The Hindu Editorial: May 6, 2019

Dear Aspirants,

THE HINDU EDITORIAL – May 6, 2018, is one of the must-read section for the competitive exams like SBI PO 2019, SBI CLERK 2019, LIC AAO 2019, FCI Prelims 2019 & CWC 2019 and other banking Exams. 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.

Surviving Fani: on Odisha government’s preparedness

The Odisha government has shown by example how to manage a natural disaster

Cyclone Fani has left a trail of destruction across a large part of coastal Odisha, but its management has emerged as a global example of how timely weather alerts, preparedness and informed public participation can dramatically reduce loss of life. The toll from the extremely severe cyclonic storm on May 3 stood, at last count, at 34 deaths. In terms of material losses, several districts were battered, houses flattened and electricity and telecommunications infrastructure destroyed, but the relatively low mortality shows a dramatic transformation from the loss of over 10,000 lives in 1999 when super cyclone 05B struck. Odisha then worked to upgrade its preparedness, which was tested when very severe cyclonic storm Phailin struck in 2013. It was able to bring down the number of deaths to 44 then, in spite of a wide arc of destruction: 13 million people were hit and half a million houses destroyed. The Odisha government and the Centre now have the task of rebuilding infrastructure. They should use the opportunity to upgrade technology, achieve cost efficiencies and build resilience to extreme weather, all of which can minimise future losses. Given the vulnerability of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to cyclones, the frequency and intensity of which may be influenced by a changing climate, the Centre should press for global environmental funding under the UN framework to help in the rebuilding. Both States have received funding from the World Bank in cyclone risk mitigation efforts since 2011.

The priority in Odisha is to restore electricity and telecommunications, which will require massive manpower. This should be treated as a national mission. Public health interventions are paramount to avoid disease outbreaks. The State government has been able to restore some physical movement by opening up highways and district roads; the Centre has relieved tension among students by postponing the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test in Odisha. Overall, there is a sense of relief that in the midst of a national election the toll was effectively contained. Looking ahead, India must prepare for many more intense and frequent cyclones along the coastal States. Preparedness has to focus on building resilience and strengthening adaptation. This can be achieved through better-designed houses and cyclone shelters, good early warning systems, periodic drills and financial risk reduction through insurance. Early weather warnings hold the key to better management, and during the Fani episode the India Meteorological Department played a crucial role. Its commendable performance has been recognised by the UN as well. Odisha’s experience, which coincides with similar devastation along east Africa this year, will be keenly followed at the UN Disaster Risk Reduction conference convening on May 13 in Geneva.

VOCABULARY

trail

Meaning: a mark or a series of signs or objects left behind by the passage of someone or something.

Tamil Meaning: பாதை/ அடிச்சுவடு

Synonyms: series, stream, string, line, chain, row

Example Sentence: “a trail of blood on the grass”

Destruction

Meaning: the action or process of causing so much damage to something that it no longer exists or cannot be repaired.

Synonyms: Demolition, knocking down, pulling down, tearing down

Antonyms: Creation, Construction

Example Sentence: “the destruction of the rainforest”

Emerged

Meaning: move out of or away from something and become visible.

Tamil Meaning: வெளிப்பட்டது / வெளிப்பாடு

Synonyms: come out, appear, come into view, become visible

Antonyms: disappear

Example Sentence: “black ravens emerged from the fog”

Reduce

Meaning: make smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.

Tamil Meaning: குறைக்க

Synonyms: Lessen, make less, make smaller, lower, bring down

Antonyms: increase, enlarge, put up

Example Sentence: “the need for businesses to reduce costs”

Toll

Meaning: the number of deaths or casualties arising from a natural disaster, conflict, accident, etc.

Tamil Meaning: எண்ணிக்கை

Synonyms: number, count, tally, total, running total, sum total

Example Sentence: “the toll of dead and injured mounted”

Battered

Meaning: injured by repeated blows or punishment.

Tamil Meaning: அடிக்கப்பட்டு

Synonyms: Beaten, assaulted, thrashed, hit

Antonyms: Aid, Assist, Create, Build

Example Sentence: “He finished the day battered and bruised”

Mortality

Meaning: the state of being subject to death.

Tamil Meaning: இறந்தவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை / இறப்பு விகிதம்

Synonyms: Impermanence, temporality, transience, ephemerality, impermanency, perishability; humanity; corporeality, earthliness Antonyms: Immortality

Example Sentence: “the work is increasingly haunted by thoughts of mortality”

Resilience

Meaning: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness / the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.

Tamil Meaning: விரிதிறன் / எதிர்த்தெறிதல்

Synonyms: Flexibility, pliability, suppleness, plasticity

Antonyms: Rigidity, fragility, vulnerability, weakness

Example Sentence: “Nylon is excellent in wearability, abrasion resistance and resilience”

Vulnerability

Meaning: The quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

Tamil Meaning: பாதிப்பு

Synonyms: Susceptibility, Burden

Antonyms: Aid, Asset, Help

Example Sentence: “conservation authorities have realized the vulnerability of the local population”

Influenced

Meaning: the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions.

Tamil Meaning: தாக்கம்

Synonyms: affect, have an effect on, exert influence on; determine, guide

Antonyms: Kept. Non Guided.

Example Sentence: “government regulations can influence behaviour, but often without changing underlying values and motivations”

Mitigation

Meaning: the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.

Tamil Meaning: மட்டுப்படுத்தல்

Synonyms: alleviation, reduction, diminution, lessening

Antonyms: intensification

Example Sentence: “the identification and mitigation of pollution”

Paramount

Meaning: more important than anything else; supreme.

Tamil Meaning: தலையாய/ மிகஉயர்ந்த

Synonyms: most important, of greatest importance, of prime importance, of supreme importance; uppermost, supreme, chief, overriding, predominant, cardinal

Antonyms: Inferior, Unimportant, Least

Example Sentence: “the interests of the child are of paramount importance”