08 Jan

th

2019
Vocabulary words:

Plight (noun) = A dangerous, difficult, or otherwise

unfortunate situation (दुददशा)
Evasive (adj) = Directed towards avoidance or escape
Flagrant (adj) = Conspicuously or obviously offensive
Actuate (verb) = Activate, operate, start up
Inexplicable (adj) = Unable to be explained or accounted
for
Cumulative (adj) = Increasing or increased in quantity,
degree
Exacerbate (verb) = Make (a problem, bad situation, or
negative feeling) worse
Crescendo (noun) = A progressive increase in intensity or
in loudness
Vocabulary words:

Abate (verb) = Become less intense or widespread

Avowed (adj) = That has been asserted, admitted, or
stated publicly (स्वीकृत)
Hallow (verb) = Make holy, honour as holy (पूजना)
Indispensable (adj) = Absolutely necessary (परम आवश्यक)
Impervious (adj) = Unable to be affected by (प्रबल)
Diaphanous (adj) = (especially of fabric) light and
delicate (पारदशी)
Flank (verb) = Be on each or on one side of
Travesty (noun) = A false, absurd, or distorted
representation of something
Title: Death traps
(The Meghalaya government must urgently ensure that all illegal
mines are shut down)

Context
The tardy response of the Centre and the State of Meghalaya to the
plight of at least 15 workers trapped in a rat-hole coal mine since
mid-December has exposed the extraordinary indifference in
government to labour welfare and the law.
➢ Two workers have been found dead in a second mine in the
East Jaintia Hills district. The primary responsibility for the
operation of illegal mines lies with the State government, and it
should be called to account for ignoring the directions of the
National Green Tribunal to close them and levy punitive
royalties on those that extracted the coal.
➢ Several appeals are before the Supreme Court in connection
with a ban ordered by the Tribunal on rat-hole mining and the
transport of already mined coal. It should be possible at least
now to put an end to it.
➢ The Meghalaya government has been evasive on the issue of
the continued operation of the illegal mines, in spite of the
adverse findings of the Justice B.P. Katoki committee appointed
by the NGT.
➢ Although the NGT has ordered the State to deposit ₹100 crore
with the Central Pollution Control Board for environmental
restoration in the wake of the recent disaster at Ksan in East
Jaintia Hills, the first-order priority is to close the rat-hole
mines.
➢ It is the responsibility of the Centre and the State to rehabilitate
the workers from impoverished communities, reportedly
including some child labourers, who are ready to undertake the
risky labour because of the higher-than-average wages paid.

Final Words
➢ As recently as in December, Parliament was informed that 22
States had constituted a task force to review illegal mining and
act on it, but Meghalaya does not figure in that list. A clean-up
is overdue.
Phrasal Verbs

1) Play down = Under emphasize

2) Pop up = Appear abruptly
3) Set on = Strike, attack
4) Account for = Constitute, make up
5) Content with = Cope with, deal with
Quiz Game
(1) The NGT has imposed Rs 100 crore fine on which state’s
government for failing to curb illegal mining?
a) Assam
b) Tripura
c) West Bengal
d) Meghalaya

Answer-(d)
Quiz Game
(2) According to a study, which nation’s melting ice sheet is
releasing tons of methane?
a) Iceland
b) Greenland
c) Antarctica
d) Alaska

Answer-(b)
Quiz Game
(3) Which nation has passed a law to have own version of
Islam, make it conform to socialism?
a) North Korea
b) Russia
c) China
d) Germany

Answer-(c)
Quiz Game
(4) Which nation has introduced a new regulation to put an
end to secret divorces?
a) UAE
b) Bahrain
c) Saudi Arabia
d) Qatar

Answer-(c)
Quiz Game
(5) The largest cathedral of West Asia was recently
inaugurated in which nation?
a) Jordan
b) Oman
c) Egypt
d) UAE

Answer-(c)
Title: Jaitapur: A risky and expensive project
(Unless the government is transparent about details, it will be
engulfed in yet another controversy)

Context
In December, the French company Électricité de France (EDF)
submitted a “techno-commercial proposal” to the Indian
government for the Jaitapur nuclear power project in
Maharashtra.
➢ The idea of importing six nuclear European Pressurised Reactors
(EPRs) was initiated by the United Progressive Alliance
government more than a decade ago, but the project had made
little progress due to concerns about the economics and safety of
the EPRs, local opposition, and the collapse of the initial French
corporate partner, Areva.
➢ In March 2018, EDF and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
(NPCIL) signed an “industrial way forward” agreement in the
presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President
Emmanuel Macron.
➢ Last month, after meeting the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves
Le Drian, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced
that “both countries are working to start the Jaitapur project as
soon as possible”. The urgency is inexplicable as it comes before
the techno-commercial offer has been examined and as earlier
questions about costs and safety remain unanswered.
➢ Moreover, with the Indian power sector facing surplus capacity
and a crisis of non-performing assets (NPAs), a large investment
in the Jaitapur project is particularly risky.
Delays and cost increases
➢ It is clear that electricity from the Jaitapur project will be more
expensive than many other sources of electricity, including solar
and wind power.
➢ The first EPR entered commercial operation in December 2018
at the Taishan site in China, five years later than originally
projected. Its final capital cost was estimated by industry
sources to be “40% over the original estimate”.
➢ The EPR at Flamanville in France, for example, went from an
expected start date of 2012 to 2020, and a cost estimate of €3.3
billion to €10.9 billion.
➢ Two EPRs have been planned at Hinkley Point in the U.K.
Even before construction began, the estimated cost has risen
significantly to £20 billion (about ₹1.75 lakh crore)
Safety problems
➢ In addition to the high costs, safety problems with the reactor
design and construction have emerged in several EPRs. The
most serious of these pertained to the pressure vessel, which is
the key barrier that prevents the spread of radioactive materials
from the reactor. In April 2015, the French nuclear safety
regulator, Autorité Sûreté Nucléaire, announced that some
sections of the pressure vessel that the French Creusot Forge
had supplied to the Flamanville and Taishan reactors had too
much carbon in the steel.
➢ These safety concerns are exacerbated by India’s flawed
nuclear liability law. If and when completed, Jaitapur “will be
the largest nuclear power plant in the world”.
➢ The Modi-Macron statement “emphasized the need for the
project to generate cost-effective electricity”. It is hard to see
how this is possible. To begin with, the government must
answer several specific questions: how much will the entire
project cost, who will be accountable for cost increases and
delays, and what is the precise arrangement that the
government has reached with France on liability?
Final Words
➢ Unless it is transparent about these details, the Modi
government may well find itself engulfed in yet another
controversy involving overpriced French equipment.
 Question for Descriptive Writing.

➢ 10% reservation for the Upper Caste poor is a

good/bad/not clear step by the government. Explain
08 Jan
th

2019