THE HINDU EDITORIAL VOCABULARY

THE HINDU EDITORIAL 5th-Feb-2019

        

Visa crackdown: On Indian students’ arrest

Students should be made aware of the risks of falling afoul of U.S. immigration laws

The arrest of 129 Indians on the charge of wilfully violating immigration laws to stay and work in the United States sends a stark message to youth looking for better prospects abroad: their efforts should begin with due diligence and strictly follow the letter of the law. In the sting operation carried out by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which threatens to encompass many more Indians in the ‘University of Farmington’ case, the contentious issue is whether they fell victim to unscrupulous recruiters who offered to secure an I-20 student document that allowed them to undertake paid work using the provision for Curricular Practical Training, or knowingly engaged in fraud. Going by the indictment of eight recruiters of Indian origin, they knew they were violating U.S. immigration law when they enrolled students using fraudulent and unlawful means, and their profits included negotiated referral fees paid into their accounts by undercover agents. The prosecution has alleged that each student who enrolled in the ‘university’ was aware that there would be no classes, credit scores or academic requirements, and the intention was merely to “pay to stay” and gain access to employment. These statements are, of course, subject to scrutiny during the trial of the alleged recruiters. The Ministry of External Affairs has made the correct distinction between students who may have been duped and the recruiters. Students who are eligible to pursue studies at an authorised university in the U.S. should, therefore, get a further opportunity and not be subjected to summary deportation or humiliation. It must also not prejudice the prospects of such students who may apply in future for legal entry.

The University of Farmington case in Michigan is not the first instance of Indian students falling foul of U.S. immigration laws, although it stands apart as a racket exposed by a sting operation. Others such as Tri-Valley University and Herguan University were degree mills run by individuals that used false claims and documents to enable youth to unlawfully stay in the U.S. and, in many cases, pursue employment. These trends reinforce the need for good communication that would help students identify credentialed institutions that meet the requirements of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, and highlight the serious nature of visa fraud. If the averments in the Michigan case are correct, the prospect of working in America attracted many of the 600 students who were recruited. This should serve as a reminder to India’s policymakers that access to higher education, job-creation and raising of living standards to meet the aspirations of youth must receive priority. Talk of an impending demographic dividend is meaningless without creating opportunities at home.

Vocabulary   

• stark - कड़ा, rigid, hard
• sting - sore, wound,पीड़ादायक 
• deportation - देशान्तरण, the action of deporting a foreigner from a country. 
• humiliation - dishonor, disrespect, निरादर, अपमान 
• averments - द्रढ़ कथन, fact, claim

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The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary

The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary

           

Shopping for votes: on the Interim Budget 2019-20

The interim budget casts away established conventions and targets votes with sops

As election-eve budgets go, Interim Budget 2019-20 must rank as one of the most politically expedient ones this country has seen. The shadow of the general election falls squarely on the budget proposals, which are aimed at seeking votes in the name of various schemes that rain cash on beneficiaries. Whether the strategy will work at the hustings remains to be seen. But there is no denying that a lot of thought has gone into identifying and targeting the sections of population across social segments that are in distress and unhappy with the Centre for a variety of reasons. There is an income support scheme for farmers who are reeling under the impact of falling realisations for their crops, and a pension scheme for informal sector workers earning up to ₹15,000 a month. There are income tax concessions for the middle class that have been carefully framed to target the lower rung. The ₹6,000 a year income support to farmers will benefit 12 crore households, which is almost half of the total number of households. Similarly, the increase in standard deduction from ₹40,000 to ₹50,000 may be small but it will cover three crore taxpayers, which is again almost half of the 6.8 crore taxpayers. The income tax rebate on those with taxable annual income of up to ₹5 lakh a year will benefit three crore middle class voters that includes traders, small businesses, those who have just joined the formal workforce and pensioners.

While these sops will benefit sections of the population, the question is whether it is correct for a government that will be in power for less than two months in the next financial year to write into the statute books proposals that are permanent. Though some past governments have announced sops in their interim budgets with an eye on elections, this budget has gone much further by announcing very significant measures. In political terms, the strategy cannot be faulted as it appears to have put the Opposition in a difficult spot — protesting too much about the concessions given to those in distress may be counter-productive. That said, some of these ideas may actually work in economic terms as they put money in people’s hands. The housing-related tax proposals can give a leg-up to the real estate sector, which is a job-creator and is now in trouble. The sops come with a cost, though. The Centre will miss the glide-path for reducing the fiscal deficit, yet again. The estimated slippage of 0.10 percentage point is not significant if we assume that the concessions will spur spending by the beneficiaries. This is, of course, assuming that the gross tax revenue projection of ₹25.52 lakh crore, which is a 13.5% growth over the revised estimates of 2018-19, is achieved. But this arithmetic will be the headache of the next government.

Vocabulary --

  §  Cast away – (फेंक देना) to discard, dispose of

  §  Conventions – (परिपाटी) a way in which something is usually done, 

  §  Expedient – (उपाय,लाभकारक) convenient, appropriate

  §  Beneficiaries – (लाभार्थियों) a person who drives advantage from something

  §  Hustings – (चुनाव) a meeting at which candidates in an election address 

        potential voters.

  §  Reeling – (लच्छा बनना, घिरना) coil

  §  Fiscal deficit –  (राजकोषीय घाटा) government revenue reduction.

  §  Spur – (प्रेरणा ) stimulus, encouragement

  §  Squarely – directly (without deviating to one side)

  §  Seeking – (मांगना) ask, demand

  §  Whether – (या, दोनों में से कोन सा ) choice between alternatives.  

  §  Distress – (संकट) hazard, difficulty

  §  Concessions – (छूट) discount

  §  Rung – (सीडी का डंडा) rod of ladder

  §  Statute – (कानून) provision

  §  Counter-productive – अनुत्पादक

  §  Sops – रियायतों

  §  Glide-path – (उड़ान पथ) a series of events or actions leading smoothly to a       particular outcome.

  §  Slippage – (फिसलना)

§  Rebate - (छूट) discount

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THE HINDU EDITORIAL

THE HINDU EDITORIAL 1st Feb 2019

        

Not kosher: on Chanda Kochhar case

The Chanda Kochhar case raises issues of corporate governance that go well beyond her

The inquiry by former Supreme Court judge Justice B.N. Srikrishna into the allegations against former ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar has taken eight long months to confirm what seems apparent – that she did not conduct herself as she should have in relation to conflict-of-interest issues. It was only last week that the Central Bureau of Investigation filed an FIR against Ms. Kochhar, her husband Deepak Kochhar, head of the Videocon group Venugopal Dhoot and ICICI Bank executives for sanction of credit facilities in violation of rules, that caused a loss of ₹1,730 crore to the bank. The investigating agency has a long way to go before it establishes whether the loans were given in return for financial favours, a charge that is at the heart of booking them for criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption. But clearly, Ms. Kochhar erred, and badly at that, in not disclosing to the bank’s board her husband’s business connections with the Videocon group, which was a client of the bank. Worse, she failed to display the correctness expected of her by sitting on committees that sanctioned credit facilities to Videocon when she ought to have recused herself. Just a day after a ₹300-crore loan was disbursed to Videocon International Electronics in 2009, Mr. Kochhar’s NuPower Renewables received ₹64 crore from the Videocon group. Whether this was a quid pro quo for the loan, as the CBI suggests, needs to be proved. But there is no denying that it made for poor, even suspicious, optics.

The inquiry report holds her guilty of violation of the bank’s “code of conduct, its framework for dealing with conflict of interest and fiduciary duties, and in terms of applicable Indian laws, rules and regulations.” The bank’s board has accepted the report and decided to treat her voluntary resignation from the bank in October as “termination for cause”, also deciding to claw back all bonuses paid to her since April 2009, hold back unpaid amounts and divest her of her stock option entitlements. These are strong penalties, but the question is: how did the board give her a clean chit as recently as March last year? It had then reposed its full confidence and faith in Ms. Kochhar and commended her and the management team for their “hard work and dedication”. It is impossible to believe the board was not aware of the allegations against the CEO given that a whistle-blower had made them public in October 2016. Was the board then influenced by Ms. Kochhar into giving her a good conduct certificate? These are uncomfortable questions that raise doubts over the standards of corporate governance at one of India’s largest banks. The ICICI Bank episode is only one among several instances of governance lapses in corporate India in recent times. Clearly, regulators need to up their game.

Vocabulary ----

§  Kosher                    - Genuine

§  Governance            - the action or manner of governing a state, organization.

§  Allegations              - A claim

§  Apparent                 - Clearly visible

§  Conflict-of-interest   - a situation in which a person is in a position to derive                                      personal benefit from actions or decisions made in                                        their  official capacity

§  conspiracy               - a secret plan

§  Quid pro quo           - a favor

§  fiduciary                   - involving trust

§  claw back                - an act of retrieving money already paid out

§  whistle-blower         - a person who inform on a person or organization                                             regarded as engaging in an unlawful or immoral                                               activity

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The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary [in hindi]

The Hindu Editorial - JANUARY 06, 2019 

Left out, abused: on the state of child care institutions

    The shocking neglect of child care institutions must be urgently reversed
Child care institutions in India have been trapped in an administrative blind spot, as revelations of the sexual abuse of inmates in a balika grih at Muzaffarpur in Bihar showed last year. A home meant to protect girls rescued from exploitation itself turned into a den of predation. The shocking rot in the management of such shelters has now been reported by a Central government committee. It studied 9,589 Child Care Institutions and Homes, mostly run by NGOs, that come under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. Only an emergency measure to address the serious lacunae can bring some semblance of order to these faceless shelters. Most of the inmates are orphaned, abandoned, sexually abused, trafficked or victims of disasters and conflict. Among them are 7,422 children in conflict with the law, and 3,70,227 in need of care and protection, including 1,70,375 girls. That they often have to live in facilities without proper toilets, secure compounds or the opportunity to vent their grievances as provided for under law underscores the painful reality that they remain virtually invisible. Reform of this depressing system, as the Ministry of Women and Child Development seeks, can be achieved only through systematic scrutiny by State governments. This could be done by appointing special officers whose task it would be to ensure that all institutions register under the JJ Act, account for funds received by each, and enforce mandatory child protection policies during adoption.

As per the recently disclosed study, only 32% of Child Care Institutions or Homes were registered under the JJ Act as of 2016, while an equal number were unregistered, and the rest were either empanelled under other schemes or awaiting registration. The priority should be to bring about uniformity of standards and procedures, evolving common norms for infrastructure, human resources, financial practices and external audits. The panel found child care standards were poor in many institutions, sans proper bedding, food and nutrition and sanitation. Some States obviously have too few homes, giving authorities little incentive to take up cases of children in distress. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala together account for 43.5% of all shelters. A few States do not have even one home of every category, such as child care, observation and adoption. The Ministry’s study lays bare the disconnect between civil society and the welfare system for children, and the poor engagement elected representatives have with such a vital function. The imperative now is to turn the findings of the Ministry’s committee into a blueprint for action. Credentialed NGOs should take a greater interest in this effort, holding the authorities to account.

Vocabulary --

1) Trapped-
Synonyms-:at bay; cornered; treedforced to turn and face attackers,
Usage-: like a trapped animal

2) Revelations-रहस्योद्घाटन,
Synonyms-:disclosure;revealing,
Usage-: revelations about his private life

3)Inmates-सहवासी ,पागलखाने या जेल के संवासी,
 Synonyms-:convict; yard bird;
Usage-: education for prison inmates

4) Rescued-बचाना/बचाव ,
Synonyms-:deliverance; delivery; saving,
Usage-: He rescued her from a horrible situation.

5) Den of Predation- शिकार करने का अड्डा ,
 Usage-: place of preying by a predator.

6) Lacunae-तिजोरी, गुप्त जगह , 
Synonyms-:coffer,

7) Semblance-दिखावा , 
Usage-: A semblance of normality has been restored.

8) Orphaned- अनाथ , 
Usage-: Jones was orphaned at the age of ten.

9) Abandoned- त्यागना,छोड़ देना, 
Synonyms-:leave,
Usage-: His parents had abandoned him

10) Grievances-शिकायत , व्यथा,
 Synonyms-:complaint, allegation ,
Usage-: an opportunity for them to discuss their grievances.

11) scrutiny-छानबीन,
Synonyms-:examination,
Usage-: His private life came under scrutiny.

12) Empanelled-दल

13) Norms-तौर-तरीके ,कायदा ,मानक , 
 Synonyms-:standard or model or pattern ,
 Usage-: a social norm that says swearing is inappropriate behaviour.

14) Bedding-बिस्तर बगरहा,
Usage-: All come in mixed colours and popular summer bedding varieties

15) Incentive-प्रेरणा,प्रोत्साहन, प्रेरणस्रोत, 
Synonyms-:inducement; motivation,
Usage-: tax incentives for companies that create jobs.

16) Imperative-अति आवश्यक,अनिवार्य, 
Synonyms-:Necessary
Usage-:it is imperative that the two countries do not go to war.

17) blueprint -मूल योजना, या ख़ाका ,
Synonyms-:design; pattern,
Usage-: his blueprint for the country's future.

18) Credentialed- परिचयपत्र ,
Synonyms-: certified as professional , testimonials
Usage-: Britain's new ambassador has presented his credentials to the President.

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The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary [in hindi]

The Hindu Editorial - JANUARY 05, 2019 

  

UPDATED: 

A global slowdown?

Policymakers will have to bust recessionary fears with more than just monetary policy
Stock markets across the world had very little reason to celebrate in 2018. They witnessed the return of extreme volatility after many years, and most of them recorded their worst performance in a decade. Much of this gloom has to do with the rise in fears that global economic growth could come to a grinding halt in the near future. The economic expansion in the United States, which began after the 2008 recession, is now the second-longest in history. Many believe that a recession is overdue now. China is another major concern as the People’s Bank of China’s earlier moves to rein in a massive credit-fuelled bubble have been dampening momentum with a lagged effect. The country’s private manufacturing sector contracted in December for the first time in 19 months and the official manufacturing PMI (purchasing managers’ index) number dropped below 50 for the first time since mid-2016. Other major economies such as Europe and Japan have also shown signs of a potential slowdown in growth. Global stocks have been pricing in these very real risks, particularly with major central banks such as the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank remaining on the path to normalise interest rates from near-historic lows. The steep fall in the price of oil is another indicator of faltering demand for commodities as the global economy cools down. The tightening of monetary policy has often been followed by a slowdown in economic growth, and this time may be no different.

Going forward, a major worry for policymakers globally will be the lack of sufficient central bank firepower should the global economy move into a full-fledged recession in 2019. After years of adopting a monetary policy ramp up  marked by near-zero interest rates, central banks like the Fed now have very little room to lower rates if they want to fight a recession. This is despite the gradual tightening of rates and unwinding of asset purchases in the last few years. The next recession may thus witness central banks adopting even more unconventional methods to stimulate their economies. Some hope that governments will ramp up spending to compensate for the lack of monetary policy leeway. But it is unlikely that any fiscal stimulus will fully compensate for the absence of an accommodative monetary policy, particularly when most governments are already deeply mired in debt. Further, the overuse of monetary policy will eventually lead to diminishing returns. A further escalation in the trade war between the U.S. and China is another imminent risk to global growth as additional tariffs could increase the overall tax burden on the economy. In order to tackle the next recession, policymakers will have to come up with reforms to boost economic productivity, instead of just relying on an ultra-easy monetary policy to boost their economies.


vocabulary--

1) Bust - ठप्प , खराब

Synonyms-: break,burst,  

Usage -: He busted my radio!

2) Recessionary -मंदी संवंधी , मंदी वाहक

3) Witnessed- गवाह , 

Synonyms-:viewer; watcher:    

 Usage -:She witnessed the accident and had to testify in court 

4) Volatility- उत्तेजनशीलता ,वाष्पशीलता :

 Synonyms-: excitability: unpredictability:

  Usage -: the volatility of the market drove many investors away 

5) Gloom-उदास होना , धुंधला  होना :

 Synonyms-:somberness: 

 Usage -:he struck a match to dispel the gloom

6) Halt-ठहराव ;

 Synonyms-:stop, stay, freeze; 

Usage -:Halt the process 

7) Overdue -बाकी ;

Synonyms-: past due;

Usage -:an overdue installment

8) Rein-बागडोर

 Synonyms-:,any means of control, 

 Usage -:he took up the reins of government 

9) Dampening momentum - धीमी चाल 

Synonyms-:,slow velocity

10) Lagged-धीमी चाल 

Synonyms-: slowdown,lag; retardation; 

11) Faltering-विचलन , हिचकिचाना ,

 Synonyms-:hesitation; waver; falter

12) Tightening- कसना ,सीमित करना 

, the act of making something tighter,

Usage -:the tightening of economic controls

13) Fledged-उड़ने योग्य , मजबूत पंख सहित,

Synonyms-:equipped with feathers ,mature;

 14)  Ramp up- बढ़ाना '

Synonyms-:build up; work up; build;

 Usage -:ramp up security in the airports

15) Leeway-

Synonyms-:allowance; margin; tolerance

16) Escalation- वृद्धि, 

Synonyms-:increased,  

Usage -:there was a gradual escalation of hostilities

17) Mired- मिलाप , 

Synonyms-:involved, 

Usage -:brilliant leadership mired in details,

18) Imminent-निकट का , पास का :

 Synonyms-:close, at hand;

 Usage -:in imminent danger

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