NPA menace in banking sector / Article by Kumud Das in NationalHeraldIndia.com on 18.6.2018

Read full article here: https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/govt-and-banks-grope-in-dark-in-their-battle-against-bad-loans

Words used in the original article:

1. daunting task = frightening

2. catch = hold, (difficulty in doing something)

3. revamp = to  give a new form

4. grim  = frightful

Discussion:

The NPA (non-performing assets) or bad loans in banking sector is piling up day by day. It has reached  Rs. ten lakh crore in the March end of 2018 that is gigantic in size. As NPA signifies inefficiency of banks and causes a heavy loss to them it must be stopped by any means. It is seen that some Rs. 8,90000/= crore are the bad loans of public sector banks and rest of others. The causes can be many. The top posts like MDs and CEOs of many of the Public Sector banks are vacant since long. In absence of the top authority the banks flinch from taking any big decisions which ultimately affect their efficiencies. Moreover ARC (Asset Reconstruction Committees) and AMC (Asset management committee) are yet to be set up in case of some banks. The modalities of these committee and other matters pertaining to them are being considered by Sunil Mehta Committee. Mehta Committee has been set up by the present Union government to find the ways of resolving the issue of stressed assets. This committee may also consider the merger of small banks or infusion of capital into the loss making banks. 

Words used in the discussion:
1. flinch from - halt, recoil

Water crisis - where did the article miss out : ET, 18.6.2018 editorial pg.10, Delhi ed.

ET, 18.6.2018 pg.10, Delhi / Patna edition 

Words used in the original article:

perverse- deformed, विकृत

gratis -free of charge, मुफ्त

granular- grainy, अनाज-सम्बंधी

(Note: See the full article in the newspaper or e-paper.)

Discussion:

The  second article in the editorial is based on a report of Niti Ayoga is a nice one. It does not only enumerates the nature of the imminent water crisis in a scenario when the water table is falling down day by day but also suggests the ways how to tackle this. It has also ranked the states on a water management index and surprisingly mentions only the states which could secure higher places in that index. Those states are Gujarat and Rajasthan. The states at the bottom of the list have not been mentioned. It rightly laments the poor technique used in agriculture sector and mentions that 52% of farming area-wise is still dependent on rainfall. Even while 80% of usage of water is for agriculture the performance on water efficiency measures is the lowest in the world. Only 50% people in rural area has an excess of safe drinking water supply. At present  two-fifth of water supply nationally is from groundwater and the water table of more than half of them are going down more and more.

Now the points worth noting is how we can avoid this menace.  Yes of course there are ways- water user organisations should manage their demand judiciously to ensure optimal use of each drop of water. Less water consuming seed varieties should be used, ensuring that groundwater levels should be recharged adequately and prohibition on  unlimited water sucking from the ground may be effective in avoiding national crisis in future. 

The article is brilliant as and you gains broader perspective after reading it still it does not mention how we can help in recharging water. Perhaps avoiding  wastage of rain water and channelising them to fields rather than the river might be the answer. The more important issue on which the article has missed out is while fixing the responsibility. it prefers to single out merely agrarian sector whereas we all know that the urban sector is as more a culprit. 

Words used in the discussion:

enumerate- count, एक-एक करके बताना

lament- deplore, विलाप करना
menace - danger, खतरा

agrarian sector - farming sector, कृषि क्षेत्र

culprit - offender, अपराधी

ET magazine, Delhi Edition, June 17-23, Pg.7: While commenting on hot-button topics..

Link of the article on epaper: https://epaperlive.timesofindia.com/ETE/DEL?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1#display_area

Words used in the original article:

1. Strap on VR gear - going to use the virtual reality media like internet on computer for some purpose (meaning as in view of the editor)
2. Etched in  - engraved, खोदा हुआ
3. Emotion-agnostic - disbeliever in emotions, भावनात्मक तटस्थता
4. Hot-button topic - A topic highly charged emotionally or politically
5. Hominem - adjective, adverb. directed against a person rather than against his or her arguments. based on or appealing to emotion rather than reason. (collins dic.)
6. Rampant - unruly, अनियंत्रित

The communication consultant author of this article Karthik Srinivasan opines that a person must take proper precautions while using social media platforms like twitter and facebook. He advises people to be considerate, thoughtful and averse from extremes while making a post. You may feel like you are expressing your views in loneliness but it is your false notion. Whatever you write on social wall it is visible to is are seen by thousands of others. So even while enjoying your freedom of thought you must think that you can't enjoy freedom of expressions as per your whims. Some decorum must be maintained. Otherwise while commenting on some hot-button topics, if you respond using  extreme words like terrible, miserable etc you may become a butt of ridicule  if it has a positive inference or if used in negative meaning it may invite the similar expletives from others against you.  

Mostly it is just a search away to know the veracity of the facts served by others.  Nowadays when the fake news are rampant a dire need has arisen to keep an effective bullshit alert in your mind and remain excessively vigilant all the time.

Words used in the discussion:
1. butt of ridicule - a target to be mocked at, उपहास का पात्र
2. expletives  - bad words, दुर्वचन
3. Veracity - truth, सत्यता

Meaning of some words in the review of play: Love affair of the first president of America

Read full article with many more pictures here 

http://biharidhamaka.blogspot.com/2018/06/george-washingtons-love-staged-by-raaga.html

Surprisingly  the wife has a reason to grow sympathetic to a mistress (kept, रखैल) of her husband when she learns why the name of that mistress was uttered by her husband as his last word. The typical hostility (enmity, शत्रुता) between the two women who figured in  the life of one man needs no elaboration (विस्तार से कहने की जरूरत नहीं है). Both are as spiteful (jealous, डाही) to each other as you can imagine and yea,  the abomination (hatred, नफरत) is in full bloom at both ends.   The play accounts the verbal fight between the wife and the mistress of George Washigton, the first president of Amierica after his death. Martha is the legal wife and Dolly is the concubine, a kept woman with whom George spent years leaving his wife before he returned to her.

Martha (wife) has called Dolly (mistress) at the graveyard of George Washington to quench her spiteful curiosity as how she felt while demolishing the marital life of a devotee wife who constantly extended love and support to her husband. Dolly says she never thought about the hurt feeling of the wife of her man and whether her action will hurt her severely. Then comes the cardinal question,"Did you really love my husband from the core of your heart?" And remarkably 'No' is the reply of Dolly. Martha is amazed how a highly sensible George can fall for (fall in love, प्रेम में फँस जाना) a woman who admittedly was not loving him! The conversations turns from warm to burningly hot. And Martha is not in a position to give a respectful reply on the counter-query of Dolly "How were the moments of her intimate relationship with George Washigton. She somehow replies with a hope to elicit more info on the illegal relationship of her husband with his concubine (kept woman). The drama proceeds in natural pace in a perfectly realistic set-up (पूरी तरह से वास्तविक परिस्थितियों में आगे बढ़ता है). Martha is almost at the brink of breaking her belief in the word of faithfulness. Man is the biggest betrayer (unfaithful, धोखेबाज) on this planet. This is the moment when Martha reveals that yes it is true that she never loved George but the further fact is that even George never loved her. George and she were just spending time with each other and slept in different rooms of same building. The noble purpose behind this drama was to create a real reunion of the couple whose relationship had evaporated in the tempest of political activism. She categorically says that George always used to talk about his wife Martha only for whom he had a deep love in his heart solely. But he was quite perturbed (uneasy, क्षुब्ध) by the Martha's views about for joining politics and becoming president of the country. George was neither willing to join politics nor to become a president. He, he only wished to spend time in the arms of his charming wife Martha.

There were only two characters namely Martha (Archana Soni) and Dolly (Annu Priya). Both of them looked graceful western ladies. The volume of dialogues delivered by Archana was  consistently well-audible giving her an edge over Annu on this front. Though Annu, having a lissome (nimble,लचीला) physique also acted quite well winning hearts of the audience. The only problem with her was her dialogues were becoming inaudible quite frequently. Either she or sound system might have been responsible for it. The emphasis (accent, बलाघात) in dialogue delivery, facial expressions and body language of both artists were impressive. The credit also goes to the director Bhupendra Kumar for getting better outputs from the established good actors. Though there was scope of getting the actors standing on front side of the stage also giving more clearer and effective view to the audience the point seems to be missed out. Lights were by Randhir Kumar who successfully maintained to ensure sombre and cumbrous (sad and burdensome, विषादपूर्ण और बोझिल) scene of a graveyard with a dim though clearly visible light thrown all through the play. The stage setting with a large grave with a flag on a raised platform was able to signify the sublime befitting to a president. Any adornment (decoration, अलंकरण) was deliberately avoided with greenery on the floor and a big bench lying in the right back side of the stage. 

The script of the play crafted by Miro Gavrom is precise and cast light on the personal life of a man rather than a president. Afsar Hussain has made a lively translation of it. This play was staged at Kalidas Rangalaya, Patna on 14.6.2018.

It was the combined effect  of taut (exact, कसा हुआ) script, good acting, direction and stage setting that kept the viewers engaged throughout the whole show notwithstanding it's belonging to thought-provoking genre (विचारोत्तेजक शैली) allowing very little space for pure entertainment.

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Presented by the team of Bihari Dhamaka blog.

You may respond as comment on the post or email to editorbiharidhamaka@yahoo.com 

Some selected stories date 08.6.20144 The Hindu editorial page

                                                                                Story -1

The Hindu Patna edition, 9.6.2018, editorial pg.15
 For full view of article go to https://epaper.thehindu.com/

potboiler = sloven, botcher, लापरवाही से काम करने का नमूना
claustrophobia = fear of confined spaces, बंद स्थानों का भय
pipedream = an unattainable hope or scheme, सनक
hoot = spurn, despise तिरस्कार सूचक चिल्लाहट

In the aboe aticle the writer Vishal Menon has made a reiew of the film 'Kaalaa'. He says that the film is very interesting till the end of the first half as the main character behaves like a protagonist and Rajnikant's topical style is in full swing. Though in the second half is very prosaic as the protagonist now turns into a hardcore leader and his astounding personality gives way to a adept politician. The scenes of Dharawi, the biggest slum of India may make any healthy person a claustrophobic one. Every street is crowded and packed to an extent where sky is not visible. The whole story moves around struggle of slum-dwellers against a clean-up drive. Also the scenes of Karikalan (Rajanikant) with his ex-lover are best chunks of the film. Every glance  of Zarina is filled with mischief and passion. 

Story -2

The Hindu Patna edition, 9.6.2018, editorial pg.8
 For full view of article go to https://epaper.thehindu.com/

Salvo = Simultaneous discharge of artillery, अनेक तोपों से भयंकर गोलीबारी 

The language of this article is sleek and simple having hardly any usage of difficult word. This speaks about the trade war scenario between America and its trade allies. In the backdrop of imposition of 25% tax on steel and 10%  tariff (tax) on aluminum imports China, Mexico, Canada and now European Union have been imposing similar taxes at their ends. Presently, EU decided to charge 25% tax on imports worth $3.3 billion from US. The implication of this raise in taxation rate is that the domestic manufacturers would be able to save their profitability. But this is very short-sighted approach to think. Ultimately the series of levying more and more taxes would lead to downturn of the global trade which would check the progress of development worldwide. In the long run.the only gainers would be a some pockets of industrial houses of either side and the countries who decides to keep away from this trade war. And undoubtedly even this small crumbs of benefit to some section of global economy would come at the cost of heavy downfall of global trade as a whole.

New norms for valuation of State Govt securities / ET editorial, dated 8.6.2018

ET,  Patna Editon, 8.6.2018,  editorial page no.8,
For viewing full article go to https://epaper.timesgroup.com/Olive/ODN/TheEconomicTimes/#

shore up = prop up, सभालना

G.Sec = Inidian Government securities

eschew = sacrifice, disclaim

rev up = step up, enlarge

Backdrop = background 

verily = really 

The current valuation practice for State Govt securities are to b revised by the RBI. Present practice is to obviously faulty by which state govt papers are valued a aa uniform mark-up of 25 basis points above the yield of Govt Securities of similar period. The new plan is to value it on the basis of price observed in the primary capital market.

Selected stories from English newspapers dated 07.6.2018 / Morning India

Story-1

Pg no. 6, Morning India (daily), Patna Edition 07.6.2018
For viewing full article go to buy the paper or view epaper 

Farrago = mismass, interfusion गड़बड़झाला

Fat bass = An insult made from the combination of "fat bastard" and "fat ass". 

Swallow (fish) = to resist expressing one’s emotions

Pipe down = Be quiet

Dolt = foolish

Face the music = to bear the bad result

Jughead = foolish or stupid person

Innuendo = taunt, satire

Preposterous = inane, gaga, ludicrous, ऊटपटांग 

This is very interesting piece written by Aditya Aamir to go through. The whole story deals with the imminent new judicial trial of Shashi Tharoor, Ex- Cabinet Minister  on the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar. The authors of this article has adopted a jocular style and have frequently used slang, proverbs and idioms all through the article. Jocko Street and Alec Smart are two characters ostensibly pose to be  sympathizers of Shashi Tharoor and engage in a discussion fearing the grilling and testimony of Tharoor. How can such gentleman and good looking person having a personality specially attractive to women can abet his own loving and beautiful wife to suicide? As  the title suggests correctly there is a flurry of emotions in their negotiation leaving hardly any space to launch a legal debate.How the gracious Malayali, walking-talking encyclopedia Shashi Tharoor whose voice can lull a tiger to sleep can be charged with spooky sections of 306 and 498A which  can give him a jail term of up to ten yearsif held true?

Story-2

Pg no. 6, Morning India (daily), Patna Edition 07.6.2018

This article talks about the correlation of sleeping hours and excess heart age and concludes that it is exact seven hours daily that is appropriate to sleep. If you sleep more or less daily it means your hearat is prone to develop symptoms of excess heart age which may lead to heart diseases and cardio-vascular complexities. 
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