Daily “The Hindu” Vocab & Editorial 17 Dec 2025 | English Notes for SSC & Railway

Daily “The Hindu” Vocab & Editorial 17 Dec 2025  is an excellent resource for SSC and Railway exam aspirants. It not only strengthens vocabulary but also enhances grammar skills and fosters a deeper understanding of editorial perspectives.

Consistent reading of the editorial section keeps your preparation on track and reduces the stress of last-minute cramming. As you make it a regular habit, you’ll notice significant improvements in your reading comprehension abilities. Studies have shown that students who read editorials daily experience better retention and faster processing of complex ideas.

This daily practice can give you a competitive edge in exams like SSC GD, SSC CGL, CHSL, RRB Group D, NTPC, ALP, and CPO, boosting both your exam performance and overall confidence.

Daily “The Hindu” Vocab & Editorial 17 Dec 2025

Daily “The Hindu” Vocab & Editorial 17 Dec 2025 is a powerful tool for improving vocabulary, grammar, and editorial comprehension, especially for SSC and Railway exam aspirants. Regular practice helps build a strong foundation, reduces last-minute stress, and sharpens reading skills.

 To make your preparation even more effective, we have provided a video link below that explains the key vocabulary and editorial insights from this edition. Watch it to enhance your understanding and boost your exam readiness. 

The Hindu" Vocab & Editorial 17 Dec 2025

Below, we have provided the Hindu Vocabulary 17 Dec 2025 for the ease of the candidates. Check the complete list below:

Stepping stone

• Meaning: Something that helps achieve a larger or future goal
  
  

• Synonyms: Means, Launchpad, Springboard, Pathway, Gateway
  
  

• Antonyms: Obstacle, Hindrance, Roadblock, Barrier, Impediment
  
  

• Example: This policy may act as a stepping stone for nuclear expansion.
  
  

• Hindi: सफलता की सीढ़़ी / आगे बढ़ने का माध्यम
  
  

Governance

• Meaning: The process or system by which an organization or country is controlled
  
  

• Synonyms: Administration, Management, Authority, Control, Regulation
  
  

• Antonyms: Anarchy, Misrule, Disorder, Chaos, Lawlessness
  
  

• Example: Strong governance is essential for nuclear safety.
  
  

• Hindi: शासन व्यवस्था / प्रशासन प्रणाल़ी
  
  

Indigenous

• Meaning: Originating or produced naturally in a particular country
  
  

• Synonyms: Native, Domestic, Local, Home-grown, Original
  
  

• Antonyms: Foreign, Imported, Alien, Exotic, External
  
  

• Example: India plans to develop indigenous nuclear reactors.
  
  

• Hindi: स्वदेशी / देशज
  
  

Capital mobilisation

• Meaning: The process of gathering large financial resources
  
  

• Synonyms: Fund raising, Investment pooling, Resource mobilisation, Financing, Capital accumulation
  
  

• Antonyms: Capital shortage, Disinvestment, Fund depletion, Bankruptcy, Liquidity crisis
  
  

• Example: Nuclear expansion requires massive capital mobilisation.
  
  

• Hindi: पूंजी जुटाने की प्रक्रिया
  
  

Proliferation

• Meaning: Rapid spread or increase, especially of harmful elements
  
  

• Synonyms: Spread, Expansion, Escalation, Multiplication, Diffusion
  
  

• Antonyms: Reduction, Limitation, Containment, Restriction, Control
  
  

• Example: Nuclear proliferation is a global security concern.
  
  

• Hindi: प्रसार / फैलाव

Mitigate

• Meaning: To make something less severe or harmful
  
  

• Synonyms: Reduce, Lessen, Alleviate, Ease, Minimise
  
  

• Antonyms: Aggravate, Intensify, Worsen, Exacerbate, Increase
  
  

• Example: The Bill may mitigate legal uncertainties.
  
  

• Hindi: कम करना / शमन करना
  
  

Ambiguity

• Meaning: A situation where something has more than one meaning or is unclear
  
  

• Synonyms: Uncertainty, Vagueness, Obscurity, Confusion, Doubt
  
  

• Antonyms: Clarity, Certainty, Precision, Explicitness, Transparency
  
  

• Example: Legal ambiguity discourages private investors.
  
  

• Hindi: अस्पष्टता / द्विवधता
  
  

Warrant

• Meaning: To justify or require something
  
  

• Synonyms: Justify, Require, Demand, Necessitate, Call for
  
  

• Antonyms: Reject, Neglect, Ignore, Dismiss, Repudiate
  
  

• Example: The provisions warrant careful scrutiny.
  
  

• Hindi: आवश्यकता होना / औचित्य देना
  
  

Capped

• Meaning: Limited to a maximum amount
  
  

• Synonyms: Limited, Restricted, Fixed, Curtailed, Confined
  
  

• Antonyms: Unlimited, Unrestricted, Open-ended, Boundless
  
  

• Example: Operator liability is capped at ₹3,000 crore.
  
  

• Hindi: सीमित किया गया
  
  

Oversight

• Meaning: Careful supervision or monitoring
  
  

• Synonyms: Supervision, Monitoring, Watch, Scrutiny, Regulation
  
  

• Antonyms: Neglect, Carelessness, Inattention, Ignorance
  
  

• Example: Regulatory oversight is essential in nuclear energy.
  
  

• Hindi: निगरानी
  
  

Statute

• Meaning: A written law passed by a legislative body
  
  

• Synonyms: Act, Law, Legislation, Enactment, Ordinance
  
  

• Antonyms: Informality, Custom, Practice, Unwritten rule
  
  

• Example: The statute clarifies safety and liability issues.
  
  

• Hindi: विधि / अधिनियम
  
  

Fell through

• Meaning: To fail or be unsuccessful
  
  

• Synonyms: Collapse, Fail, Abort
  
  

• Example: The plan fell through due to lack of funds.
  
  

• Hindi: विफल होना
  
  

Takes after

• Meaning: To resemble, especially in appearance
  
  

• Synonyms: Resemble, Look like, Take on
  
  

• Example: The child takes after his father.
  
  

• Hindi: अपने पिता से मिलता-जुलता होना
  
  

Did away with

• Meaning: To remove or abolish
  
  

• Synonyms: Abolish, Eliminate, Discard
  
  

• Example: The villagers did away with the old custom.
  
  

• Hindi: खत्म करना
  
  

Ran out of

• Meaning: To deplete or use up
  
  

• Synonyms: Exhaust, Use up, Deplete
  
  

• Example: He ran out of money.
  
  

• Hindi: पैसे खत्म हो गए

One Word Substitution

1. Young male horse
   
   

• Answer: Colt
  
  

2. Too unimportant to consider
   
   

• Answer: Trivial
  
  

3. Making a show of being morally superior to others
   
   

• Answer: Sanctimonious
  
  

4. A place where birds are kept
   
   

• Answer: Aviary
  
  

5. A person who hates all forms of government
   
   

• Answer: Anarchist
  
  

6. A time of carefree fun
   
   

• Answer: Fling

Antonyms

1. Homework (Opposite)
   
   

• Answer: Reprimand
  (Meaning: A form of punishment or correction)
  
  

2. Gratify (Opposite)
   
   

• Answer: Frustrate
  (Meaning: To prevent or hinder from satisfaction)
  
  

3. Statute (Opposite)
   
   

• Answer: Informality
  (Meaning: Lack of formality or legal structure)
  
  

4. Capped (Opposite)
   
   

• Answer: Unlimited
  (Meaning: Not restricted or bound by a limit)

Also Read: SSC Monthly Current Affairs 2025

SSC Weekly Current Affairs

The Hindu Editorial Paragraph Analysis 17 Dec 2025

Stepping Stone: On Nuclear Policy, The SHANTI Bill
India’s nuclear governance needs regulatory independence. Nuclear power contributed only around 3% of the electricity generated in India in 2024-25. The government has set a target to install 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, including from at least five indigenous small modular reactors by 2033.
The SHANTI Bill proposes to change who can legally build and operate civil nuclear facilities. By allowing the Centre to permit nuclear energy activities through licenses to government entities, joint ventures, and “any other company” (subject to conditions), SHANTI indicates that the intended new class of operators is domestic private capital rather than foreign plant owners.
India being able to meet its 100 GW target will indeed require large capital mobilization, and allowing licensed non-government entities expands the roster of entities that can share the construction risk.
SHANTI also seeks to keep the most sensitive fuel cycles in state control while allowing private participation in plant delivery and parts of the supply chain, reducing commercial entry to segments most relevant to scaling power generation.
The Bill could also mitigate the legal ambiguity new entrants face by consolidating safety, enforcement, dispute resolution, and terms of participation in the same statute. This could reduce transaction costs for developers and shrink site approval and commissioning timelines. However, the Bill’s liability and governance provisions warrant caution. The maximum operator liability for a nuclear incident is ₹3,000 crore.

Questions Based on the Passage:

1. What is the primary objective of the SHANTI Bill as discussed in the passage?
   
   

• A) To increase foreign ownership of nuclear power plants

• B) To reduce India’s dependence on nuclear energy

• C) To broaden the category of entities allowed to operate civil nuclear facilities

• D) To privatize the entire nuclear fuel cycle
  
  

• Answer: C) To broaden the category of entities allowed to operate civil nuclear facilities
  
  

2. The passage suggests that India’s 100 GW nuclear target by 2047 is difficult to achieve mainly because of:
   
   

• A) Public resistance to nuclear power

• B) Inadequate technological expertise

• C) Limited electricity demand

• D) Requirement of massive capital mobilization
  
  

• Answer: D) Requirement of massive capital mobilization
  
  

3. According to the passage, the “intended new class of operators” under the SHANTI Bill is:
   
   

• A) Foreign nuclear plant owners

• B) State governments

• C) Domestic private capital

• D) International joint regulatory bodies
  
  

• Answer: C) Domestic private capital
  
  

4. Why does the SHANTI Bill restrict private participation in certain segments of the nuclear sector?
   
   

• A) To avoid delays in project execution

• B) To protect areas sensitive to nuclear proliferation

• C) To reduce operational inefficiency

• D) To ensure foreign investment inflow
  
  

• Answer: B) To protect areas sensitive to nuclear proliferation
  
  

5. How does the Bill aim to reduce transaction costs and delays for developers?
   
   

• A) By offering financial subsidies

• B) By outsourcing regulation to private bodies

• C) By consolidating safety, enforcement, and dispute resolution within one statute

• D) By removing liability provisions
  
  

• Answer: C) By consolidating safety, enforcement, and dispute resolution within one statute
  
  

6. Which concern regarding the SHANTI Bill is explicitly highlighted in the passage?
   
   

• A) Environmental clearance issues

• B) Worker safety standards

• C) Foreign diplomatic pressure

• D) Operator liability and governance provisions
  
  

Answer: D) Operator liability and governance provisions