Manmohan Singh’s 1991 Budget: the day that changed India forever – The Hindu (July 24, 2016)

Manmohan Singh’s 1991 Budget: the day that changed India forever – The Hindu (July 24, 2016)

Today, July 24, 2016, marks 25 years of liberalisation. The economic reforms kick-started in 1991 brought about expansion of the services sector helped largely by a liberalised investment and trade regime. They also increased consumer choices and reduced poverty significantly. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

Word List:

Sparing the poor (The Hindu’s Editorial published on July 25, 1991).

25JUL16_WL1

  1. Accentuate (verb) – highlight, underline, focus attention on.
  2. Unenviable (adjective) – difficult, painful, unpleasant, disagreeable.
  3. Unsustainable (adjective) – not maintainable, undependable.
  4. Precariously (adverb) – insecurely; unsafely, weakly, unsteadily, uncertainly, dependently.
  5. Advocate (noun) – upholder, supporter, campaigner, promoter.
  6. Get down to (phrasal verb) – begin, start, make a start on, give attention to.
  7. Prune (verb) – reduce, cut, cut down; minimize.
  8. Mercy (noun) – blessing, boon, favour.
  9. Unscrupulous (adjective) – unprincipled, unethical, immoral, not honest, not fair.
  10. Impost (noun) – tax, compulsory payment.
  11. Unconscionable (adjective) – excessive, unwarranted,  unreasonable, unfair.
  12. On the face of it (phrase) – ostensibly, at first glance, on the surface; apparently, seemingly, evidently.
  13. Imperative (noun) – important /essential / necessary duty/thing.
  14. Stigma (noun) – negative belief/mark, a mark of disgrace, dishonour, a mark of discredit.
  15. Entail (verb) – necessitate, make necessary, require; cause, bring about, produce.
  16. Amnesty (noun) – official pardon, reprieve; forgiveness, dispensation, remission; release, freedom, liberty.
  17. Mitigate (verb) – alleviate, reduce, diminish, lessen; extenuating, exonerative, justifying.
  18. Dampen (verb) – lessen, decrease, reduce, moderate, make less strong.
  19. Affluent (adjective) – wealthy, rich.
  20. Retard (verb) – hold back, slow down, decelerate; hinder, hamper, obstruct.
  21. Rationalise (verb) – streamline, make more efficient, reorganize, modernize.
  22. Heed (verb) – pay attention to, take notice of,  listen to.
  23. Compelling (adjective) – irresistible, forceful, powerful, strong.
  24. Impulse (noun) – impetus, stimulus; signal, message.

Twenty five years ago this day (The Hindu’s Lead article published on July 24, 2016).

25JUL16_WL2

  1. Bland (adjective) – uninteresting, dull, boring; unexciting, unimaginative.
  2. Usher in (verb) – herald, mark the start of, signal, announce; start, begin, initiate.
  3. Radical (adjective) – thorough, complete, total, entire, sweeping.
  4. Bonfire (noun) – a large fire to burn rubbish in the outdoor/open area (joyfully to celebrate something).
  5. Acrimonious (adjective) – angry & bitter, harsh, sharp.
  6. Tepid (adjective) – unenthusiastic, lukewarm, half-hearted,uninterested.
  7. Embark upon (verb) – begin, start, commence, undertake.
  8. Detrimental (adjective) – harmful, damaging, dangerous, unhealthy, bad.
  9. Manifesto (noun) – policy statement,  proclamation, pronouncement.
  10. Bear (verb) – support, carry, hold up, brace.
  11. Imprint (noun) – impression, mark, impact, influence.
  12. Imprimatur (noun) – authoritative approval, official license/approval.
  13. Paradigm shift (noun) – a fundamental and important change with new ideas/thinking/ways.
  14. Dwindle (verb) – diminish, decrease, reduce; decline, degenerate.
  15. Measly (adjective) – very small.
  16. Aphorism (noun) – a concise statement, a short phrase (by an expert).
  17. Momentous (adjective) – important, significant, historic, vital.
  18. Customary (adjective) – usual, traditional, conventional; routine.
  19. Bouquet (noun) – compliment, commendation; praise, applause.
  20. Brickbat (noun) – comment, critical remark.
  21. Unnerve (verb) – demoralize, discourage, dishearten.
  22. Barring (preposition) – except for, apart from, excluding.
  23. Hedgehog (noun) – a person who thinks / knows one big thing.
  24. Fox (noun) – a person who thinks / knows many things.
  25. Crafty (adjective) – cunning, artful, sharp, scheming, calculating.
  26. Relevance (noun) – applicability, bearing, connection, pertinence.

Tracking progress in numbers (The Hindu’s informative article published on July 24, 2016).

25JUL16_WL3

  1. Decisive (adjective) – determined, firm, intent, purposeful; critical, crucial.
  2. Plummet (verb) – fall steeply/sharply, plunge, tumble.
  3. Burgeon (verb) – grow/increase rapidly, boom; flourish, prosper.
  4. Deceleration (noun) – decrease in speed/rate.

Note:

  • Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ .
  • Definitions (elementary level)  & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*