The Hindu Editorial (Arms and the women) – Aug 20, 2021

Editorial Words

3 years ago

e Hindu Editorial (Arms and the women) – Aug 20, 2021

Women have been fighting a tough and uphill battle for equal opportunities in the Indian Army. In a landmark judgment in February 2020, the Supreme Court asked the government to abide by its own policy… For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Arms and the women) – Aug 20, 2021.

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The Hindu Editorial (Arms and the women) – Aug 20, 2021:

arms (noun) – weapons of war, weaponry, firearms, guns, artillery, armaments.
gender parity (noun) – gender equality; It is the view that everyone should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on their gender.
uphill (adjective) – arduous, difficult, hard/tough, taxing, demanding.
landmark (noun as modifier) – milestone, watershed, historic event, major achievement.
abide by (verb) – conform to, adhere to, comply with.
grant (verb) – give, allocate, allot, assign to.
Permanent Commission (PC) (noun) – The Permanent Commission in the army means to serve until one retires. Permanent Commission Officers continue to serve till the age of superannuation (retirement with pension).
Short Service Commission (SSC) (noun) – The Short service commission in the armed forces is for 10 years, which can be extended by up to four years. At the end of 14 years, there is an option for permanent commission.
command post (CP) (noun) – a post at which the commander of a military unit controls & organizes it.
combat (noun) – battle, fighting, war.
point out (phrasal verb) – identify, mention, indicate, draw attention to.
play a part/role (phrase) – contribute to, be instrumental in, be a factor in.
induction (noun) – admission, enlistment, recruitment (into military service).
extend (verb) – offer, give, grant.
step forward (noun) – improvement, development, advancement, progress.
stringent (adjective) – strict, severe, extreme, rigorous.
systemic (adjective) – affecting all parts in a system; constructional, organizational, structural.
go back (phrasal verb) – return to.
sort out (phrasal verb) – solve, find a solution to, rectify, deal with.
lay down (phrasal verb) – formulate, stipulate & insist on a rule.
interim (adjective) – provisional, temporary, transitional.
National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune (noun) – Established in 1954, National Defence Academy (NDA) is one of the most prestigious inter-services training establishments in India. It has the unique distinction of being the first institutions in the world, to impart combined training to officer cadets of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun (noun) – Established in 1932, Indian Military Academy (IMA) is a premier Army Training institution imparting training to potential regular Officers of or Army.
Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai (noun) – Established in 1963, Officers Training Academy or OTA Chennai is a premier institute of Indian Army for training Men and Women into officers for the Short Service Commission into Indian Army. The difference between IMA and OTA is that while IMA trains men for Permanent Commission, all men and women for Short Service Commission (SSC) are trained in Officers Training Academy (OTA).
directive (noun) – an authoritative order, command, direction, instruction; rule, ruling, regulation, law, decree.
subject to (adjective) – conditional on, contingent on, depending on.
hearing (noun) – inquiry, legal proceedings, trial/court case.
the Solicitor General (noun) – the second-highest rank for a law officer of the government.
bench (noun) – a court of law with a number of judges.
gender discrimination (noun) – discrimination based on gender (or sex (male/female)).
discrimination (noun) – prejudice, intolerance, inequity, unfairness (against an individual or group of individuals by society and its institutions (basically in the procedures, policies or objectives) as a whole.
constructive (adjective) – formative, productive, useful/helpful, practical/effective.
discriminatory (adjective) – biased, unfair/unjust, inequitable, one-sided, partisan.
ruling (noun) – judgement, adjudication, verdict.
writ petition (noun) – A writ petition can be filed by any person whose Fundamental Rights have been infringed/violated by the State. Under a Public Interest Litigation, any public-spirited person may file a writ petition in the interest of the general public even if his own Fundamental Right has not been infringed.
seek (verb) – ask for, request, appeal, demand.
Article 14, 15 & 16 of the Constitution (noun) – Equality before law. Article 14 states that the State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India. Article 15 secures the citizens from every sort of discrimination by the State, on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth or any of them. Article 16 assures equality of opportunity in matters of public employment and prevents the State from any sort of discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, descent, place of birth, residence or any of them. Articles 14, 15 and 16 form part of a scheme of the Constitutional Right to Equality. Article 15 and 16 are incidents of guarantees of Equality, and give effect to Article 14.
Article 19 of the Constitution (noun) – Article 19 deals with Right to Freedom (Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.). These include the freedom of speech and expression, freedom of assembly without arms, freedom of association, freedom of movement throughout the territory of our country, freedom to reside and settle in any part of the country of India and the freedom to practice any profession. All these freedoms are subject to reasonable restrictions that may be imposed on them by the State, listed under Article 19 itself.
uphold (verb) – confirm, endorse/approve, vindicate/validate.
non-discriminatory (adjective) – fair, judicial, unbiased.
overcome (verb) – prevail over, triumph over, succeed in dealing with (a problem/difficulty).
hurdle (noun) – obstacle, difficulty, problem, barrier, impediment, obstruction, hindrance.
long haul (noun) – difficult task.
context (noun) – circumstances, conditions, situation.
Sainik Schools (noun) – The Sainik Schools are a system of schools in India established and managed by the Sainik Schools Society under Ministry of Defence (MoD). As the name suggests, Sainik Schools prepare students for a career in the armed forces. Hence students here are called “cadets” and have to follow strict rules, which are on the lines of those in military academies. These schools are the brainchild of VK Krishna Menon, who was the Union defence minister from April 1957 to October 1962. Menon conceived this idea in 1961. At present, there are 33 such schools in the country. Uttar Pradesh has three Sainik Schools, while Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan have two schools each.