THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 30, 2019
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THE HINDU EDITORIAL : JANUARY 30, 2019
Dear Banking Aspirants,
THE HINDU EDITORIAL – January 29, 2018, is one of the must-read section for the competitive exams like NIACL AO Prelims Exam, IBPS SO Mains Exam. 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) Stress and strain: on Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka
In politically charged Karnataka, words gather the power to unsettle those in authority
No relationship is free of tense moments and conflicting emotions. But the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in Karnataka seems to have more than its share of stress and strain. The pressures on the post-poll tie-up are from multiple points: the Opposition BJP that believes it was robbed of its mandate, and is looking to win over some of the MLAs of the Congress to topple the government; Congress members, especially those owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who argue that the chief ministership should not have been handed over to the junior partner, the JD(S); and the leadership of the JD(S) that tries to assert itself within the alliance and expand the party’s base at the Congress’s expense. With the Lok Sabha election approaching, the stakes are high for all. The JD(S) wants to ensure it gets a good share of the seats as part of the alliance; the Congress realises it will have to concede ground to the JD(S) to keep the BJP out of the political turf, and the BJP knows the importance of being in power at the time of polls. After days of high drama, when the BJP and the Congress herded their MLAs in resorts to protect them from poaching, the pressure point on the government is from Siddaramaiah loyalists. Congress MLA S.T. Somashekar, on being appointed as the chairperson of the Bangalore Development Authority, claimed the city had not seen any development under the coalition government. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy promptly offered to quit if his style of functioning was found to be unacceptable, forcing a rattled Congress leadership to rush to make amends. While Mr. Siddaramaiah signalled to his supporters and the party leadership he was not manoeuvring to be Chief Minister again, Mr. Somashekar apologised after KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said he was at fault.
That a statement by one MLA can create such a storm speaks to the structural instability of the arrangement. The Congress and the JD(S) came together in a marriage of convenience; the JD(S) was allowed to head the government to prevent it from entering into a deal with the BJP. The only thing the Congress could offer the JD(S) that the BJP could not was the chief ministership. This was no gesture of magnanimity; only pragmatic deal-making. As negotiations on seat-sharing for the Lok Sabha polls begin, the strain is beginning to show. In these trying circumstances, the level of political discourse is also falling. While Union Minister Anantkumar Hegde made personal, derogatory comments about Mr. Rao, Mr. Siddaramaiah shouted at a party worker and grabbed the mike from her when she complained about the failure of officials to redress the grievances of her townspeople. In the surcharged atmosphere now, a remark is often enough of a spark to set off a ravaging fire.
B) Clearer TV: on TRAI’s order on broadcasting, cable services
New TRAI order provides for greater choice and transparency on pricing of channels
The tariff order on broadcasting and cable services issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is set to become effective on February 1, giving the consumer the option to pay only for those channels she wants to watch. Under the scheme, there is also a maximum price for pay channels declared by the broadcaster, which is reported to TRAI, bringing about greater transparency. Each channel will be available on an a la carte basis. The effect is that the consumer’s subscription cost on a base package of 100 standard definition television channels is fixed in the form of a network capacity fee. And even within this group, there is freedom to choose channels, with a provision for appropriate revision for any pay channels. This is a welcome departure from a regime where combinations of free and pay channels were decided by distributors and broadcasters as bouquets that did not reflect actual demand for individual channels. Efforts to introduce a la carte choice were thwarted by pricing individual channels almost as high as the bouquets they were part of. Bouquets are enabled in the new scheme, but with the stipulation that at least 85% of the total price of all channels that form part of a bouquet be charged, removing the incentive to distort prices. Distributors including cable and DTH platforms, and advertisers, should welcome the order, which strengthens price discovery and eliminates inflated claims of the subscriber base.
Television in the conventional sense has changed in the era of the Internet, with the emergence of new distribution possibilities. Many broadcasters, including popular news channels, provide their content free on platforms such as YouTube and through mobile phone applications, reaching global audiences. Global Over the Top (OTT) providers such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have opened a new front and are competing for viewers who get advertisement-free programming streamed on subscription. TRAI has made clear that since broadcast licensing does not apply to such new technology platforms, these do not come under price regulation. In the fast-changing competitive landscape of home entertainment, conventional TV must now compete on the strength of transparent pricing and better programming for subscription revenue growth and viewer time that attracts advertising. Industry data show that there are about 197 million homes in India with a TV set, and 100 million more homes without one represent scope for growth. This can be achieved through regulatory schemes that empower broadcasters and subscribers alike. TRAI has done well to put up a calculator on its website to help consumers calculate bills under the new regime before signing up for a package with the operator. The broadcast industry must welcome a new era that promises to remove distribution bottlenecks and empower consumers with choice.
VOCABULARY
1) conflicting
Meaning : incompatible or at variance; contradictory(adj).
Tamil Meaning : முரண்பட்ட
Synonyms : combat
Antonyms : truce
Example : “there are conflicting accounts of what occurred”
2) strain
Meaning : force (a part of one’s body or oneself) to make an unusually great effort(v).
Synonyms : injury
Antonyms : ease
Example : “I stopped and listened, straining my ears for any sound”
3) robbed
Meaning : take property unlawfully from (a person or place) by force or threat of force(v).
Synonyms : strip
Antonyms : cover
Example : “he tried, with three others, to rob a bank”
4) topple
Meaning : overbalance or cause to overbalance and fall.
Synonyms : overturn
Antonyms : increase
Example : “she toppled over when I touched her”
5) owing
Meaning : (of money) yet to be paid.
Synonyms : mature
Antonyms : paid
Example : “no rent was owing”
6) allegiance
Meaning : loyalty or commitment to a superior or to a group or cause(n).
Synonyms : deference
Antonyms : apathy
Example : “those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic”
7) assert
Meaning : state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully(v).
Tamil Meaning : வலியுறுத்தும்
Synonyms : argue
Antonyms : deny
Example : “the company asserts that the cuts will not affect development”
8) ensure
Meaning : make certain that (something) will occur or be the case(v).
Tamil Meaning : உறுதி
Synonyms : assure
Antonyms : endanger
Example : “the client must ensure that accurate records are kept”
9) concede
Meaning : admit or agree that something is true after first denying or resisting it.
Synonyms : accept
Antonyms : defend
Example : “I had to concede that I’d overreacted”
10) turf
Meaning : grass and the surface layer of earth held together by its roots.
Synonyms : sward
Example : “they walked across the springy turf”
11) herded
Meaning : (with reference to a group of people or animals) move in a group.
Synonyms : collect
Antonyms : disperse
Example : “they were herded into a bus”
12) poaching
Meaning : cook (an egg) without its shell in or over boiling water.
Synonyms : encroach
Antonyms : give
Example : “a breakfast of poached egg and grilled bacon”
13) claimed
Meaning : state or assert that something is the case, typically without providing evidence or proof.
Synonyms : assert
Antonyms : answer
Example : “the Prime Minister claimed that he was concerned about Third World debt”
14) promptly
Meaning : with little or no delay; immediately.
Tamil Meaning : உடனடியாக
Synonyms : instantly
Antonyms : slowly
Example : “he paid the fine promptly”
15) amends
Meaning : compensate or make up for a wrongdoing.
Tamil Meaning : பரிகாரம்
Synonyms : redress
Antonyms : penalty
Example : “try to make amends for the rude way you spoke to Lucy”
16) convenience
Meaning : the state of being able to proceed with something without difficulty.
Synonyms : appliance
Antonyms : damage
Example : “services should be run to suit the convenience of customers, not of staff
17) gesture
Meaning : a movement of part of the body, especially a hand or the head, to express an idea or meaning.
Synonyms : indication
Antonyms : speech
Example : “Alex made a gesture of apology”
18) pragmatic
Meaning : dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Synonyms : efficient
Antonyms : excited
Example : “a pragmatic approach to politics”
19) derogatory
Meaning : showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
Synonyms : defamatory
Antonyms : favorable
Example : “she tells me I’m fat and is always making derogatory remarks”
20) grabbed
Meaning : grasp or seize suddenly and roughly.
Synonyms : catch
Antonyms : give
Example : “she grabbed him by the shirt collar”
21) ravaging
Meaning : cause severe and extensive damage to.
Synonyms : consume
Antonyms : assist
Example : “the hurricane ravaged southern Florida”
22) appropriate
Meaning : suitable or proper in the circumstances.
Synonyms : opportune
Antonyms : improper
Example : “this isn’t the appropriate time or place”
23) thwarted
Meaning : prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.
Tamil Meaning : முறியடிக்கப்பட்டது
Synonyms : defeat
Antonyms : abet
Example : “he never did anything to thwart his father”
24) regime
Meaning : a government, especially an authoritarian one.
Synonyms : reign
Example : “ideological opponents of the regime”
25) grievances
Meaning : a real or imagined cause for complaint, especially unfair treatment.
Synonyms : objection
Antonyms : delight
Example : “a website which enabled staff to air their grievances”
26) stipulation
Meaning : a condition or requirement that is specified or demanded as part of an agreement.
Tamil Meaning : நிபந்தனை
Synonyms : obligation
Antonyms : implication
Example : “they donated their collection of prints with the stipulation that they never be publicly exhibited”
27) enabled
Meaning : adapted for use with the specified application or system.
Tamil Meaning : செயல்படுத்தப்பட்ட
Synonyms : facilitate
Antonyms : hinder
Example : “Bluetooth-enabled devices”
28) stipulation
Meaning : a condition or requirement that is specified or demanded as part of an agreement.
Synonyms : obligation
Antonyms : implication
Example : “they donated their collection of prints with the stipulation that they never be publicly exhibited”
29) inflated
Meaning : distended through being filled with air or gas.
Synonyms : magnified
Antonyms : shrunken
Example : “a partially inflated balloon”
30) conventional
Meaning : based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
Tamil Meaning : வழக்கமான
Synonyms : ordinary
Antonyms : unusual
Example : “a conventional morality had dictated behaviour”
31) competing
Meaning : striving against one another to gain or win something.
Synonyms : contend
Antonyms : agree
Example : “competing political ideologies”
32) streamed
Meaning : (of liquid, air, gas, etc.) run or flow in a continuous current in a specified direction.
Synonyms : torrent
Example : “she sat with tears streaming down her face”
33) conventional
Meaning : based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
Synonyms : current
Antonyms : irregular
Example : “a conventional morality had dictated behaviour”
34) compete
Meaning : strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.
Tamil Meaning : போட்டியிட
Synonyms : contest
Antonyms : agree
Example : “universities are competing for applicants”
35) empower
Meaning : give (someone) the authority or power to do something.
Tamil Meaning : அதிகாரம்
Synonyms : allow
Antonyms : deny
Example : “members are empowered to audit the accounts of limited companies”
36) achieved
Meaning : successfully bring about or reach (a desired objective or result) by effort, skill, or courage.
Synonyms : complete
Antonyms : depart
Example : “he achieved his ambition to become a press photographer”
37) eliminates
Meaning : completely remove or get rid of (something)(v).
Tamil Meaning : நீக்குகிறது
Synonyms : defeat
Antonyms : allow
Example : “a policy that would eliminate inflation”
38) declared
Meaning : openly or formally asserted or announced.
Tamil Meaning : அறிவித்தார்
Synonyms : stated
Example : “despite the company’s declared good intentions, some remained sceptical”
39) complained
Meaning : express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.
Synonyms : disagree
Antonyms : accept
Example : “local authorities complained that they lacked sufficient resources”
40) coalition
Meaning : a temporary alliance for combined action, especially of political parties forming a government.
Synonyms : affiliation
Antonyms : detachment
Example : “a coalition between Liberals and Conservatives”
