THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 10, 2018

Dear Banking Aspirants,

THE HINDU EDITORIAL – December 10, 2018, is one of the must-read section for the competitive exams like  IBPS Clerk 2018, Canara Bank PO – PGDBF 2018 and IBPS SO 2018. These topics are widely expected to be asked in the reading comprehension, Cloze Test or Error Detection in the forthcoming exams. So gear up your Exam preparation and learn new words daily.

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A) Current account woes

Proper structural reforms are needed to boost exports, reduce dependence on imported oil

The latest trade figures published by the Reserve Bank of India confirm the damage caused by high global oil prices in the last few months. India’s current account deficit (CAD) widened to 2.9% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the July-September quarter, a four-year high, under increasing pressure from the oil bill. This is in contrast to the same quarter a year ago when the CAD was only 1.1% of GDP. The widening of the CAD was due to an increase in the trade deficit, which jumped to $50 billion in the September quarter as compared to $32.5 billion a year ago, due to a higher import bill. The government, however, may not be too worried about the widening CAD figures as the major factor that was behind the phenomenon has abated; global oil prices have dropped sharply since early October. Brent crude is down almost 30% from the high it reached in early October. So the size of the deficit is likely to come down in the quarter ending December. This is not to suggest that all is fine. As usual, medium to long-term risks to the external sector remain. For one, there is the threat of price volatility faced by heavy importers of oil. Unless India manages to diversify its energy base by tapping into local sources of energy, this will remain a perennial threat to economic stability.

A widening current account deficit per se should not be a cause for worry as long as foreign capital inflows into the economy are brisk enough to fund its huge import needs. The trouble arises when foreign inflows dry up and restrict the ability to purchase essential imports. So as liquidity conditions continue to tighten across the world, India’s heavy import dependence is a cause for concern. Meanwhile, when Western central banks tighten their monetary policy, the RBI will be forced to tighten its own policy stance in order to retain investment capital and defend the rupee. This will impact domestic economic growth negatively. Each time the external account has come under pressure, the government has simply tried to bring in piecemeal emergency measures, such as a little opening up of the capital account or ill-advised restrictions on imports. Such a policy obviously manages to only kick the can down the road rather than bring a permanent solution to the problem. In order to bring about any meaningful change, the government should also try implementing proper structural reforms that can boost exports, thus helping fund imports through means other than capital inflows, and end the over-reliance on imported oil.

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B) Death in the air: on tackling air pollution

It is time clean air is made a front-line political issue

As an environmental scourge that killed an estimated 1.24 million people in India in 2017, air pollution should be among the highest policy priorities. But the Centre and State governments have tended to treat it as a chronic malaise that defies a solution. The deadly results of official apathy are outlined in the Global Burden of Disease 2017 report on the impact of air pollution on deaths, disease burden, and life expectancy across the states of India, published by The Lancet. Millions of people are forced to lead morbid lives or face premature death due to bad air quality. India’s national standard for ambient fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is notoriously lax at 40 micrograms per cubic metre, but even so, 77% of the population was exposed to higher levels on average. No State met the annual average exposure norm for PM2.5 of 10 micrograms per cubic metre set by the World Health Organisation. If the country paid greater attention to ambient air quality and household air pollution, the researchers say, people living in the worst-affected States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Jharkhand could add more than 1.7 years to their life expectancy. Similar gains would accrue nationwide, but it is regions with low social development, reflected partly in reliance on solid fuels for cooking, and those with ambient air pollution caused by stubble-burning, construction dust and unbridled motorisation such as Delhi that would benefit the most.

Sustainable solutions must be found for stubble-burning and the use of solid fuels in households, the two major sources of pollution, and State governments must be made accountable for this. The Centre should work with Punjab and Haryana to ensure that the machinery already distributed to farmers and cooperatives to handle agricultural waste is in place and working. A mechanism for rapid collection of farm residues has to be instituted. In fact, new approaches to recovering value from biomass could be the way forward. The proposal from a furniture-maker to convert straw into useful products will be keenly watched for its outcomes. A shift away from solid fuels to LPG in millions of low-income homes has provided health benefits, The Lancet study says, underscoring the value of clean alternatives. The potential of domestic biogas units, solar cookers and improved biomass cookstoves has to be explored, since they impose no additional expenditure on rural and less affluent households. Such measures should, of course, be complemented by strong control over urban sources of pollution. India’s commitments under the Paris Agreement on climate change require a sharp reduction in particulates from fossil fuel. Fuels may be relatively cleaner today and vehicles better engineered to cut emissions, but traffic densities in cities have led to a rise in pollution. Real-time measurement of pollution is also lacking. There are not enough ground-level monitoring stations for PM2.5, and studies primarily use satellite imagery and modelling to project health impacts. Rapid progress on clean air now depends on citizens making it a front-line political issue.

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VOCABULARY

1) contrast

Meaning : the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association(n).

Tamil Meaning : முரணாக

Synonyms : contradiction

Antonyms : agreement

Example : “the day began cold and blustery, in contrast to almost two weeks of uninterrupted sunshine”

2) widening

Meaning : make or become wider(v).

Synonyms : enlarge

Antonyms : compress

Example : “we should widen the scope of our investigation”

3) abated

Meaning : (of something unpleasant or severe) become less intense or widespread(v).

Tamil Meaning : முடிவிற்கு வந்தது

Synonyms : diminish

Antonyms : advance

Example : “the storm suddenly abated”

4) deficit

Meaning : an excess of expenditure or liabilities over income or assets in a given period.(n)

Tamil Meaning : பற்றாக்குறை

Synonyms : loss

Antonyms : abundance

Example : “an annual operating deficit”

5) diversify

Meaning : make or become more diverse or varied.(V)

Synonyms : expand

Antonyms : continue

Example : “the trilobites diversified into a great number of species”

6) tapping

Meaning : a device by which a flow of liquid or gas from a pipe or container can be controlled(n).

Tamil Meaning : தட்டுவதன்

Synonyms : knock

Antonyms : lose

Example : “she turned the cold tap on”

7) perennial

Meaning : lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : வற்றாத

Synonyms : recurrent

Antonyms : ceasing

Example : “his perennial distrust of the media”

8) inflows

Meaning : the movement of liquid or air into a place.(n)

Tamil Meaning : முதலீடு

Synonyms : incursion

Antonyms : retreat

Example : “an inflow of less salty water”

9) concern

Meaning : relate to; be about.(v)

Tamil Meaning : அக்கறை

Synonyms : burden

Antonyms : pastime

Example : “the story concerns a friend of mine”

10) stance

Meaning : the way in which someone stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in cricket, golf, and other sports); a person’s posture.(n)

Tamil Meaning : நிலைப்பாடு

Synonyms : attitude

Antonyms : unsteadiness

Example : “she altered her stance, resting all her weight on one leg”

11) retain

Meaning : continue to have (something); keep possession of.(v)

Tamil Meaning : தக்கவைத்து

Synonyms : absorb

Antonyms : abandon

Example : “Labour retained the seat”

12) defend

Meaning : resist an attack made on (someone or something); protect from harm or danger.(v)

Tamil Meaning : பாதுகாக்க

Synonyms : contend

Antonyms : assist

Example : “we shall defend our island, whatever the cost”

13) piecemeal

Meaning : characterized by unsystematic partial measures taken over a period of time.

Synonyms : gradual

Antonyms : completely

Example : “the village is slowly being killed off by piecemeal development”

14) implement

Meaning : put (a decision, plan, agreement, etc.) into effect.

Tamil Meaning : செயல்படுத்த

Synonyms : utensil

Antonyms : exempt

Example : “the scheme to implement student loans”

15) reforms

Meaning : make changes in (something, especially an institution or practice) in order to improve it.(v)

Tamil Meaning : சீர்திருத்தங்கள்

Synonyms : amend

Antonyms : break

Example : “the Bill will reform the tax system”

16) scourge

Meaning : whip (someone) as a punishment.

Synonyms : curse

Antonyms : reward

Example : “our people did scourge him severely

17) estimated

Meaning : roughly calculate or judge the value, number, quantity, or extent of.(v)

Tamil Meaning : மதிப்பீட்டிலான

Synonyms : predicted

Antonyms : computed

Example : “the aim is to estimate the effects of macroeconomic policy on the economy”

18) tended

Meaning : regularly or frequently behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic.(v)

Synonyms : contribute

Antonyms : dislike

Example : “written language tends to be formal”

19) chronic

Meaning : (of an illness) persisting for a long time or constantly recurring.

Synonyms : constant

Antonyms : ceasing

Example : “chronic bronchitis”

20) defies

Meaning : openly resist or refuse to obey.

Tamil Meaning : பொருந்தா

Synonyms : confront

Antonyms : assist

Example : “a woman who defies convention”

21) apathy

Meaning : lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern(n).

Tamil Meaning : அக்கறையின்மை

Synonyms : lethargy

Antonyms : concern

Example : “widespread apathy among students”

22) morbid

Meaning : characterized by an abnormal and unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects, especially death and disease(adj).

Tamil Meaning : ஆரோக்கியமற்ற

Synonyms : grim

Antonyms : cheerful

Example : “his morbid fascination with the horrors of contemporary warfare”

23) ambient

Meaning : relating to the immediate surroundings of something(adj).

Tamil Meaning : சுற்றுப்புற

Synonyms : ambient

Antonyms : stationary

Example : “the liquid is stored at below ambient temperature”

24) notoriously

Meaning : used to emphasize that a quality or fact, typically a bad one, is well known.

Tamil Meaning : படுபயங்கர

Synonyms : notably

Example : “the company is notoriously difficult to contact”

25) lax

Meaning : not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful(adj).

Tamil Meaning : தளர்வாக

Synonyms : careless

Antonyms : attentive

Example : “lax security arrangements at the airport”

26) exposure

Meaning : the state of having no protection from something harmful.(n)

Tamil Meaning : வெளிப்பாடு

Synonyms : disclosure

Antonyms : certainty

Example : “the dangers posed by exposure to asbestos”

27) accrue

Meaning : (of a benefit or sum of money) be received by someone in regular or increasing amounts over time(v).

Tamil Meaning : பெறுவார்

Synonyms : accumulate

Antonyms : disperse

Example : “financial benefits will accrue from restructuring”

28) ambient

Meaning : relating to the immediate surroundings of something(adj).

Tamil Meaning : சுற்றுப்புற

Synonyms : moving

Antonyms : motionless

Example : “the liquid is stored at below ambient temperature”

29) stubble

Meaning : the cut stalks of cereal plants left sticking out of the ground after the grain is harvested.

Synonyms : bristles

Example : “fields of yellow stubble”

30) unbridled

Meaning : uncontrolled; unconstrained.

Tamil Meaning : தடையற்ற

Synonyms : unchecked

Antonyms : restrained

Example : “a moment of unbridled ambition”

31) ensure

Meaning : make certain that (something) will occur or be the case(v).

Tamil Meaning : உறுதி

Synonyms : assure

Antonyms : endanger

Example : “the client must ensure that accurate records are kept”

32) residues

Meaning : a small amount of something that remains after the main part has gone or been taken or used.

Synonyms : debris

Antonyms : base

Example : “the fine residue left after the sorting of tea”

33) keenly

Meaning : in an eager or enthusiastic manner.

Tamil Meaning : முனைப்போடு

Synonyms : attentively

Antonyms : distractedly

Example : “one of this year’s most keenly anticipated movies”

34) explored

Meaning : travel through (an unfamiliar area) in order to learn about it.(v)

Tamil Meaning : ஆராயப்படுகிறது

Synonyms : analyze

Antonyms : find

Example : “he explored the Fontainebleau forest”

35) crude

Meaning : constructed in a rudimentary or makeshift way(adj).

Synonyms : clumsy

Antonyms : decent

Example : “a relatively crude nuclear weapon”

36) affluent

Meaning : (especially of a group or area) having a great deal of money; wealthy.

Tamil Meaning : வசதியான

Synonyms : upscale

Antonyms : destitute

Example : “the affluent societies of the western world”

37) densities

Meaning : the degree of compactness of a substance.

Synonyms : frequency

Antonyms : sparsity

Example : “a reduction in bone density”

38) acking

Meaning : draw, trace, or define the outer edge or shape of.

Tamil Meaning : கோடிட்டு

Synonyms : defined

Example : “her eyes were darkly outlined with kohl”

39) imagery

Meaning : visually descriptive or figurative language, especially in a literary work.

Synonyms : symbolism

Example : “Tennyson uses imagery to create a lyrical emotion”

40) impose

Meaning : force (an unwelcome decision or ruling) on someone.

Tamil Meaning : திணிக்க

Synonyms : enforce

Antonyms : disorder

Example : “the decision was theirs and was not imposed on them by others”

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Aspirants can check the Whole planner of IBPS CLERK Prelims Exam 2018 from the below given link. 

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IBPS CLERK prelims Exam 2018 – Planner 

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THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 8, 2018

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Aspirants can find the other important THE HINDU EDITORIAL topics from the link that is mentioned below, to score more in the English section, THE HINDU EDITORIAL is vital and considered as the best source to learn more. Learning THE HINDU EDITORIAL provides you with an added advantage for the aspirants as this assist in their bank exam preparations.

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Check the other important THE HINDU EDITORIAL from the previous months that are available in our Bankersdaily website through the links that are mentioned below.

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THE HINDU EDITORIAL –  JUNE

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THE HINDU EDITORIAL – JULY 

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Other Important Notification: Released In November 2018

IBPS CLERK PRELIMS EXAM 2018 REVIEW, ANALYSIS AND QUESTIONS ASKED IN EXAM-SLOT I -SHIFT 1 – December 8, 2018

TNPSC Group II Prelims 2018 – Expected Cutoff Marks

ESIC SSO Prelims Score Card 2018 Released

TNSPSC Group II 2018 Answer Key – General English & General Tamil

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