iam providing the hindu editorial page and vocabulary
happy reading................
Topic
1:Uncertainty in Jammu & Kashmir
Speculation continues to get free play about the
next steps in government formation in Jammu
and Kashmir New Delhi
In
early 2015, it had taken all of Mufti Sayeed’s stature and goodwill from his
2002-05 stint as Chief Minister to pull off the most unexpected of coalitions,
with the BJP. He had spoken of the need for the Valley to pull along with the Jammu region, where the BJP had done spectacularly well,
and the PDP sought to embed the coalition in a forward-looking Agenda for the Alliance , seeking greater understanding from Delhi for the unique identity of Kashmir
and enhanced funding for development. That conciliatory
framework sustained pressure on many counts during the past year. One, the
breakdown in the ceasefire along the border dimmed hopes of normalising ties
and reviving commercial and people-to-people contacts with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir . Two, delivery of development funds, especially a
rehabilitation package for the 2014 floods, was too long drawn out. And three,
the creeping into Kashmiri public life of Hindutva issues like consumption of
beef and J&K’s flag resulted in suspicion about the BJP’s political agenda,
among the population and also within the PDP. These are the circumstances in
which Ms. Mufti must revisit the mandate of 2014. Indeed, there is a need for
her to step up, and to do so urgently. She needs to find her voice to articulate
the vision that guides her in this extended moment of transition. J&K
cannot afford this uncertainty to play out much longer.
vocabulory:
1.Speculation : investment in stocks, property, etc. in the hope
of gain but with the risk of loss.
2.scenarios:a setting, in particular for a work of
art or literature.
3.ditch:get rid of or give up.
4.assert: state a fact or belief confidently and
forcefully.
5.stint: a person's fixed or allotted period of work.
6.renegotiating : find a way over or through (an obstacle or
difficult route).
7.perceived: become aware or conscious of
(something).
8.embrace: accept (a belief, theory, or change)
willingly and enthusiastically.
9.sombre : having or conveying a feeling of deep
seriousness and sadness.
10.patriarch: the male head of a family or tribe.
11.dilemmas : a difficult situation or problem.
12.obvious: easily perceived or understood; clear,
self-evident, or apparent.
13.stemming: originate in or be caused by.
14.dissent : hold or express opinions that are at variance
with those commonly or officially held.
15.allegiance: loyalty or commitment to a superior or
to a group or cause.
16.conciliatory: intended or likely to placate or pacify.
17.articulate: having or showing the ability to speak
fluently and coherently.
Topic 2:The
unmet health challenge
The first set of data from the National Family
Health Survey-4 for 13 States and two Union Territories should be seen as a
report card on how effectively India has used its newly created wealth to alter a dismal
record of nutritional deprivation, ill-health and lost potential among its citizens,
particularly women and children. Given the steady growth in real per capita GDP
since the 1980s, and the progress made since Independence in overcoming severe
undernourishment, enlightened policy approaches could have brought about a giant leap from 1992-93, when the first NFHS was
conducted, ensuring that no child or woman was left behind in the quest for health for all. Evidently, the Indian
state has not viewed the situation — even at the height of a prosperous phase
of economic growth a decade ago — of 39 per cent of children under the age of
five remaining underweight as constituting
a national crisis. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that this failure to
assume responsibility for child nutrition has left 34 per cent of children in
that age group underweight today. There is also a lot of evidence to show that
the deprived sections of India
It is imperative
that the data coming out of NFHS-4 lead to the charting of a new policy course
that makes access to nutrition and health a right for all. Asserting this right
would require the strengthening of the Integrated Child Development Services
scheme in all States, particularly those with a higher proportion of
underweight and stunted children. In the
first set of data, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh
bring up the rear on these crucial
metrics of child development. It deserves mention that even within the ICDS,
there is a clear deficit in caring for the needs of children under three.
Nutrition in the first two or three years of a child’s life has a lasting
impact on her development; care given in later years, including freshly cooked
meals at school, cannot undo the setback caused by neglect during this
foundational phase. Other key areas requiring intervention are access to antenatal care, reduction of high levels of
anaemia among women, and immunisation; it is a cause for concern that a State
such as Tamil Nadu with an active public health system recorded a reduced rate
of full child immunisation compared with NFHS-3 data. Overall, there is a need
to assess the health of citizens more frequently than the current NFHS cycle of
seven to 10 years allows. Data gathered every two or three years would help
make timely policy corrections. A fuller
picture of the health of urban and rural Indians will emerge later in the year
when data for all States become available. They should send out the message
that sustained economic growth is not possible without state support to achieve
the well-being of the population, especially women and children.
vocabulory:
1.alter : change in character or composition, typically
in a comparatively small but significant way.
2.dismal: pitifully or disgracefully bad.
3.deprivation: the damaging lack of material
benefits considered to be basic necessities in a society.
4.giant :an imaginary or mythical being of human form
but superhuman size.
5.quest :search for something.
6.constituting : be (a part) of a whole.
7.imperative:of vital importance; crucial.
8.stunt: prevent from growing or developing
properly
9.rear: the back part of something,
especially a building or vehicle.
10.antenatal : before birth; during or relating to
pregnancy.
11.fuller: a person whose occupation is
fulling cloth.
