THE HINDU EDITORIAL: JANUARY 3, 2020

Dear Aspirants,

THE HINDU EDITORIAL – January 3, 2020 is one of the important sessions to read and to practice as english section is considered as the one which cannot be cracked. Break the Myth by preparing for the English Language section in various exams like SBI PO 2020, SBI Clerk 2020, IBPS PO 2020, IBPS CLERK 2020 and many others.

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 weak test: On Swachh ranking of cities

Swachh Survekshan should go beyond symbolism and adopt sustainability

The NDA government’s Swachh Survekshan, the ranking system for clean cities, was rolled out four years ago as the answer to a problem that municipal law failed to solve. Sanitation and public health are responsibilities of State governments, and it is no secret that they have spectacularly failed at managing growing volumes of municipal and hazardous waste. The problem has only been compounded by the absence of plans that take a holistic view of housing, sanitation, water supply, waste management and transport. Ahead of the launch of Swachh Survekshan 2020, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is once again trying to stir up competition among cities, by pre-ranking them for their performance during 2019 and assigning points to be added this year. As an idea, unleashing the competitive spirit among States may seem appealing, but in reality, the problems confronting urban India require large-scale infrastructure creation, full adherence to legal requirements on waste management, and transparent technical audits. Many cities remain clueless on handling their waste, one shocking example being the rising mountain of garbage at the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi. Ironically, Bhopal, which figures among the top five cleanest cities under the just-released list, continues to live with the effects of the gas disaster of 1984. Ranks and prizes clearly cannot solve the national waste management crisis.

Looking ahead to the next edition of the Survekshan, the Urban Affairs Ministry has identified ambitious targets: “100% processing and safe disposal of waste, complete faecal sludge and septage management, and wastewater treatment and reuse.” These are major tasks. The Ministry has also sanctioned funds under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) to help States set up facilities necessary to manage waste. States should ask for extended funding under such schemes to create the infrastructure for a future-focused clean-up and, simultaneously, institute measures to reduce waste. The emphasis worldwide is on creating a circular economy centred at the principle of material recovery from all kinds of waste, reuse, recycling and reduced pressure on natural resources. A sound ranking of cities and towns would naturally give the highest weightage to this dimension of sustainable management, replacing symbolism with an environmentally sound approach. Such rigour in policy formulation can make the Centre’s goal of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022 seem more realistic, and industry would find a compelling reason to switch to alternatives. Retooling Swachh Survekshan 2020 to go beyond perception management and adopt sustainability is essential to make it a genuine contest.

VOCABULARY

1.rolled out

Meaning: to make a new product, service, or system available for the first time
Synonyms:Introduce
Antonyms: Decline, Decrease
Example Sentence: A media campaign is expected to roll out early next year.

hazardous

Meaning: risky; dangerous.
Tamil Meaning:அபாயகரமான / இடர்விளையக்கூடிய
Synonyms: Risky/Perilious
Antonyms: Certain, Definite, Secure
Example Sentence: “we work in hazardous conditions”

compounded

Meaning: make up (a composite whole); constitute/ mix or combine (ingredients or constituents).
Tamil Meaning: கூட்டு
Synonyms: Amalgamate, Associate , Blend
Antonyms: Disconnect, Divide, Unmix
Example Sentence: “a dialect compounded of Spanish and Dutch”

4.holistic

Meaning: characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole / dealing with or treating the whole of something or someone and not just a part
Tamil Meaning:முழுமையான
Synonyms: comprehensive , Integrated
Example Sentence: This more holistic approach is supposedly reflected in the importance now accorded to social and psychological aspects of the disabling process.

5.stir up

Meaning: to cause an unpleasant emotion or problem to begin or grow
Tamil Meaning:கிளறவும்
Synonyms:Agitate, Provoke, Encourage
Antonyms: Block, Calm
Example Sentence:The teacher told him to stop stirring up trouble

Unleashing

Meaning: cause (a strong or violent force) to be released or become unrestrained.
Tamil Meaning: கட்டவிழ்த்துவிடுதல்
Synonyms: Discharge , Free
Antonyms: Hold, Keep, Restrain
Example Sentence: “the failure of the talks could unleash more fighting”

7.appealing

Meaning: attractive or interesting /
Tamil Meaning: முறையீடு
Synonyms: Engaging, Entreating
Antonyms: Repulsive
Example Sentence:“village life is somehow more appealing”

8.confronting

Meaning: come face to face with (someone) with hostile or argumentative intent / (of a problem or difficulty) present itself to (someone) so that action must be taken.
Tamil Meaning:எதிர்படு
Synonyms: Encountering
Example Sentence:“the new government was confronted with many profound difficulties”

9.adherence

Meaning: attachment or commitment to a person, cause, or belief / the quality or process of sticking fast to an object or surface.
Tamil Meaning:பின்பற்றுவது
Synonyms:Attachment , Loyalty
Antonyms: unsteadiness, Disloyalty
Example Sentence: “a strict adherence to etiquette.

Audits

Meaning: an official inspection of an organization’s accounts, typically by an independent body / a systematic review or assessment of something.
Tamil Meaning:தணிக்கை செய்
Synonyms: Analysis , Check
Example Sentence:“audits can’t be expected to detect every fraud”

Crisis

Meaning: A time of intense difficulty or danger.
Tamil Meaning: நெருக்கடி
Synonyms: Pressure
Antonyms: Breakthrough
Example Sentence: The current economic crisis

Septage

Meaning: excrement and other waste material contained in or removed from a septic tank.

Rejuvenation

Meaning: the action or process of making someone or something look or feel better, younger, or more vital.
Tamil Meaning: செடிகளை
Synonyms: Renewal
Antonyms: Destruction
Example Sentence: Plans for the rejuvenation of the area

Emphasis

Meaning: Special importance, value, or prominence given to something
Tamil Meaning: வலியுறுத்தல்
Synonyms: Attention
Antonyms: Ignorance
Example Sentence: They placed great emphasis on the individual’s freedom

Rigour

Meaning: The quality of being extremely thorough and careful.
Tamil Meaning: கடுமையில்
Example Sentence: His analysis is lacking in rigour

Eliminating

Meaning: Leading to exclusion from consideration or further participation.
Tamil Meaning: நீக்குவது
Synonyms: Cancel
Antonyms: Add
Example Sentence: Teams who had fought their way through the eliminating rounds

Perception

Meaning: The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
Tamil Meaning: புலனுணர்வு
Synonyms: Approach
Antonyms: Concrete
Example Sentence: The normal limits to human perception