IASbhai Daily Editorial Hunt | 31st Dec

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” —Walt Disney

Dear Aspirants
IASbhai Editorial Hunt is an initiative to dilute major Editorials of leading Newspapers in India which are most relevant to UPSC preparation –‘THE HINDU, LIVEMINT , INDIAN EXPRESS’ and help millions of readers who find difficulty in answer writing and making notes everyday. Here we choose two editorials on daily basis and analyse them with respect to UPSC MAINS 2020-21.

EDITORIAL HUNT #293 :“A Year of Annus Horribilis and Annus Mirabilis | UPSC”

T.K.A. Nair

A Year of Annus Horribilis and Annus Mirabilis | UPSC

T.K.A. Nair was Principal Secretary and Adviser to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

HEADLINES:

Before a new dawn, glimpses of a trauma-filled year

CENTRAL THEME:

It has been ‘annus horribilis’ (a year of disaster or misfortune)so far, but science and technology and human ingenuity could make 2021, ‘annus mirabilis’(a remarkable or auspicious year).

SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 4 : Miscellaneous

MAINS QUESTION:

Few people recognise the year 2020 as ‘annus horribilis’ and the rest will remember it by ‘annus mirabilis’. Comment -(GS 4)

LEARNING:

World Watch
Advent of Pandemic
India’s experience
Governance till now

INTRODUCTION:

Time magazine ran an extraordinary cover image with a big red X drawn over the number 2020.
“THE WORST YEAR EVER,” the cover line read.

Time certainly wasn’t alone. A recent headline from the Newspaper: “Why 2020 really was the worst year ever.”

BODY:

WORLD WATCH

CLIMATE CHANGE : Catastrophic climate events including major bushfires in Australia and the United States, tropical cyclones in several parts of the world .
FLOODS : Devastating floods washed away mile upon mile of fertile soil and dislocating the lives of thousands in China, India, Nepal and Japan, climate change adversely impacted millions of people.
TERRITORIAL ADVENTURISM : At the same time, outbreaks of violence caused by pent-up feelings of anger, frustration and hatred in the name of nation caused territorial adventurism.
THE PERSIAN GULF CRISIS : The killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and the Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes in a U.S. drone attack has deepened the hate.
MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT ZONE : Outside the Middle East conflict zone, bloody civil wars in Afghanistan, Armenia-Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic of Congo, Syria, Iraq and in Ethiopia have increased the violence.
ROHINGYA TRAGEDY : The tragedy of the Rohingya Muslims fleeing their homes to escape sectarian harassment has also highlighted the perils of creeping ethnic cleansing.

ADVENT OF THE PANDEMIC

COVID-19 : The Wuhan virus which spread like wildfire spared none from its tentacles and continues to rage relentlessly.

As thousands get infected and die each day, the vicious virus is mutating itself into many forms overtime, triggering bewilderment

ECONOMIC IMPACT : The International Monetary Fund projected a (minus) 4.9% contraction, leading inevitably to widespread economic depression, loss of livelihood and consequent human misery.
RACIAL VIOLENCE : Meanwhile, racial violence and hate crimes broke out in several parts of the world, triggering social unrest and dangerously divisive rhetoric.

INDIA’S EXPERIENCE

INITIAL DAYS : Like the rest of the world, India too has had its COVID-19 woes ever since it was detected first in Kerala, in January, in a student who had returned from Wuhan.

The hasty lockdown proved to be an unmitigated disaster, only adding to the woes of the people

MIGRANTS TRUDGING BACK HOME : The country witnessed the pathetic plight of lakhs of hapless migrant workers caught in the lockdown trudging back home, hungry and thirsty under the blazing sun, to an insecure future.

IASbhai Windup:

GOVERNANCE TILL NOW

LAWS AFFECTING DIVERSITY : The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the abrogation of special status to Jammu and Kashmir and its bifurcation, and the agrarian reform acts evoked strident protests from the affected sections of our diverse country.
CAA AND AGRARIAN CRISIS : The Shaheen Bagh agitation against the CAA that was spearheaded by women, and the continuing stir against the agrarian laws by thousands of farmers are deeply disquieting as they reflect the rumblings in society.
INSTITUTIONALISM : So are the muffled voices of anguish over the perceived decline of our cherished institutions of democratic governance, especially the Supreme Court of India.

The world heaves a sigh of relief and awaits with bated breath the dawn of better times to be ushered in by science and technology and nurtured by human ingenuity.

SOURCES: THE HINDU EDITORIAL HUNT | A Year of Annus Horribilis and Annus Mirabilis | UPSC

This is the last Editorial hunt of 2020 . WISH YOU A HAPPY YEAR 2021 – TEAM IASbhai 🙂

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