Tag: daily editorials

Title: Unnatural Disaster: Understanding the Wayanad Landslides

Introduction

Climate change can trigger unusual weather patterns, leading to natural disasters that might catch local responders off guard. The recent landslides in Wayanad, Kerala, on July 30, 2024, are a stark example of this. Although landslides are common during Kerala’s southwest monsoon, this particular disaster was notably severe.

Impact of the Landslides

Heavy rains precipitated multiple landslides, resulting in the deaths of 200 people and the destruction of several villages. Wayanad, a popular tourist destination, experienced extensive damage due to increased river flow and debris. The Chaliyar river’s heightened force and volume carried more sediment downstream, devastating the villages.

Contributing Factors

The Chaliyar river starts from a high altitude and flows rapidly downhill. This year, the river’s increased volume and force carried more debris to the villages, causing significant damage. Additionally, the 2020 rains had denuded the upstream areas of plant cover, making the region more fragile and vulnerable to landslides. The peculiarities of the region’s geography and climate make it susceptible to such disasters.

Historical Context and Risks

The areas of Idukki, Kottayam, Malappuram, and Wayanad have long been known for their landslide risks, a fact reflected in landslide risk maps. The recurrence of such disasters highlights the need for better preparedness. The monsoons now produce intense bursts of rain, which, combined with weakened ecosystems due to quarrying, construction, and monocropping, make the region more susceptible to landslides.

Challenges and Recommendations

The lack of advance warning and emergency preparedness exacerbates the issue. To mitigate future risks, Kerala must avoid new engineering projects in sensitive areas and focus on restoring lost vegetation. The feasibility of balancing development with environmental protection is crucial. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel’s recommendations aim to address these challenges, but Kerala must improve its approach to prevent the recurrence of such devastating events.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Precipitating	“Precipitating” generally means causing something to happen suddenly or quickly, often something undesirable or unexpected.	Causing Triggering Instigating Provoking	Preventing Delaying Impeding Inhibiting
Peculiarities	“Peculiarities” refers to the distinctive or unusual characteristics, traits, or behaviors that make something or someone different from the norm.	Quirks Oddities Eccentricities Distinctive	Normalities Commonalities Conformities Usual
Recurrence	“Recurrence” refers to the act of something happening or appearing again, often repeatedly or at intervals.	Repetition Return Reappearance Resurgence	Cessation End Discontinuation Termination
Fragile	“Fragile” means easily broken, damaged, or destroyed. It can refer to physical objects, as well as emotional states or situations that are delicate and require careful handling.	Delicate Brittle Breakable Vulnerable	Sturdy Robust Durable Resilient
Denuded	“Denuded” means stripped of its covering, surface layer, or essential elements, often leaving something exposed, bare, or vulnerable.	Bare Stripped Exposed Depleted	Covered Protected Shrouded Adorned
Feasibility	“Feasibility” refers to the practicality or possibility of something being accomplished or successfully implemented.	Practicability Viability Possibility Workability	Impossibility Unworkability Infeasibility Unattainability

Title: ​ Option or stratagem?: On Governors, powers and Bills

The manner in which some Governors have been dealing with legislation passed by the State legislatures is a travesty of the Constitution. After the Supreme Court of India intervened in the case of Punjab and raised questions about the action or inaction of Governors in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, it was believed that incumbents in Raj Bhavans would end their deliberate inaction on Bills passed by the Assemblies. However, it appears that on finding that their supposed discretion to sit indefinitely on the Bills or withhold assent to them has been significantly curtailed, Governors have taken to the stratagem of sending Bills they disapprove of to the President for consideration. When the President refuses assent, based on the advice of the Union government, there is no recourse left for the State legislatures. This has given rise to the question whether the provision for reservation of some Bills for the President’s consideration is being misused for subverting federalism. In other words, the Centre is given a contrived veto over State laws — something not envisaged in the Constitution. This is precisely the question that Kerala has raised in its writ petition before the Court, challenging the Governor’s action in sending the Bills to the President and the latter’s refusal of assent. It is now quite an appropriate time for the Court to adjudicate the question and place limitations on the use of the option given to Governors.

It is worth recalling that in the Punjab case, the Court ruled that Governors do not have a veto over Bills, and that whenever they withheld assent, they were bound to return the Bills to Assembly; and if the Assembly adopted the Bills, with or without amendments, they were bound to grant assent. In the case of Telangana, the Court observed that Governors were expected to act on Bills “as soon as possible”, underscoring that the phrase had significant constitutional content and that constitutional functionaries would have to bear this in mind. It is quite surprising that the Governors of West Bengal and Kerala have learnt nothing from these judgments and observations. Seven Bills from Kerala that may not normally require the President’s assent were sent up to Rashtrapati Bhavan; four were refused assent without any reason being assigned. The inaction on these Bills range from 23 to 10 months. West Bengal has also challenged the inaction on some Bills, a few of which may have been referred to the President. The issue transcends the political considerations that may have inspired the action or inaction on the part of the Governor. At its core, it concerns the question whether the Constitution permits such indirect central intervention in the legislative domain of the States.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Intervened	“Intervened” means to become involved in a situation in order to influence or alter the outcome. This can occur in various contexts, such as a person stepping into a conversation or dispute to help resolve it, a government or organization taking action in a conflict to try to bring about peace, or any scenario where someone or something steps in to change the course of events.	Interceded Mediated Interfered Stepped in	Ignored Avoided Withdrew Abstained
Stratagem	“Stratagem” refers to a carefully planned action or scheme designed to achieve a particular goal, often by deceiving or outmaneuvering an opponent.	Action Artifice Deception Intrigue	Frankness Honesty Honorin Activity
Subverting	“Subverting” means undermining or overthrowing something, typically an established system, institution, or authority. It involves actions intended to weaken or destabilize the existing order, often in a covert or deceptive manner.	Undermining Overthrowing Destabilizing Sabotaging	Supporting Upholding Strengthening Bolstering
Transcends	“Transcends” means to go beyond the limits of something, surpassing ordinary boundaries or limitations. It often refers to surpassing usual levels, exceeding typical experiences, or rising above conventional thinking or constraints.	Surpasses Exceeds Outshines Overcomes	Falls Short Fails Lags

Title: ​ Human failure: On IAS aspirants and the accident in Delhi

The tragic accident at an IAS coaching centre in New Delhi, where flooding led to three IAS aspirants dying, was a largely man-made, hence avoidable, disaster. Such incidents are an increasing feature of localised urban flooding in which human failures play a major role. Basements in buildings have limited access and often limited ventilation. Getting in and out can be a challenge and being trapped is a real possibility as the water will find its way there first. Special pumping arrangements would be required to mitigate flooding. In general, rules do not permit basements in buildings across the country to have habitation, while allowing storage, parking and utilities such as electric equipment and generators. Habitation would include offices and residents. Shops are sanctioned especially in malls or mixed-use buildings as they are seen as temporary habitation. A classroom or a study centre may well be considered habitation in such an interpretation of rules, which could mean classes or long hours of study should not be allowed in the basement. Building byelaws for Delhi (2016) consider the basement as a storage area but recognise mixed-use buildings that may use basements for other purposes. As India urbanises and land value and building value become increasingly expensive, it would be inevitable for buildings to be used for purposes other than mandated. In such mixed-use buildings, basements are also seen as income generators.

The Delhi Master Plan 2021 explicitly says that the use of a basement in coaching centres shall be subject to clearance from fire authorities and other statutory bodies as per the relevant laws. It is not known if the IAS coaching centre had the relevant permissions and if any changes made on basement use were notified to the authorities. In India, questions need to be asked whether a renewal of permits was done after inspections; users prefer not to notify the authorities since it causes hurdles and invites bribe demands. In what appears to be a case of poor civic infrastructure, a stormwater drain burst with the water entering the basement of the coaching centre. Big cities getting flooded has become routine and the flooding is as much due to natural topography as changes in land use and haphazard constructions. In 2015, for instance, in Chennai, flooding of basements damaged electric equipment in many buildings and disrupted businesses. It caused deaths in a hospital since the water damaged emergency power generators and lifesaving ICU equipment stopped functioning. Buildings can be made flood-resilient by ensuring that no water enters inside up to the one metre to 1.5 m level on the road. Concrete, non-porous compound walls, flood-barrier gates and non-return valves on plumbing lines can help achieve this resilience.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Mitigate	The term “mitigate” means to make something less severe, serious, or painful. It refers to the process of reducing the intensity or harmful effects of something.	Alleviate Reduce Lessen Diminish	Aggravate Intensify Worsen Exacerbate
Interpretation	The term “interpretation” refers to the act of explaining, understanding, or assigning meaning to something. It involves the process of making sense of information, data, or events and can vary based on individual perspectives or contexts.	Explanation Understanding Analysis Clarification	Misunderstanding Misinterpretation Confusion Obfuscation
Inevitable	The term “inevitable” means something that is certain to happen and cannot be avoided or prevented. It refers to events or outcomes that are bound to occur regardless of any actions taken to change or stop them. For example, aging is an inevitable part of life.	Unavoidable Inescapable Certain Sure	Avoidable Uncertain Preventable Contingent
Resilience	The term “resilience” refers to the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or setbacks. It denotes strength and adaptability in the face of adversity, enabling individuals, systems, or organizations to withstand and bounce back from challenges, stress, or change.	Toughness Adaptability Flexibility Endurance	Fragility Weakness Rigidity Inflexibility

Title: ​ Competitive federalism: On the NITI Aayog

With 10 State and Union Territory representatives skipping the ninth Governing Council meeting of the NITI Aayog chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — seven of them boycotted it — the think tank’s role has been called into question. The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand did so because of concerns with the perceived lack of allocations and projects to their States in the Union Budget. But the boycott and, later, the walkout by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, suggest that the role of the think tank, limiting itself to an advisory body to the Union Government, has led to disenchantment among States, even if the protests were limited to leaders belonging to the political opposition. Constituted by the NDA government in its first term, the NITI Aayog was to replace the Planning Commission, doing away with the “top-down” approach of the earlier body, and to focus on “cooperative federalism”. But by limiting itself to an advisory body without any powers of resource distribution or allocation to States and other bodies and focusing on creating indices to evaluate States, it has led to the unintended consequence of “competitive federalism”; while the Finance Ministry has unfettered powers to decide on grants to States. In contrast, the Planning Commission, which too had its detractors, at least allowed for consultations with States in such matters.

It has not helped matters that the Bharatiya Janata Party has sought to seek votes in State elections on the basis of providing “double engine” governments, leading to complaints by Opposition-ruled States that the Centre has favoured those ruled by the BJP for investment projects. The fact that the NDA government now is crucially dependent upon the support of parties that rule Bihar and Andhra Pradesh — States that suffer varying developmental deficits — and the express intention of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to address their demands specifically in the Budget have not been lost on the government’s detractors. Irrespective of the merit in this contention, the fact is that consultations with States on grants and projects have become limited after the end of the Planning Commission. While the 16th Finance Commission is tasked with the removal of a horizontal imbalance among States and the Finance Ministry’s focus is on macro-economic stability and the financial system, the need to address growth through infrastructure and capital investments in States is something that requires institutional backing at the Centre as well. The NITI Aayog must be re-envisioned to bring back some of the responsibilities that the Planning Commission had for States for a truer “cooperative federalism”.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Disenchantment	“Disenchantment” refers to the feeling of disappointment and loss of belief or enthusiasm that arises when something once considered wonderful or inspiring is seen as less impressive or magical.	Disillusionment Disappointment Disillusion Discontent	Enchantment Delight Enthusiasm Satisfaction
Detractors	“Detractors” are individuals or groups who criticize or speak negatively about someone or something. They often highlight flaws, mistakes, or shortcomings, sometimes with the intention of undermining or diminishing the reputation, credibility, or success of the subject in question.	Critics Opponents Adversaries Faultfinders	Supporters Advocates Proponents Allies

The broad national consensus on Israel in the U.S. is slowly breaking up

On the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) issued a new evacuation order, asking Palestinians to leave several neighbourhoods of the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, including areas that had earlier been designated as a humanitarian zone. When Mr. Netanyahu addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress in Washington on Wednesday, more than 39,000 Palestinians, a vast majority of them women and children, had already been killed in Gaza by the IDF in less than 10 months. At least 90,000 Palestinians have been wounded and nearly the entire population of the enclave has been displaced, some of them several times. Dozens of journalists have been killed. Private charities, UN aid workers, hospitals, ambulances, and even tent camps of the displaced have been bombed. Gaza, besieged by the IDF, does not have enough food, water, or medicines. The UN, which has repeatedly tried to draw the world’s attention to the suffering of Palestinians, now warns of epidemics. Two UN Security Council resolutions called for a ceasefire in Gaza. There have been two rulings from the International Court of Justice, which is hearing a case of genocide, against Israel’s conduct of the war. None of this seems to bother the U.S. lawmakers, who applauded Mr. Netanyahu throughout his speech.

Without the U.S.’s political and military support, Mr. Netanyahu’s government would not have been able to fight such a disastrous war, which was triggered by Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, in Israel, killing 1,200 people. More than 100 people taken hostage on October 7 are still in Hamas’s captivity, which Israel cites as the reason for the continuation of the war. But in the name of fighting Hamas, Israel has been punishing the entire Palestinian population in Gaza. Officials of the Biden administration have voiced concerns over civilian casualties. But besides the verbal protestations, Washington has done little to force Israel to act. Worse, the U.S. continues to provide military assistance to Israel. Yet, there are underlying tensions in the relationship. The protests in Washington while Mr. Netanyahu was speaking at Congress point to the growing public criticism of his war and America’s support for it. The welcome Mr. Netanyahu received at Congress shows that he has the support of the elites. But the protest on the streets and the dissenting voices even among lawmakers suggest that the national consensus on Israel is eroding in the U.S.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Evacuation	Evacuation is the process of moving people away from an area where they are in danger to a safer location.	Discharge Leave Move out Expel	Keep Stay Come in Hold
Disastrous	The word or phrase disastrous refers to (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin.	Catastrophe Collapse Tragedy Hazard	Benefits Attainment Joy Happiness
Consensus	Agreement in the judgment or opinion reached by a group as a whole.	Agreement Unison Concurrence Acceptance	Disagreement Conflict Opposition Discord

Title: Sporting extravaganza: On the Olympic Games Paris 2024

The quadrennial confluence of the world’s finest athletes, the Olympics, is beginning in Paris from Friday. The latest edition does not have the constricting environment that preceded ‘Tokyo 2020’, held in 2021 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, this arrives at a time of global churn. While Russia remains banned from the Games due to its war moves, Israel will be present despite some dissenting voices over the manner in which it has dealt with the Palestinian issue. Some individual Russians will compete under a neutral banner but the nation will miss team events. The Olympics, with its competitive spirit, will offer a level playing field featuring countries like the United States and China at one end and an island-country like Fiji at the other. Being part of the event bequeaths the title Olympian to athletes fortunate to qualify for this big bash, and winning a medal only further enhances that halo. Paris, and France at large, will be tested over the next fortnight as the Olympics, even if it vests the host with soft power, often affects the economy; indeed, there was some resistance emanating from the banks of the Seine.

The U.S., China, Japan, Great Britain, Australia, Germany and France are the behemoths chasing glory. However, the Games is also about the lone athlete dishing out magic and garnering attention, as Usain Bolt did in the past. Veteran Rafael Nadal and the latest tennis prince, Carlos Alcaraz, getting excited to represent Spain in tennis is another glimpse of the eternal allure of the Olympics. That the Games has even incorporated breakdancing is a pointer to the entertainment industry finding a larger imprint while lines between sport and art constantly blur. With 204 countries, including India, besides neutral athletes and a refugee team, jostling for a place on the victor’s podium, the Olympics provides a space for smaller units to carve a niche and stun bigger opponents. Morocco defeating Argentina in a tempestuous football game has already added zest to the Games. Above all, the Olympics grants hope and redemption, and for a strife-ridden country like Afghanistan, the event also serves as a diversion. The 1972 Munich edition marred by a terror strike on the Israeli contingent remains a harrowing memory and in a world on the boil, security will be a concern for the organising committee. That some members of the Australian women’s water polo squad tested positive for COVID-19 is also a reality check while all eyes are on Paris.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Dissenting	The term “dissenting” generally refers to expressing or holding opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held. In a legal or official context, it often describes a judge or official who disagrees with the majority opinion in a decision, such as a “dissenting opinion” in a court ruling	Disagreeing Opposing Contradicting Conflicting	Agreeing Conforming Assenting Consenting
Bequeaths	The term “bequeaths” means to leave or give (personal property or money) by a will. It can also mean to pass something on or leave something to someone else, typically in the context of inheritance.	Wills Leaves Bestows Endows	Receives Inherits Retains Keeps
Tempestuous	The term “tempestuous” means characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotions. It can also describe something that is stormy or turbulent in a literal sense, such as weather.	Stormy Turbulent Tumultuous Wild	Calm Peaceful Serene Tranquil

Title: ​ Not in order: On the Kanwar Yatra and directive on display of names

The Supreme Court of India on Monday stopped the enforcement of directivesissued by the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments that required food stalls on the route of the Kanwar Yatra — an increasingly popular pilgrimage that Shiva devotees undertake — to prominently exhibit the names and other identity details of their owners and employees. Petitioners argued that the directives would result in discriminatory outcomes, besides negating the secular character of the country. The Court accepted the need for urgent judicial intervention in the matter and issued notices to the States that fall in the route — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. The case will come up for hearing again on Friday. The yatra takes place during the Hindu month of Shravan when those who worship Shiva — popularly known as Kanwariyas or Bhole — walk hundreds of kilometres carrying pots of Ganga jal, known as kanwar (a structure made of bamboo that has containers suspended on both sides of a pole), to the temples in their home town. The yatra is increasingly popular, particularly among the Dalit and Other Backward Classes in the Hindi heartland. The police in Muzaffarnagar, western U.P., were the first to issue the controversial directive last week, which they said was done to ‘prevent any untoward incident’.

The discriminatory nature of this move became clear soon, and was criticised by the Opposition and National Democratic Alliance allies. Amid the criticism, U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath extended the requirement across the entire route of the pilgrimage in the State. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in neighbouring Uttarakhand followed suit. Reports emerged of Hindu hotel owners being asked by the administration to remove their Muslim workers; there were also accounts of harassment of meat shop owners. BJP allies, the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the Janata Dal (United), joined the Opposition Congress and the Samajwadi Party in calling out the brazenly communal move of the BJP governments. Many pilgrimages in India are undertaken and organised jointly by people of different faiths, and as it turns out, there are Muslims too who trek with Hindus to take part in this unique form of Shiva worship. All along the route, they have, for years, been served by Muslim shop owners and even volunteers. Muslim artisans make a living by making the kanwar in some parts. The economic, cultural and social aspects of the Kanwar Yatra — as with any other pilgrimage — are shared by people of various sects and religions. The government directive was unreasonable and achieved nothing other than promoting communal enmity. U.P. and Uttarakhand should withdraw their directives without waiting for the decision of the Court.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Intervention	“Intervention” generally refers to the act of becoming involved in a situation to influence its outcome.	Interference Meddling Intercession Involvement	Non-interference Neutrality Inaction Indifference
Discriminatory	Discriminatory refers to actions, behaviors, or attitudes that involve unfair treatment or bias towards individuals or groups based on their characteristics	Biased Prejudiced Bigoted Racist	Inclusive Fair Impartial Unbiased
Brazenly	Brazenly means acting or behaving in a bold, impudent, and shameless manner, often with no regard for social norms, conventions, or consequences.	Boldly Audaciously Shamelessly Impudently	Timidly Bashfully Sheepishly Apologetically

Title: ​ Shuffling the deck: On the Union Budget 2024-25

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s first Budget of the BJP-led NDA government’s third consecutive term in power is a distinct attempt to tell India’s voters that it has heard the angst-ridden message from the country’s unemployed youth loud and clear. With the BJP having suffered reverses in the general election in the face of a concerted Opposition campaign that spotlighted issues agitating young voters such as a palpable lack of jobs, the Minister was keen to redress matters ahead of the slew of State elections later this year. Asserting that the women, youth and farmers were the four ‘castes’ that this government was focused on serving, Ms. Sitharaman stressed that this year’s Budget laid particular emphasis on “employment, skilling, MSMEs, and the middle class”. As a part of this effort, a package of five schemes and initiatives have been proposed with a view to facilitating employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a five-year period with a central outlay of ₹2 lakh crore. The centrepiece is a scheme to provide a month’s wage as subsidy to all persons newly entering the workforce in a formal sector job, which would entail the employer registering the employee at the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The direct benefit transfer of one-month salary, subject to a cap of ₹15,000, would be made in three instalments to first-time employees. The key caveat is that the employer would have to refund the subsidy if the first-timer’s employment ended within 12 months of hiring. Other schemes are an incentive support for job creation in the manufacturing sector, one offering direct support to employers who boost the number of jobs registered with the EPFO, and another, a skilling programme in concert with States, and the private sector that leverages the existing network of ITIs to boost the employability of the youth. The fifth in this quiver of schemes, predictably credited as being under the aegis of the Prime Minister, is an interesting move to facilitate internship opportunities to the youth in 500 top companies. The scheme, which appears to mirror a similar proposal contained in the Congress manifesto, entails the interns being paid a monthly allowance of ₹5,000 and a one-time assistance of ₹6,000, with the participating corporates expected to bear the training cost for the 12-month period as well as 10% of the internship allowance from CSR funds. Targeted at unemployed persons aged between 21 and 24 who are not engaged in full-time education at the time of applying, the Minister said this scheme would, over a five-year period, potentially provide one crore youth with a chance to gain exposure to a real-life business environment and varied professions. All these schemes will, however, need to be weighed against the backdrop of the fact that India needs to, on average, generate 78.5 lakh non-farm jobs annually until 2030, as the Chief Economic Adviser highlighted in his Economic Survey, largely to absorb the workforce exiting agriculture.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Agitating	“Agitating” means to stir up or excite emotions, feelings, or thoughts in others, often with the intention of causing action or protest. It can also refer to physically stirring or shaking something.	Provoking Inciting Stirring Rousing	Calming Pacifying Soothing Tranquilizing
Asserting	“Asserting” means to state or declare something confidently and forcefully. It can also mean to insist on one’s rights or to make a claim to something	Declaring Stating Affirming Claiming	Denying Refuting Disavowing Rejecting
Caveat	“Caveat” is a noun that means a warning or caution about specific conditions or limitations. It is often used to advise someone to be mindful of potential risks or to consider certain factors before making a decision.	Warning Caution Admonition Notice	Assurance Guarantee Certainty Confirmation

Title: ​ Democratic departure: On Joe Biden bowing out of the presidential race

With less than four months to go before the 2024 U.S. election and less than one month ahead of the Democratic Party’s Convention, incumbent and expected nominee of his party, President Joe Biden (81), has quit the race and in doing so has endorsed his running mate, Vice-President Kamala Harris, for the presidential ticket. Mr. Biden’s exit comes after months of Democrats calling for him to step down after public gaffes and fumbles, thought to be linked to his age. His withdrawal caught many, including some within the Democratic Party, off-guard, given that his campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, had said, “He’s not going anywhere.” This resolute stance is said to have baffled senior party lawmakers, who, especially after Mr. Biden’s disastrous performance when he went toe-to-toe with Republican rival and former President Donald Trump, are said to have privately conveyed to the President that he ought to make way for a stronger candidate if the Democrats were to have a reasonable chance in the polls.

While the final tally of delegates at the Democratic Convention will determine which candidate ultimately wins the party’s nomination for the election, the odds look increasingly strong for Ms. Harris to make history as the U.S.’s first ever Indian-origin and person(woman)-of-colour nominee for President, and the second woman, following Hillary Clinton’s run against Mr. Trump in 2016. In terms of the factors favouring Ms. Harris, she is anyway next in line under the U.S. Constitution in terms of official succession; and she would likely gain access to close to $100 million in campaign funds. On the flip side, she is a relatively less known figure nationally, and Republicans have been quick to label her the custodian of left-wing political values, such as her espousal of reproductive freedom in the face of the Supreme Court ruling against the constitutional right to abortion. Further, surveys suggest that public opinion places her approval at roughly the same level as Mr. Biden’s and that would put her a few rungs below Mr. Trump. Nevertheless, the expected response from the Democratic quarter — if they wish to avoid the risky scenario of factional infighting at the Convention — would be for them to unite around Ms. Harris and her running mate — frontrunners include Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Even in this best-case scenario for Democrats, the Republicans under Mr. Trump appear to be on a far firmer footing to win over independent voters in swing States, the key to overall victory in any U.S. presidential election.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Incumbent	“Incumbent” is a term used to refer to the current holder of a specific office or position, especially in a political context. For example, an incumbent president is the person currently holding the office of the president.	Current Present In-office Reigning	Former Previous Past Retired
Espousal	“Espousal” refers to the act of adopting or supporting a cause, belief, or way of life. It can also mean the act of marriage or engagement. In a broader sense, it signifies a strong commitment to a particular idea or practice.	Adoption Support Advocacy Embrace	Rejection Opposition Disavowal Renunciation
Firmer	“Firmer” is the comparative form of “firm,” meaning more solid, secure, or steadfast. It can describe something that is more physically stable or strong, or it can refer to a more resolute or determined stance or attitude.	Stronger Solid Sturdier Secure	Weaker Less Solid Unstable Insecure

Title: ​Shock-proof state: On an outage and a democratic digital infrastructure

A bright light fell on the extent of the world’s dependence on information technologies when on July 19, supermarkets, banks, hospitals, airports, and many other services in between suffered a simultaneous blackout after a common software solution they used glitched. Between then and the time at which the solution’s developers rolled out a fix, news of the problem and the resulting downtime spread around the world through the same networks that have been erected to facilitate communications between these systems. Technological advancements are inevitable and desirable, but the concurrent responsibility to set up failsafes and emergency protocols is often less glamorous. These gaps are exacerbated in societies where the adoption of new technologies is concentrated in sectors competing in the global market and in piecemeal fashion vis-à-vis services provided in local markets. Thus, for example, the glitch may have caused an airline operator to suffer greater monetary losses but it would have been more debilitating for cardiac facilities at a tertiary care centre, or a computer trying to access a thermal power facility during peak demand.

Such glitches are more common than people realise thanks to otherwise trivial process- or business-level failures. The focus must instead be on the network interconnections that allow these technologies to be useful and the implementation of life-saving redundancies. Unfortunately, unlike most other technological enterprises, information technologies are yet to develop a mature self-awareness of their pansocial character and the impetus to adjust for this rudiment lies with the state. This requires a ‘Digital India’ push that is cognisant of software solutions’ relationship with digital privacy and data sovereignty, layered over the challenges that income inequality and political marginalisation impose on communities navigating more socially interconnected settings. For example, public distrust in electronic voting machines, stoked by an incomplete understanding of software security among the political class, the judiciary, and civil society, could have been restored with open-source software and modes of integrity testing that violate neither physical nor digital property rights. The July 19 outage offers a similar opportunity: to rejig the software that public sector institutions need to provide their essential services and to incorporate redundancies, including moving away from single-vendor policies, that preserve the links between these institutions and people engaged in informal economies in the event of a network-level outage. The state was previously duty-bound to develop democratic digital infrastructure. Now, cognisant of more powerful interlinks among social, economic, and cultural realities, it is also duty-bound to ensure that this infrastructure is shock-proof.

Meaning of the word:

Word	Meaning	Synonyms	Antonyms
Inevitable	The word “inevitable” means something that is certain to happen and cannot be avoided or prevented. It often implies an outcome or event that is destined to occur due to existing conditions or natural laws.	Unavoidable Inescapable Certain Sure	Avoidable Preventable Unlikely Uncertain
Piecemeal	The word “piecemeal” means something done or made in a gradual or fragmented way, often in parts or stages rather than all at once. It refers to a process or approach that is divided into smaller, more manageable pieces rather than being tackled as a whole.	Gradual Fragmented Incremental Step-by-step	Whole Complete Entire Comprehensive
Pansocial	The term “pansocial” refers to something that is relevant to or involving all segments of society. It denotes a characteristic, activity, or phenomenon that affects or is shared by people across different social groups, classes, or communities. For instance, a pansocial issue is one that impacts everyone in society, regardless of their background or status.	Universal Inclusive Widespread All-encompassing	Exclusive Segregated Restricted Limited