New dawn: On Joe Biden
After trailing but steadily closing the gap since Election Day, Democrat and former Vice-President Joe Biden has seized the lead in the Republican-leaning swing State of Georgia, and in Pennsylvania, and winning them would guarantee his victory in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Mr. Biden is now poised to garner more than 270 votes in the Electoral College, with leads in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona, and wins in any two of them or in Pennsylvania alone should be enough. However, an obstacle in his path to the Oval Office comes from the scattershot legal action by the Trump campaign to stop the counting of votes after polls closed, on the unfounded allegation that mail-in votes were subject to large-scale fraud. Mr. Biden is also firmly on track to win the popular vote decisively, having secured more than a whopping 73 million, a fact that Democrats will no doubt seize upon in the days ahead to underscore the legitimacy of their potential mandate to govern. The nail-biting denouement of the contest belied earlier hopes on both sides for a landslide victory, with the fiercest contests playing out in the swing States of the Rust Belt, including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and, further afield, Arizona, Florida, and Nevada. Under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, a historically unprecedented surge in mail-in voting contributed to a high overall turnout, likely in excess of 68%.
In normal times, and with a predictable predecessor, Mr. Biden may have relished the prospect of preparing to enter office in January 2021. Yet the pandemic and the legacy of Mr. Trump’s administration imply that, should he win, Mr. Biden will have to make plans on an emergency footing, not only in the realms of health care and macroeconomic policy but also in terms of healing the painful divisions that have led to the emergence of two Americas, with radically divergent views on everything from tolerating pluralism to embracing globalisation. On COVID-19, the U.S. will soon touch a grim milestone — 10 million cases; more than 230,000 fatalities have been recorded. This makes it imperative that the next President of the country respects science and advocates the use of masks, social distancing, and lockdowns. Similarly, experts concur that the pandemic-induced tailspin of the U.S. economy will need a pragmatic and bold fiscal policy, not fear mongering tweets denigrating immigrants. Finally, it is likely that “Trumpism” — which includes not only dog-whistles to white supremacists, retrograde views on women’s reproductive rights and an instinct to pander to unhinged nativism, but also concern for economically disenfranchised working-class Americans — will certainly outlast Mr. Trump’s time at the White House. If the U.S. is to have a hope of holding onto its superpower status, the mammoth task of bridge-building across the bitter polarisation of the partisan divide must be the highest priority for the 46th President.
- dawn (noun) – सवेरा-beginning, start, starting point, development.
- regressive (adjective) – retrograde, retrogressive, unprogressive/negative. वापस आनेवाला
- certainly (adverb) – surely, definitely, unquestionably.निश्चित रूप से
- steadily--तेजी से
- outlast (verb) – outlive, survive, live after, remain alive after, last longer than.अधिक चलना
- trail (verb) – lose, be down, be behind, lag behind.
- seize (verb) – take hold of, grasp, grab (suddenly).
- Republican-leaning (adjective) – inclined/biased/oriented to Republican.
- swing State (noun) – it refers to any (U.S) state that could reasonably be won by either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidate by a swing in votes. “Red state” refers to states of the United States whose voters predominantly choose Republican Party (red) presidential candidates where as “blue state” refers to states of the United States whose voters predominantly select Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates.
- poise (verb) – position, prepare oneself, ready oneself.की ओर अग्रसर
- obstacle --बाधा
- garner (verb) – gather, collect, accumulate.संचित करना
- The Electoral College (noun) – it is a group of people that elects the president and the vice president of the United States. (The word “college” in this case simply refers to an organized body of people engaged in a common task).
- Oval office (noun) – the office of the president of the United States, located in the White House, Washington.
- scattershot (adjective) – relating to a method which involves doing something to a lot of things or people in disorganized way, rather than focusing on particular things or people.
- campaign (noun) – an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.
- unfounded (adjective) – groundless, baseless, unjustified,निराधार, बेबुनियाद,.
- allegation (noun) – charge, accusation, indictment.
- mail-in voting/ballots (noun) – postal voting; a type of voting in an election where ballot papers/voter slips are distributed to voters to their addresses before Election Day and mailed back by the voters or deposited at a voting location or secure dropbox by a certain time on Election Day.
- absentee voting (noun) – a type of voting in an election where voters cast their vote by post, because they can’t physically be present at a voting center on Election Day due to varies reasons ranging from being out of country (for study/job), having disability or illness, serving as an election worker & etc,.
- in-person voting (noun) – a type of voting in an election where voters cast their votes/ballots in person in a polling booth on Election Day.
- subject (adjective) – susceptible to, liable to, prone to, in danger of, at risk of.
- on track (phrase) – on course, on target.
- popular vote (noun) – the popular vote is simply the total votes cast for each candidate across the whole of the United States. The candidate with the most votes across the nation is said to have won the popular vote.
- decisively (adverb) – conclusively, definitely, absolutely.निर्णायक रूप से, निश्चित रूप से
- whopping (adjective) – huge, massive, very large.भारी
- seize on/upon (phrasal verb) – take advantage of, exploit, grasp (with both hands), grab.
- को नियंत्रित करने वाले--govern
- underscore (verb) – underline, emphasize, highlight.
- legitimacy (noun) – legality, lawfulness; justification, validity, permissibility.
- potential (adjective) – possible, likely, probable.
- mandate (noun) – authority, approval, authorization.
- nail-biting (adjective) – difficult, strained/stressful, anxious.
- denouement (noun) – the end result of a situation; the very end of a story; outcome, consequence, end result, ending, climax. हल, सुलझाव
- belie (verb) – contradict, be at odds with, call into question, prove to be false, disprove.झूठा साबित
- landslide (noun) – decisive (victory), runaway (victory), overwhelming majority.
- fiercest superlative adjective of fierce (adjective) – intense, powerful, vehement.
- play out (phrasal verb) – happen, occur, take place.
- Rust Belt (noun) – it is a term used to describe areas (north east, mid west & Great Lakes regions) in the US. This term is used to describe these areas where there was an economic decline, urban decay, high rates of poverty, and a drop in population due to deindustrialization during 1970s &1980s.
- भयंकर, उग्र, क्रूर---fiercest
- afield (adverb) – to a distance.
- under the shadow of (phrase) – in danger of something.
- 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.
- unprecedented (adjective) – not done or experienced before.
- surge (noun) – sudden increase, rise, growth.
- turnout (noun) – attendance.उपस्थित होना
- predecessor (noun) – previous holder; forerunner, precursor, antecedent.
पूर्ववर्ती, पूर्वाधिकारी - relish (verb) – enjoy greatly, delight in, gloat over, take pleasure.पसंद आया
- prospect (noun) – hope, chance, possibility, probability, outlook.संभावना
- legacy (noun) – something received from a predecessor or from the past.विरासत
- imply (verb) – say indirectly, suggest, indicate.संकेत करना,
- footing (noun) – underpinning, support, basis on which something is established.
- realm (noun) – area, field, domain (of activity).
- macroeconomic (adjective) – relating to the branch of economics concerned with large-scale factors (interest rates/national productivity).
- heal (verb) – lessen, mitigate, alleviate; put right, set right, remedy, resolve.रोग हरनेवाला
- division (noun) – disunity, conflict, discord, disagreement.विभिन्न
- lead to (verb) – cause, result in, bring on, bring about.
- radically (adverb) – completely, thoroughly, totally, entirely.मौलिक
- divergent (adjective) – differing, varying, dissimilar/contrasting.
- tolerate (verb) – allow, accept, agree to.सहन करना
- pluralism (noun) – (of people) the practice exist in harmony irrespective of various differences.
- embrace (verb) – welcome, accept, adapt, take up.
- globalisation (noun) – the process of making the trade of goods and services equivalent in all nations (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
- grim (adjective) – distressing, upsetting, worrying, unpleasant, dismal, awful.भयंकर
- milestone (noun) – critical point, significant stage, turning point.
- fatality (noun) – death, casualty, mortality, loss.मौत
- imperative (adjective) – vitally important, crucial, essential.अनिवार्य
- advocate (verb) – champion, uphold, support, back.
- social/physical distancing (noun) – a term means actively avoiding crowded public places, is a key element in decreasing the rapid spread of COVID-19. This is an effort intended to limit exposure by reducing face-to-face contact and preventing spread among people in community settings.
- 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.
- concur (verb) – agree, be in agreement, be in accord, be in accordance, go along.सहमत होना
- pandemic-induced (adjective) – caused/produced by the pandemic.
- tailspin (noun) – a situation in which something begins to perform badly or to fail and becomes out of control; (emotional) collapse due to rapidly increasing chaos or panic; uncontrollable decline, downturn, breakdown.
- pragmatic (adjective) – empirical, realistic/actual, practical.व्यावहारिक
- fiscal (adjective) – financial.
- fiscal policy (noun) – in simple terms, it is an estimate of taxation and government spending that impacts the economy.
- fear mongering (noun) – an act of spreading public fear intentionally on a particular topic/problem.
- denigrate (verb) – criticise, attack, insult, devalue, defame.बदनाम करना, कलंक लगाना, बदनामी लगाना
- immigrant (noun) – non-native, foreigner, migrant.
- Trumpism (noun) – a political ideology, style of governance, political movement and set of mechanisms for governance associated with United States president Donald Trump.
- dog whistle politics (noun) – political messaging employing coded language that appears to mean one thing to the general population but has an additional, different or more specific resonance for a targeted subgroup.
- white supremacist (noun) – a supporter who believes white people are inherently superior to people of other races in a society and therefore dominate them.सर्वोच्च
- retrograde (adjective) – unprogressive, negative, reverse/regressive.पीछे हटना, पतित होना
- reproductive rights (noun) – Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health.
- instinct (noun) – (natural) tendency, inclination, urge/desire.स्वाभाविक
- pander to (verb) – to do or say something to satisfy someone or someone’s (wrong) desire in order to get some advantage/benefit from it; satisfy, fulfil, indulge, gratify, soap.बढ़ावा देना
- unhinged (adjective) – mentally unbalanced, deranged.
- nativism (noun) – the political policy of supporting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants.
- disenfranchise (verb) – stripe/deprive (someone) of a right or privilege.नागरिकता से वंचित करना
- hold onto (phrasal verb) – have, keep, retain (something in one’s control).
- superpower (noun) – a nation which is very powerful and possesses military, political or economic might (power) with dominant status on the globe. (like the Soviet Union (erstwhile) or United States of America).
- mammoth (adjective) – something which is huge, massive, mighty, colossal.
- bridge-building (noun) – efforts to establish/reconcile friendly contacts/relationships between people.
- bitter (adjective) – hostile, hateful, ill-natured, spiteful. द्वेषपूर्ण, पीड़ादायक
- polarisation (noun) – separation of two contrasting groups (based on different opinions/beliefs).
- partisan (adjective) – biased, prejudiced, one-sided.पक्षपातपूर्ण
Alimony guidelines: On maintenance laws
Early enforcement of maintenance laws is a must to protect dependent women
In India, though more girls are going to school now, for many, the inevitable reality seems marriage before completion of higher education. Girls are married off early and bear children long before they should. This triggers a state of poor maternal health and is one of the root causes of high levels of child stunting and wasting in India. There is also the possibility of a marriage not working out for varied reasons, leaving the girl or young woman in extreme distress because often she is not financially independent. Parliament and the courts have persistently enacted legislation to give women better rights. Article 15(3), which states ‘nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children’, read together with Article 39, which directs state policy towards equal pay and opportunities for both men and women, and protecting the health of women and children, are two key constitutional safeguards. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court leaned on these two Articles, and a host of other laws, while hearing a dispute between a Mumbai-based couple, and set down comprehensive guidelines on alimony. The court ruled that an abandoned wife and children will be entitled to ‘maintenance’ from the date she applies for it in a court of law.
In a 67-page judgment, a Bench of Justices Indu Malhotra and R. Subhash Reddy, outlined specifics, including “reasonable needs” of a wife and dependent children, her educational qualification, whether she has an independent source of income, and if she does, if it is sufficient, to follow for family courts, magistrates and lower courts on alimony cases. Given the large and growing percentage of matrimonial litigation, some clarity was necessary. Cases are known to drag on and acquire cobwebs, worsening the misery for vulnerable women. The Court laid down that while women can make a claim for alimony under different laws, including the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and Section 125 of the CrPC, or under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, it “would be inequitable to direct the husband to pay maintenance under each of the proceedings”, urging civil and family courts to take note of previous settlements. Perhaps keeping in mind the vastness of India and its inequities, the Court also added how an “order or decree of maintenance” may be enforced under various laws and Section 128 of the CrPC. For women in India, especially the poor who are often overlooked in discourses, the top court’s words that maintenance laws will mean little if they do not prevent dependent wives and children from “falling into destitution and vagrancy”, offer a glimmer of hope.
Alimony --गुज़ारा, रोटी-enforcement --लागू होना--Be applied
dependent--आश्रित--subordinate
inevitable--अपरिहार्य-अनिवार्य--, indispensable,
varied--विभिन्न--Different
persistently--लगातार,लगन के साथ--continuously, consecutive,
leaned---झुक जाना--to bend,lean, careenage
abandoned--छोड़ा हुआ,abdicated, excluded,Leaved
entitled--हकदार--claimant
specifics--बारीकियों
growing--बढ़ रही है--Increasing
litigation--मुकदमेबाज़ी
drag--खींचना--draw, exert, pull
acquire प्राप्त करना--अधिग्रहण
cobwebs--ब्योरा, तफ़सील, विवरण--Particulars,recount
worsening--बिगड़ती,deteriorate, contort, go down
misery--कष्ट, दुर्गति, मुसीबत--trouble, distress, anguish,suffering
vulnerable--चपेट में--
inequitable--न्यायविस्र्द्ध,अनुचित, अन्याय्य, अन्यायपूर्ण--Unjust
Perhaps--शायद, हो सकता है, मुमकिन है--
| probably, perhaps, maybe |
inequities--पक्षपात--bias, favoritism, partiality,bigotry, Discrimination, Favour
decree--हुक्मनामा--dictate, dictation, commandment
overlooked---अनदेखी--Unseen
discourses--प्रवचन, बातचीत,recitation, saying,sermon, Allocution, expatiation
vagrancy--आवारगी, मन की मौज, धुन--loafing, vagrancy, profligacy
glimmer--किरण,चमक, प्रभा, क्षीण प्रकाश--beam, ray, shaft
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