THE HINDU EDITORIAL : DECEMBER 4, 2018

Dear Banking Aspirants,

THE HINDU EDITORIAL – December 4, 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) Uneasy fields: on Kisan Mukti Morcha

In order to address farmers’ distress, the entire agricultural chain needs a reboot

Last week, tens of thousands of farmers reached Delhi for a two-day Kisan Mukti Morcha and held the country’s attention. They sought a special 21-day Parliament session to discuss the crisis in India’s agrarian economy. Their key demands included an unqualified loan waiver to mitigate indebtedness levels in farm households and better remuneration for their produce instead of promises on paper of high minimum support prices. These broad demands sum up the precarious livelihood of a majority of farmers who work on small, fragmented land holdings. This is certainly not the first distress call from the farm sector to Parliament and policymakers; several such stirs have taken place across States over the past year alone. In March, when around 30,000 farmers and tribals from Maharashtra walked for days to Mumbai, they drew appreciation for their restrained conduct compared to the usually unruly protesters. And, they secured assurances from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of tangible action on their demands over the next six months. Finding little movement on those promises, many of those who had marched to Mumbai joined the rally in Delhi, which was by far the biggest such gathering. Galvanised by the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, it reportedly had participation from 200-plus organisations, with farmers from 24 States.

With rural distress palpable, elections for five State Assemblies under way, and the Lok Sabha election just about six months later, farmers’ issues are bound to further dominate politics. Official data released last Friday show that the agriculture sector clocked a growth of just 3.8% (on a gross value added basis) in the second quarter of this fiscal, compared to the 5.3% recorded in the preceding quarter. To put that in perspective, farm sector output was growing strongly in the first three quarters of 2016-17, before imploding in the aftermath of the demonetisation exercise. The latest number suggests that the semblance of recovery seen in the previous two quarters has dimmed too. The government has done an about-turn on its responses to a parliamentary panel that farmers were hit hard by the note ban, and sought to reassure farmers by reiterating its own initiatives for the sector. The Opposition, in turn, is using the farmers’ platform to take jibes at the BJP-led government at the Centre and in many States. Unfortunately, neither has focussed on the big picture strategy needed to reboot India’s hugely state-controlled farm sector. The Centre exhibits an aversion to inconvenient facts. And the Opposition’s attempts to tap into their angst with breezy promises of loan waivers (with both the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samithi promising them in State election pitches) that over-simplify the crisis. Farmers are not just vote banks, but also critical economic actors who aspire to live without handouts. Till that is clearly recognised, paying lip service to the humble farmer will continue to distort the discourse.

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B) Tariff truce: On U.S.-China trade war

U.S. and China must use the next 90 days to close the trade war in a way that benefits both

The global trade war has come to a welcome pause. On the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Buenos Aires over the weekend, the U.S. and Chinese Presidents, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, agreed to a 90-day truce. The two countries will try to find an amicable solution to the various problems plaguing bilateral trade relations, such as disputes over intellectual property rights and Chinese state support for domestic industries, through talks over the next three months. Meanwhile, the U.S. will refrain from raising the tariff on Chinese goods worth $200 billion from the current rate of 10% to 25% on January 1, 2019, as planned. In return, according to the White House, China will purchase agricultural and other goods from the U.S. in order to reduce the trade imbalance between the two countries. If talks fail, however, increased tariff rates are scheduled to come into force immediately. It is worth noting that Canada and Mexico arrived at a compromise trade agreement with the U.S. in October, replacing the decades-old North-American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). So these are signs that the global trade war that began earlier this year may be cooling down a little as 2018 draws to an end.

What prompted the U.S. and China to arrive at an unexpected, albeit temporary, compromise is unclear. It will be important to see if any compromise between the two trade giants will include a complete rollback of the tariffs imposed on each other over the year. But the temporary trade truce should still offer some relief, as there have been apprehensions about the U.S.-China trade battle bringing global economic growth to a grinding halt. Signs of a significant slowdown in the Chinese economy and concerns over the negative impact of the trade war on American financial markets may have played a part in Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi agreeing to the truce — probably a sober recognition of the fact that there are no economic winners in any trade war. During the upcoming negotiations, the U.S. is likely to press hard on China’s protectionist policies aimed at favouring its domestic industries. But it is unlikely that China will yield to such pressure as that would require a seismic shift in the country’s growth policy, which till now has emphasised the state’s role in the economy. In fact, the Chinese government’s promise to increase imports from the U.S. is a clear giveaway of the fact that it still dominates the economy. Further, China itself is bound to draw attention to the U.S.’s own protectionist policies. A compromise that will allow both sides to claim final victory in the battle would be the best outcome.

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VOCABULARY

1) sought

Meaning : attempt to find (something).(v)

Tamil Meaning : முயன்று

Synonyms : desired

Antonyms : unwanted

Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”

2) agrarian

Meaning : relating to cultivated land or the cultivation of land.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : விவசாய

Synonyms : rural

Antonyms : urban

Example : “Brazil is rapidly diversifying its agrarian economy”

3) waiver

Meaning : an act or instance of waiving a right or claim.

Tamil Meaning : விலக்கு

Synonyms : remission

Antonyms : allowance

Example : “their acquiescence could amount to a waiver”

4) mitigate

Meaning : make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful(v).

Tamil Meaning : குறைக்க

Synonyms : alleviate

Antonyms : aggravate

Example : “drainage schemes have helped to mitigate this problem”

5) indebtedness

Meaning : the condition of owing money(n).

Tamil Meaning : கடன்பட்ட

Synonyms : liability

Antonyms : asset

Example : “the industry is taking steps to reduce indebtedness and cut costs”

6) remuneration

Meaning : money paid for work or a service(n).

Tamil Meaning : ஊதியம்

Synonyms : compensation

Antonyms : penalize

Example : “they work in excess of their contracted hours for no additional remuneration”

7) precarious

Meaning : not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse(adj).

Tamil Meaning : நிலையற்ற

Synonyms : delicate

Antonyms : certain

Example : “a precarious ladder”

8) distress

Meaning : extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain(n).

Tamil Meaning : துயரத்தில்

Synonyms : affliction

Antonyms : comfort

Example : “to his distress he saw that she was trembling”

9) stirs

Meaning : a slight physical movement.

Tamil Meaning : தூண்டுவது

Synonyms : uproar

Antonyms : peace

Example : “I stood, straining eyes and ears for the faintest stir”

10) appreciation

Meaning : recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.

Tamil Meaning : பாராட்டு

Synonyms : recognition

Antonyms : criticism

Example : “I smiled in appreciation”

11) restrained

Meaning : characterized by reserve or moderation; unemotional or dispassionate.

Tamil Meaning : கட்டுப்படுத்தும்

Synonyms : discreet

Antonyms : extroverted

Example : “his restrained, gentlemanly voice”

12) Galvanised

Meaning : shock or excite (someone) into taking action(v).

Tamil Meaning : தூண்டியது

Synonyms : astonish

Antonyms : calm

Example : “the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action”

13) palpable

Meaning : able to be touched or felt.

Synonyms : conspicuous

Antonyms : ambiguous

Example : “the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose”

14) perspective

Meaning : a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view.

Tamil Meaning : முன்னோக்கு

Synonyms : aspect

Antonyms : perspectiveless

Example : “most guidebook history is written from the editor’s perspective”

15) imploding

Meaning : collapse or cause to collapse violently inwards.

Tamil Meaning : வெடிப்பை

Synonyms : fall down

Antonyms : explode

Example : “both the windows had imploded”

16) dimmed

Meaning : make or become less intense.

Synonyms : tarnish

Antonyms : explain

Example : “the difficulty in sleeping couldn’t dim her happiness”

17) reiterating

Meaning : say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity(v).

Synonyms : renew

Antonyms : recant

Example : “she reiterated that the government would remain steadfast in its support”

18) semblance

Meaning : the outward appearance or apparent form of something, especially when the reality is different.

Synonyms : pretense

Antonyms : reality

Example : “she tried to force her thoughts back into some semblance of order”

19) reboot

Meaning : (with reference to a computer system) boot or be booted again.

Tamil Meaning : மறுதொடக்கத்தை

Synonyms : reset

Example : “the new value will not be in force until you reboot the system”

20) aversion

Meaning : a strong dislike or disinclination.

Tamil Meaning : வெறுப்பு

Synonyms : animosity

Antonyms : rapport

Example : “they made plain their aversion to the use of force”

21) angst

Meaning : a feeling of deep anxiety or dread, typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general.

Tamil Meaning : மனக்கவலை

Synonyms : agony

Antonyms : calmness

Example : “the existential angst of the middle classes”

22) aspire

Meaning : direct one’s hopes or ambitions towards achieving something.

Synonyms : pursue

Antonyms : dislike

Example : “we never thought that we might aspire to those heights”

23) recognised

Meaning : acknowledge the existence, validity, or legality of(v).

Tamil Meaning : அங்கீகாரம்

Synonyms : admit

Antonyms : deny

Example : “the defence is recognized in British law”

24) humble

Meaning : having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s importance(adj).

Tamil Meaning : தாழ்மையான

Synonyms : courteous

Antonyms : brave

Example : “I felt very humble when meeting her”

25) distort

Meaning : pull or twist out of shape(v).

Tamil Meaning : சிதைத்து

Synonyms : alter

Antonyms : preserve

Example : “a grimace distorted her fine mouth”

26) amicable

Meaning : characterized by friendliness and absence of discord(adj).

Tamil Meaning : நட்பு

Synonyms : courteous

Antonyms : impolite

Example : “an amicable settlement of the dispute”

27) plaguing

Meaning : pester or harass (someone) continually(v).

Synonyms : beleaguer

Antonyms : help

Example : “he was plaguing her with questions”

28) disputes

Meaning : a disagreement or argument.

Tamil Meaning : மோதல்

Synonyms : bickering

Antonyms : agreement

Example : “a territorial dispute between the two countries”

29) intellectual

Meaning : relating to the intellect.(adj)

Tamil Meaning : அறிவுசார்

Synonyms : thoughtful

Antonyms : body

Example : “children need intellectual stimulation”

30) refrain

Meaning : stop oneself from doing something.

Tamil Meaning : விலகி

Synonyms : burden

Antonyms : silence

Example : “she refrained from comment”

31) imposed

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

Tamil Meaning : திணிக்கப்பட்ட

Synonyms : charge

Antonyms : disorder

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

32) tariff

Meaning : a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports(v).

Tamil Meaning : கட்டண

Synonyms : levy

Example : “the reduction of trade barriers and import tariffs”

33) concerns

Meaning : have a specific connection with or responsibility for.

Tamil Meaning : கவலைகள்

Synonyms : burden

Antonyms : pastime

Example : “those concerned in industry, academia, and government”

34) negotiations

Meaning : discussion aimed at reaching an agreement.

Tamil Meaning : பேச்சுவார்த்தை

Synonyms : arbitration

Antonyms : disagreement

Example : “a worldwide ban is currently under negotiation“

35) seismic

Meaning : relating to earthquakes or other vibrations of the earth and its crust.

Synonyms : basaltic

Antonyms : subtle

Example : “after a few days of seismic activity the volcanic eruption started”

36) emphasised

Meaning : give special importance or value to (something) in speaking or writing.

Tamil Meaning : வலியுறுத்தினார்

Synonyms : attention

Antonyms : ignorance

Example : “they emphasize the need for daily, one-to-one contact between parent and child”

37) probably

Meaning : almost certainly; as far as one knows or can tell.

Tamil Meaning : ஒருவேளை

Synonyms : doubtless

Antonyms : improbably

Example : “she would probably never see him again”

38) prompted

Meaning : (of an event or fact) cause or bring about (an action or feeling).

Tamil Meaning : தூண்டியது

Synonyms : arouse

Antonyms : depress

Example : “the violence prompted a wave of refugees to flee the country”

39) impact

Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.

Tamil Meaning : தாக்கம்

Synonyms : brunt

Antonyms : failure

Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”

40) truce

Meaning : an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing for a certain time(n).

Tamil Meaning : சமாதான

Synonyms : amnesty

Antonyms : continuation

Example : “the guerrillas called a three-day truce”

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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 3, 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 October 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

Canara Bank PO PGDBF Manipal Recruitment 2018 – 800 Vacancies

 

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