The Hindu Editorial (Big on hopes, short on ideas) – Feb 02, 2022

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s fourth successive budget, while commonsensical in its approach, is not exactly bubbling with new ideas. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Big on hopes, short on ideas) – Feb 02, 2022.

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The Hindu Editorial (Big on hopes, short on ideas) – Feb 02, 2022:

infrastructure (noun) – the basic physical or organisational structure or framework that a country or organization needs in order to function properly. For a whole nation, it includes all the physical systems such as buildings, roads & railways networks, utilities, etc.
lack (verb) – be without, be deprived of, not have enough of.
invigorating (adjective) – revitalizing, refreshing, reviving, rejuvenating, encouraging.
proposal (noun) – plan, scheme, programme.
successive (adjective) – continuous, consecutive.
commonsensical (adjective) – commonsensible, reasonable, sensible, rational, well-founded.
bubble (verb) – be filled, overflow.
in search of (phrase) – searching for, seeking, looking for, in quest of, in pursuit of, on the track of.
durable (adjective) – long-lasting, long-term, strong, substantial.
momentum (noun) – strength, impetus.
entrench (verb) – establish something firmly; anchor, settle, embed.
fiscal (year) (noun) – financial year.
contraction (noun) – In economics, it refers to a decline in national output as measured by gross domestic product.
address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
flagging (adjective) – declining.
consumer expenditure/spending (noun) – the acquisition (buying/procuring) of goods and services by individuals or families.
in the wake of (phrase) – as a result of, in the aftermath of, as a consequence of.
erosion (noun) – undermining, weakening, deterioration, disintegration.
tax break (noun) – tax concession, and tax relief; reduction, deduction, decrease (in tax payers’ tax liability).
handout (noun) – aid, financial support.
acknowledge (verb) – accept, recognize, realize.
public (adjective) – government.
capital spending/expenditure (CAPEX) (noun) – the money spent on the acquisition of assets like land, buildings, machinery, equipment, as well as investment in shares.
public/government capital expenditure (noun) – it refers to the outlay of government funds in the form of investments or development spending towards creation of assets for the long term. An example of capital expenditure could be the money spent on, say, Railways or building national highways and roads.
crowding-in (noun/adjective) – a phenomenon that occurs when higher government spending leads to an increase in private sector investment.
pump-prime (noun) – boost/increase business activity with more investment.
outlay (noun) – expenditure, expenses, spending, cost, price, disbursement, investment.
capital account noun) – an account storing (government) capital expenditure; the amount of capital held by a country, business, etc.
mark (verb) – indicate, identify, denote.
to be sure (phrase) – certainly, surely; used to highlight something.
highlight (verb) – underline, underscore, emphasize.
PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (noun) – It is a ₹100 lakh crore national master plan for multi-modal connectivity that aims to develop infrastructure to reduce logistic costs and boost the economy. It is a campaign to lend more speed (Gati) and power (Shakti) to projects by connecting all concerned departments on one platform. This way, the infrastructure schemes of various ministries and state governments will be designed and executed with a common vision.
transformative (adjective) – forward-thinking, progressive, liberal, dynamic.
sustainable (adjective) – reasonable, sensible, well-founded (without disturbing the balance of nature and then without exhausting all of the natural resources).
seven engines of economic transformation (noun) – the seven engines are roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways, and logistics infrastructure. All these seven engines will pull forward the economy in unison.
logistics (noun) – the process of planning & executing a complex work (e.g. transporting goods).
sweep (noun) – scope, range of something.
envision (verb) – visualize, imagine, envisage.
potentially (adverb) – likely, possibly, probably.
largely (adverb) – mostly, mainly.
concerns (verb) – be about, deal with, have to do with; involve, be relevant to, apply to, pertain to.
specifics (noun) – details, particulars.
pencil in (phrasal verb) – arrange, organize, forecast, note down something temporarily/tentatively.
expressway (noun) – a highway (especially designed for high-speed traffic).
formulate (verb) – create, think up, come up with, develop.
project (verb) – intend, plan, propose.
enable (verb) – equip, prepare, facilitate,
seamless (adjective) – smooth and continuous.
multimodal (adjective) – multimode; involving more than one mode (method).
transit (noun) – movement, transport, transportation.
sound (verb) – appear, look, seem.
refrain (noun) – often repeated comment (or remark or complaint).
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme (MGNREGA), 2005 (noun) – an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
shrunk past participle of shrink (verb) – lessen, reduce, decrease.
marginally (adverb) – slightly, somewhat, moderately
bear (verb) – withstand, stand up to, put up with, take, cope with, handle, sustain, accept.
keenness (noun) – eagerness, willingness, readiness, desire/wish.
broadly (adverb) – generally, usually, commonly.
stick to (phrasal verb) – abide by, comply with, stand by, conform to.
fiscal consolidation (noun) – it is a reduction in the underlying (basic) fiscal deficit and public debt.
road map (noun) – plan/strategy to do something successfully.
project (verb) – predict, estimate, calculate; intend, plan, propose.
a narrowing (noun) – reduction, decrease, lessening.
fiscal deficit (noun) – the difference between total expenditure and total income of the government.
Gross domestic product (GDP) (noun) – a measure of economic activity in a country. It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and service.
reflect (verb) – indicate, show, display, demonstrate.
public expenditure/spending or government expenditure/spending (noun) – money spent by the government.
ought to (modal verb) – must, should.
significantly (adverb) – notably, importantly, crucially.
pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
serve (verb) – act as, function as.
illuminate (verb) – clarify, explain, elucidate, reveal, make clear.
need (noun) – requirement, necessity.
sizeable (adjective) – substantial, considerable, significant, large.
public health (noun) – the branch of medicine handling public health; public health is also the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities through education, policy making and research for disease and injury prevention.
solace (noun) – comfort, consolation, support.
National Tele Mental Health Programme (noun) – To better access to quality mental health counselling and care services, a National Tele-Mental Health Programme will be launched. This will include a network of 23 tele-mental health centres of excellence with Nimhans (National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences) being the nodal centre and International Institute of Information technology (IIIT-Bangalore) providing technology support.
exacerbate (verb) – intensify, increase, heighten, aggravate, worsen, compound.
claustrophobic (adjective) – relating to the feeling of discomfort & fear in an enclosed spaces.
lockdown (noun) – an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.
plethora (noun) – a lot, too many, a host of; excess, abundance, surplus.
anxiety (noun) – concern, worry, disquiet.
trigger (verb) – cause, produce, bring about, prompt.
nod (noun) – indication, signal, sign (of approval).
nationalist (noun/adjective) – relating to nationalism.
moorings (noun) – stabilizing influence/power.
in line with (phrase) – consistent with, in accordance with, in agreement with, compatible with.
push (noun) – effort, initiative, drive.
self-reliance (noun) – self-sufficiency, self-support, self-sustenance.
AtmaNirbharta (noun) – self-reliance.
tariff (noun) – a tax imposed by one country on the goods and services imported from another country.
bolster (verb) – strengthen, support, reinforce/buttress.
in the long run (phrase) – over a long period of time; eventually, in the end, ultimately.
procurement (noun) – the action of procuring/purchasing/buying something.
to that/this end (phrase) – for that reason.
earmark (verb) – set aside, set apart, reserve, designate (for a particular purpose).
armed forces (noun) – military forces.
rationalisation (noun) – systematisation, formalisation.
swathe (noun) – a wide area of something.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) (noun) – MSME stands for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME), introduced by Government of India in agreement with Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006. It includes Enterprises engaged in the manufacture or production, processing or preservation of goods & Enterprises engaged in providing or rendering of services with some specific requirements.
capital goods (noun) – the fixed or tangible assets, which are purchased by a business, used in the productive process in order to produce a finished ‘consumer’ goods.
move (noun) – step, action, measure.
phase out (phrasal verb) – eliminate, remove, discontinue (something in gradual stages).
concessional (adjective) – having a concession (reduction, cut, discount, deduction).
moderate (adjective) – reasonable, acceptable; fair, modest.
in the short term (phrase) – in the (near) future.
exemption (noun) – special treatment, privilege, favouritism; immunity, exclusion, exception, indemnity, freedom.
machinery (noun) – equipment, apparatus, hardware, plant, instruments, tools, technology.
notwithstanding (conjunction) – although, in spite of the fact that, despite the fact that, even though.
raging (adjective) – strong, severe, extreme, excessive, very great, inordinate.
virtual currency (noun) – virtual money; a type of unregulated digital currency.
virtual (adjective) – performing a task with the use of computer, especially over a network.
twin-track approach (noun) – an approach which involves two simultaneous actions/processes.
on the one hand (phrase) – it is used to introduce the first of two contrasting different, points, facts, or ways of looking at something. It is always followed later by “on the other hand” or ‘on the other’.
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) (noun) – In simple terms, a central bank digital currency (CBDC) would be a digital banknote. It could be used by individuals to pay businesses, shops or each other (a “retail CBDC”), or between financial institutions to settle trades in financial markets (a “wholesale CBDC”).
posit (verb) – put forward, set forth, present, propose.
impart (verb) – give, provide, bestow, confer, grant, lend.
lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring on.
leverage (verb) – use or utilize something to maximum advantage.
blockchain (noun) – Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network. An asset can be tangible (a house, car, cash, land) or intangible (intellectual property, patents, copyrights, branding). Virtually anything of value can be tracked and traded on a blockchain network, reducing risk and cutting costs for all involved.
in parallel (phrase) – happening at the same time and having some relation.
virtual digital asset (noun) – any information or code or number or token (not being Indian currency or foreign currency), generated through cryptographic means or otherwise, by whatever name called, providing a digital representation of value exchanged with or without consideration, with the promise or representation of having inherent value, or functions as a store of value or a unit of account including its use in any financial transaction or investment, but not limited to investment scheme; and can be transferred, stored or traded electronically.
cryptographic (adjective) – relating to the art of writing or solving codes.
acquisition (noun) – buy, purchase, procurement, possession (of a company).
mushrooming (adjective) – growing, expanding, or developing (rapidly).
multiplicity (noun) – a large number of, a lot of, a variety of, a host of; abundance, scores.
cryptocurrency (noun) – a type of digital currency.
salutary (adjective) – good, helpful/useful, beneficial, practical, valuable.
besides (adverb) – in addition, furthermore, moreover, further.
stream (noun) – a continuous flow of something.
exchequer (noun) – treasury, coffers; funds/resources/finances.
skirt (verb) – avoid, evade, steer clear of, sidestep, dodge, circumvent, bypass.
monetisation (noun) – In general, it is the process of converting something (e.g. an asset) into money.
receipts (noun) – proceeds, money/payment received, income, revenue, earnings, turnover.
disinvestment (noun) – the process by which the Union government either sells its stakes in a PSU–fully or partially–or lists it on the stock market.
gross (adjective) – total, whole, complete, full, overall, comprehensive, aggregate.
jump (noun) – rise, increase, upturn.
resource crunch (noun) – an acute shortage (or “drying up”) of resources.
crunch (noun) – severe shortage.
manifest (verb) – display, show, present, exhibit, demonstrate, reveal.
debt (noun) – financial obligation, outstanding payment, amount due, money owing, dues, arrears, debits, charges.
debt issuance (noun) – an approach used by both the government and public companies to raise funds by selling bonds to external investors. In return, the investors earn periodic interest on the amount invested.
bound to (adjective) – certain, sure, very likely, guaranteed.
acute (adjective) – severe, intense, serious.
given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.
lack of (noun) – absence, unavailability, non-existence.