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THE HINDU: A political
misadventure
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: Nuts
and bolts
BUSINESS
STANDARD: Monetary policy stance needs review
#SSC #IBPS #SBI #RBI #NABARD #NICL #NIACL #CAT #NMAT #everydayquiz
THE
HINDU: Individual brilliance, derivative success
Argentine and FC
Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi has reclaimed the billing as the best
footballer in the world by winning his fifth Ballon d’Or award in the last eight years, a stupendous
record considering no other player has won more than three such awards.
Portuguese and FC Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo finished second after
having won in the previous two years. That both players have finished in the
top two in the award nominations since 2011 suggests that they are the best two
footballers in the world by some margin. Messi is the better player, combining
the highest form of three important qualities — dribbling, passing and
goal-scoring — in one footballer. Ronaldo is as much and perhaps even more a
sure finisher. But having them in the Argentina and Portugal national teams is
no guarantee for success. The fact that neither of them has experienced the
highest form of international success for their respective countries — Messi’s Argentina lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final and
Ronaldo’s Portugal reached the 2004 Euro final
before the player reached his peak — suggests that their respective awards were
a function of their clubs’ overall success. Messi’s Ballon d’Or, for example,
followed FC Barcelona’s three victories in the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish La Liga and the Copa Del Rey in
2015.
Indeed,
Messi’s Barcelona and Ronaldo’s Real Madrid have dominated club football in the
past few years, the former more so. These clubs have also designed their
pattern and style of play in such a way that the abilities and output of their
two key players and goal-scorers in Messi and Ronaldo have been maximised. Real
Madrid’s strategy of buying the most attack-minded players in the world and
Barcelona’s nearly two-decades-long approach of building a squad based on a
particular style of play and combining home-grown and bought talent has
complemented the strengths of Ronaldo and Messi, respectively. These advantages
are lacking in a national set-up, where the team squads are drawn from a more
limited pool and their frequency of playing and training together is limited
compared to the almost perennial club football. Consequently, the individual
successes and strengths of both Messi and Ronaldo have not translated into
national glory. Ronaldo’s goal-scoring record for Real Madrid of 338 goals in
325 games and Messi’s 430 goals in 503 games and a record 26 trophies tower
over their respective national team outputs. These numbers re-emphasise the
team nature of the sport. Ronaldo must thank his colleagues Luka Modric, Sergio
Ramos and Karim Benzema and others for consistently putting him in a position
to deliver for his club; Messi’s success is predicated upon the cohesion of
Barcelona and the brilliance of Neymar, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta and Gerard
Pique.
de·riv·a·tive
(typically of an artist
or work of art) imitative of the work of another person, and usually
disapproved of for that reason
re·claim
Retrieve or recover
(something previously lost, given, or paid); obtain the return of.
stu·pen·dous
Extremely impressive.
drib·ble
(of a liquid) fall slowly
in drops or a thin stream.
com·ple·ment
Add to (something) in a
way that enhances or improves it; make perfect.
lack·ing
Not available or in short
supply.
per·en·ni·al
Lasting or existing for a
long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring
co·he·sion
The action or fact of
forming a united whole.
THE HINDU: A political
misadventure
Political opportunism in
an election year often takes the form of dubious actions by the executive, and
inevitably runs into a judicial barrier. By staying the Union government’s recent notification aimed
at permitting jallikattu, the popular bull-taming sport in Tamil Nadu, along
with bullock cart races in some other States, the Supreme Court has stopped the
Centre’s needless misadventure in its tracks. The festivities associated with
the harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu went off without jallikattu in
2015 after the Supreme Court’s May 2014 judgment prohibiting the sport on the ground
that it perpetrates cruelty on animals and endangers the lives of the
participants. The State government ensured peace and prevented any unrest last
year, despite considerable unease and anger among the rural population. There
is no reason why it could not have continued to practise the same restraint and
wisdom in accepting the court verdict. On the contrary, the issue became
politicised in the run-up to the Assembly election that is due in a few months from now.
Political parties stoked popular sentiment in favour of reviving jallikattu by
demanding measures to circumvent the judicial bar. The ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party at the Centre, looking to find a foothold in the political fray in Tamil
Nadu, made a calculated move by amending a 2011 notification that prevented
bulls from being exhibited or trained as performing animals, by exempting bulls
deployed in jallikattu and cart-racing from its purview. The party will now
have to live with the criticism that it knew that the notification would be
stayed, and all it was looking for was some political capital.
The
Centre will have to explain why it tried to get around a court verdict through
a mere executive notification, when it is common knowledge that it can be done
only through legislation that removes the basis for the judgment and not merely
by tweaking some regulations. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has now urged the Centre to
promulgate an ordinance to save the traditional sport, but even that may be no
solution. The law laid down by the Supreme Court is fortified by several legal
formulations. In a harmonious reading of animal rights in the context of the
Universal Declaration of Animal Welfare (UDAW), the provisions of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Constitution, the court has ruled
that animals have a right against human beings inflicting unnecessary pain and
suffering on them. In effect, the entire sport has been declared violative of
the law against cruelty. Treating animals in a humane, non-exploitative way is
now a constitutional requirement for any executive action related to them. The
State’s earlier regulatory Act on jallikattu was dismissed as an
anthropocentric law that was repugnant to the eco-centric law against cruelty
to animals. Instead of continuing this artificial confrontation between
tradition and modern law, Tamil Nadu would do well to stop spearheading the
cause of jallikattu, which is but a relic of a feudal past.
mis·ad·ven·ture
An unfortunate incident;
a mishap.
du·bi·ous
Hesitating or doubting.
in·ev·i·ta·bly
As is certain to happen;
unavoidably.
tame
Domesticate (an animal).
need·less
(of something bad)
unnecessary; avoidable.
pro·hib·it
Formally forbid
(something) by law, rule, or other authority.
per·pe·trate
Carry out or commit (a
harmful, illegal, or immoral action).
en·dan·ger
Put (someone or
something) at risk or in danger.
en·sure
Make certain that
(something) shall occur or be the case.
un·ease
Anxiety or discontent.
re·straint
A measure or condition
that keeps someone or something under control or within limits.
stoke
Add coal or other solid
fuel to (a fire, furnace, or boiler).
cir·cum·vent
Find a way around (an
obstacle).
de·ploy
Move (troops) into
position for military action.
pur·view
The scope of the
influence or concerns of something.
mere·ly
Just; only.
tweak
Twist or pull (something)
sharply.
prom·ul·gate
Promote or make widely
known (an idea or cause).
for·ti·fy
Strengthen (a place) with
defensive works so as to protect it against attack.
har·mo·ni·ous
Tuneful; not discordant.
in·flict
Cause (something unpleasant
or painful) to be suffered by someone or something.
an·thro·po·cen·tric
Regarding humankind as
the central or most important element of existence, especially as opposed to
God or animals.
re·pug·nant
Extremely distasteful;
unacceptable.
con·fron·ta·tion
A hostile or
argumentative meeting or situation between opposing parties.
spear·head
Lead (an attack or
movement).
rel·ic
An object surviving from
an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest.
feu·dal
According to, resembling,
or denoting the system of feudalism.
THE INDIAN EXPRESS: Nuts
and bolts
The
controversy over the selection — or non-selection, to be accurate — of the
Lokayukta in Uttar Pradesh, reported in this paper, serves as a reminder that
anti-corruption institutions are not magic wands that can be waved at will.
They are no better than their processes and procedures, and they will falter unless
the nuts and bolts are of good quality and kept in good repair. This is an
important realisation, since the Lokpal movement, which most recently
foregrounded the issue of corruption in the national imagination, had a
pronounced moralistic streak that, among other things, caused it to distrust
and skirt systems and structures. The entire system was corrupt, it suggested,
and therefore, the anti-corruption authority had to exist outside it. The
episode in UP illustrates the vital principle that while projects for sweeping
change are indeed the way out of problems that bedevil Indian democracy, the
devil is always in the details. Insufficient clarity about the institutions,
systems and protocols that are expected to drive the change is bound to derail it.
In UP,
in the absence of the chief justice, the chief minister and the leader of
opposition fixed upon a candidate for the post of Lokayukta. The chief justice
sent back the recommendation, citing the proximity of the candidate to the
chief minister. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s objection is astonishing — he
wrote that the UP Lokayukta Act did not prescribe a specific selection
procedure and therefore it would not be correct for the selectors to limit
themselves to such a thing. A miasma of ad hoc-ness and arbitrariness seems to
have suffocated the process, and it could flourish only because the nuts and
bolts of the selection procedure of the Lokayukta — the first step towards
building the institution — were insufficiently considered.
While
the controversy has not yet caused an alternative process to be evolved, at
least it has highlighted the dysfunction. A reasonable democratic process is
built on the premise of multiple candidates for almost all posts. A government
insisting on a single Lokayukta candidate recalls old fears of the office
becoming an autocratic authority, which may itself become a centre of
corruption. The office of the Lokayukta is a progressive development in Indian
politics and the selection process cannot exhibit arbitrariness of the sort
seen in UP.
wand
A long, thin stick or
rod, in particular.
wave
Move one's hand to and
fro in greeting or as a signal.
fal·ter
Start to lose strength or
momentum.
fore·ground
Make (something) the most
prominent or important feature.
pro·nounce
Make the sound of (a word
or part of a word), typically in the correct or a particular way.
moralistic
Narrowly and
conventionally moral
streak
A long, thin line or mark
of a different substance or color from its surroundings.
dis·trust
The feeling that someone
or something cannot be relied on.
be·dev·il
(of something bad) cause
great and continual trouble to.
de·rail
Cause (a train or trolley
car) to leave its tracks accidentally.
mi·as·ma
A highly unpleasant or
unhealthy smell or vapor.
suf·fo·cate
Die or cause to die from
lack of air or inability to breathe.
flour·ish
(of a person, animal, or
other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially
as the result of a particularly favorable environment.
e·volve
Develop gradually,
especially from a simple to a more complex form.
dys·func·tion
Abnormality or impairment
in the function of a specified bodily organ or system.
prem·ise
A previous statement or
proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion.
au·to·crat·ic
Of or relating to a ruler
who has absolute power.
arbitrariness
Flightiness
BUSINESS
STANDARD: Monetary policy stance needs review
Yesterday,
the Central Statistics Office of the Union government released data on
industrial output growth for November and retail inflation for December. Both
the releases have brought little cheer to an economy that is still struggling
to revive growth. Industrial output fell by over three per cent - the first
output decline in more than a year, and the steepest fall since October 2011.
The retail inflation rate, based on the consumer price index, inched up to 5.61
per cent for December, compared to 4.28 per cent recorded in the same month of
2014. The retail inflation rate in November 2015 was estimated slightly slower
at 5.41 per cent. While the gradual rise in the consumer price index may be on
expected lines and it continues to stay below the inflation range outlined by
the Reserve Bank of India, the contraction in industrial output is a nasty
surprise, coming as it does after a robust rise of 9.8 per cent in October
2015. A relatively benign retail inflation rate and healthy growth in
industrial output had given rise to expectations of a gradual revival in the
economy. The latest numbers are bound to cause a rethink not only on the likely
trajectory of industrial output and retail inflation in subsequent months, but
also on the policy response needed to tackle the new situation.
It must be noted, however, that there is no change in the contribution of different product categories to the gradual rise in retail inflation. Apart from tobacco and intoxicants, which have low weights of less than four per cent in the consumer price index, food and beverages continue to be the biggest items driving up consumer prices. With weights of almost 55 per cent in the index, food and beverages have seen the sharpest rise - of over six per cent. And within that category, pulses have seen an inflation rate of over 45 per cent. Clearly, India's retail inflation continues to be driven by food products. Supply-side measures along with steps to encourage more efficient distribution channels should go a long way in tackling it.
The three per cent contraction in industrial output is an even bigger cause for worry. The manufacturing sector, which has a weight of over 75 per cent in the index of industrial production, has recorded an output decline of over four per cent. In October, the manufacturing sector had shown signs of coming back to life with growth of 10.6 per cent. But in November, as many as 17 out of 22 industrial groups in the manufacturing sector showed a contraction. The capital goods sector contracted by over 24 per cent, signalling that there is as yet no recovery in sight on the investment front. There is no doubt that the decline in exports in each of the last 11 months has made matters worse for the manufacturing sector. The government must recognise the importance of giving exports a big push with a fine-tuned trade policy that allows domestic manufacturers to have better access to world markets that are increasingly getting fragmented into trading blocs. For the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is due to come out with its next monetary policy review in February, the message emanating from both the data releases can hardly be ignored. Industrial growth in the first eight months of the current financial year is less than four per cent. Retail inflation is inching up, but it is still below the danger level fixed by the RBI. There is a need for a rethink on its monetary policy stance.
It must be noted, however, that there is no change in the contribution of different product categories to the gradual rise in retail inflation. Apart from tobacco and intoxicants, which have low weights of less than four per cent in the consumer price index, food and beverages continue to be the biggest items driving up consumer prices. With weights of almost 55 per cent in the index, food and beverages have seen the sharpest rise - of over six per cent. And within that category, pulses have seen an inflation rate of over 45 per cent. Clearly, India's retail inflation continues to be driven by food products. Supply-side measures along with steps to encourage more efficient distribution channels should go a long way in tackling it.
The three per cent contraction in industrial output is an even bigger cause for worry. The manufacturing sector, which has a weight of over 75 per cent in the index of industrial production, has recorded an output decline of over four per cent. In October, the manufacturing sector had shown signs of coming back to life with growth of 10.6 per cent. But in November, as many as 17 out of 22 industrial groups in the manufacturing sector showed a contraction. The capital goods sector contracted by over 24 per cent, signalling that there is as yet no recovery in sight on the investment front. There is no doubt that the decline in exports in each of the last 11 months has made matters worse for the manufacturing sector. The government must recognise the importance of giving exports a big push with a fine-tuned trade policy that allows domestic manufacturers to have better access to world markets that are increasingly getting fragmented into trading blocs. For the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which is due to come out with its next monetary policy review in February, the message emanating from both the data releases can hardly be ignored. Industrial growth in the first eight months of the current financial year is less than four per cent. Retail inflation is inching up, but it is still below the danger level fixed by the RBI. There is a need for a rethink on its monetary policy stance.
stance
The way in which someone
stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in baseball, golf, and other
sports); a person's posture.
re·vive
Restore to life or
consciousness.
con·trac·tion
The process of becoming
smaller.
nas·ty
Highly unpleasant,
especially to the senses; physically nauseating.
ro·bust
Strong and healthy;
vigorous.
.
tra·jec·to·ry
The path followed by a
projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.
tack·le
Make determined efforts
to deal with (a problem or difficult task).
con·trac·tion
The process of becoming
smaller.
em·a·nate
(of something abstract but
perceptible) issue or spread out from (a source).
stance
The way in which someone
stands, especially when deliberately adopted (as in baseball, golf, and other
sports); a person's posture.
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