The Hindu Editorial News Analysis 23rd Dec 2017 -

Table of Contents

Affirmative(सकारात्मक) vote

U.S. must heed(सावधान रहना) the UN resolution and reconsider its Jerusalem move
Display of the arrogance of power.
Never before in the history of the UN has a member state threatened
It should not come as a surprise if in the coming weeks and months the U.S. loses an
election to one of the UN organisations, just as Britain lost International Court of Justice
Issue- Palestinians and the Israelis.
Issues such as borders, sharing of waters, refugees, security, and so on
Jerusalem problem is the most sensitive.
Any attempt to unilaterally change its status will kill the peace process
U.S. President Donald Trump has given priority to core domestic constituency
Rather than worry about the concerns of his close allies, all of whom voted against the U.S.,
except Canada — though it did not side with its powerful neighbour and simply abstained
172 member states cast their votes- This means 21 countries did not vote at all
The resolution passed with 128 votes in favour, a comfortable two-thirds majority.
9 voted against, and 35 abstained- U.S. threat might have worked both ways
India‘s vote in favour of the resolution was in line with its traditional policy.
Although Prime Minister Narendra Modi avoided mentioning the contours of the
settlement during his visit to Jerusalem in July
India‘s vote would have disappointed Israel and the U.S. It has excellent relations with Israel
But an objective analysis suggests that it is Israel which needs India more than the other
way around.
India buys at least a third of Israel‘s defence production.
India is also very important to Israel for diplomatic and political reasons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not cancel his forthcoming visit to India
Or the U.S., the interest is more mutual.
We need American support for a few things such as membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group.
The U.S. has a huge interest in India‘s markets.
China factor- Mr. Trump has very recently described India as a leading global power.

Missing the pulse(दाल ों)

Farmers, like investors, need predictability and coherence in government policies
30% customs duty has been slapped on the import of
1)- Chana dal and
2)- Masoor dal
Cheap imports could hit farm incomes especially at a time when domestic production
of pulses is at a record high and a bumper rabi crop is expected.
Centre fears that traders may still prefer to import some pulses rather than buy the fresh
crop from local farmers at higher prices
Chana and masoor were the key contributors for India’s pulses imports rising to over $1.6 b
between April and September, compared to $1.2 billion in the same period last year.
Aimed at boosting
• Farm incomes and
• Ensuring food security
Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a pact to double pulses imports from Mozambique.
India has dal diplomacy interests with more than 40 other countries
For whom the latest move will be of concern.

Prelims Focus Facts-News Analysis

Page-1– BJP retains Vijay Rupani, Nitin Patel in Gujarat
Vijay Rupani and Nitin Patel as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat
Page-1– ‗India, China must go beyond bilateral ties‘
China and India must ―transcend the bilateral dimension‖ of their ties for stability in Asia and the world, said National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China‘s State Counsellor Yang
Jiechi in their •first boundary talks since the Doklam stando•
Page-1- Many •firsts on the Magenta Line
With the Botanical Garden Kalkaji Mandir section of the Magenta Line operational
from 5 p.m. on Monday, commuters will be able to travel from Noida to south
Delhi in just 19-odd minutes.
The section, that will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, features several attractions which are a •first for the Metro.
The trains, brought from South Korea

Page-8– Proud of India, says Palestinian envoy
By voting for a negotiated settlement of the Jerusalem issue, India has conveyed that it stands for peace in West Asia‘

Catalan separatists win legislative vote- Separatist parties won 70 of the 135 seats

Page-13– PCA only to improve banks‘ health, says RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has once again clarified that prompt correction
action (PCA) is imposed to encourage banks to improve their •financial health.
The reiteration comes in the wake of rumours on social media that some of the
banks that are under PCA could be closed down
―The PCA framework is intended to encourage banks to eschew certain riskier activities
and focus on conserving capital so that their balance sheets can become stronger,‖
There was no question of closing down any public sector bank and added that government
was strengthening banks by recapitalising them.
India‘s record share sales bring banks little cheer in fees
India‘s main stock indexes surged almost 30% in 2017 as investors bet on economic
reform and corporate earnings recovery.
‗Saw huge surge in demand for machine tools in 2017‘
Rohit at his rollicking and marauding best