Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Addressing discontent: On PM Modi’s J&K visit

Addressing discontent: On PM Modi’s J&K visit

The projects announced in J&K will benefit the UT but they are not enough to reverse (change, alter) discontent (असंतोष, निराशा)

In addressing (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out) the residents of Jammu for the first time since the removal of special status for Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid out a rosy (promising, optimistic, hopeful, favourable, cheerful/happy) picture (चित्र, अवधारणा, विचार) of increased connectivity of the Union Territory with the nation’s capital, promised more investments, and hailed (praise, applaud, commend, speak highly of) the boom (upsurge, upswing, growth; improvement, progress, development) in tourism as a harbinger (अग्र-दूत, संकेत) of progress. The UT, conflict-ridden (संघर्ष से ग्रस्त, विभाजित) for decades (दशक, दस वर्ष की अवधि), had fared (किराया, आगे बढ़ना) better on several development indicators (सूचक, संकेतक) compared to the rest of India, except in per capita (प्रति व्यक्ति, प्रत्येक के लिए) net State GDP (सकल घरेलू उत्पाद). Data from FY2017 showed that J&K ranked 21st among States then. The investment proposals and development projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister, in particular (विशेष रूप से) the connectivity projects between Jammu and Srinagar and Jammu and Delhi should help shore up (समर्थन, सहायता, मजबूत करना) the UT’s economy. After a period of harsh lockdowns (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) and communication restrictions, the UT went through (के माध्यम से जाना, गुजरना, अनुभव करना) a tough period, exacerbated (aggravate, make worse, worsen, inflame, compound; increase, intensify, heighten) by the COVID-19 pandemic (वैश्विक महामारी) between 2019 and 2021. But significantly, the Kashmir Valley (घाटी) has seen a substantial (संतोषजनक, उल्लेखनीय) increase in footfalls (the number of people entering an area in a given time) with a revival (improvement, rallying, picking up; re-establishment, reintroduction, restoration) of the tourism industry during the recent winter despite security concerns, with its natural beauty proving a magnetic (alluring, attractive, fascinating, captivating) attraction for international travellers in particular, who had been affected by global travel bans. This has come as a balm (relief, comfort, ease, consolation, cheer, solace) to the residents of the Valley, with political forces (group, outfit, party) cutting across mainstream (well-established, well known, recognized, acknowledged; familiar) and separatist (dissident, nonconformist, sectarian) sections (a particular group within a larger body of people) calling for (require, need, necessitate, make necessary, demand, publicly ask for) unhindered (unopposed, unconfined, unconstrained, unimpeded) access for tourists in the region.

Does this mean that there is an unequivocal (absolute, explicit, definite, certain) acceptance of the status imposed (apply, enforce, exact, inflict) on the erstwhile (old, previous, former, then) unified State of J&K (that included the present day UT of Ladakh), among the people in the Valley and beyond? That certainly (surely, definitely, unquestionably) does not seem to be the case in the Kashmir Valley, at least if recent events such as the district development council (The District Development Councils (DDCs) are set to become a new unit of governance in Jammu and Kashmir. A legislation to this effect was brought in by the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 16 through an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989. This structure will include a DDC and a District Planning Committee (DPC). The DDCs will have elected representatives from each district. The term of the DDC will be five years, and the electoral process will allow for reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. The Additional District Development Commissioner (or the Additional DC) of the district shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the District Development Council) elections in late 2020 are any indication. The Gupkar Alliance, which has steadfastly (firmly, resolutely, single-mindedly) demanded a return to status quo (the present situation, the current state, the existing state of affairs) prior to 2019, had decisively (emphatically, resoundingly, conclusively, markedly) won in the Valley and the group has also vociferously (vigorously, outspokenly, vehemently, forcefully, forthrightly) protested the delimitation (an act of fixing boundary or limits) exercise (activity, task/work, assignment) whose proposals clearly seek (try, aim, attempt) to repurpose (use something for a different purpose from the one for which it was originally created) the politics of J&K through arbitrarily (randomly/casually, irrationally, erratically, inconsistently, unreasonably, illogically) providing greater electoral prospects for Jammu-based parties over Kashmir-based ones. Notwithstanding (in spite of, despite, regardless of) the recent uptick (a small increase or upward trend) in economic activity after the prolonged (lengthy, extended, protracted, unending, unrelenting) turmoil (disorder, turbulence, confusion, trouble, chaos) post-August 2019, there is no indication that the resultant (ensuing, consequent) discontent has diminished; security risks continue to remain preponderant as the spurt (sudden increase, rise, surge) of terrorist violence shows including the killing of two “fidayeen (militants who volunteer to die)” militants (fanatic, extremist, radical, sectarian/partisan) barely 14 km from Palli village, where the Prime Minister made his address (speech, lecture, talk, discourse) on National Panchayati Raj Day (National Panchayati Raj Day is the national celebration that commemorates the Panchayati Raj Systems in India. It is celebrated every year on the 24th of April). Beyond doubt, New Delhi must engage in substantive outreach (the level of reaching out/activity/effort; involvement) in the form of gestures (sign, signal, indication; action, deed, move) that reverse the hostility (opposition, antagonism, antipathy, ill feeling, bad feeling, resentment, aversion; hatred, rancour, wrath, anger, venom) towards the political representatives in the Valley. The return of J&K to statehood (the condition of being an independent state) will be a good beginning.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.discontent (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असंतोष, निराशा
English Meaning - disappointment, dissatisfaction, disgruntlement, resentment, grievances, unhappiness, displeasure.

2.picture (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चित्र, अवधारणा, विचार
English Meaning - concept, idea, view, vision, notion.

3.harbinger (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अग्र-दूत, संकेत
English Meaning - sign, indicator, indication, signal, augury, presage; precursor.

4.conflict-ridden (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष से ग्रस्त, विभाजित
English Meaning - dominated/divided by conflict.

5.fare (verb)

Hindi Meaning - किराया, आगे बढ़ना
English Meaning - get on, proceed, progress, make out.

6.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक, दस वर्ष की अवधि
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

7.indicator (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सूचक, संकेतक
English Meaning - measure, gauge, barometer, index, mark, sign, signal.

8.per capita (adverb & adjective)

Hindi Meaning - प्रति व्यक्ति, प्रत्येक के लिए
English Meaning - per person, for each; relating to each person.

9.Gross domestic product (GDP) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सकल घरेलू उत्पाद
English Meaning - a measure of economic activity in a country. It is the total value of a country’s annual output of goods and service.

10.in particular (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - विशेष रूप से
English Meaning - particularly, specifically, especially.

11.shore up (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - समर्थन, सहायता, मजबूत करना
English Meaning - support, help, assist someone/something from ; bolster up, buttress, strengthen, fortify, reinforce, underpin something from decline.

12.go through (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - के माध्यम से जाना, गुजरना, अनुभव करना
English Meaning - undergo, experience, face, suffer, be subjected to, live through, endure, tolerate, withstand, put up with, cope with, weather.

13.pandemic (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वैश्विक महामारी
English Meaning - 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.

14.Valley (noun)

Hindi Meaning - घाटी
English Meaning - a low area between hills or mountains typically with a river running through it. Valley is a metonym of Jammu & Kashmir in this context (Metonym is used as an alternative for something else with which it is closely related/associated).

15.substantial (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - संतोषजनक, उल्लेखनीय
English Meaning - considerable, sizeable, large, significant.

16.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

17.reverse (verb)

English Meaning - change, alter.

18.address (verb)

English Meaning - talk to, speak to, give a talk to, give an address to, make a speech to, give a discourse to, give an oration to.

19.lay out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - outline, detail, work out, draw up, formulate.

20.rosy (adjective)

English Meaning - promising, optimistic, hopeful, favourable, cheerful/happy

21.hail (verb)

English Meaning - praise, applaud, commend, speak highly of.

22.boom (noun)

English Meaning - upsurge, upswing, growth; improvement, progress, development.

23.lockdown (noun)

English Meaning - 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.

24.exacerbate (verb)

English Meaning - aggravate, make worse, worsen, inflame, compound; increase, intensify, heighten.

25.footfall (noun)

English Meaning - the number of people entering an area in a given time.

26.revival (noun)

English Meaning - improvement, rallying, picking up; re-establishment, reintroduction, restoration.

27.magnetic (adjective)

English Meaning - alluring, attractive, fascinating, captivating.

28.balm (noun)

English Meaning - relief, comfort, ease, consolation, cheer, solace.

29.force (noun)

English Meaning - group, outfit, party.

30.cut across (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - transcend, go beyond, rise above.

31.mainstream (adjective)

English Meaning - well-established, well known, recognized, acknowledged; familiar

32.separatist (noun/adjective)

English Meaning - dissident, nonconformist, sectarian.

33.section (noun)

English Meaning - a particular group within a larger body of people.

34.call for (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - require, need, necessitate, make necessary, demand, publicly ask for.

35.unhindered (adjective)

English Meaning - unopposed, unconfined, unconstrained, unimpeded.

36.unequivocal (adjective)

English Meaning - absolute, explicit, definite, certain.

37.impose (verb)

English Meaning - apply, enforce, exact, inflict.

38.erstwhile (adjective)

English Meaning - old, previous, former, then.

39.certainly (adverb)

English Meaning - surely, definitely, unquestionably.

40.District Development Councils (DDC) (noun)

English Meaning - The District Development Councils (DDCs) are set to become a new unit of governance in Jammu and Kashmir. A legislation to this effect was brought in by the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 16 through an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989. This structure will include a DDC and a District Planning Committee (DPC). The DDCs will have elected representatives from each district. The term of the DDC will be five years, and the electoral process will allow for reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. The Additional District Development Commissioner (or the Additional DC) of the district shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the District Development Council.

41.The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) (noun)

English Meaning - an alliance of seven parties in Jammu and Kashmir that is seeking the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status.

42.Gupkar Declaration (noun)

English Meaning - it is a resolution issued after an all-party meeting on August 4, 2019 at the Gupkar residence of NC president Farooq Abdullah. They vowed to fight collectively for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status as guaranteed by the constitution under Article 370.

43.steadfastly (adverb)

English Meaning - firmly, resolutely, single-mindedly.

44.status quo (noun)

English Meaning - the present situation, the current state, the existing state of affairs.

45.vociferously (adverb)

English Meaning - vigorously, outspokenly, vehemently, forcefully, forthrightly.

46.decisively (adverb)

English Meaning - emphatically, resoundingly, conclusively, markedly.

47.delimitation (noun)

English Meaning - an act of fixing boundary or limits.

48.exercise (noun)

English Meaning - activity, task/work, assignment.

49.seek (verb)

English Meaning - try, aim, attempt.

50.repurpose (verb)

English Meaning - use something for a different purpose from the one for which it was originally created.

51.arbitrarily (adverb)

English Meaning - randomly/casually, irrationally, erratically, inconsistently, unreasonably, illogically.

52.notwithstanding (preposition)

English Meaning - in spite of, despite, regardless of.

53.uptick (noun)

English Meaning - a small increase or upward trend.

54.prolonged (adjective)

English Meaning - lengthy, extended, protracted, unending, unrelenting.

55.turmoil (noun)

English Meaning - disorder, turbulence, confusion, trouble, chaos.

56.resultant (adjective)

English Meaning - ensuing, consequent.

57.preponderant (adjective)

English Meaning - dominant, predominant, more powerful, superior.

58.spurt (noun)

English Meaning - sudden increase, rise, surge.

59.fidayeen (plural noun)

English Meaning - militants who volunteer to die.

60.militant (noun)

English Meaning - fanatic, extremist, radical, sectarian/partisan.

61.address (noun)

English Meaning - speech, lecture, talk, discourse.

62.National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD) (noun)

English Meaning - National Panchayati Raj Day is the national celebration that commemorates the Panchayati Raj Systems in India. It is celebrated every year on the 24th of April.

63.beyond doubt (phrase)

English Meaning - without uncertainty; without question; without apprehension; without second thought.

64.outreach (noun)

English Meaning - the level of reaching out/activity/effort; involvement.

65.gesture (noun)

English Meaning - sign, signal, indication; action, deed, move.

66.hostility (noun)

English Meaning - opposition, antagonism, antipathy, ill feeling, bad feeling, resentment, aversion; hatred, rancour, wrath, anger, venom.

67.statehood (noun)

English Meaning - the condition of being an independent state.