English Group "Only Achievers"

2021-12-11 10:40:58 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 11th DECEMBER

Captaincy unlimited: On India's different cricket captains

It was an expected coronation but the manner in which it transpired seemed like an exercise in smoke and mirrors. Late on Wednesday evening, an email popped up in the inboxes of Indian cricket writers. It was a press release from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and almost its entire part was devoted to the naming of the Test squad under Virat Kohli, set for the tour of South Africa. But the breaking-news bit was reserved for the last line, which stated that Rohit Sharma would be the captain of the ODI and T20I teams. After Kohli relinquished the T20I captaincy, Rohit had already taken over the reins in the shortest format and it was a matter of time before he was given charge of the One Day International squad too. Split-captaincy involves one leader for Tests and another at the helm for white-ball cricket, both for ODIs and T20s. There are enough overseas examples — Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch; Joe Root and Eoin Morgan — and closer home there was the duality between M.S. Dhoni and Kohli before the latter led across formats. Kohli’s resignation from T20 leadership while still nursing his ambitions in ODIs, was never ideal. Rohit was left with the crumbs, Kohli refused to blink and the selectors wielded the axe while grace went missing.

Captaincy shifts usually favour the younger player but in the latest musical chairs between Kohli and Rohit, the Mumbaikar at 34, is a year older. With the willow, Kohli is a splendid batter but of late he has not scored as much and leadership does take a toll. In the past Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, the present coach, gave up captaincy to focus on their batting. Kohli will remain at the helm in Tests but with Rohit replacing Ajinkya Rahane as the Test vice-captain, perhaps there is a sign there too. India has had a splendid run in Tests but its inability to win ICC silverware, be it the Test Championship or limited-overs’ titles, remains an issue. Rohit and Dravid are expected to plug that gap. Next year the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in Australia, and in 2023 the conventional World Cup would return to India. For Rohit, who was not picked for the 2011 edition which Dhoni and Co., won, that omission still rankles. If results and his fitness do not desert him, Rohit could lead India in the 2023 edition. But first up in his leadership endeavour would be the three ODIs in South Africa after the Test series. As captain, Rohit was magnificent with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. He needs to replicate that success with India in the next few years.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------

1. Coronation (N)- an occasion when someone is chosen for an important job without having to win an election or other competition.

2. Smoke And Mirrors (N)- irrelevant or misleading information serving to obscure the truth of a situation.

3. Pop Up (Phrasal Verb)- appear or occur suddenly.

4. Relinquish (V)- to give up something, such as a responsibility or claim. त्याग कर दिया

5. At The Helm (Phrase)- in charge of an organization.

6. Musical Chairs (N)- a situation in which people frequently exchange jobs or positions.

7. Plug That Gap (Phrase)- provide something that is lacking in a particular situation.

8. Endeavour (N)- an attempt to achieve a goal. प्रयास

JOIN @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-12-09 10:57:51 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 9th DECEMBER

A measured response: On the Omicron threat

The threat posed by Omicron is tenuous and it will still be a few weeks before a comprehensive understanding of it emerges, but what is known unambiguously is that this latest variant of the coronavirus is extremely infectious. Nearly 50 countries now have reported its presence within their borders but insight into its effects is available only from South Africa. A preliminary analysis of patients in Tshwane district, in Gauteng Province of South Africa, which has been the global epicentre of the Omicron-led fourth wave, suggests that despite its infectiousness, Omicron is less deadly than other variants that have led the country’s previous three waves. When 166 new admissions were analysed, there were 10 deaths in the past two weeks, making up 6.6% of the 166 admissions. By comparison, the death rates in previous waves ranged from 17%-23%. The major caveat, as scientists who are part of the South African Medical Research Council point out, is that patterns could rapidly change in the next two weeks as it takes nearly a month for infection to reveal its worst-case outcome of death, and so the current data of two weeks are insufficient. Trends in hospitalisation too are encouraging, the scientists say.

Finally, the third piece is that an overwhelmingly large number of those needing intensive care were unvaccinated. Of 38 adults in the COVID wards, six were vaccinated, 24 were unvaccinated and eight had unknown vaccination status. Of nine patients with COVID pneumonia, eight are unvaccinated. Therefore, the prevalent wisdom that despite being highly infectious, vaccination — it is not clear if those in the wards were fully or partially vaccinated — significantly protected against disease and death. But vaccination trends in South Africa are not encouraging. Only about 30% of the country has had one dose and only 25% fully vaccinated. Reports have suggested that the South African government has actually had to delay vaccination because it claimed it had “too much stock”, underlining that problems of vaccine hesitancy or easy access for the greater part of the population was a challenge. As observed in previous waves, the first line of defence — or neutralising antibodies produced as a result of a prior infection or vaccination — was significantly reduced when confronted with the Beta or Delta variants. The same appears to be the case with Omicron, but the second line of defence, or cellular immunity, continues to be effective from the extant evidence. Hence, the lesson for the world continues to be that rather than focus on the novelty of Omicron, it is wiser to double up on efforts to completely vaccinate people and then, based on the evidence, consider booster or subsequent doses.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
------------------------------------------

1. Tenuous (Adj)- very weak or slight.

2. Comprehensive (Adj)- including or dealing with all or nearly all elements or aspects of something. व्यापक

3. Infectiousness (N)- the ability of a disease to be passed easily from one person to another, especially through air or water.

4. Caveat (N)- a warning to consider something before doing anything more. चेतावनी

5. Unambiguously (Adv)- in a way that makes completely clear what is meant. स्पष्ट रूप से

6. Novelty (N)- the quality of being new, original, or unusual. नवीनता

7. Subsequent (Adj)- coming after something in time; following. आगामी

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-12-06 07:30:29 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 6th DECEMBER

Boosters short: On third COVID-19 vaccination dose

On November 22, the Director-General, ICMR, said that there was no scientific evidence thus far to administer a booster vaccine dose to fully vaccinated people. The priority instead was to increase the percentage of people who are vaccinated with two doses. The Health Minister too said the priority was on fully vaccinating all adults than on booster shot immunisation though adequate vaccines were available. Even when there was growing clamour from a few States for booster doses once the new variant with higher transmissibility causing a huge surge in cases in South Africa became known, the Government has reiterated that any decision on booster doses will be based solely on scientific recommendations. Although over 65 million people in the U.S. are unvaccinated, on October 21, a booster shot was approved for all above 65 years and certain categories of young adults. It was later expanded to include all adults. Many countries in Europe too have approved booster shots, having based their decision at least partially on vaccine effectiveness data. Such evidence has become available in India only very recently. One study found Covishield to be 85% protective against moderate or severe disease and 63% protective against symptomatic infection, while another found Covaxin to be 50% effective against symptomatic infection. Both studies were undertaken during the peak of the Delta variant-driven second wave.

The effectiveness of both vaccines against the Omicron variant is unknown. While this variant appears to be far more transmissible than the Delta variant, disease severity and the age groups most vulnerable to disease are not fully known. Despite these uncertainties, it might still be prudent to approve booster doses for people older than 60 years and young adults who are immunocompromised or have comorbidities. But administering booster doses cannot be at the cost of increased coverage of the first dose and full vaccination. Also, the need to begin immunising adolescents cannot be ignored. Over 1.26 billion doses have been administered as on December 4, with nearly 85% receiving one dose but only over 50% being fully vaccinated. Though the door-to-door vaccination campaign held last month witnessed 11.7% increase in second dose coverage, there is still a sizeable percentage of the population in the priority groups who are not fully vaccinated. Over 8% of health-care workers, 30% of those above 60 years and over 33% of people aged 45-59 years are yet to be fully vaccinated. The rapid global spread of the Omicron variant might also lead to increased vaccine uptake. While a sufficient supply of Covishield, which accounts for nearly 90% of vaccines administered, might be able to meet the demand, the priority should be to increase vaccine coverage and not boosters, particularly so as India will be under pressure to supply vaccines to the global South.


CREDIT SOURCE - The Hindu
-----------------------------------------

1. Clamour (N)- a loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting. कोलाहल

2. Surge (N)- a sudden and great increase. बढ़ना

3. Prudent (Adj)- having or showing careful good judgment.

4. Immunocompromised (Adj)- having an impaired immune system. प्रतिरक्षा में अक्षम

5. Comorbidities (N)- the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in a patient. सहरुग्णताएं

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-12-04 10:39:41 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 4th DECEMBER

Corridors of death: On elephant deaths on tracks

The death of five elephants, four of them cows, caused by trains colliding with them, and all within a week, has again highlighted the gaps in efforts to reduce man-animal conflicts in the country. On November 26, the first accident occurred near Madukkarai in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu that has seen many an elephant death on a rail track stretch that extends up to Kanjikode, Kerala. The second accident was near Jagiroad in Assam’s Morigaon district, four days later. Both accidents were at night. Elephant deaths in railway accidents are not new in India. A reply by the Project Elephant division of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in May to a set of RTI questions highlighted reasons other than natural causes as having led to the killing of 1,160 elephants over 11 years ending December 2020; 741 deaths were due to electrocution; railway accidents accounted for 186 cases; poaching 169 and poisoning 64. The pattern of train accidents involving elephants has been studied by different stakeholders, including the Railways, Forest and Wildlife Departments and activists, especially with regard to the Madukkarai stretch. That a greater number of casualties getting reported are in elephant passages has been confirmed by the C&AG in its latest compliance audit report on the Ministry of Railways.

There are effective solutions in the case of two causes: electrocution and train hits. Installing hanging solar-powered fences, as has been planned in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and planting citronella and lemon grass, as done in Golaghat district, Assam, to deter elephants are some of the large-scale options. The authorities should ensure that there are no illegal electric fences or barbed wire fences, which, instead, can be replaced with the solar powered ones. Needless to say, the participation of local communities is crucial. The critical role elephants play in biodiversity conservation must be highlighted, especially to those living in areas close to elephant corridors. The Environment Ministry and Ministry of Railways should also expedite proposals for elevated wildlife crossings or eco-bridges and underpasses for the safe passage of animals. A finding of the C&AG was that after the construction of underpasses and overpasses in the areas under the jurisdiction of East Central and Northeast Frontier Railways, there was no death reported. The authorities should also expedite other recommendations made by the C&AG such as a periodic review of identification of elephant passages, more sensitisation programmes for railway staff, standardisation of track signage, installation of an animal detection system (transmitter collars) and ‘honey bee’ sound-emitting devices near all identified elephant passages. Of the 29,964 elephants in India, nearly 14,580 are in the southern region, and the State governments concerned and the Centre need to find lasting solutions to the problem of man-animal conflicts.

CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
_______________________________


----#Vocabularies#----

1. Electrocution;(N): the injury or killing of someone by electric shock. बिजली द्वारा प्राणदण्ड

2. Poaching: अवैध शिकार: poaching is the illegal killing of wildlife.

3. Biodiversity(N): the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a particular habitat, a high level of which is usually considered to be important and desirable.जैव विविधता

4. Expedite(V): make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly

5. Sensitisation(N): the action or process of making an organism abnormally sensitive to a foreign substance. संवेदीकरण

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-12-03 10:11:32 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 3rd DECEMBER

Limited gains: On Omicron risk

If China was severely criticised for keeping the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak that began in November 2019 shrouded in secrecy and for sharing the genetic sequence on a public database only on January 12, 2020, countries that are transparent and quick in sharing vital information are not rewarded but are punished. After the first infection by a new variant — it has 32 mutations in the spike protein alone — was confirmed from a specimen collected on November 9, Botswana and South Africa diligently posted its genetic sequence on the public database, on November 23. Instead, the travel bans now imposed on South Africa and a few other African countries are not only incongruous but can actually be counterproductive. Such rash decisions disincentivise countries from promptly reporting and sharing vital data with huge public health implications, particularly during the pandemic. The demonstration by Botswana and South Africa of their capability to quickly detect new variants through superior surveillance via genomic sequencing needs to be rewarded through enhanced vaccine access to protect Africa and cut the risk of new variants. On November 30, the Netherlands reported that samples collected on November 19 and 23, before South Africa announced its findings and the travel bans went into effect, were of the Omicron variant. While it is unclear whether these people had also visited southern Africa, 14 of the 61 passengers returning from South Africa on November 26 and who tested positive for Omicron showed different strains. This suggests that the people were ‘very probably infected independently... from different sources and in different locations’.

Belgium and Germany too have reported the presence of the variant well before South Africa flagged it. Even if the Omicron variant did not emerge in Europe, the presence of the variant before South Africa notified it and the travel bans strongly suggests that the variant was already spreading in some European countries. It also reflects the relatively poor surveillance in place there when compared with the two African countries. This underscores the need to have systems in place that delay or reduce the spread of the new variant through testing prior to or upon arrival or the application of quarantine, as recommended by WHO. An indiscriminate travel ban is no solution. Several countries, including India, have already reported cases of the Omicron variant, said to pose a ‘very high’ global risk. Though disease severity in different categories of people still remains unclear, preliminary evidence suggests that the new variant increases the risk of reinfection and possesses a possible transmission advantage, as seen in the surge in Omicron cases in South Africa. It is time India increases the pace of vaccination and has better adherence to COVID-appropriate behaviour to cut the risk.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------

1. Shrouded In Secrecy (Phrase)- to be very secret or mysterious.

2. Specimen (N)- a small amount of blood or urine used for testing. नमूना

3. Incongruous (Adj)- unusual or different from what is around or from what is generally happening. असंगत

4. Counterproductive (Adj)- having the opposite of the desired effect. प्रतिकूल

5. Underscore (V)- to emphasize the importance something.

6. Indiscriminate (Adj)- done at random or without careful judgement.

7. Severity (N)- the seriousness of something bad or unpleasant. तीव्रता

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-12-02 09:06:00 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 2nd DECEMBER

Road to recovery: On sustaining growth

The latest GDP and GVA estimates from the National Statistical Office have affirmed that the economy is now on the path to recovery after last fiscal’s record contraction. Second quarter gross domestic product expanded 8.4%, rebounding from the year-earlier period’s 7.4% contraction. While the statistical advantage from the base effect surely aided the expansion, the economy appears to have gathered just enough momentum for GDP to post a marginal 0.3% growth even when compared with the second quarter of the pre-pandemic 2019-20 fiscal year. The gross value added figures, which capture the extent of activity across the eight major formal sectors of the real economy, too underscore the improvement, with the July-September 2021 GVA figure of ₹32.89-lakh crore registering a 0.5% expansion from the July-September period of 2019. Five of the eight sectors posted growth not just from the year-earlier quarter but also surpassed the pre-COVID-19 performance. Manufacturing, which has the second-largest share of GVA, appears to have regained traction and was the bulwark of GVA, logging a 3.9% expansion from the pre-pandemic second quarter of fiscal 2020. The key employment-providing services categories, however, are yet to fully recover from the pandemic’s devastating impact, and along with construction, another major provider of jobs, lagged pre-pandemic levels by a cumulative ₹77,000 crore. With the potential impact of the Omicron variant a big unknown, the outlook here may stay hazy for now.

A disaggregated view of the GDP data also reveals areas of concern that could undermine the recovery. Private final consumption expenditure that measures spending on everything from essentials to luxury goods and the entire gamut of services by all consumers, and has the largest share of GDP at 55%, is still treading water. The uncertainty induced by the pandemic, coupled with reduced or lost incomes, continues to depress demand and is mirrored in consumer spending still remaining 3.5% shy of the pre-COVID level. Government consumption spending, which has often been a reliable alternative source of demand with a capacity to serve as a multiplier, is also well below the fiscal 2020 second quarter, possibly by design as the Centre seeks to consolidate its fiscal position. Unless aggregate demand strengthens, the heartening uptick in business investment, as reflected in the 11% year-on-year jump in gross fixed capital formation, could come to naught with capacity additions remaining underutilised and corporate captains yet again tightening their purse strings. Manufacturing PMI data by IHS Markit has another salutary warning: rising input costs could force manufacturers to raise prices adding to the general inflationary pressures in the economy and undermine the recovery. Policy makers need to ramp up demand-supportive measures including increasing government spending to ensure that the recovery sustains and gains traction.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------

1. Affirm (V)- state emphatically or publicly. पुष्टि करना

2. Contraction (N)- a reduction in size or amount. संकुचन

3. Underscore (V)- to emphasize the importance something.

4. Gamut (N)- the complete range or scope of something.

5. Tread Water (Phrase)- fail to make progress.

6. Tightening Their Purse Strings (Idiom)- to make less money available for spending.

7. Ramp Up (Phrasal Verb)- increase the level or amount of something sharply. बढ़ाना

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-12-01 13:08:30 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 1st DECEMBER

Magdalena Andersson’s legacy will be defined by her ability to stay true to party’s core values


In appointing its first ever woman Prime Minister, former Finance Minister and member of the Social Democratic Party Magdalena Andersson, Sweden joined other Nordic nations that have had a woman as a leader. Ms. Andersson’s entry was unusually dramatic — she was thrust into the prime ministerial berth for scarcely a few hours last week as she had to resign owing to a coalition partner, the Green Party, quitting government after its budget proposal was defeated in the Riksdag. Nevertheless, she went on to secure the top position on a firmer footing after another vote was held where she surpassed the threshold for maximum level of opposition to her prime ministership — she faced 173 ‘nay’ votes whereas it would have taken 175 of those to keep her from taking up the leadership mantle. She takes over from her predecessor, Stefan Löfven, in complex political circumstances, given that he was heading a caretaker government after being defeated in a vote of no confidence in June 2021. Hailing originally from the university town of Uppsala, Ms. Andersson’s political innings kicked off in 1996 when she became a political adviser to erstwhile Prime Minister Göran Persson. She embodies the classic Swedish ideal of hard work and rising steadily through the ranks on the merit of her performance, an exceptional achievement given the male-dominated arena of Swedish politics.

Yet, Ms. Andersson can hardly afford to rest on her laurels as the road ahead for her government and party may well be a bumpy one. The immediate challenge is of economic governance, and it arises from the fact that the Social Democrats are charged with implementing a budget passed by the Swedish opposition, including the neo-Nazi elements of the right-wing Sweden Democrats Party. While there is cause for cheer given that the opposition budget was based on the government’s own proposal, the stumbling block for her administration may be the fact that of the 74 billion kronor that it hoped to spend on reforms, only a little over 20 billion kronor will be available to her government in 2022. This tightening of purse strings could dent her ambitious plans to carry out much-needed social reforms, especially in the areas of climate change, welfare policies and measures to combat gang violence and organised crime activity, both of which have risen alarmingly in recent years in cities such as Stockholm, Malmo and Gothenburg. While some analysts consider Ms. Andersson to be not opposed to dealing with right-wing parties, they acknowledge that her position “softened”, during the pandemic, manifested in greater willingness to borrow to fund green investments, and in allowing the state to have a greater control of the welfare sector. Her ability to build bridges with the opposition while yet staying true to the Social Democrats’ core party values will define her legacy.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------

1. Thrust Into (Phrasal Verb)- to force someone to enter into some situation, state, or condition.

2. Scarcely (Adv)- only a very short time before.

3. Riksdag (N)- the parliament of Sweden, consisting of an upper house and a lower house.

4. On A Firmer Footing (Idiom)- well supported.

5. Mantle (N)- the role and responsibilities of an important person or job.

6. Rest On Her Laurels (Idiom)- to be satisfied with past success and do nothing to achieve further success.

7. Bumpy (Adj)- marked by or full of difficulties.

8. Stumbling Block (N)- an obstacle to progress. बाधा

9. Tightening Of Purse Strings (Idiom)- to make less money available for spending.

10. Green Investments(N)- It refers to the act of allocating capital towards projects whose purpose is to benefit the environment.

JOIN @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-11-29 08:07:31 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 29th NOVEMBER

Scale up supplies: On Omicron variant

A new Greek tragedy has risen with the World Health Organization (WHO) designating Omicron, a SARS-CoV-2 variant, as a ‘variant of concern’ (VOC). While it took WHO several weeks to designate older VOCs such as Alpha, Beta and Delta as a VOC when they emerged, in the case of Omicron, which was first confirmed in Botswana, it moved without even waiting for reports on the variant’s increased likelihood to cause disease and whether it is denting the normal public health response. Omicron has now been confirmed in South Africa, Botswana, the U.K., Germany, Italy and travellers into the Netherlands and Israel. It reportedly has over 50 mutations, 32 of which are on the spike protein, which binds to human cells and is the preferred target for vaccines. Several of the mutations confer the virus resistance to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) such as etesevimab, bamlanivimab, casirivimab and their combinations. Antibodies are the first line of defence against viral infection and mAbs are used in treatment. However, it is important to emphasise that every single mutation does not independently increase virulence and combinations of them might sometimes temper, and sometimes aggravate, virus properties.

The virus has been detected in comparable numbers only in  South Africa’s Gauteng province, but the variant comprises over 90% of the fraction of genomes from those who tested positive there within just 10 days. Some nations have already imposed travel bans on flights from South Africa. Given that Omicron is a variant of the virus that can be detected by the PCR test, these countries, rather than imposing a ban, should have taken the more considered step of screening passengers and followed the usual protocols of isolation and treatment. India has done well so far to adhere to this system and observing caution. Detecting a variant in a country does not imply it originated there. Travel bans punish South Africa for its transparency and forthrightness in alerting the world to this variant. South Africa’s number of daily infections — 2,828 on Friday — pales in comparison to daily numbers in the United States, Germany and Britain. However, a little over 10% in Africa have received one dose of a vaccine, compared with 64% in North America and 62% in Europe. The panic over the variant shifts blame away from the world’s colossal failure in not making more vaccines available in Africa even as many countries roll out third doses. From day one, the science was clear cut that the pandemic cannot end unless the whole world is protected. India must scale up supplies to COVAX, the international consortium seeking to vaccinate countries with limited access, as well as coax countries with surplus stocks to do so.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------

1. Virulence (N)- the danger and speed of spreading of a disease.

2. Aggravate (V)- to make a bad situation worse. बढ़ाना

3. Colossal (Adj)- extremely large or great.

4. Scale Up (Phrasal Verb)- to increase the size, amount, or importance of something.

5. Consortium (N)- an association, typically of several companies.

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-11-27 19:29:08 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 27th NOVEMBER

The rate reset: On slashing GST slabs

Since its onset in 2017, the GST regime to subsume multiple State and Central levies was criticised for far too many tax rates that were amenable to creating complications instead of simplifying taxation. The Government had hinted that rates could be reviewed once the system stabilised. Now, with GST in its fifth year, the Government has assessed it is about time to consider a reboot, partly because revenues are falling short of expectations, despite healthy monthly collections. Next month, a Group of Ministers set up by the GST Council is expected to propose changes, including merging slabs, with a road map for immediate, short- and medium-term changes. This mandate marked an expansion of its initially stated task of rationalising tax rates to bolster revenues. To recap, there are eight effective GST rates, including zero on essential goods, standard rates of 5%, 12% and 18% for most goods and services, and a 28% tax plus GST Compensation Cess on sin or demerit goods. Special low rates are specified for jewellery, precious stones and supplies to exporters.

The effective tax rate under GST has slipped from the original revenue-neutral rate of 15.5% to 11.6%, which Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said occurred due to rate cuts effected across categories since 2017. Quite a few stemmed from the GST’s hasty beginning and errors in the initial rate-setting. The Council continues to resolve genuine hardships this created for industry segments, but the constant tweaks have also altered the original revenue dynamics envisaged. The 18% tax rate, levied even on insurance premium payments, now accounts for the largest taxable turnover, as a National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) paper points out. Reducing the 18% rate or merging it with the 12% slab will thus entail revenue losses that would have to be offset by hikes in the lowest and/or highest rates. The NIPFP has suggested a structure of 8%, 15% and a 30% rate for sin goods, to protect revenue concerns while minimising the need for a sharp hike at either end of the spectrum and leaving special rates untouched. This may be less contentious than raising rates on bullion, reportedly proposed to the GoM, which could only spur tax evasion. Sequencing the implementation of new rates and avoiding far-too-frequent rethinks would be critical to minimise disruptions and engender investor confidence. The Council must also urgently address data limitations flagged by the NIPFP. For several months this year, the Government did not reveal returns filed by taxpayers even as it claimed GST collections reflect recovery and improved compliance. Also, many GST rate cuts that triggered the current resource worries were aimed at pandering to regional considerations ahead of critical elections. With key State polls soon, the Government’s resolve to carry out a hard reset on GST rates now may be tested.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
------------------------------------------

1. Amenable (Adj)- capable of being acted upon in a particular way.

2. Bolster (V)- support or strengthen.

3. Stemmed From (Phrasal Verb)- to be caused by something.

4. Contentious (Adj)- causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial. विवादास्पद

5. Bullion (N)- gold or silver in the form of solid bars. सोना-चॉँदी

6. Compliance (N)- the act of obeying an order, rule, or request. अनुपालन

Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट

2021-11-26 08:25:33 The Hindu Editorial with Vocab - 26th NOVEMBER

Measuring progress: On the lessons of National Family Health Survey-5

A periodic assessment of health and social development indicators is crucial for any country that is still clawing its way towards achieving ideal standards in the Human Development Index. While the results of the NFHS are usually mixed, and improvements in certain sectors ride along with stagnation and deterioration in other sectors, this year, there have been radical improvements in maternal and child health, sex ratio and population control. A greater proportion of births than ever before is now happening in institutions, more children in the 12-23 months age group have received their vaccinations, and, most interestingly, India has achieved a total fertility rate of 2.0, dropping further from the figure of 2.2 during NFHS-4, indicating that India has contained the population explosion. Policies, some even coercive, as in the case of the family planning sector, seem to have borne fruit, years after they were implemented. While gender ratio has, for the first time, recorded more women per 1,000 men, gender ratio at birth in the last five years still underlines the persistence of a deep-rooted son preference, one that has to be countered, through policy and law. There are other areas too, specially in the case of childhood nutrition where marginal gains in say, wasting and severe wasting, are deemed insufficient, and require renewed corrective efforts. The impact of the pandemic may also be noted, the disruption it caused to services such as balanced nutrition for children must be acknowledged, while this set of circumstances underscores the need for building resilient and fortified systems capable of delivering in the most trying circumstances. Having measured blood sugar and hypertension in the population for the first time, NFHS-5 highlighted the looming threat from lifestyle diseases.

This massive exercise that covered, this year, over six lakh households across the country, aims at providing data that will help shape the policies in a manner that will correct deficiencies, and ensure equitable access to services, particularly those with impact on social determinants that improve the quality of life. State-level indices are also released, to provide comparisons, but also to allow States to launch course correction, or to be inspired by success stories in other regions. Inputs on marriage and fertility, family planning, access to education and health services are provided by the NFHS, arguably second only to the exhaustive data that the decennial population census throws up. States need to treat it as such, and while they might dispute some assessments, the greater idea is to recognise it as a matrix to work on, to improve the development indicators further. Meanwhile, the Centre too must not treat it as a mere stocktaking exercise, but harness the opportunities the NFHS provides for launching reform or re-assessing certain policies without using it as a political tool in a federal set up.


CREDIT SOURCE - THE HINDU
-------------------------------------------

1. Assessment (N)- the action of assessing someone or something. मूल्यांकन

2. Stagnation (N)- lack of activity, growth, or development. स्थिरता, गतिहीनता

3. Borne Fruit (Phrase)- to have a successful result.

4. Underscore (V)- to emphasize the importance something.

5. Decennial (Adj)- recurring every ten years. दशवर्षीय

6. Throw Up (Phrasal Verb)- to produce or show something such as an idea or fact.

7. Stocktaking (N)- the action of reviewing and assessing one's situation and options. सर्वेक्षण


Join @Englishkendra for relevant study material of English.

Happy learning! ओपन / कमेंट