The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary – Set 5

The Hindu Editorial Vocabulary Words with Meanings for various Exams: SBI PO/Clerk, IBPS PO/Clerk, RRB, RBI, LIC, NABARD, SEBI, SSC, UPSC, IPPB, etc.

We are providing vocabulary words from the Editorial articles The Hindu newspaper which are important for the all upcoming competitive exams. Add some more words to your English vocabulary words list.

 

TOPIC – Digital disconnect

The full report of the NSO’s survey of ‘Household Social Consumption on Education in India’, for July 2017­June 2018, highlights the poor state of computer and Internet access in several states. The disparities are glaring among different economic strata as well. The digital chasm that separates the privileged from the deprived remains unbridged years after the broadband policy of 2004, and its effects are painfully evident during the pandemic as students struggle to log on to online classes. While some poorly connected states may have improved since the survey period, the gaps are so stark that any development could only be modest. Only in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala did the survey find Internet access exceeding 50% for urban and rural households taken together, while Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand exceeded 40%, unimpressive numbers still. Large States — Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka — had access below 20%. In today’s milieu, net access is critical, considering that even where mobile phones and laptops are available — some States provide them under student welfare programmes — they cannot be meaningfully used in its absence. If net connectivity is 5% to 10% in rural Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and West Bengal, only a slim minority can hope to do any academic work. Many remote locations have reliability problems and power deficits, making it a challenge to keep gadgets operational even offline. Prime Minister Modi has acknowledged the digital divide by announcing in his Independence Day address that all villages would be connected with optical fibre cable in 1,000 days. This target, reflecting enhanced ambition, follows the one set in 2011 to link panchayats through a national optical fibre network — to raise administrative capacities through information infrastructure. Evidently, successive governments have dropped the ball. States have not shown the alacrity to make a big leap either, and the deficit has now dealt a blow to students. To make up for lost time, connectivity for education must be prioritised. Mapping the needs of each district based on the NSO data will help identify areas where children do need equipment and connectivity. Such efforts have been launched globally in the wake of COVID­19, some in partnership with the telecom sector to leverage its capacity for surveys and mapping. Some companies in India have made the valuable suggestion that their used desktop computers could be refurbished and donated, for which governments need to open a programme. On the network technology front, a new gigabit speed ‘wireless fibre’ standard is being viewed in developed countries as a leapfrog option to link inaccessible areas; it involves high capacity spectrum (E and V bands), and is commercially not contentious. The government needs to look at all possibilities and go into overdrive to bridge the digital divide.

 

The Hindu Editorial Words with meanings, synonyms and antonyms 

Glaring (adjective ) – Giving out or reflecting a strong or dazzling light.

Synonyms – Dazzling, Fluorescent, Strong, Blazing, Blinding

Antonyms – Dim, Soft

 

Strata (noun ) – a level or class to which people are assigned according to their social status, education, or income.

Synonyms – Grade,  Echelon, Estate, Sphere, Lamina, Vein, Lode

 

Chasm (noun ) – A profound difference between people’s viewpoints and feelings.

Synonyms – Gulf, Dissension, Schism, Split, Rupture, Disunion, Estrangement

Antonyms – Closure, Solid, Junction, Remembrance, Closing

 

Privileged (adjective ) – Having special rights, advantages, or immunities.

Synonyms – Elite, Fortunate, Wealthy, Advantaged

Antonyms – Disadvantaged, Underprivileged

 

Deprived (adjective ) – Suffering a severe and Damaging lack of basic material and cultural benefits.

Synonyms – Impoverished, Destitute, Depressed, Needy, Forlorn, Penurious

Antonyms – Fortunate, Wealthy

 

Stark ( adjective) – Complete or Unpleasantly.

Synonyms – Bare, Absolute, Pure, Blunt, sheer

Antonyms – Fuzzy, Pleasant, Ornate, Indistinct, Comfortable

 

Milieu (noun) – A person’s social environment.

Synonyms – Background, Backdrop, Habitat, Circle, Province

Antonyms – No place

 

Reliability (noun) – The quality of being dependable.

Synonyms – Confidence, Veracity, Accuracy, Authenticity, Fidelity

Antonyms – Falsehood, Crookedness, Dishonesty, Infidelity, Hypocrisy

 

Evidently (adverb) – Unmistakably.

Synonyms – Clearly, Manifestly, Patently, Seemingly, Undoubtedly

Antonyms – Dimly, Discreetly, Disputably, Dubiously, Barely

 

Leverage (noun) – Strategic advantage or power to act effectively.

Synonyms – Influence, Clout, Authority, Weight, Sway

Antonyms – Charter, Inferiority, Downside, Vending, Minus

 

Refurbished (noun) – Make brighter and prettier.

Synonyms – Renovated, Nines, Refreshed, Reformed, Revamp

Antonyms – Vintage, Dated, shabby, Abysmal, Archaic

 

Leapfrog (noun) – Form of movement in which like supporting elements are moved successively through or by one another along the axis of movement of supported forces.

Synonyms – Jump, Leap, Vault, Outstrip, Spring, Capriole

Antonyms – Zigzag

 

Spectrum (noun) – A broad range of related objects or values.

Synonyms – Range, Gamut, Sweep, Span, Extent

Antonyms – Angle, Monochromatic

 

Contentious (adjective) – Likely to cause controversy.

Synonyms – Controversial, Combative, Belligerent, Litigious, Pugnacious

Antonyms – Pacifist, Agreeable, Conciliatory, Amiable, Warmhearted

 

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