The Hindu Editorial (Sordid scheme) – Mar 26, 2024

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The Hindu Editorial (Sordid scheme) – Mar 26, 2024:

sordid (adjective) – dirty, unsavoury, disgusting, dishonest, shameful.
electoral bond (noun) – an electoral bond is designed to be a bearer instrument like a Promissory Note — in effect, it will be similar to a bank note that is payable to the bearer on demand and free of interest. It can be purchased by any citizen of India or a body incorporated in India. it allows limitless, secret donations to political parties, including (and especially) by corporations.
cronyism – favouritism, nepotism, patronage. Crony capitalism is a term describing an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials.
tranche (noun) – part, section, portion (of something).
nearly (adverb) – almost, pretty much, pretty well.
picture (noun) – concept, idea, view, notion, theory.
opaque (adjective) – non-transparent, hidden, mysterious, unclear, blurred, murky.
encash (verb) – exchange, change something into money; convert something into cash.
prod (verb) – push, encourage, motivate, persuade, urge (someone who is unwilling/hesitant/slow to do something).
chunk (noun) – a significant/large amount of something; a thick, solid piece of something.
indictment (noun) – accusation, allegation, citation, charge.
sought past and past participle of seek (verb) – ask for, request, appeal for, solicit.
on the other hand (phrase) – instead, alternatively, contrarily.
exercise (noun) – task, work.
cursory (adjective) – casual, brief, hurried, quick.
inefficacy (noun) – ineffectiveness, uselessness, helplessness.
opacity (noun) – opaqueness, non-transparency, obscurity, lack of clarity.
propound (verb) – submit, propose, put forward, suggest.
soundly (adverb) – completely, fully, entirely, utterly.
for one (phrase) – used to give an example of something.
correlation (noun) – connection, link, relationship, association, correspondence.
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.
entity (noun) – organization, establishment, firm/company.
subject to (adjective) – susceptible to, liable to, prone to, vulnerable to, likely to suffer from, in danger of, at risk of.
probe (noun) – investigation, search, inquiry.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) (noun) – Directorate of Enforcement is a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It was established in the year 1956 with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is responsible for enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) (Civil Law) and certain provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) (Criminal Law).
representative (noun) – official, agent, spokesperson.
cumulative (adjective) – aggregate; accruing, collective, combined.
go on to (phrasal verb) – continue, carry on, proceed.
invariably (adverb) – frequently, again and again, repeatedly, constantly, regularly, consistently.
besides (preposition) – apart from, other than, barring, excluding.
suggest (verb) – indicate, point to, imply, signify.
device (noun) – trick, plan, method.
curry favour with (phrase) – to try to benefit/gain advantage by praising someone excessively; to try to make someone like you; seek the favour of, try to win over, try to get on the good side of.
the establishment (noun) – the government, the regime, the authorities, the administration, the powers that be.
in the hands of (noun) – under the authority/control of.
audit trail (noun) – a record of financial transactions.
undue (adjective) – excessive, extreme, immoderate.
skew (verb) – change, distort, alter, misrepresent.
campaign (noun) – canvassing, electioneering, an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.
heavily (adverb) – very much.
in the favour of (phrase) – in the support of, to the advantage of.
put/draw a veil over to (phrase) – to not talk about something; to not give any details on something; to avoid speaking about something; to hide something from public knowledge.
unscrupulous (adjective) – unprincipled, unethical, immoral, dishonest, untrustworthy, shameless, exploitative, corrupt, fraudulent, deceitful.
motivation (noun) – reason, grounds, motive, basis, rationale.
incumbent upon (adjective) – binding, obligatory, mandatory, necessary.
civil society (noun) – civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society – sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) – has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.
enlighten (verb) – inform, make aware, notify, let know, apprise, give details to, update.
electorate (noun) – all the people who entitled to vote in an election.
skewed (adjective) – lopsided, uneven, distorted, unbalanced, one-sided, unequal, inequitable
cleanse (verb) – clean, purify, purge, rid of (something bad/unpleasant).