THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 19, 2018
Want to Become a Bank, Central / State Govt Officer in 2020?
Join the Most awarded Coaching Institute & Get your Dream Job
Now Prepare for Bank, SSC Exams from Home. Join Online Coure @ lowest fee
Lifetime validity Bank Exam Coaching | Bank PO / Clerk Coaching | Bank SO Exam Coaching | All-in-One SSC Exam Coaching | RRB Railway Exam Coaching | TNPSC Exam Coaching | KPSC Exam Coaching
THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 19, 2018
Dear Banking Aspirants,
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – December 19, 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.
A) Bolstering Paris: on the Katowice consensus
The Katowice consensus does not adequately reflect the challenge to limit global warming
The UN Climate Conference held in Katowice, Poland, has moved ahead with the implementation of the Paris Agreement through a rule book, reflecting strong support among citizens of all countries for urgent action to avert dangerous climate change. Public pressure has prevailed over scepticism, although the outcome does not adequately reflect the short window available to make deep greenhouse gas emissions cuts. Yet, the Paris Agreement, endorsed by 195 countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has a long road ahead before carbon emissions can be pegged at levels flagged by scientists. Recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in a special report, issued a stark warning on man-made emissions. It said that to cap the rise in global average temperature over pre-industrial levels at 1.5°C, a 45% reduction in emissions over 2010 levels must be made by 2030. This is a challenge for all big economies, including India, which is among the top five emitters of carbon dioxide. In the Indian context, it highlights the need for action on several fronts: scaling up solar and wind power in line with the goal of reaching 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, steadily reducing reliance on coal, shifting substantially to electric mobility and adopting green industrial processes. Taxing luxury emissions and using the dividend to give the poor energy access has to be the policy target, building on international green climate funding linkages.
At Katowice, Indian negotiators put forth legitimate concerns on the likely social impact of the new rules that will operationalise the Paris Agreement in 2020. After all, at an estimated 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per capita, India emits far below the global average of 4.2 tonnes. Yet, cumulative emissions determine the impact on climate, and India’s emissions grew at an estimated 6.3% in 2018. The prospect of increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and sea level rise in a warming world affecting small island states allows little room for complacency. The task now is to achieve a paradigm shift that will slow down the addition of new sources of carbon emissions. As a party to the global climate compact, India has to systematically assess its emissions and measure mitigation actions for reporting to the UNFCCC at stock-taking meetings. This is an opportunity to bring major sectors such as energy production, building, agriculture and transport on board, and make changes to regulations that favour environment-friendly alternatives. China has taken the lead in advancing electric mobility, while individual States and cities are ahead of national governments, as in the U.S., in reducing their carbon footprint. A clean-up in India will help meet emissions commitments and remove the blanket of air pollution that is suffocating entire cities.
B) Fatal fires: the need for strict safety norms
Fire safety norms for hospitals need to be strengthened and strictly enforced
The devastating fire at the Andheri hospital of the Employees State Insurance Corporation in Mumbai that killed at least eight people is a shocking reminder of the low priority fire safety gets in India. That a blaze could break out in a relatively new building with such deadly consequences calls into question the precautions taken by the authorities. The Maharashtra government should conduct a thorough probe and examine the claim made by the Fire Department that the hospital had failed an inspection recently and was served a notice. It would be shockingly negligent if the hospital continued to function without adhering to fire safety standards in spite of an adverse report from the statutory authority. Ironically, ESIC is a welfare organisation working to protect the health and well-being of the labour sector, and is expected to set an example through the quality of its facilities. The Andheri horror evokes memories of the AMRI hospital blaze in Kolkata seven years ago, in which 92 people died. It led to an assessment of hospital safety in all States, but evidently the impact has been patchy at best. In fact, the Justice Tapan Mukherjee Commission appointed by the West Bengal government held the directors of AMRI hospital responsible, since they actively reviewed the institution’s administrative measures. This year, critically ill patients had to be carried outside by relatives during a fire at the Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.
A strong building code with features for reduction of fire hazards is important for all structures, but it is more so for hospitals since they host people who are incapacitated and cannot be evacuated quickly. The National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) goes by the National Building Code and its specific norms for hospitals, which include minimum requirements for multi-storeyed structures, such as alarms, sprinkler systems, specified-width staircases, smoke barrier enclosures and checks against storage of combustible materials in areas where patients are kept. Going forward, all State governments should require mandatory compliance with such safety features for any institution handling patients or giving care. Certification of facilities through third-party audit should be made compulsory to eliminate conflicts of interest involving official agencies. The institutions should also be insured for the highest levels of public liability. At a broader level, governments must shed their indifference and work to make all spaces safe. The situation today is depressing. In private, public or commercial buildings, official agencies tend to favour tokenism rather than high standards for the safety of occupants and visitors. They are ever-willing to “regularise” deviations in construction over time. It is time to fix responsibility for deadly accidents on a single official agency.
VOCABULARY
1) avert
Meaning : turn away (one’s eyes or thoughts).
Tamil Meaning : தவிர்க்க
Synonyms : avoid
Antonyms : aid
Example : “she averted her eyes while we made stilted conversation”
2) prevailed
Meaning : prove more powerful or superior.
Tamil Meaning : வெற்றி
Synonyms : abound
Antonyms : forfeit
Example : “it is hard for logic to prevail over emotion”
3) endorsed
Meaning : declare one’s public approval or support of(v).
Tamil Meaning : ஒப்புதல்
Synonyms : approved
Antonyms : disapproved
Example : “the report was endorsed by the college”
4) Convention
Meaning : a way in which something is usually done.
Synonyms : show
Antonyms : discord
Example : “to attract the best patrons the movie houses had to ape the conventions and the standards of theatres”
5) peg
Meaning : a short pin or bolt, typically tapered at one end, that is used for securing something in place, hanging things on, or marking a position.
Synonyms : clinch
Antonyms : detach
Example : “she put her mack on a peg in the hall”
6) stark
Meaning : severe or bare in appearance or outline(adj).
Tamil Meaning : முற்றிலும்
Synonyms : blunt
Antonyms : covered
Example : “the ridge formed a stark silhouette against the sky”
7) negotiators
Meaning : a person who conducts negotiations.
Synonyms : delegate
Example : “US trade negotiators”
8) concerns
Meaning : make (someone) anxious or worried.
Tamil Meaning : கவலை
Synonyms : burden
Antonyms : pastime
Example : “the roof of the barn concerns me because eventually it will fall in”
9) impact
Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another(n).
Tamil Meaning : தாக்கம்
Synonyms : brunt
Antonyms : avoidance
Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”
10) cumulative
Meaning : increasing or increased in quantity, degree, or force by successive additions.
Tamil Meaning : ஒட்டுமொத்த
Synonyms : aggregate
Antonyms : decreasing
Example : “the cumulative effect of two years of drought”
11) prospect
Meaning : the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring(n).
Synonyms : expectation
Antonyms : impossibility
Example : “there was no prospect of a reconciliation”
12) complacency
Meaning : a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.
Synonyms : satisfaction
Example : “the figures are better, but there are no grounds for complacency”
13) paradigm
Meaning : a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model(n).
Tamil Meaning : முன்னுதாரணம்
Synonyms : criterion
Example : “society’s paradigm of the ‘ideal woman’”
14) compact
Meaning : closely and neatly packed together; dense(adj).
Tamil Meaning : கச்சிதமான
Synonyms : tight
Antonyms : loose
Example : “a compact cluster of houses”
15) mitigation
Meaning : the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.
Synonyms : reduction
Antonyms : increase
Example : “the identification and mitigation of pollution”
16) suffocating
Meaning : the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something(n).
Synonyms : drown
Antonyms : free
Example : “the identification and mitigation of pollution”
17) devastating
Meaning : highly destructive or damaging.
Tamil Meaning : பாழாக்கி
Synonyms : calamitous
Antonyms : blessed
Example : “a devastating cyclone”
18) probe
Meaning : explore or examine (something), especially with the hands or an instrument(v).
Tamil Meaning : ஆய்வு
Synonyms : exploration
Example : “hands probed his body from top to bottom”
19) claim
Meaning : state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.(v)
Tamil Meaning : கூற்றை
Synonyms : assertion
Antonyms : denial
Example : “the Prime Minister claimed that he was concerned about Third World debt”
20) negligent
Meaning : failing to take proper care over something.(adj)
Tamil Meaning : அலட்சியமாகவும்
Synonyms : inadvertent
Antonyms : attentive
Example : “the council had been negligent in its supervision of the children in care”
21) adhering
Meaning : believe in and follow the practices of.(v)
Tamil Meaning : கடைப்பிடிக்கின்றது
Synonyms : comply
Antonyms : disobey
Example : “I do not adhere to any organized religion”
22) adverse
Meaning : believe in and follow the practices of.
Tamil Meaning : பாதகமான
Synonyms : conflicting
Antonyms : assisting
Example : “I do not adhere to any organized religion”
23) statutory
Meaning : required, permitted, or enacted by statute.
Synonyms : legal
Antonyms : illegal
Example : “statutory controls over prices”
24) evokes
Meaning : bring or recall (a feeling, memory, or image) to the conscious mind(v).
Synonyms : conjure
Antonyms : decrease
Example : “the sight evoked pleasant memories of his childhood”
25) blaze
Meaning : a very large or fiercely burning fire.
Synonyms : flame
Example : “twenty firemen fought the blaze”
26) assessment
Meaning : the action of assessing someone or something.
Tamil Meaning : மதிப்பீடு
Synonyms : estimate
Example : “the assessment of educational needs”
27) patchy
Meaning : existing or happening in small, isolated areas.(adj)
Tamil Meaning : அசாதரணமான
Synonyms : erratic
Antonyms : regular
Example : “patchy fog”
28) evacuated
Meaning : remove (someone) from a place of danger to a safer place.
Synonyms : depart
Antonyms : allow
Example : “several families were evacuated from their homes”
29) sprinkler
Meaning : a device that sprays water.
Synonyms : sprayer
Example : “a self-activating sprinkler system”
30) enclosures
Meaning : an area that is surrounded by a barrier.(n)
Tamil Meaning : இணைப்புகள்
Synonyms : courtyard
Antonyms : open
Example : “a deer enclosure”
31) combustible
Meaning : able to catch fire and burn easily.
Synonyms : flammable
Antonyms : nonexplosive
Example : “a combustible gas”
32) conflicts
Meaning : be incompatible or at variance; clash(v).
Tamil Meaning : மோதல்கள்
Synonyms : battle
Antonyms : truce
Example : “parents’ and children’s interests sometimes conflict”
33) shed
Meaning : a simple roofed structure used for garden storage, to shelter animals, or as a workshop.
Synonyms : discard
Antonyms : keep
Example : “a bicycle shed”
34) depressing
Meaning : causing or resulting in a feeling of miserable dejection(adj).
Synonyms : bleak
Antonyms : bright
Example : “that thought is too depressing for words”
35) tend
Meaning : regularly or frequently behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic.
Tamil Meaning : முனைகின்றன
Synonyms : contribute
Antonyms : dislike
Example : “written language tends to be formal”
36) compliance
Meaning : the action or fact of complying with a wish or command.(n)
Tamil Meaning : இணக்கம்
Synonyms : consent
Antonyms : refusal
Example : “the ways in which the state maintains order and compliance”
37) eliminate
Meaning : completely remove or get rid of (something)(v).
Tamil Meaning : அகற்ற
Synonyms : defeat
Antonyms : allow
Example : “a policy that would eliminate inflation”
38) consequences
Meaning : a result or effect, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
Tamil Meaning : விளைவு
Synonyms : emanation
Antonyms : causes
Example : “abrupt withdrawal of drug treatment can have serious consequences”
39) spite
Meaning : a desire to hurt, annoy, or offend someone.
Tamil Meaning : இருந்தபோதும்
Synonyms : animosity
Antonyms : admiration
Example : “he’d think I was saying it out of spite”
40) substantially
Meaning : to a great or significant extent.
Tamil Meaning : கணிசமாக
Synonyms :
Antonyms :
Example : “profits grew substantially”
THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 18, 2018
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.
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.
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – JUNE
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – JULY