PDF 9th Oct. 2016
Daily English Vocab
In black and white
The Centre’s move to mop up black money from the economy by giving taxpayers amnesty
(निर्मुक्ति/सर्ु-क्षर्ा) to declare undisclosed past income by paying tax on it at an effective,
slightly high rate of 45 per cent has yielded a surprisingly positive dividend. The four-month
window granted for evaders (कर चोरी करिे र्ालों) to come clean opened sluggishly, but
eventually over 64,200 assessees disclosed undeclared assets worth at least Rs. 65,250 crore.
Stern (कठोर/कड़ी) warnings from the Prime Minister himself about tough action and possible jail
terms for those who failed to declare their ‘cartloads’ of black money may have added punch to
the Finance Ministry’s pitch. The haul is considerably higher than the Rs. 4,164 crore in assets
and black money held abroad disclosed under a similar arrangement with a higher tax rate in
2015. This time, the tax department rightly focused on demystifying (रहस्य हटािा) and
propagating (प्रचार करिा/ प्रसाररत करिा) the scheme, so potential beneficiaries were reassured
that they would not be persecuted (तंग करिा/ परे शाि करिा). The almost Rs. 30,000 crore in
taxes being raked (इकट्ठा करिा/ बटोरिा/ एकत्र करिा) in provides a cushion for the Centre on
the fiscal deficit management front since it hadn’t set any explicit revenue expectations from the
scheme.
The final stocktaking is still on, so the record collections under this scheme, vis-à-vis similar
endeavors (प्रयासों) in the past, could rise further. The Centre, however, must not consider this
the end of its campaign on black money. To put things in context, the average undisclosed
income per taxpayer under the scheme stands at Rs.1.01 crore; and though the disclosures are
nearly double those in the last income amnesty scheme (around Rs. 33,700 crore), nearly two
decades have passed since then, making comparisons misleading. The tax department is aware
that Rs. 65,250 crore is just the tip of the iceberg — it had sent seven lakh letters to suspected
evaders based on information on about 90 lakh high-value transactions that took place without
PAN card details. The tax department must crack down on such evaders and spruce (सँर्ारिा) up
its data-mining methods to expand the country’s shallow tax base. While the department’s efforts
have revealed undisclosed income of over Rs. 58,000 crore in the last two and half years, and
more is being pursued from tax havens where Indian holdings have come to light, all of this is
akin (सदृश्य/सर्ाि) to treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause. If the Centre is
serious about attacking India’s thriving black economy, it needs to be bold and, for starters, make
electoral funding transparent, curb (नियंत्रण) the misuse by the wealthy of tax-free income sops
(ररयायतों) for farmers, and encourage cashless transactions.
Courtesy: The Hindu
1. Amnesty(n) : an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offences.
(निर्मुक्ति/सर्ु-क्षर्ा)
• Synonyms: Forgiveness, Reprieve, Condonation
• Antonyms: Punishment, Penalty
Example : Charles granted the city a full amnesty, and confirmed its liberties and privileges.
2. Evade (v) : To escape or avoid, especially by cleverness or deceit(छलपूर्क
ु बचिा)
• Synonyms: Abstain, Escape, Elude, Flinch
• Antonyms: Confront, Encounter, Face
Example : Alex wouldn't lie, but if he was given enough time to think about it, he could
certainly evade the issue.
3. Stern(ad) : serious and unrelenting, especially in the assertion of authority and exercise of
discipline. (कठोर/कड़ी)
• Synonyms: Rigid, Tough, Stringent, Firm, Resolute
• Antonyms: Easy, Kind, Soft, Mild, Gentle
Example : He could not be stern with that face.
4. Demystify (v) : make (a difficult subject) clearer and easier to understand. (रहस्य हटािा)
• Synonyms: Uncover, Unmask, Expose, Reveal, Show Up
• Antonyms: Cover, Hide, Conceal, Mystify
Example : The concepts that have alluded to spiritual and cosmological realities that we can
now demystify, as we have collected enough resources.
5. Propagate (v) : spread and promote widely. (प्रचार करिा/ प्रसाररत करिा)
• Synonyms: Spread, Proliferate, Expand by promoting
• Antonyms: Diminish, Deplete, Decrease
Example : The political candidate hopes to propagate his vision to potential voters.
6. Persecute (v) : subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment (तंग करिा/ परे शाि करिा)
• Synonyms: Victimize, Torture, Afflict, Tantalize
• Antonyms: Aid, Help, Protect, Assist
Example : The national hate crime laws were initially enacted to prevent the persecution of
minorities.
7. Raked (v) : draw together with a rake or similar implement. (इकट्ठा करिा/ बटोरिा/ एकत्र
करिा)
• Synonyms: Gather, Collect
• Antonyms: Disperse, Divide, Scatter
Example : She raked up the grass cuttings.
8. Endeavor (n,v) : try hard to do or achieve something. (प्रयास)
• Synonyms: Effort, Try, Conation
• Antonyms: Idleness, Passivity, Inactivity
Example : We will always endeavor to get your order shipped out as soon as possible.
9. Akin : of similar character. (सदृश्य/सर्ाि)
• Synonyms: Similar, Alike, Comparable, Same
• Antonyms: Dissimilar, Unlike, Disconnected
Example : It is akin to saying you have a right to life but not a right to hurt.
10. Curb (n,v) : a check or restraint on something. (नियंत्रण)
• Synonyms: Control, Confinement, Restriction, Inhibition
• Antonyms: Free, Allow, Liberate, Encourage
Example : The traffic was curbed for the Republic Day.
11. Sops (n) : a thing of no great value given or done as a concession to appease someone
whose main concerns or demands are not being met. (ररयायत)
• Synonyms: Concession, Allowance
• Antonyms: Imposition
Example: The sops provided to the farmers after devastating rain was very low and it should be
increased.
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