as the Administrator appointed by the President, should act as per the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, in areas in which legislative power was conferred on Delhi’s Legislative Assembly. Under Article 239AA, except for police, public order and land, the Delhi Assembly can make law on all other matters in the State and Concurrent Lists ‘insofar as such matter is applicable to Union Territories’. The mandate of the hearing is to declare what this phrase means, and whether it is one more limitation on Delhi’s legislative, and by extension, executive powers.
The 2018 ruling limited the Lieutenant Governor’s domain by making it clear that not every decision required his concurrence. It had cautioned against the notion of representative democracy being negated, if legitimate decisions of the Council of Ministers were blocked merely because the Lieutenant Governor had a different view. The Lieutenant Governor’s power to refer “any matter” on which he disagreed with the elected regime did not mean he could raise a dispute on “every matter”. It is perhaps because of the underlying message that an unelected administrator should not undermine an elected administration that the Centre badly wanted a fresh reference to another Constitution Bench. It is indeed true that a split verdict by a two-judge Bench on the question whether ‘services’ fell under the Union government’s domain or the NCT government has flagged the absence of a determination in the Constitution Bench verdict on the question whether Entry 41 of the State List (services) is within the NCT’s executive and legislative domain. Entry 41 is not one of the excluded areas of legislation by the Delhi Assembly, but it has been argued that there are no services under the Delhi government and, therefore, it was not a matter applicable to the NCT at all. Settling this remaining question should give a quietus to the endless wrangling between the Modi government at the Centre and the Kejriwal regime in Delhi.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Embark(v) : begin (a course of action)
2. Render : to cause someone or something to be in a particular state:
3. Conferred(v): grant (a title, degree, benefit, or right).
4. ‘insofar as(phrase): to the extent that. जहां तक
5. Negate(v): make ineffective; nullify.
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