EK DUM BASIC
TH_14_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 14th MAY
Full circle: On cutting fuel taxes
As the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party marks the eighth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, retail inflation has accelerated close to the 8.3% level last seen in May 2014, when Mr. Modi assumed office in the last week of the month. For a government that prided itself on its inflation taming successes in the first five years, a combination of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, high crude oil prices and now the war in Ukraine have created a perfect storm that sent the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation racing to a 95-month high of 7.79% in April. Food and fuel were the biggest culprits fanning last month’s furious pace of price gains that seem unabating. Food inflation as measured by the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) quickened to a 17-month high of 8.38% last month, with rural consumers experiencing it at 8.5%, a pace that was 41 basis points faster than that experienced by their urban counterparts. Ten of the 12 items in the food and beverages basket of the overall CPI registered sequential acceleration as well. Of concern are the prices of cereals and products, which constitute almost a tenth of the CPI and account for the key staples of wheat and rice that are essential for ensuring food security. Inflation in cereals accelerated by more than 100 basis points to 5.96% last month.
With both output and government procurement of wheat set to be lower than estimated earlier and exporters seeking to corner a greater share of the crop to tap the recent surge in global demand for the grain, domestic prices have already hardened and could pose a challenge to household budgets in the coming months. Edible oil is another constituent of the food basket meriting close monitoring on the prices front. While inflation in the price of the cooking medium slowed by 151 basis points from March, the pace was still a dizzying 17.28%, with the sequential rate also a sizeable 2.52%. With the war in Ukraine having shut the tap on sunflower oil supplies from the largest global source of the commodity, unless Indonesia rescinds its ban on palm oil exports in the near future, the immediate outlook for edible oil prices is far from reassuring. Ultimately though, with inflation now having turned far more broad-based and logging a strident pace in excess of 8% for four of the six sub-groups in the CPI, policymakers have their task cut out. While the RBI must continue to tighten monetary policy in order to protect the vast majority who have no hedge against inflation, the pass-through of high oil costs, reflected in double-digit price gains in the transport and fuel and light categories, leaves the Government with little option but to cut fuel taxes if it is serious about taming inflation so as to ensure overall macroeconomic stability.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Tame(v): make less powerful and easier to control.
2. Fan(v): stimulate , ignite, inflame, encouraging
3. Furious( तीव्र): full of anger or energy; violent or intense.
4. Unabating(बेरोकटोक): not weakening or losing intensity.
5. Cereals(N): a grain used for food, for example wheat, maize, or rye.
6. Procurement(N): the action of obtaining or procuring something.
7. Surge: a sudden and great increase:
8. Constituent: component, elemental, basic
9. Dizzying(adj:): causing someone to feel unsteady, confused, or amazed.चकित कर
10. Strident: loud and harsh; grating.
11. Hedge(N): a way of protecting oneself against financial loss or other adverse circumstances.
Full circle: On cutting fuel taxes
As the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party marks the eighth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, retail inflation has accelerated close to the 8.3% level last seen in May 2014, when Mr. Modi assumed office in the last week of the month. For a government that prided itself on its inflation taming successes in the first five years, a combination of factors including the COVID-19 pandemic, high crude oil prices and now the war in Ukraine have created a perfect storm that sent the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation racing to a 95-month high of 7.79% in April. Food and fuel were the biggest culprits fanning last month’s furious pace of price gains that seem unabating. Food inflation as measured by the Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI) quickened to a 17-month high of 8.38% last month, with rural consumers experiencing it at 8.5%, a pace that was 41 basis points faster than that experienced by their urban counterparts. Ten of the 12 items in the food and beverages basket of the overall CPI registered sequential acceleration as well. Of concern are the prices of cereals and products, which constitute almost a tenth of the CPI and account for the key staples of wheat and rice that are essential for ensuring food security. Inflation in cereals accelerated by more than 100 basis points to 5.96% last month.
With both output and government procurement of wheat set to be lower than estimated earlier and exporters seeking to corner a greater share of the crop to tap the recent surge in global demand for the grain, domestic prices have already hardened and could pose a challenge to household budgets in the coming months. Edible oil is another constituent of the food basket meriting close monitoring on the prices front. While inflation in the price of the cooking medium slowed by 151 basis points from March, the pace was still a dizzying 17.28%, with the sequential rate also a sizeable 2.52%. With the war in Ukraine having shut the tap on sunflower oil supplies from the largest global source of the commodity, unless Indonesia rescinds its ban on palm oil exports in the near future, the immediate outlook for edible oil prices is far from reassuring. Ultimately though, with inflation now having turned far more broad-based and logging a strident pace in excess of 8% for four of the six sub-groups in the CPI, policymakers have their task cut out. While the RBI must continue to tighten monetary policy in order to protect the vast majority who have no hedge against inflation, the pass-through of high oil costs, reflected in double-digit price gains in the transport and fuel and light categories, leaves the Government with little option but to cut fuel taxes if it is serious about taming inflation so as to ensure overall macroeconomic stability.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Tame(v): make less powerful and easier to control.
2. Fan(v): stimulate , ignite, inflame, encouraging
3. Furious( तीव्र): full of anger or energy; violent or intense.
4. Unabating(बेरोकटोक): not weakening or losing intensity.
5. Cereals(N): a grain used for food, for example wheat, maize, or rye.
6. Procurement(N): the action of obtaining or procuring something.
7. Surge: a sudden and great increase:
8. Constituent: component, elemental, basic
9. Dizzying(adj:): causing someone to feel unsteady, confused, or amazed.चकित कर
10. Strident: loud and harsh; grating.
11. Hedge(N): a way of protecting oneself against financial loss or other adverse circumstances.
EK DUM BASIC
TH_Delhi_16_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 16th MAY
Fuel to fire: On Finland joining NATO
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 apparently to stop NATO’s further expansion into its neighbourhood. But in less than three months, the same invasion has pushed two countries in that neighbourhood to consider NATO membership. Last week, the Prime Minister and President of Finland, which has stayed neutral since the end of the Second World War, said they hoped their country would apply for NATO membership “without delay”. Sweden, which has stayed out of military alliances for 200 years, stated that NATO membership would strengthen its national security and stability in the Baltic and Nordic regions. If these two countries now formally apply for membership, it would be the biggest strategic setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin whose most important foreign policy focus has been on weakening NATO. Particularly alarming for Russia is the case of Finland, with which it has a hostile past. Stalin invaded Finland in 1939 demanding more territories. Though the Red Army struggled in the initial phase of the war, it forced Finland to sign the Moscow Peace Treaty, ceding some 9% of its territory. But a year later, the Finns, in an alliance with the German Nazis, attacked the Soviet troops. Peace was established along the 1,340-km Finnish-Russian border after the Nazis were defeated in the Second World War. Now, Ukraine appears to have deepened the security concerns of Finland and Sweden.
It is still not clear whether these countries would be inducted into NATO any time soon. Within the alliance, decisions are taken unanimously. Turkey has already expressed its opposition to taking the Nordic countries in. While the U.S. and the U.K. are pushing for NATO’s expansion, Germany and France have taken a more cautious line. Hungary, which has deep ties with Russia and has already held up the EU’s plan to ban Russian oil imports, has not made its views clear. But the mere declaration of intent by Finland and Sweden to join NATO has sent tensions in Europe soaring, with Russia threatening ‘military and technical’ retaliation. Normatively speaking, Finland and Sweden are sovereign countries and free to take decisions on joining any alliance. It is up to NATO to decide whether they should be taken in or not. But a bigger question these countries as well as Europe as a whole face is whether another round of expansion of NATO would help bring in peace and stability in Europe, particularly at a time when the continent is facing a pre-First World War-type security competition. It would escalate the current crisis between nuclear-armed Russia and NATO to dangerous levels. Already the several rounds of NATO expansion and Russia’s territorial aggression have brought the world to its most dangerous moment since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Russia should immediately halt the war and all the stakeholders should focus on finding a long-term solution to the crisis.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Stay Out (Phrasal Verb)- to refrain or forbear from involving oneself in something.
2. Setback (N)- a reversal or check in progress. नाकामयाबी
3. Unanimously (Adv)- without opposition; with the agreement of all people involved. एक मत से
4. Cautious (Adj)- (of a person) careful to avoid potential problems or dangers. सतर्क
5. Soaring (Adj)- rising very quickly to a high level.
6. Retaliation (N)- the action of returning a military attack; counter-attack. प्रतिशोध
7. Escalate (V)- make or become more intense or serious. गहरा बनाना, तीव्र करना
Fuel to fire: On Finland joining NATO
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 apparently to stop NATO’s further expansion into its neighbourhood. But in less than three months, the same invasion has pushed two countries in that neighbourhood to consider NATO membership. Last week, the Prime Minister and President of Finland, which has stayed neutral since the end of the Second World War, said they hoped their country would apply for NATO membership “without delay”. Sweden, which has stayed out of military alliances for 200 years, stated that NATO membership would strengthen its national security and stability in the Baltic and Nordic regions. If these two countries now formally apply for membership, it would be the biggest strategic setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin whose most important foreign policy focus has been on weakening NATO. Particularly alarming for Russia is the case of Finland, with which it has a hostile past. Stalin invaded Finland in 1939 demanding more territories. Though the Red Army struggled in the initial phase of the war, it forced Finland to sign the Moscow Peace Treaty, ceding some 9% of its territory. But a year later, the Finns, in an alliance with the German Nazis, attacked the Soviet troops. Peace was established along the 1,340-km Finnish-Russian border after the Nazis were defeated in the Second World War. Now, Ukraine appears to have deepened the security concerns of Finland and Sweden.
It is still not clear whether these countries would be inducted into NATO any time soon. Within the alliance, decisions are taken unanimously. Turkey has already expressed its opposition to taking the Nordic countries in. While the U.S. and the U.K. are pushing for NATO’s expansion, Germany and France have taken a more cautious line. Hungary, which has deep ties with Russia and has already held up the EU’s plan to ban Russian oil imports, has not made its views clear. But the mere declaration of intent by Finland and Sweden to join NATO has sent tensions in Europe soaring, with Russia threatening ‘military and technical’ retaliation. Normatively speaking, Finland and Sweden are sovereign countries and free to take decisions on joining any alliance. It is up to NATO to decide whether they should be taken in or not. But a bigger question these countries as well as Europe as a whole face is whether another round of expansion of NATO would help bring in peace and stability in Europe, particularly at a time when the continent is facing a pre-First World War-type security competition. It would escalate the current crisis between nuclear-armed Russia and NATO to dangerous levels. Already the several rounds of NATO expansion and Russia’s territorial aggression have brought the world to its most dangerous moment since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. Russia should immediately halt the war and all the stakeholders should focus on finding a long-term solution to the crisis.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Stay Out (Phrasal Verb)- to refrain or forbear from involving oneself in something.
2. Setback (N)- a reversal or check in progress. नाकामयाबी
3. Unanimously (Adv)- without opposition; with the agreement of all people involved. एक मत से
4. Cautious (Adj)- (of a person) careful to avoid potential problems or dangers. सतर्क
5. Soaring (Adj)- rising very quickly to a high level.
6. Retaliation (N)- the action of returning a military attack; counter-attack. प्रतिशोध
7. Escalate (V)- make or become more intense or serious. गहरा बनाना, तीव्र करना
EK DUM BASIC
TH_17_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 17th MAY
Each for all: On India’s men badminton team win in Thomas Cup
Sport is not just about individual excellence; it is also about the collective joy gleaned from a team’s success when different individuals offer their varied skills and win together for the larger cause as representatives of a nation. India has always had iconic athletes with their fabulous milestones, but when it comes to team success in global events, the examples dwindle. To that limited cupboard displaying Olympic gold winning hockey squads featuring Dhyan Chand, the triumphant 1975 World Cup hockey team, the victorious 1983 cricket World Cup outfit led by Kapil Dev and the 2011 champion unit under M.S. Dhoni, Indian badminton added its golden chapter when the men’s team won the Thomas Cup at Bangkok on Sunday. This was a feather touch that would be felt all through India’s sporting history. Besides winning its maiden title, India also stunned fancied opponents Malaysia and Denmark, and defeated 14-time champion Indonesia in the summit clash. Previously, Indian badminton had offered sporadic joy starting from Prakash Padukone’s magnificent All England victory in 1980. P. Gopichand emulated Padukone in 2001 and just as another drought loomed, first Saina Nehwal and then P.V. Sindhu proved that they could do far better than their male counterparts, winning titles and medals. Finally, the men joined the winning bandwagon with their blend of aesthetics, control and athleticism on the courts.
Be it 20-year-old Lakshya Sen, the seasoned Kidambi Srikanth, the combative H.S. Prannoy and the doubles team of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, India had men who believed that winning the title was in the realm of possibility. In the final, both Lakshya and the doubles duo lost the opening games, and yet they dug deep to hoodwink the Indonesians. Once a 2-0 lead was secured, history beckoned and with remarkable fluency, former world number one Srikanth got past Jonatan Christie at 21-15, 23-21 as India clinched a team triumph for the ages. It was not easy, Lakshya had a stomach bug, and he and others had to cope with the constant pressure of expectations at every hurdle. The coaching staff deserve credit and so do the inspiring footprints left by Padukone and Gopichand, through their achievements and their inputs to their successors. When the Indians infused magic into the feathery shuttlecock, they also gifted an enduring memory to a country forever yearning for collective wins. In the past, Indian tennis had its moments in the Davis Cup but team achievements were often linked to cricketers and hockey stars of a distant era. Srikanth and company have ensured that Dhyan Chand, Kapil and Dhoni’s units will not remain lonely at the top. This surreal win could truly alter the badminton landscape across India.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Dwindle (V)- to become less in number or smaller.
2. Sporadic (Adj)- happening sometimes; not regular or continuous.
3. Emulate (V)- match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.
4. Bandwagon (N)- an activity or idea that has become very popular.
5. Aesthetics (N)- the set of principles on which an artist’s work is based.
6. Combative (Adj)- ready or eager to fight or argue. जुझारू
7. Dig Deep (Phrase)- to manage to find a lot of money for something.
8. Hoodwink (V)- to deceive or trick someone.
Each for all: On India’s men badminton team win in Thomas Cup
Sport is not just about individual excellence; it is also about the collective joy gleaned from a team’s success when different individuals offer their varied skills and win together for the larger cause as representatives of a nation. India has always had iconic athletes with their fabulous milestones, but when it comes to team success in global events, the examples dwindle. To that limited cupboard displaying Olympic gold winning hockey squads featuring Dhyan Chand, the triumphant 1975 World Cup hockey team, the victorious 1983 cricket World Cup outfit led by Kapil Dev and the 2011 champion unit under M.S. Dhoni, Indian badminton added its golden chapter when the men’s team won the Thomas Cup at Bangkok on Sunday. This was a feather touch that would be felt all through India’s sporting history. Besides winning its maiden title, India also stunned fancied opponents Malaysia and Denmark, and defeated 14-time champion Indonesia in the summit clash. Previously, Indian badminton had offered sporadic joy starting from Prakash Padukone’s magnificent All England victory in 1980. P. Gopichand emulated Padukone in 2001 and just as another drought loomed, first Saina Nehwal and then P.V. Sindhu proved that they could do far better than their male counterparts, winning titles and medals. Finally, the men joined the winning bandwagon with their blend of aesthetics, control and athleticism on the courts.
Be it 20-year-old Lakshya Sen, the seasoned Kidambi Srikanth, the combative H.S. Prannoy and the doubles team of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, India had men who believed that winning the title was in the realm of possibility. In the final, both Lakshya and the doubles duo lost the opening games, and yet they dug deep to hoodwink the Indonesians. Once a 2-0 lead was secured, history beckoned and with remarkable fluency, former world number one Srikanth got past Jonatan Christie at 21-15, 23-21 as India clinched a team triumph for the ages. It was not easy, Lakshya had a stomach bug, and he and others had to cope with the constant pressure of expectations at every hurdle. The coaching staff deserve credit and so do the inspiring footprints left by Padukone and Gopichand, through their achievements and their inputs to their successors. When the Indians infused magic into the feathery shuttlecock, they also gifted an enduring memory to a country forever yearning for collective wins. In the past, Indian tennis had its moments in the Davis Cup but team achievements were often linked to cricketers and hockey stars of a distant era. Srikanth and company have ensured that Dhyan Chand, Kapil and Dhoni’s units will not remain lonely at the top. This surreal win could truly alter the badminton landscape across India.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Dwindle (V)- to become less in number or smaller.
2. Sporadic (Adj)- happening sometimes; not regular or continuous.
3. Emulate (V)- match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.
4. Bandwagon (N)- an activity or idea that has become very popular.
5. Aesthetics (N)- the set of principles on which an artist’s work is based.
6. Combative (Adj)- ready or eager to fight or argue. जुझारू
7. Dig Deep (Phrase)- to manage to find a lot of money for something.
8. Hoodwink (V)- to deceive or trick someone.
👍1
EK DUM BASIC
TH-Delhi_18_May_2022.pdf
💢💢The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 18th MAY
Symbolism and beyond: On PM Modi’s visit to Lumbini
India’s current regime has a penchant for symbolism and optics, a tendency that becomes more pronounced when the symbolism is religious. So it was not a surprise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a short visit to Lumbini in Nepal on Buddha Jayanti. Lumbini, in Buddhist tradition, is the birthplace of Gautama Buddha and Mr. Modi along with his Nepali counterpart laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. The Centre will play a role in challenging the preponderance of the Chinese sponsorship and patronage of the Buddhist festivals and institutions in the area. It could also be a harbinger of a focused development of the area into a tourist and cultural hub for pilgrims and other visitors. To that end, the PM’s visit would have been welcomed by his Nepali counterpart. With the PM also unequivocally asserting that Lumbini was the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, who was born as Siddhartha, this should put to rest a needless irritant in the India-Nepal relations, with some hyper-nationalist Nepalis claiming that the Indian government had a different belief on the Buddha’s origins. The visit also coincided with the signing of a few MoUs, the most prominent being the development and implementation of the Arun-4 hydropower project. The PM’s visit followed his counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba’s trip to India in April, which thawed relations after a series of controversial steps (during the tenure of Mr. Deuba’s predecessor, K.P. Oli) on the Kalapani dispute.
Mr. Modi’s speech in Lumbini sought to highlight the strong cultural ties between the two countries, which already share a special relationship, cemented by the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in 1950. There are several irritants that have developed, straining this relationship, and for now there seems to be a concerted attempt by both regimes to return to bonhomie, with the Indian government seeking to utilise “religious diplomacy” as a means to emphasise the special relationship. But there have been significant changes in Nepal’s political-economy, in particular a substantial reduction in the Nepali youths’ dependence on the Indian economy as compared to the past. Beyond a soft power emphasis on cultural ties, India-Nepal relations need to graduate to a more meaningful partnership on economic and geopolitical issues, with the Indian government continuing to retain a substantial role in partnering the Nepali regime in development projects. The challenge is to utilise the return of bonhomie in ties to refocus on work related to infrastructure development in Nepal, which includes hydropower projects, transportation and connectivity, and which could benefit the citizens of the adjoining States in India as well. Symbolism, after all, is useful only to a certain extent.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Penchant(N): a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.
2. Patronage(N): the support given by a patron. संरक्षण, सहायता
3. Harbinger (N): Sign, Indicator , signal;
4. Prominent(adj): important; famous.
5. Thaw (v): unpleasant relationship with someone
6. Bonhomie(N): cheerful friendliness; geniality. खुशमिजाजी
Symbolism and beyond: On PM Modi’s visit to Lumbini
India’s current regime has a penchant for symbolism and optics, a tendency that becomes more pronounced when the symbolism is religious. So it was not a surprise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a short visit to Lumbini in Nepal on Buddha Jayanti. Lumbini, in Buddhist tradition, is the birthplace of Gautama Buddha and Mr. Modi along with his Nepali counterpart laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone. The Centre will play a role in challenging the preponderance of the Chinese sponsorship and patronage of the Buddhist festivals and institutions in the area. It could also be a harbinger of a focused development of the area into a tourist and cultural hub for pilgrims and other visitors. To that end, the PM’s visit would have been welcomed by his Nepali counterpart. With the PM also unequivocally asserting that Lumbini was the birthplace of Gautama Buddha, who was born as Siddhartha, this should put to rest a needless irritant in the India-Nepal relations, with some hyper-nationalist Nepalis claiming that the Indian government had a different belief on the Buddha’s origins. The visit also coincided with the signing of a few MoUs, the most prominent being the development and implementation of the Arun-4 hydropower project. The PM’s visit followed his counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba’s trip to India in April, which thawed relations after a series of controversial steps (during the tenure of Mr. Deuba’s predecessor, K.P. Oli) on the Kalapani dispute.
Mr. Modi’s speech in Lumbini sought to highlight the strong cultural ties between the two countries, which already share a special relationship, cemented by the Treaty of Peace and Friendship signed in 1950. There are several irritants that have developed, straining this relationship, and for now there seems to be a concerted attempt by both regimes to return to bonhomie, with the Indian government seeking to utilise “religious diplomacy” as a means to emphasise the special relationship. But there have been significant changes in Nepal’s political-economy, in particular a substantial reduction in the Nepali youths’ dependence on the Indian economy as compared to the past. Beyond a soft power emphasis on cultural ties, India-Nepal relations need to graduate to a more meaningful partnership on economic and geopolitical issues, with the Indian government continuing to retain a substantial role in partnering the Nepali regime in development projects. The challenge is to utilise the return of bonhomie in ties to refocus on work related to infrastructure development in Nepal, which includes hydropower projects, transportation and connectivity, and which could benefit the citizens of the adjoining States in India as well. Symbolism, after all, is useful only to a certain extent.
CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------
1. Penchant(N): a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.
2. Patronage(N): the support given by a patron. संरक्षण, सहायता
3. Harbinger (N): Sign, Indicator , signal;
4. Prominent(adj): important; famous.
5. Thaw (v): unpleasant relationship with someone
6. Bonhomie(N): cheerful friendliness; geniality. खुशमिजाजी