THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 21, 2019
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THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 21, 2019
Dear Banking Aspirants,
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – January 21, 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.
A) Clear the air: on Rafale deal
The fog of doubt over the Rafale deal can be lifted only with greater transparency
That troubling questions about the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets will persist despite a clean chit of sorts from the Supreme Court, was demonstrated compellingly last week following The Hindu’s detailed investigation into the deal. It showed that in comparison to the bid under the UPA there was an overall escalation in the price of each jet in the 2016 deal struck by the Modi government, because the price of 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISEs), essentially upgrades that were sought on the bare-bones aircraft, was spread over 36 jets as opposed to the original 126. Significantly, as The Hindu’s investigation revealed, three Defence Ministry officials in the seven-member Indian Negotiating Team objected to the €1.3 billion assigned to ISEs; it was eventually approved by a narrow 4-3 majority on the ground that ISEs are a non-recurring cost. But this raises an obvious and perplexing question: since they are a non-recurring cost, why did the government drop, or fail to secure, the follow-on provision, which would have given India the option to purchase more Rafales, and reduce the per-aircraft price by spreading the design and development costs involved in the upgrades? After all, the follow-on clause was a part of the deal under negotiation under the UPA government. The import of the question assumes an altogether different dimension given that the Air Force, with an old and depleting fleet, has required — and for some two decades now — far greater numbers of Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) like the Rafale. Last year, the government issued a Request for Information for 110 fighters, of which about 15% will be acquired in a flyaway condition and the remainder manufactured under the strategic partnership route. With the same manufacturers back in the bidding fray, we are in a way back to where we were — in other words, to a place that casts doubts on the vigour of India’s long-term planning when it comes to defence preparedness.
Owing to a mix of investigation, statements and government leaks, much of the information about the pricing, the acquisition process and the ISEs are already in the public domain. It is nobody’s case that information that could impact the aircraft’s operational capability or jeopardise national security should be shared, but the government has been less than willing to come forward to address the issue of pricing. Instead it has been taking cover, unconvincingly, under the secrecy clause in the general security agreement signed between India and France in 2008. Given the fog of doubt over a number of issues, it is unclear why it doesn’t adopt a more accommodating posture by arranging private briefings for Opposition leaders and permitting a JPC to examine the deal. Without this, the general presumption will be that it has something to hide.
B) Unity and strength: on the Opposition rally
Opposition parties need a cohesive framework to be a viable alternative to the BJP
It is always easier to agree on the ends than on the means. Opposition parties that came together at the Kolkata rally hosted by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee had a commonality of purpose — defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party. But little else. To share a dais and hold hands is one thing; to share seats and work in tandem is quite another. Even so, for over 20 parties, big and small, some with overlapping support bases, to come together on one platform is in itself remarkable. It is the dominance of the BJP under Prime Minister Narendra Modi beginning with the 2014 Lok Sabha election that has forced these parties to yoke themselves together. Alliances that had seemed impossible just a year ago, such as those between the SP and the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, the TDP and the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, and the Congress and the JD(S) in Karnataka now have a settled look. The Trinamool and Ms. Banerjee have also shifted positions to move toward the formation of a national-level alternative to the BJP, giving up the idea of a federal front of regional parties opposed to both the Congress and the BJP. The federal front was essentially the brainchild of the TRS founder K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who could not countenance being part of a front that included his principal rival, the Congress. Ms. Banerjee, who seemed warm to the idea initially, was quick to realise such a formation would be unable to mount a serious challenge to the BJP. In terms of optics, the Kolkata rally was a show of strength for Ms. Banerjee. At the same time, it seems to have imparted a fresh impulse to the efforts to put together a viable, if not entirely cohesive, alternative to the BJP.
However, though all these parties are agreed on flushing out the BJP, there is still the issue of reaching agreements at the State level, and arriving at a consensus on a common manifesto of policies and programmes. The SP and the BSP have agreed on seat-sharing but have not accommodated the Congress; also, negotiations with another ally, the RLD, are yet to conclude. The Congress and the JD(S) are partners in government, but their vote banks overlap geographically. Seat-sharing is likely to be akin to navigating a minefield. There is also no telling how an alliance between the Congress and the TDP, bitter rivals hitherto, will work on the ground. Besides, the support bases of these parties are varied socio-economically, and without a shared agenda for governance the political unity at the leadership level might be difficult to sustain. Therefore, it was perhaps no surprise that the rally avoided the contentious issue of naming a prime ministerial candidate, leaving the issue to be decided after the election. The Opposition parties may have made a good start, but there is much they need to settle among themselves to mount a serious challenge in 2019.
VOCABULARY
1) persist
Meaning : continue in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
Tamil Meaning : தொடர்ந்து
Synonyms : continue
Antonyms : cease
Example : “the minority of drivers who persist in drinking”
2) despite
Meaning : without being affected by; in spite of.
Tamil Meaning : போதிலும்
Synonyms : against
Antonyms : exalt
Example : “he remains a great leader despite age and infirmity”
3) sorts
Meaning : a category of things or people with a common feature; a type(n).
Tamil Meaning : வகையான
Synonyms : character
Antonyms : individual
Example : “if only we knew the sort of people she was mixing with”
4) escalation
Meaning : a rapid increase; a rise(n).
Synonyms : growth
Antonyms : decrease
Example : “cost escalations”
5) sought
Meaning : attempt to find (something)(v).
Tamil Meaning : முயன்று
Synonyms : desired
Example : “they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
6) revealed
Meaning : make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.
Tamil Meaning : வெளிப்படுத்தினார்
Synonyms : concede
Antonyms : contradict
Example : “Brenda was forced to reveal Robbie’s whereabouts”
7) assigned
Meaning : allocate (a job or duty).
Synonyms : allow
Antonyms : deny
Example : “Congress had assigned the task to the agency”
8) recurring
Meaning : occurring again periodically or repeatedly.
Tamil Meaning : தொடர்ச்சியான
Synonyms : persist
Antonyms : halt
Example : “gratitude is a recurring theme in the book”
9) perplexing
Meaning : completely baffling; very puzzling.
Tamil Meaning : குழப்பமான
Synonyms : confusing
Antonyms : clear
Example : “a perplexing problem”
10) depleting
Meaning : use up the supply or resources of.
Tamil Meaning : நீர்த்துப்போகச்
Synonyms : bankrupt
Antonyms : develop
Example : “reservoirs have been depleted by years of drought”
11) bidding
Meaning : the offering of particular prices for something, especially at an auction.
Synonyms : behest
Antonyms : answer
Example : “other companies in the bidding include General Electric”
12) acquisition
Meaning : an asset or object bought or obtained, typically by a library or museum.
Tamil Meaning : கையகப்படுத்தல்
Synonyms : purchase
Antonyms : loss
Example : “the legacy will be used for new acquisitions”
13) impact
Meaning : the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.
Tamil Meaning : தாக்கம்
Synonyms : shock
Antonyms : loss
Example : “there was the sound of a third impact”
14) Instead
Meaning : as an alternative or substitute.
Tamil Meaning : மாறாக
Synonyms : rather
Antonyms : unmitigated
Example : “do not use lotions, but put on a clean dressing instead”
15) accommodating
Meaning : willing to fit in with someone’s wishes or needs.
Synonyms : considerate
Antonyms : greedy
Example : “we always found the our local branch most accommodating”
16) posture
Meaning : the position in which someone holds their body when standing or sitting.
Tamil Meaning : காட்டி
Synonyms : aspect
Antonyms : absence
Example : “I got out of the car in an alert posture”
17) presumption
Meaning : an idea that is taken to be true on the basis of probability.
Tamil Meaning : புலப்படுகிறது
Synonyms : premise
Antonyms : knowledge
Example : “underlying presumptions about human nature”
18) hosted
Meaning : act as host at (an event) or for (a television or radio programme).
Tamil Meaning : வழங்கினார்
Synonyms : present
Example : “Canada was asked to host a Commonwealth conference in Ottawa”
19) dominance
Meaning : power and influence over others.
Tamil Meaning : ஆதிக்கத்தை
Synonyms : power
Antonyms : impotence
Example : “the worldwide dominance of Hollywood”
20) Alliances
Meaning : a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations.
Tamil Meaning : கூட்டணிகள்
Synonyms : betrothal
Antonyms : detachment
Example : “a defensive alliance between Australia and New Zealand”
21) alternative
Meaning : (of one or more things) available as another possibility or choice.
Tamil Meaning : மாற்று
Synonyms : different
Antonyms : obligation
Example : “the various alternative methods for resolving disputes”
22) essentially
Meaning : used to emphasize the basic, fundamental, or intrinsic nature of a person or thing.
Tamil Meaning : அடிப்படையில்
Synonyms : originally
Antonyms : doubtfully
Example : “essentially, they are amateurs”
23) countenance
Meaning : a person’s face or facial expression.
Synonyms : mien
Antonyms : forbid
Example : “his impenetrable eyes and inscrutable countenance give little away”
24) rival
Meaning : a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.
Tamil Meaning : போட்டி
Synonyms : competing
Antonyms : assisting
Example : “he has no serious rival for the job”
25) realise
Meaning : become fully aware of (something) as a fact; understand clearly.
Synonyms : grasp
Antonyms : disbelieve
Example : “he realized his mistake at once”
26) imparted
Meaning : make (information) known.
Tamil Meaning : அளித்தன
Synonyms : convey
Antonyms : withhold
Example : “the teachers imparted a great deal of knowledge to their pupils”
27) impulse
Meaning : a sudden strong and unreflective urge or desire to act.
Synonyms : desire
Antonyms : concrete
Example : “I had an almost irresistible impulse to giggle”
28) viable
Meaning : capable of working successfully; feasible.
Tamil Meaning : சாத்தியமான
Synonyms : applicable
Antonyms : unfeasible
Example : “the proposed investment was economically viable”
29) cohesive
Meaning : characterized by or causing cohesion.
Synonyms : united
Antonyms : detached
Example : “each parish was formerly a cohesive unit”
30) manifesto
Meaning : a public declaration of policy and aims, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate.
Tamil Meaning : அறிக்கை
Synonyms : notice
Example : “he may fudge key issues in the Labour manifesto”
31) accommodated
Meaning : (of a building or other area) provide lodging or sufficient space for.
Tamil Meaning : அனுசரித்து
Synonyms : contain
Antonyms : reject
Example : “the cottages accommodate up to six people”
32) conclude
Meaning : bring or come to an end.
Tamil Meaning : முடிவுக்கு
Synonyms : achieve
Antonyms : begin
Example :”they conclude their study with these words”
33) navigating
Meaning : plan and direct the course of a ship, aircraft, or other form of transport, especially by using instruments or maps.
Synonyms : cruise
Antonyms : neglect
Example : “they navigated by the stars”
34) overlap
Meaning : extend over so as to cover partly.
Synonyms : imbricate
Antonyms : divide
Example : “the canopy overlaps the house roof at one end”
35) akin
Meaning : of similar character.
Synonyms : analogous
Antonyms : unalike
Example : “something akin to gratitude overwhelmed her”
36) rivals
Meaning : a person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity.
Synonyms : competition
Antonyms : helper
Example : “he has no serious rival for the job”
37) Besides
Meaning : in addition to; apart from.
Synonyms : likewise
Example : “I have no other family besides my parents”
38) contentious
Meaning : causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Tamil Meaning : சர்ச்சைக்குரிய
Synonyms : combative
Antonyms : agreeable
Example : “a contentious issue”
39) sustain
Meaning : strengthen or support physically or mentally.
Synonyms : assist
Antonyms : harm
Example : “this thought had sustained him throughout the years”
40) perhaps
Meaning : used to express uncertainty or possibility.
Synonyms : perchance
Antonyms : improbably
Example : “perhaps I should have been frank with him”
THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 19, 2019