Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 14-05-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 14-05-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 Updates/Indian Economy - Major stimulus package for MSMEs – Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a Rs. 3 lakh crore collateral free loan scheme for businesses, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), as part of a ₹20 lakh crore economic stimulus package to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. For salaried workers and taxpayers, some relief was provided in the form of an extended deadline for income tax returns for financial year 2019-20, with the due date now pushed to November 30, 2020. The rates of tax deduction at source (TDS) and tax collection at source (TCS) have been cut by 25% for the next year, while statutory provident fund (PF) payments have been reduced from 12% to 10% for both employers and employees for the next three months.
2. COVID-19 Updates - India records 3,525 more virus cases – India reported a spike of 3,525 COVID-19 cases and 122 deaths, taking the total number of cases to 74,281 and deaths to 2,415. The country has 47,480 active cases. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the testing capacity had increased to one lakh a day. According to the State Health Departments, the number of positive cases is 77,553 and the death toll is 2,528. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu continue to have the most number of confirmed cases.
3. COVID-19 Updates - $3.6 mn in U.S. funding to Indian labs may be delayed – A decision by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to donate $3.6 million to Indian laboratories and research agencies to assist in countering the COVID-19 pandemic could run into delays, given that the agency has been placed on a “watch list” since December 2019. The U.S. Embassy issued a release saying the CDC would commit $3.6 million as an “initial tranche of funding” to India’s response to the pandemic.
4. Indian Economy - CAPF canteens to go swadeshi – A day after PM N. Modi appealed to people to use locally made products, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that all canteens of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) would only sell swadeshi or products made in India. Mr. Shah said on Twitter that a decision had been taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that all CAPF canteens, which cater to around 10 lakh personnel and 50 lakh families, would sell only products made in India. The order will come into effect from June 1. Presently, there are 119 master canteens that also double as warehouses and more than 1,700 subsidiary canteens that function as retail outlets.
5. COVID-19 Updates - Army proposes 3-year stint for civilians – In a first of its kind proposal, the Army plans to take civilians on a three-year “Tour of Duty” (ToD) or short service” on a trial basis to serve as officers and in other ranks initially for a limited number of vacancies which will be expanded later. This is expected to result in significant reduction in the expenditure on pay and pensions and free up funds for the Army’s modernisation. The overall purpose of the ToD concept is ‘internship/temporary experience’ and so there will be no requirement of attractive severance packages, resettlement courses, professional encashment training leave, ex-servicemen status, ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme for ToD officers and other ranks.
6. US Presidential Elections - Trump aide Kushner hints at delay in poll, then backtracks – President Donald Trump’s aide and son in law Jared Kushner said he couldn’t guarantee the U.S. presidential election will take place on time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic — only to walk back his comment. The election is scheduled for November 3 by law and the White House has no authority to make a change. However, Mr. Kushner’s remark touched a nerve as Mr. Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden head into the increasingly tense final six months of campaigning.
7. Israel-Palestine Issue - Pompeo meets Netanyahu to discuss West Bank annexation – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank, as Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian teen in a clash with stone-throwers in the occupied territory. Mr. Pompeo’s brief visit came at a tense time, as Israeli troops searched for the killers of a soldier killed a day earlier by a rock dropped from a rooftop during an army raid of a West Bank village.
8. Indian Economy: Corporate – Maruti profit skids as sales take a hit – The country’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India posted a year-on-year decline of 27.7% in consolidated net profit to Rs. 1,322.3 crore for the fourth quarter ended March 2020. The company had posted a net profit of Rs. 1,830.8 crore in the January-March 2019 quarter. Revenue from operations stood at Rs. 17,187.3 crore, down 20.6% from the year- ago period. The company said it sold a total of 3,85,025 vehicles during the fourth quarter, lower by 16% over the same period previous year. In the domestic market, the sales were down 16% to 3,60,428 vehicles, while exports fell nearly 17% to 24,597 vehicles.
9. Arts and Culture – COVID-19 themed dance by Paris Laxmi – A Tamil song written by a poet in Chennai, composed by a musician in Malaysia, and sung by a Carnatic vocalist based at Kochi has found beautiful expression in dance through a Frenchwoman living in the central Kerala town of Vaikom. The song about man’s fight against COVID-19 was released by actor Mohanlal on his Facebook page. Watching the superbly choreographed and executed piece of dance by Paris Laxmi, a Bharatanatyam dancer and actress who has made Kerala her home, one would hardly think that the whole thing was put together during the lockdown.
10. Afghanistan-Taliban Issue – New-borns among 13 dead in Kabul hospital attack – Gunmen attacked a hospital in the Afghan capital Kabul, where the international humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders runs a maternity clinic, killing 13 people, including two newborn babies. In a separate attack the same day, a suicide bomber struck the funeral of a police commander, attended by government officials and a member of Parliament, in the eastern province of Nangahar, killing at least 24 people and injuring 68. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either attack. The Taliban denied involvement in both.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	CIPET	Young Professional-I	7	Diploma, Degree	May 20, 2020	http://www.ciphet.in/cadmin/upload/userfiles/file/FCI%20_Advertisement%20YP-I_%202020.pdf
2	Vizag Steel Plant	Management Trainee	11	Degree with PG Degree / PG Diploma	August 10, 2020	https://www.vizagsteel.com/code/tenders/jobdocs/25545Rectt%20Advt%20No%2002.pdf
3	Vizag Steel Plant	Management Trainee	11	Degree with PG Degree	August 10, 2020	https://www.vizagsteel.com/code/tenders/jobdocs/25545Rectt%20Advt%20No%2002.pdf
4	R. Gandhi Super Speciality Hosp	Medical Officer, Nursing Officer & Other	418	MD, MS, DM, M.Ch	May 22, 2020	http://www.rajivgandhisuperspecialityhospital.org/PDF/Recruitment-Notice-5-05-2020.pdf
5	RGIPT	Asst Registrar, Superintendent, Asst, Technician	18	Diploma, Degree Engg	June 30, 2020	https://www.rgipt.ac.in/en/page/non-teaching-recruitment
6	District Hospital, Gondia	Medical Officer	10	MBBS, BAMS	May 13, 2020	http://zpgondia.gov.in/htmldocs/health_aid_2020.pdf
7	Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital	Senior Resident	10	PG Degree/ Diploma	May 14, 2020	http://health.delhigovt.nic.in/wps/wcm/connect/6bb645004e3cf3a39d3dffd194e333e1/WII+LBSH.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&lmod=-382874882

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 No migrant should be denied opportunity to travel back because of incapacity of pay – Karnataka HC

• The Karnataka High Court directed the Central and State Government to take immediate decision on the question of paying railway fare of those migrant workers who are wanting to travel back to their states but cannot do so due to their inability to pay.
• The decision was given by a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Oka and Justice B V Nagarathna.
• The Court noted that as per the order of Ministry of Railways issued on May 2, the State Government which arranges for the "Shramik" trains is expected to pay the train fare.
• The court urged the governments to find a solution on this issue which will ensure that the rights of those migrant workers who wish to go back to their respective states are not infringed only because they are in distress and are not in a position to pay the traveling charges.
• The bench referring to the communication dated May 11, made by the Home Secretary of the Government of India to the Chief Secretaries of all the States, seeking cooperation to run more 'Shramik' special trains to transport migrant labourers.
• The bench directed the State Government to immediately convene a meeting of all the Trade Unions, Employers' Associations and NGOs in the State with a view to ascertain whether any contribution can come from the Employers' Association, Trade Unions and NGOs which can be used for bearing the Train fares of the migrant workers who are not in a position to pay the train fare.
• The State is also told to work out a time schedule for facilitating transport of these migrant workers to their respective states and a broad time schedule be communicated to them.
• The government was also told that migrant labourers be made aware of the states policy decision to allow them to return to their respective states by special trains. 

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• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan’ - Economic Package, worth Rs. 20 lakh crore

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a slew of measures for various sectors, including MSMEs hit by COVID-19-induced lockdown.
• Economic package is based on the five pillars of Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand that were outlined by the PM on May 12.
• The announced economic package is 10% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019-20.
• The amount includes packages already announced at the beginning of the lockdown incorporating measures from the RBI and the payouts under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.
• The package is expected to focus on land, labour, liquidity and laws.
• Rs. 3 lakh crore Emergency Working Capital Facility for Businesses, including MSMEs
• Rs 50,000 crore equity infusion through MSME Fund of Funds
• No Global tenders for Government tenders of upto Rs 200 crore
• Rs. 30,000 crore Special Liquidity Scheme for NBFC/HFC/MFIs
• Rs. 45,000 crore Partial credit guarantee Scheme 2.0 for Liabilities of NBFCs/MFIs
• Rs 90,000 crore Liquidity Injection for DISCOMs
• Extending the Employees Provident Fund Support for business and organised workers for another 3 months for salary months of June, July and August 2020
• EPF Contribution to be reduced for Employers and Employees for 3 months to 10% from 12% for all establishments covered by EPFO for next 3 months
• Relief to Contractors given by extension of up to six months for completion of contractual obligations, including in respect of EPC and concession agreements
• Relief to Real Estate Projects: Registration and completion date for all registered projects will be extended up to six months.  
• Reduction in Rates of ‘Tax Deduction at Source’ (TDS) and ‘Tax Collected at Source’ (TCS) by 25% for the remaining period of FY 20-21
• Date for filing Income Tax return for 2019-20 extended till 30th November.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper)

3.1 Not Available Today

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

4.1 EAM S. Jaishankar attends extraordinary video conference of SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Foreign Ministers

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took part in an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the eight member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to discuss cooperation to fight against the deadly coronavirus.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took part in an extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the eight member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to discuss cooperation to fight against the deadly coronavirus.
• This was an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers to discuss the COVID-19 situation.
• The regular meeting of the SCO foreign ministers is due to be held in Moscow on June 9-10.
• India and Pakistan were admitted into the bloc in 2017.
• Its founding members included China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Charter, formally establishing the organisation, was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on 19 September 2003. The original five nations, with the exclusion of Uzbekistan, were previously members of the Shanghai Five group, founded on 26 April 1996.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 Not Available Today

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Arts and Culture

• Appointment - IAS officer V. Vidyavathi appointed new Director General of ASI (Archaeological Survey of India).
• US singer Little Richard dies aged 87 - Little Richard, US singer known for songs such as ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Long Tall Sally’, died at the age of 87 on May 9, 2020.

 

• International Jazz Day observed by UNESCO on April 30.
• Noted Kannada poet & Padma Shri awardee K. S. Nissar Ahmed dies aged 84 in Bengaluru.
• International Dawn Chorus Day to be celebrated on May 3; is celebrated on the first Sunday of May every year.
• On the occasion of centenary year of archaeologist Prof B. B. Lal, Culture Minister releases e-book “Prof. B. B. Lal-India Rediscovered”.
• Grammy winning-singer Betty Wright dies at 66 in US
• Eminent historian Hari Shankar Vasudevan dies aged 68 in Kolkata
  
   

  

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 ‘Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology, and Research Translations (RESTART)’ was organised on the occasion of the National Technology Day - May 11

•  It was a digital conference.
• It was organized by the Technology Development Board (TDB), an autonomous organization of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) along with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), which is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization.
• Issues related to Strengthen medicines and medical technologies, Use of advanced materials for medical instruments, Advanced manufactring technologies for sustainable future and Global innovation and technology alliance were discussed in the conference.
• Strengthen medicines and medical technologies - The Covid-19 pandemic is a great opportunity for R&D. The crisis has unfolded best medical advancements and innovations, like drug discovery, vaccines, and diagnostic tools, ways to preserve electronic health records etc.  
• Use of advanced materials - Smart materials, special purpose alloys, engineering polymers and blends, graphene, composites, etc. will be the key to revamping the industry’s product lines in the future.
• Advanced manufacturing technologies for sustainable future - Advanced technologies provide avenues to the industry to re-stimulate innovation, sustainability and employment. Covid-19 has forced the Industries to go for digital transformation. The world is moving towards mass customization and mass specialization today, and technology like 3-D printing plays a major role in it.
• Global innovation and technology alliance: Virtual collaboration is the key to connect globally to fight against the common challenge of Covid-19, and collaboration between countries must continue with much vigour.
• To know about National Technology Day read previous issue of DCA CS.
• To tackle pandemics like Covid-19, research needs to quickly switch over from being capital-intensive (business processes or industries that require large amounts of investment to produce a good or service) to knowledge-intensive (reliance on professional knowledge for business services) and should be brought closer to industry.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES (Prelims, GS Paper 1, GS Paper 2)

8.1 The Supreme Court refused to restore 4G services in Jammu and Kashmir

• It ordered setting up of a high-powered committee to look into the contentions raised by petitioners against limited 2G services in the Union Territory.
• In August 2019, the Central government had suspended all modes of communications in the wake of revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status, granted under Article 370. Services were partially restored, with internet speed restricted to 2G.
• A plea was filed by ‘Foundation for Media Professionals’ for restoration of high-speed internet in J&K in view of the Covid-19 situation.
• The Court ruled that the special circumstances occur in the Union Territory which requires delicate balancing of national security concerns and human rights.
• The bench also referred to its earlier decision in the Anuradha Bhasin case (2020) wherein it ordered review of restrictions placed in J&K in the wake of abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.
• Need of 4G and National Security in J&K is felt because of issues like Health, Education and Trade.
• National Security Concerns: Even the J&K administration stated that high-speed internet will enable the spread of fake news/rumours and transfer of heavy data files (audio/video files) will become prevalent and may be utilised by terror outfits for incitement as also in planning attacks.
• Anuradha Bhasin vs Union of India (2020) - The judgement declared that the freedom of speech and expression and the freedom to practice any profession or carry on any trade, business or occupation over the medium of Internet enjoys constitutional protection under Article 19(1)(a) and Article 19(1)(g) respectively but it also ruled that such freedom is not absolute, the restrictions imposed on it should be in consonance with the mandate under Article 19(2) and Article 19(6) of the Constitution.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (Prelims, GS Paper 3)

9.1 The Smart Metering Programme (SMP) is helping electricity distribution companies (discoms) generate 95% of billing efficiency during the lockdown - Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL)

• The discoms using smart meters have seen 15-20% average increase in monthly revenue per consumer.
• EESL, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, is the designated agency to implement the smart metering programme in India.
• Smart Meter National Programme - Under this programme, a total of 12,06,435 smart meters have been installed. Smart Meters devices having the capacity to collect information about energy, water, and gas usage at various intervals and transmitting the data through fixed communication networks to utility, as well as receiving information like pricing signals from utility and conveying it to consumers. Smart Meters are part of the Smart Grid. Smart meters minimize human intervention in metering, billing and collection, and help reduce theft by identifying loss pockets.
• Smart grid includes the creation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). Where AMI describes the whole infrastructure from Smart Meter to a two way-communication network to control center equipment and applications that enable the gathering and transfer of energy usage information in near real-time.
• Advantages of smart meters –  

1. Operational advantages: It incentivises energy conservation by checking data-entry errors and billing efficiencies, and cutting the costs of manual meter reading through a web-based monitoring system. They can also switch to prepaid mode.
2. Advantages to customers - It enhances consumer satisfaction through better complaint management, system stability, reliability and transparency. The new meters have the Time of Day (ToD) tariff feature which allows consumers to reschedule electricity usage to the off-peak hours and reduction in the bill amount significantly.

• Defiance of smart meters – 

1. High Capital Costs: A full scale deployment of smart meters requires expenditures on all hardware and software components, network infrastructure and network management software, along with costs associated with the installation and maintenance and information technology systems.
2. Integration: Samrt Meter is a complex system of technologies that must be integrated with utilities' information technology systems, including Customer Information Systems (CIS), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Outage Management Systems (OMS),Mobile Workforce Management (MWM), Distribution Automation System (DAS), etc.
3. Standardization: Interoperability standards need to be defined, which set uniform requirements for technology, deployment and general operations.
4. Release of Radiation: The smart meter allows ‘communication’ among the consumer and the meter, hence there is probability of release of radiation.

• To meet energy needs, along with enhancing energy production, the nation also needs to cut Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses to below 12% by 2022, and below 10% by 2027.

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• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 ‘Energy Transition Index’ (ETI) of WEF (World Economic Forum)

• India ranked 74th on global ‘Energy Transition Index’ (ETI) of WEF (World Economic Forum); index topped by Sweden
• ETI ranks 115 economies on the current performance of their energy systems and their readiness for transition to secure, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive energy systems.
• To view complete report view here - https://www.weforum.org/reports/fostering-effective-energy-transition-2020

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• China recently defended its naming of 80 islands and other geographical features in the South China Sea.
• PPE provided to medical staff treating coronavirus patients is Pathogen Protective Equipment.
• Well-known Footballer Abdul Latif died in Guwahati in March 2020.
• 25,782 people belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been granted Long Term Visa (LTV) in last five years.
• Rana Kapoor is the founder of Yes Bank.

10.3 Today's best editorials to read

• We offer you 7 excellent editorials from across 10 newspapers we have scanned. 

CLICK HERE TO OPEN AND READ!

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

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