THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 31, 2018
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THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 31, 2018
Dear Banking Aspirants,
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – December 31, 2018, is one of the must-read section for the competitive exams like IBPS Clerk 2018 Mains Exam, 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.
Check the Previous Day’s – THE HINDU EDITORIAL here
A) Mind the gap: on fiscal deficit
Revenue trends underline the government’s challenge on the fiscal consolidation front
Eight months into the financial year, the Centre’s fiscal deficit has already overshot the full year’s budget estimate by as much as ₹92,349 crore. And given last year’s fiscal slippage — the deficit in the revised estimates for 2017-18 was 3.5% of GDP, wider than the 3.2% originally targeted — the augury is far from reassuring. While total expenditure growth, at 9.1% so far this year, has remained below the budget projection for a 10.1% increase, worryingly growth-inducing capital spending is set on an underwhelming trajectory. The 4% increase over the eight-month period is less than half the 9.9% growth the Centre had budgeted for the year. However, it is the trends in revenue that give cause for disquiet. In his annual budget presented in February, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had projected revenue receipts to show a healthy 14.6% increase from the revised estimates for the preceding year, on the back of a 16.6% jump in net tax revenue. Granting that tax revenue does tend to bunch up and get skewed with an upward bias into the final quarter, the April-November revenue receipts and net tax revenue growth numbers, at 8.1% and 4.6% respectively, are far from reassuring. If there is a silver lining on the revenue front, it is the buoyancy seen in non-tax revenue, which surged more than 31%, putting the government comfortably on track to meet the budget estimate for a 3.9% increase. Still, non-tax revenue is budgeted to account for just over a seventh of total revenue and it is hard to see it helping bridge anything more than the smallest of shortfalls in tax receipts.
There is another factor to contend with in sizing up the fiscal calculus this year. With the general election only a few months away, the government needs to avoid the temptation to open the spigot with an eye on the political benefits that it may see accruing. Some of the expenditure plans it has committed to recently have either been factored in or will at most impact the margins — be it public sector bank recapitalisation or an increase in the quantum of incentives for the export of onions to reverse the slide in prices. But the bigger challenge remains in finding ways to rustle up the requisite revenue to keep the deficit from slipping for a second year running. The seven public sector enterprises that have been cleared by the Cabinet for share sales as part of the disinvestment programme are, at best, only likely to partly help meet the budgeted non-debt capital receipts target of ₹92,199 crore. As the Reserve Bank never tires of cautioning, the onus is on the government to avoid further fiscal slippage as it could hurt the economy by crowding out vital private investment. This at a time when it has just been showing signs of a revival.
B) HIV reality check
Two lives, of a donor and a recipient, are devastated by lapses in blood screening
A 23-year-old pregnant woman in Tamil Nadu tested positive for HIV after receiving a unit of blood at a government hospital blood bank, indicating glaring lapses in screening procedures. The blood was donated on November 30 and transfused to the pregnant woman on December 3. Testing all donated blood units for a number of transfusion-transmissible infections, including HIV, is mandatory in India. The ELISA test used in all blood banks to screen for HIV has very high levels of sensitivity to diagnose samples positive for the virus. It can be said with certainty that the blood bank had failed to screen the blood for HIV. The question of testing the donated blood for HIV during the window period (the time between potential exposure to HIV and when the test reveals for sure if the person has HIV) does not arise as the donor’s HIV-positive status became known in 2016 when he donated blood at the same blood bank. Since 2004, prior to donation, all blood banks are required to obtain from donors written consent as to whether they wish to be informed about a positive test result. In case a donor tests positive for HIV, blood banks are required to refer the donors to designated voluntary counselling and testing centres (VCTCs) for disclosure and counselling. That the blood bank tried but failed to contact the donor in 2016 indicates that the donor had consented to be informed of a positive result. In a further tragic twist, he found out elsewhere that he was HIV-positive, and dutifully contacted the hospital on December 10, but his blood had already been transfused by then. On Sunday he passed away after consuming poison.
Studies show that blood banks in India have a success rate of less than 50% in contacting donors who have tested positive for transfusion-transmissible infections.
Under the 2004 National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) Action Plan, VCTCs are required to inform the blood bank of a donor’s HIV-positive status to stop the person from donating blood in the future only when the confirmatory test done at the VCTC too is positive. Since only half of the consented donors are contactable and even fewer visit a VCTC, it is imperative that NACO finds a viable alternative without compromising the donor’s identity. The focus should also be on creating awareness among donors to visit a VCTC to confirm their HIV status when alerted by blood banks. After all, timely confirmation helps donors start on early treatment to keep the virus under check and take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infecting their partners and others through sexual and other kinds of contact and through blood donation. After winning a protracted battle to keep away professional donors from donating blood by encouraging voluntary donation, it is time blood banks and NACO worked to make safe blood availability a reality at all times.
VOCABULARY
1) deficit
Meaning : an excess of expenditure or liabilities over income or assets in a given period.(n)
Tamil Meaning : பற்றாக்குறை
Synonyms : shortfall
Antonyms : enough
Example : “an annual operating deficit”
2) slippage
Meaning : failure to meet a standard or deadline; the extent of this.
Synonyms : glide
Antonyms : escalation
Example : “slippage on any job will entail slippage on the overall project”
3) revised
Meaning : reconsider and alter (something) in the light of further evidence.
Tamil Meaning : திருத்தப்பட்ட
Synonyms : adjusted
Antonyms : kept
Example : “he had cause to revise his opinion a moment after expressing it”
4) augury
Meaning : a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen.
Tamil Meaning : சகுனம்
Synonyms : boding
Example : “they heard the sound as an augury of death”
5) reassuring
Meaning : say or do something to remove the doubts and fears of (someone).(v)
Tamil Meaning : உறுதியளிக்கிறேன்
Synonyms : assure
Antonyms : annoy
Example : “he understood her feelings and tried to reassure her”
6) inducing
Meaning : succeed in persuading or leading (someone) to do something.
Tamil Meaning : தூண்டும்
Synonyms : activate
Antonyms : destroy
Example : “the pickets induced many workers to stay away”
7) underwhelming
Meaning : fail to impress or make a positive impact on (someone); disappoint.(v)
Synonyms : disappoint
Example : “American voters seem underwhelmed by the choices for president”
8) disquiet
Meaning : a feeling of worry or unease.(n)
Tamil Meaning : அமைதியின்மை
Synonyms : anxiety
Antonyms : calm
Example : “public disquiet about animal testing”
9) bunch
Meaning : a number of things, typically of the same kind, growing or fastened together.(n)
Synonyms : assortment
Antonyms : individual
Example : “a bunch of grapes”
10) skewed
Meaning : make biased or distorted in a way that is regarded as inaccurate, unfair, or misleading.
Tamil Meaning : திரித்துக் கூற
Synonyms : bias
Antonyms : maintain
Example : “the curriculum is skewed towards the practical subjects”
11) reassuring
Meaning : cause or enable (a condition or situation) to continue.(v)
Tamil Meaning : பராமரிக்க
Synonyms : continue
Antonyms : abandon
Example : “the need to maintain close links between industry and schools”
12) buoyancy
Meaning : the ability or tendency of something to float in water or other fluid.
Tamil Meaning :மிதக்கும்தன்மை
Synonyms : elasticity
Antonyms : depression
Example : “the drum’s buoyancy forced it up again”
13) contend
Meaning : struggle to surmount (a difficulty).
Tamil Meaning : போராட
Synonyms : confront
Antonyms : agree
Example : “she had to contend with his uncertain temper”
14) temptation
Meaning : the desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise.
Tamil Meaning : சலனமும்
Synonyms : allurement
Antonyms : dislike
Example : “he resisted the temptation to call Celia at the office”
15) accruing
Meaning : (of a benefit or sum of money) be received by someone in regular or increasing amounts over time.
Tamil Meaning : பெருகுவதிலிருந்து
Synonyms : accumulate
Antonyms : disperse
Example : “financial benefits will accrue from restructuring”
16) rustle
Meaning : a soft, muffled crackling sound like that made by the movement of dry leaves or paper.(v)
Tamil Meaning : சலசலப்பு
Synonyms : crackle
Antonyms : silence
Example : “there was a rustle in the undergrowth behind her”
17) requisite
Meaning : made necessary by particular circumstances or regulations.(adj)
Tamil Meaning : தேவையான
Synonyms : essential
Antonyms : nonessential
Example : “the application will not be processed until the requisite fee is paid”
18) revival
Meaning : an improvement in the condition, strength, or fortunes of someone or something(n).
Tamil Meaning : மறுமலர்ச்சி
Synonyms : recovery
Antonyms : destruction
Example : “a revival in the fortunes of the party”
19) glaring
Meaning : giving out or reflecting a strong or dazzling light.(adj)
Tamil Meaning : வெளிப்படையான
Synonyms : blatant
Antonyms : concealed
Example : “the glaring sun”
20) transfused
Meaning : transfer (blood or its components) from one person or animal to another.
Tamil Meaning : ஏற்றப்பட்டிருக்கும்
Synonyms : suffuse
Antonyms : aid
Example : “it is usual to transfuse blood screened for cytomegalovirus”
21) 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”
22) reveal
Meaning : make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
Tamil Meaning : வெளிப்படுத்த
Synonyms : acknowledge
Antonyms : conceal
Example : “Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie’s whereabouts”
23) consent
Meaning : permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.
Tamil Meaning : ஒப்புதல்
Synonyms : approval
Antonyms : denial
Example : “no change may be made without the consent of all the partners”
24) disclosure
Meaning : the action of making new or secret information known.
Synonyms : admission
Antonyms : concealment
Example : “a judge ordered the disclosure of the government documents”
25) donating
Meaning : give (money or goods) for a good cause, for example to a charity.
Synonyms : award
Antonyms : conceal
Example : “the proceeds will be donated to an AIDS awareness charity”
26) tragic
Meaning : causing or characterized by extreme distress or sorrow.(adj)
Synonyms : deplorable
Antonyms : blessed
Example : “the shooting was a tragic accident”
27) contacting
Meaning : communicate with (someone), typically in order to give or receive information.(v)
Synonyms : influence
Antonyms : avoidance
Example : “anyone with any information should contact Darlington police”
28) fewer
Meaning : a small number of.
Tamil Meaning : குறைவான
Synonyms : less
Antonyms : major
Example : “may I ask a few questions?”
29) imperative
Meaning : of vital importance; crucial.
Tamil Meaning : கட்டாயமாகும்
Synonyms : compulsory
Antonyms : inessential
Example : “immediate action was imperative”
30) viable
Meaning : capable of working successfully; feasible.
Tamil Meaning : சாத்தியமான
Synonyms : feasible
Antonyms : unlikely
Example : “the proposed investment was economically viable”
31) transmissible
Meaning : capable of working successfully; feasible.
Tamil Meaning : ஒலிபரப்பு
Synonyms : conveyance
Example : “the proposed investment was economically viable”
32) diagnose
Meaning : identify the nature of (an illness or other problem) by examination of the symptoms.
Tamil Meaning : கண்டறிய
Synonyms : analyze
Antonyms : miss
Example : “two doctors failed to diagnose a punctured lung”
33) awareness
Meaning : knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
Tamil Meaning : விழிப்புணர்வு
Synonyms : appreciation
Antonyms : disregard
Example : “we need to raise public awareness of the issue”
34) confirm
Meaning : establish the truth or correctness of (something previously believed or suspected to be the case).
Tamil Meaning : உறுதிப்படுத்த
Synonyms : affirm
Antonyms : confuse
Example : “if these fears are confirmed, the outlook for the economy will be dire”
35) precautionary
Meaning : carried out as a precaution; preventive.
Tamil Meaning : முன்னெச்சரிக்கை
Synonyms : careful
Example : “she was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure”
36) protracted
Meaning : lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual.
Tamil Meaning : முன்னெச்சரிக்கை
Synonyms : continued
Example : “a protracted and bitter dispute”
37) encouraging
Meaning : giving someone support or confidence; supportive.
Tamil Meaning : ஊக்குவித்து
Synonyms : hopeful
Antonyms : hopeless
Example : “she gave me an encouraging smile”
38) designated
Meaning : appoint (someone) to a specified office or post.
Tamil Meaning : நியமிக்கப்பட்ட
Synonyms : nominate
Example : “he was designated as prime minister”
39) mandatory
Meaning : required by law or mandate; compulsory.(adj)
Tamil Meaning : கட்டாயமாகும்
Synonyms : binding
Antonyms : optional
Example : “wearing helmets was made mandatory for pedal cyclists”
40) indicating
Meaning : required by law or mandate; compulsory.
Synonyms : announce
Antonyms : conceal
Example : “wearing helmets was made mandatory for pedal cyclists”
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