Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Subaltern, secular: On the 85th plenary session of Congress

Subaltern, secular: On the 85th plenary session of Congress

The Congress will have to build a campaign (अभियान) aligned to its new vision

The 85th plenary (परिपूर्ण, विस्तृत) session of the Congress that concluded in Raipur in Chhattisgarh outlined (define, indicate, summarize) a strategy (रणनीति, योजना) for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, besides (इसके अलावा, के अतिरिक्त भी) reinforcing Mallikarjun Kharge’s authority (अधिकार, नियंत्रण) as elected president of the party. Apart from a clear expression of its willingness (उत्सुकता, तैयारी) to work with like-minded (आकर्षक, दिलकश) secular parties, the Congress has resolved (संकल्प करना, निश्चय करना) to pursue (engage in, conduct, take part in (an activity)) a sharp social justice (सामाजिक न्याय) agenda, a paradigm shift (a fundamental and important change with new ideas/thinking) for a party. While the party has always had a welfare (कल्याण, सामाजिक सुरक्षा) agenda, it failed to accommodate (समायोजित करना, अनुकूलित करें) the political aspirations (महत्वाकांक्षा, उद्देश्य) of the subalterns (the lower status/ranking (people) in a social or political hierarchy; subordinate, second in command, assistant) who increasingly (लगातार, वृद्धि से) found other parties more suitable. The party adapted a separate resolution (solution, settlement) on social justice, and promised a dedicated ministry for the empowerment (authorization, accreditation; capacity-building, inclusiveness) of the Other Backward Classes (OBC), creation of a National Council (परिषद, समिति) for Social Justice, publication of an annual “State of Social Justice” report on the lines of (in a similar way/method to) the national Economic Survey (आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण), reservation (a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics) in higher judiciary for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and OBCs and a Rohit Vemula Act (The Congress promised to bring in a special legislation called the “Rohith Vemula Act” to redress the discrimination faced by students from SC, ST, and OBC. it will be enacted “to safeguard the right to education and dignity” for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minorities) for students of disadvantaged sections if elected to power. Having lost out to regional parties in the post-Mandal (post Mandal Commission recommendations, which sanctioned 27 per cent reservations in education and government jobs to categories officially listed as Other Backward Castes (OBC)) era (period, time), the party is now aiming to woo (pursue, tempt, coax, persuade, seek the support of, try to win, try to attract) the subalterns to its fold (community, company, body, group). So, as a start, it amended its own constitution to reserve half of the seats to the Congress Working Committee for SCs, STs, OBCs, women and minorities. The party’s pious ((of a hope) dedicated, dutiful, faithful; steadfast, righteous (but unlikely to be fulfilled)) declarations at the Udaipur Chintan Shivir last year were almost immediately abandoned, and it will be watched for its adherence (allegiance, faithfulness, obedience) to the Raipur resolutions in the coming months.

The party has promised “Sampoorna Samajik Suraksha (a social security framework promised by the Congress that it will have legal guarantees for minimum income and social security for the poor)”, a social security (Social security is the protection that a society/government provides to individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security, particularly in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, work injury, maternity or loss of a breadwinner; welfare, government/state benefit, public assistance) framework (structure, system organization) that will have legal guarantees for minimum income and social security for the poor. It also promises a universal basket (a group of something) of entitlements (advantage, right, benefit, prerogative) to all Indians, namely right to basic income through Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay), right to health, pensions for single women, the elderly and persons with disabilities, a comprehensive (all-inclusive, broad-based; all-embracing, complete, thorough) Integrated Child Development Scheme in line with (in alignment with; in accordance with) the National Food Security (food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life) Act, and quality elementary schooling and maternity (motherhood; the state of being a mother) entitlements. A new welfare framework is being debated all over the world to mitigate (reduce, diminish, lessen) growing (increasing) inequities (prejudice, bias, bigotry, intolerance) and other challenges such as unemployment and underemployment (it occurs when a person does not work full time and when a job does not use the worker’s skills fully), and the Congress’s ideas should spur (stimulate, encourage, prompt, galvanize) a fresh, informed (knowledgeable, cultured, literate) debate in India. Though the party had banked (rely on, depend on; anticipate, expect) on NYAY or a universal income scheme before the 2019 general election, it did not gain any electoral dividends. The party now hopes that the promise of a better future with assured income, which also accounts for social identity, could counter (hit back at, answer, respond to, contradict, negate) the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Hindutva plus. By acknowledging the fact that inequality is not merely (only, just) material (matter, substance, medium), and discrimination is not only along religious lines (way, method, approach, policy), the Congress has taken the debate beyond the secular-communal binary (something having two parts) that has worked to the BJP’s advantage in recent years. For this strategy to be successful, the Congress will have to build a robust (strong, powerful) political campaign aligned to its new thinking, breaking away from its characteristic (illustrative, indicative, paradigmatic, exemplary) timidity (lack of courage, lack of confidence, uncertainty).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.plenary (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिपूर्ण, विस्तृत
English Meaning - assembly, conference, meeting (attended by all participants).

2.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान
English Meaning - an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.

3.strategy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रणनीति, योजना
English Meaning - plan of action (in order to achieve a more expansive set of political, economic, and security interests).

4.besides (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - इसके अलावा, के अतिरिक्त भी
English Meaning - apart from.

5.authority (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकार, नियंत्रण
English Meaning - control, charge, domination, influence.

6.willingness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उत्सुकता, तैयारी
English Meaning - eagerness, preparedness, disposition, readiness.

7.like-minded (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आकर्षक, दिलकश
English Meaning - compatible, closely connected, well suited.

8.resolve (verb)

Hindi Meaning - संकल्प करना, निश्चय करना
English Meaning - determine, decide firmly on.

9.social justice (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामाजिक न्याय
English Meaning - the equal access to wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society.

10.welfare (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कल्याण, सामाजिक सुरक्षा
English Meaning - social security, government/state benefit, public assistance.

11.accommodate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - समायोजित करना, अनुकूलित करें
English Meaning - adjust, adapt, attune, get accustomed, come to terms with, come to accept.

12.aspiration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - महत्वाकांक्षा, उद्देश्य
English Meaning - aim, ambition, objective, goal, target.

13.increasingly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - लगातार, वृद्धि से
English Meaning - more and more, steadily more, continuously more, gradually more.

14.council (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिषद, समिति
English Meaning - committee, panel, commission, advisory group/body.

15.Economic Survey (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण
English Meaning - Economic Survey, presented in the Parliament ahead of the Union Budget, is the Ministry of Finance’s flagship document. The Economic Survey detailed information about the Indian economy over the past year. The Economic Survey also offers glimpses into the current state of the economy, and occasional insights into the economic outlook. Although the Constitution does not bind (impose a legal obligation on) the government to present the Economic Survey, over the years, it has become common practice for every government to present the Economic Survey before the Union Budget.

16.expression (noun)

English Meaning - declaration, announcement, disclosure, revelation, indication.

17.reinforce (verb)

English Meaning - support, uphold, bolster, underpin, strengthen.

18.subaltern (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to the lower status/ranking (people) in a social or political hierarchy.

19.secular (adjective)

English Meaning - non-religious.

20.characteristic (adjective)

English Meaning - illustrative, indicative, paradigmatic, exemplary.

21.timidity (noun)

English Meaning - lack of courage, lack of confidence, uncertainty.

22.align (verb)

English Meaning - give support to a cause/vision.

23.outline (verb)

English Meaning - define, indicate, summarize.

24.pursue (verb)

English Meaning - engage in, conduct, take part in (an activity).

25.paradigm shift (noun)

English Meaning - a fundamental and important change with new ideas/thinking.

26.subaltern (noun)

English Meaning - the lower status/ranking (people) in a social or political hierarchy; subordinate, second in command, assistant.

27.resolution (noun)

English Meaning - solution, settlement.

28.empowerment (noun)

English Meaning - authorization, accreditation; capacity-building, inclusiveness.

29.on the lines of (phrase)

English Meaning - in a similar way/method to.

30.reservation (noun)

English Meaning - a system of affirmative action in India that provides historically disadvantaged groups representation in education, employment, and politics.

31.judiciary (noun)

English Meaning - a branch of government in which judicial power is vested; judges collectively.

32.Rohit Vemula Act (noun)

English Meaning - The Congress promised to bring in a special legislation called the “Rohith Vemula Act” to redress the discrimination faced by students from SC, ST, and OBC. it will be enacted “to safeguard the right to education and dignity” for the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and minorities.

33.disadvantaged (adjective)

English Meaning - deprived, underprivileged, poor, poverty-stricken.

34.lose out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - be defeated, be unsuccessful, suffer defeat, be bested by, fail.

35.post-Mandal (adjective)

English Meaning - post Mandal Commission recommendations, which sanctioned 27 per cent reservations in education and government jobs to categories officially listed as Other Backward Castes (OBC).

36.era (noun)

English Meaning - period, time.

37.woo (verb)

English Meaning - pursue, tempt, coax, persuade, seek the support of, try to win, try to attract.

38.fold (noun)

English Meaning - community, company, body, group.

39.pious (adjective)

English Meaning - (of a hope) dedicated, dutiful, faithful; steadfast, righteous (but unlikely to be fulfilled).

40.Chintan Shivir or Udaipur declaration (noun)

English Meaning - The Congress’ three-day ‘Chintan Shivir’, a brainstorming session occurred in Udaipur, Rajasthan, from May 13 to 15, 2022. The conclave would focus on the time-bound restructuring of the Congress, finding ways to combat the politics of polarisation and getting battle-ready for upcoming electoral challenges.

41.adherence (noun)

English Meaning - allegiance, faithfulness, obedience.

42.Sampoorna Samajik Suraksha (noun)

English Meaning - a social security framework promised by the Congress that it will have legal guarantees for minimum income and social security for the poor.

43.social security (noun)

English Meaning - Social security is the protection that a society/government provides to individuals and households to ensure access to health care and to guarantee income security, particularly in cases of old age, unemployment, sickness, invalidity, work injury, maternity or loss of a breadwinner; welfare, government/state benefit, public assistance.

44.framework (noun)

English Meaning - structure, system organization.

45.universal (adjective)

English Meaning - allembracing, comprehensive, complete, thorough.

46.basket (noun)

English Meaning - a group of something.

47.entitlement (noun)

English Meaning - advantage, right, benefit, prerogative.

48.namely (adverb)

English Meaning - specifically.

49.Nyuntam Aay Yojana/Minimum Income Support Programme (NYAY) (noun)

English Meaning - a proposed social welfare program by the Indian National Congress in its 2019 general election manifesto. It promised that the party, if voted to power in the 2019 Indian general election, would enact a law under which it would distribute cash to the bottom 20 percent of India’s families in terms of wealth, as a minimum guarantee programme.

50.comprehensive (adjective)

English Meaning - all-inclusive, broad-based; all-embracing, complete, thorough.

51.Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) (noun)

English Meaning - a government programme/scheme in India which provides food, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.

52.in line with (phrase)

English Meaning - in alignment with; in accordance with.

53.food security (noun)

English Meaning - food security is a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

54.National Food Security Act, (NFSA) 2013 (noun)

English Meaning - An Act to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. It provides subsidised food grains to 75% of India’s rural population and 50% of its urban population. NFSA 2013 includes almost two-thirds of the Indian population in its entirety.

55.maternity (adjective)

English Meaning - motherhood; the state of being a mother.

56.mitigate (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, diminish, lessen.

57.growing (adjective)

English Meaning - increasing.

58.inequity (noun)

English Meaning - prejudice, bias, bigotry, intolerance.

59.underemployment (noun)

English Meaning - it occurs when a person does not work full time and when a job does not use the worker’s skills fully.

60.spur (verb)

English Meaning - stimulate, encourage, prompt, galvanize.