THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 26, 2018

THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 26, 2018

Dear Banking Aspirants,

THE HINDU EDITORIAL – December 26, 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) Chabahar tidings: on Indian taking over port operations in Iran

As India takes over operations in the Iranian port, the possibilities and challenges are huge

The opening of the first office of Indian Ports Global Limited at Iran’s Chabahar and the takeover of operations of the Shahid Beheshti port is a milestone in India’s regional connectivity and trade game plan. Chabahar port opens up a permanent alternative route for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia, given the hurdles in the direct route through Pakistan. It facilitates India’s role in Afghanistan’s development through infrastructure and education projects. And it gives India’s bilateral ties with Iran, a major oil supplier and potential trade market for India, a big fillip. India has helped develop the Shahid Beheshti port with these outcomes in mind, and has been given the contract to manage it for 18 months. It will be important to operationalise the port quickly and smoothen the route to Afghanistan. The decision by India, Afghanistan and Iran to hold an international event in February 2019 to promote Chabahar and to study ways to make the route more attractive and decrease logistic costs is timely. About 500 companies have registered with the Free Trade Zone authority there. While keeping timelines and delivery of New Delhi’s commitments will be key to the port becoming a regional hub for transit trade, steel and petrochemicals, it will be necessary to encourage Afghan companies to use the route more, in line with President Ashraf Ghani’s desire to have a commercial fleet under the Afghan flag setting sail from Chabahar.

Visions of Chabahar’s immense potential as a game-changer for prosperity and stability in the region must, however, necessarily be tempered by the reality of geopolitical challenges. The Chabahar port has received a waiver from the U.S. sanctions on Iran for the moment, but these concessions could be withdrawn any time, given the constant upheaval in the administration. The possibility of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, after the pullout from Syria, will add to security concerns for Afghanistan and impact on the Chabahar route as well. Meanwhile, the reconciliation process with the Afghan Taliban is likely to see the regional powers, the U.S. and Russia engaging Pakistan more. This could give Islamabad space to play spoiler in Chabahar, which is seen as a rival warm water port to Pakistan’s Gwadar. That the Afghanistan government is hedging its bets on trade via Chabahar too is clear: in recent months, special cargo corridors have been opened with China, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Europe, Russia, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, with more trade diverted through them than with traditional partners Pakistan and India. With Chabahar, India has done well to keep a place in the intricate connectivity network of the registay ahead in this game.on. Given all the competing interests that criss-cross over Chabahar, it will require sustained and nuanced diplomacy to stay ahead in this game.

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B) The worried Indian: on Naseeruddin Shah expressing his opinion

Actor Naseeruddin Shah had every right to express what he did without fear of retaliation

The intimidatory power of the mob made itself felt once again when the Ajmer Literature Festival abruptly cancelled veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah’s keynote address. This followed the torrent of abuse heaped on Mr. Shah by a loose coalition of persons, ranging from anonymous trolls on social media to functionaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party, after he spoke about the dangerous amount of power that mobs wield in India. In a reference to the violence over allegations of cow carcasses found in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr district this month that led to the killing of a police officer and another person, he spoke of the growing insecurity over being targeted by vigilante groups. “There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands,” said Mr. Shah. “I feel anxious thinking about my children.” Unfortunately, in this climate of hyper-nationalism, even an expression of anxiety is twisted out of context and portrayed as disloyalty to the nation. As Mr. Shah has explained, he was only speaking as a worried Indian about a country he loves. But amid the acrimonious outburst against him, no one cares to listen. A fringe group in Uttar Pradesh has offered him a one-way ticket to Karachi. And State BJP chief Mahendranath Pandey suggested, outrageously, that Mr. Shah was growing into the character of the Pakistani agent he had played in a film.

That a mere expression of anxiety about lawlessness and vigilantism could be fraught with such repercussions is deplorable in a democracy. Three years ago, another actor, Aamir Khan, was hounded for expressing alarm about growing intolerance; pressure was even applied on a private company to dismiss him as its brand ambassador. With each such reaction, the message is sent out to the next celebrity to hush his or her intervention in the public sphere. Governments have often given in to the mob’s diktats, either as the easy way out or for political signalling. In this case, the Rajasthan Chief Minister did the right thing by tweeting his regret over the fact that Mr. Shah couldn’t participate in the Ajmer event, saying his “administration was fully prepared to hold [the] festival peacefully”; some arrests of those who attempted to vandalise the festival venue have also been carried out. But his own record of standing up for free expression, like that of many other politicians, is marred by inconsistency and underwritten by expediency. In his previous stint as CM, Mr. Gehlot and his party were of a piece with those who pressured Salman Rushdie into pulling out of the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2012. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of those in power to support those who feel threatened for their views and to come down hard on those who attempt to silence them with intimidation and threats.

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VOCABULARY

1) hurdles

Meaning : a problem or difficulty that must be overcome.(n)

Tamil Meaning : தடைகளை

Synonyms : difficulty

Antonyms : assistance

Example : “many would like to emigrate to the United States, but face formidable hurdles”

2) bilateral

Meaning : having or relating to two sides; affecting both sides.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : இருதரப்பு

Synonyms : mutual

Antonyms : multilateral

Example : “bilateral hearing”

3) fillip

Meaning : something which acts as a stimulus or boost to an activity.

Tamil Meaning : ஊக்கம்

Synonyms : charge

Antonyms : deterrence

Example : “the halving of car tax would provide a fillip to sales”

4) logistic

Meaning : relating to or involving organization and planning.

Synonyms : operational

Example : “logistical problems”

5) transit

Meaning : the action of passing through or across a place.

Synonyms : transport

Antonyms : hold

Example :”Guatemala is to have freedom of transit across Belize

6) desire

Meaning : a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen.(n)

Tamil Meaning : ஆசை

Synonyms : ambition

Antonyms : disgust

Example : “he resisted public desires for choice in education”

7) fleet

Meaning : a number of vehicles or aircraft operating together or under the same ownership.

Synonyms : speedy

Antonyms : slow

Example : “a fleet of ambulances took the injured to hospital”

8) immense

Meaning : extremely large or great, especially in scale or degree.

Tamil Meaning : மகத்தான

Synonyms : endless

Antonyms : insignificant

Example : “the cost of restoration has been immense”

9) prosperity

Meaning : the state of being prosperous.(n)

Tamil Meaning : செழிப்பு

Synonyms : benefit

Antonyms : decrease

Example : “a long period of peace and prosperity”

10) tempered

Meaning : having a specified temper or disposition.

Tamil Meaning : கோபம்

Synonyms : abate

Antonyms : aggravate

Example : “ill-tempered”

11) waiver

Meaning : make (a problem, injury, or offence) worse or more serious.

Tamil Meaning : தீவிரமடைய

Synonyms : provoke

Antonyms : delight

Example : “military action would only aggravate the situation”

12) concessions

Meaning : a thing that is granted, especially in response to demands.

Tamil Meaning : சலுகை

Synonyms : compromise

Antonyms : disagreement

Example : “the government was unwilling to make any further concessions”

13) upheaval

Meaning : a violent or sudden change or disruption to something.(n)

Tamil Meaning : கொந்தளிப்பை

Synonyms : disruption

Antonyms : success

Example : “major upheavals in the financial markets”

14) concerns

Meaning : relate to; be about.

Tamil Meaning : கவலை

Synonyms : involvement

Antonyms : entertainment

Example : “the story concerns a friend of mine”

15) reconciliation

Meaning : the restoration of friendly relations.

Tamil Meaning : சமரசம்

Synonyms : agreement

Antonyms : dissension

Example : “his reconciliation with your uncle”

16) hedging

Meaning : the planting or trimming of hedges.

Tamil Meaning : ஏற்படுத்துவதற்கான

Synonyms : fudge

Antonyms : face

Example : “contract work for hedging and ditching”

17) diverted

Meaning : cause (someone or something) to change course or turn from one direction to another.(v)

Tamil Meaning : திருப்பி

Synonyms : amused

Antonyms : bored

Example : “a scheme to divert water from the river to irrigate agricultural land”

18) intricate

Meaning : very complicated or detailed.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : சிக்கலான

Synonyms : convoluted

Antonyms : apparent

Example : “an intricate network of canals”

19) threatened

Meaning : state one’s intention to take hostile action against (someone) in retribution for something done or not done.

Tamil Meaning : அச்சுறுத்தப்பட்ட

Synonyms : exposed

Antonyms : guarded

Example : “how dare you threaten me?”

20) sustained

Meaning : continuing for an extended period or without interruption.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : நீடித்த

Synonyms : continued

Antonyms : ending

Example : “several years of sustained economic growth”

21) nuanced

Meaning : characterized by subtle shades of meaning or expression(adj).

Tamil Meaning : நம்பக்கூடிய

Synonyms : distinction

Antonyms : brightness

Example : “Lowe’s work has gradually grown more nuanced”

22) intimidate

Meaning : frighten or overawe (someone), especially in order to make them do what one wants.

Tamil Meaning : அச்சுறுத்தும்

Synonyms : dismay

Antonyms : assure

Example : “the forts are designed to intimidate the nationalist population”

23) abruptly

Meaning : suddenly and unexpectedly.

Tamil Meaning : திடீரென

Synonyms : precipitously

Example : “the film ends rather abruptly”

24) torrent

Meaning : a strong and fast-moving stream of water or other liquid.(n)

Synonyms : deluge

Antonyms : drip

Example : “rain poured down in torrents”

25) heaped

Meaning : put (objects or a loose substance) in a heap.(v)

Tamil Meaning : சுமத்தியது

Synonyms : collected

Example : “she heaped logs on the fire”

26) coalition

Meaning : a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.

Synonyms : alliance

Antonyms : detachment

Example : “a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”

27) hub

Meaning : the effective centre of an activity, region, or network.(n)

Tamil Meaning : மையமாக

Synonyms : core

Antonyms : exterior

Example : “the city has always been the financial hub of the country”

28) allegations

Meaning : a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.(n)

Tamil Meaning : குற்றச்சாட்டு

Synonyms : charge

Antonyms : exculpation

Example : “he made allegations of corruption against the administration”

29) carcasses

Meaning : the dead body of an animal.(n)

Synonyms : cadaver

Example : “she saw the mud-covered carcass of a sheep”

30) impunity

Meaning : exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.(n)

Tamil Meaning : தண்டனை

Synonyms : exception

Antonyms : denial

Example : “the impunity enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings”

31) portrayed

Meaning : depict (someone or something) in a work of art or literature.

Tamil Meaning : சித்தரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள

Synonyms : depict

Antonyms : confuse

Example : “the ineffectual Oxbridge dons portrayed by Evelyn Waugh”

32) acrimonious

Meaning : (typically of speech or discussion) angry and bitter.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : எரிச்சலோடு

Synonyms : bitter

Antonyms : helping

Example : “an acrimonious dispute about wages”

33) outburst

Meaning : a sudden release of strong emotion.(n)

Tamil Meaning : திடீர் எழுச்சி

Synonyms : eruption

Antonyms : calm

Example : “an angry outburst from the prime minister”

34) fringe

Meaning : an ornamental border of threads left loose or formed into tassels or twists, used to edge clothing or material.(n)

Tamil Meaning : விளிம்பு

Synonyms : hem

Antonyms : center

Example : “a long grey skirt with a fringe”

35) outrageously

Meaning : shockingly bad or excessive.

Tamil Meaning : அருவருப்புடன்

Synonyms : brutally

Example : “an outrageous act of bribery

36) mere

Meaning : used to emphasize how small or insignificant someone or something is.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : வெறும்

Synonyms : bare

Antonyms : decorated

Example : “questions that cannot be answered by mere mortals”

37) repercussions

Meaning : an unintended consequence of an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.(n)

Tamil Meaning : தாக்கங்கள்

Synonyms : effect

Antonyms : cause

Example : “the move would have grave repercussions for the entire region”

38) deplorable

Meaning : deserving strong condemnation; completely unacceptable.

Tamil Meaning : வருந்தத்தக்க

Synonyms : disastrous

Antonyms : acceptable

Example : “children living in deplorable conditions”

39) hounded

Meaning : harass, persecute, or pursue relentlessly.

Synonyms : annoy

Antonyms : aid

Example : “she was hounded by the Italian press”

40) intervention

Meaning : the action or process of intervening.(n)

Tamil Meaning : தலையீடு

Synonyms : interference

Example : “a high degree of state intervention in the economy”

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