Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 02-01-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 02-01-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Gaganyaan, Chandrayaan-3 in mission mode, says ISRO - Four pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) will leave for Russia this month to receive training as astronauts of Gaganyaan, the first Indian crewed flight to space. They were shortlisted after a series of fitness and endurance tests, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan announced. The initial tests were conducted in the IAF’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bengaluru, and Russia. The four will leave in the third week of January to be trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Centre in Moscow, as per an agreement signed between the space agencies of the two countries last year.
2. Peace on LAC can help solve border issue: Army chief - Maintaining peace and tranquility on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China can set the stage for an eventual solution to the border issue, Army chief Gen. M.M. Naravane said. Stating that both the western and northern borders were equally important, Gen. Naravane said that while we had been giving attention in the past to the western front, “the northern front also now requires equal attention.” “It is in this context we are now going in for capability enhancement on our northern borders, which includes the north-east parts of the country.”
3. GST gross revenue crosses Rs. 1 lakh crore - Goods and Services Tax gross revenue crossed the one lakh crore-mark for the second successive month, with a collection of Rs. 1.03 lakh crore in December. This is almost 9% higher than the December 2018 GST collection of Rs. 94,726 crore. While the December 2019 collection of Rs. 1,03,184 crore is slightly lower than the November 2019 collection of Rs. 1,03,492 crore, it does signal a trend of recovery after gross GST revenue dipped below the one lakh crore mark for the previous three months. The amount still falls short of the ambitious Rs. 1.1 lakh crore monthly target the Centre set last month for the remainder of the fiscal year.
4. Puducherry CM rules out any rethink on SEC appointment - Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy ruled out any rethink on the appointment of former bureaucrat T.M. Balakrishnan as State Election Commissioner (SEC). In the wake of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) directing the government to select the SEC in a “transparent” manner, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy pointed out that the MHA had not cancelled the appointment. Hence, Mr. Balakrishnan would oversee the upcoming local body polls, he stated.
5. ‘No automatic conviction for abetment of suicide’ - A person accused of dowry harassment cannot be automatically convicted for abetment of suicide, the Supreme Court has held in a judgment. A Bench of Justices NavinSinha and B.R. Gavai held that “even if it is established that the woman concerned had committed suicide within a period of seven years from the date of marriage and that her husband has subjected her to cruelty, the court is not bound to presume that suicide has been abetted by her husband.” The court is required to take into consideration all other circumstances of the case, it said.
6. 8 new buildings likely under new Central Vista - Eight new government office buildings, a new Parliament House and a residential complex near the South Block that could house the homes of the Prime Minister and the Vice-President are among the projects under consideration for the Centre’s redevelopment of the Central Vista. The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is likely to issue tenders for individual projects for the revamp of the 3-km-long Rajpath from RashtrapatiBhavan till the India Gate, construction of a new Parliament building and a common Central Secretariat for Ministries, by February 2020.
7. Protesters end siege of U.S. Embassy in Baghdad - Pro-Iran demonstrators left the besieged U.S. Embassy in Baghdad after the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force ordered them to withdraw a day after their dramatic incursion. Thousands of Iraqi supporters of the largely Iranian-trained Hashed had encircled and vandalised the Embassy compound, outraged by U.S. air strikes that killed 25 Hashed fighters over the weekend. They marched unimpeded through the checkpoints of the usually high-security Green Zone to the Embassy gates, where they broke through a reception area, chanting “Death to America” and spraying pro-Iran graffiti on the walls.
8. Tear gas fired at Hong Kong protesters during march - A huge New Year’s Day pro-democracy rally in Hong Kong ended in mass arrests and police firing tear gas at hardcore protesters, as demonstrators sought to carry their movement’s momentum into 2020. The Civil Human Rights Front, the umbrella group which organised the march, claimed that more than a million people participated in rally, which had approval from the authorities. But after a peaceful start, violence erupted within hours, with police and masked protesters facing off in several neighbourhoods on the city’s main island.
9. Auto sector trundles past in December - The year 2019 ended on a mixed note for the auto sector with carmakers such as Maruti Suzuki and M&M posting a growth in domestic passenger vehicle wholesales in December and players like Tata Motors, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota witnessing a decline as many manufacturers adjusted deliveries to dealers ahead of the transition to BS-VI vehicles. Market leader Maruti Suzuki posted a 2.5% rise in its domestic passenger vehicle wholesales at more than 1.22 lakh units in December 2019 against 1.19 lakh units in the year-earlier month.
10. IRDAI fines Maruti, Hero broking firms - The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed a penalty of Rs. 3 crore on Maruti Insurance Broking (MIBL) and Rs. 2.18 crore on Hero Insurance Broking India (HIBIL) for not complying with the Motor Insurance Service Provider (MISP) guidelines. In separate orders, the Authority directed the entities to make certain changes for compliance and improved governance. Taking serious note of the affidavit filed by the respective Principal Officers of MIBL and HIBIL, the regulator said the affidavits were contrary to the facts. Hence, it directed the entities to not pay performance incentives to the respective Principal Officer for one year, from the date of order.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW

Election Commission (EC) launched an online system to allow political parties track their application.

1. The EC has launched an online system to allow political parties track their applications for the registration with the poll panel on a real-time basis.
2. The Commission had amended the guidelines for registration last month.
3. The salient features of the Political Parties Registration Tracking Management System (PPRTMS) is that applicants, applying for the party registration from January 1, 2020 will be able to track the progress of his/her application and will get the status update through SMS and e-mail.
4. The registration of political parties is governed by the provisions of section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

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• 2. ECONOMY

Goods and Services Tax (GST) gross revenue crossed Rs. 1 lakh crore for the second consecutive month.
 

1. GST gross revenue crossed the one lakh crore-mark for the second successive month, with a collection of Rs. 1.03 lakh crore in December 2019.
2. This is almost 9% higher than the December 2018 GST collection of Rs. 94,726 crore.
3. While the December 2019 collection of Rs. 1,03,184 crore is slightly lower than the November 2019 collection of Rs. 1,03,492 crore, it does signal a trend of recovery after gross GST revenue dipped below the one lakh crore mark for the previous three months.
4. The amount still falls short of the ambitious Rs. 1.1 lakh crore monthly target the Centre set last month for the remainder of the fiscal year.
5. It is for the ninth time since the inception of GST in July 2017 that monthly collection has crossed the mark of Rs 1 lakh crore.
6. The GST collection for December 2019 stood at Rs 1.03 lakh crore, of which CGST (Central GST) amounts to Rs 19, 962 crore, while SGST and IGST have been recorded at Rs 26,792 crore and 48,099 crore, respectively. Cess for the month stands at Rs 8,331 crore (including Rs 847 crore collected on imports).
7. Total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for November up to December 31 was 81.21 lakh.
8. The GST revenue from domestic transactions for December has shown an impressive growth of 16 per cent over the revenue during December 2018.
9. The government has settled Rs 21,814 crore to CGST and Rs 15,366 crore to SGST from the IGST as regular settlement.
10. The total revenue earned by the Centre and the State governments after regular settlement in December stands at Rs 41,776 crore for CGST and Rs 42,158 crore for the SGST.
11. The IGST on import of goods has seen a negative growth of (-) 10 per cent, but is an improvement over (-) 13 per cent last month and (-) 20 per cent in October.
12. State-wise, Maharashtra recorded the highest GST collection for December at Rs 16,530 crore, followed by Karnataka (Rs 6,886 crore) and Tamil Nadu (Rs 6,422 crore).  In November, the GST revenue stood at Rs 1.03-lakh crore, witnessing a 9 per cent growth. The gross GST revenue collected in October stood at Rs 95,380 crore. In September, it was Rs 91,916 crore, while the tax collection in August stood at Rs 98,202 crore.

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched 'MANI' (Mobile Aided Note Identifier) app to help visually challenged persons to identify denomination of notes.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman launched 'eBkray' platform to enable online auction of attached assets by banks.

Vinod Kumar Yadav assumed charge as Chairman, Railway Board on reappointment for a period of one year.

BHEL commissioned first lignite-based 500 MW thermal unit of India at Neyveli in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

National Green Corps scheme revived in Jammu and Kashmir, seek to provide financial assistance to Eco Clubs of registered schools.

1. The National Green Corps scheme, which was revoked for over a decade, has been revived for Jammu and Kashmir (J and K).
2. Under this scheme, the J and K Pollution Control Board would provide financial assistance to 3,742 Eco Clubs of registered schools in both the regions of the Union Territory along with 96 Eco Clubs of registered colleges, for which funds would soon be released via Direct Bank Transfer by the Board.
3. National Green Corps is a programme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India covering around 1,20,000 schools in India with NGC School Eco Clubs.
4. Environmental activity in schools in India is promoted through the National Green Corps.
5. Each NGC School Eco Club has 30 to 50 NGC Students or NGC Cadets who form the National Green Corps.
6. These NGC Students participate in activities related to Biodiversity Conservation, Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Waste Management and Land Use Planning and Resource Management.
7. Locale specific issues are focused by the NGC Eco Clubs.
8. When young girls and boys from NGC take up the environmental awareness activities and outreach activities, they attract huge public attention which eventually becomes public support for an environmental cause or environmental intervention.  
9. Water Harvesting, Plantation, Composting of biodegradable waste are most popular activities in the NGC School Eco Clubs. 
10. These NGC School Eco Clubs promote environmental discipline and environmental responsibility through the selected schools in India using environmental awareness as the medium. 
11. Each of the 250 districts in India has about 250 NGC Eco Clubs.
12. Each of the Indian State has a State Nodal Officer who implements this programme.
13. Motto of the organization is "Where there is Green, there is Prosperity".
     

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Umaro Sissoco Embalo won presidential election in Guinea-Bissau.

1. Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Umaro Sissoco Embalo, a former PM, won the presidential election with 53.55 percent of votes.
2. His rival DomingosSimoes Pereira, head of the country's ruling PAIGC party, took 46.45 percent.
3. Outgoing Jose Mario Vaz came to power in 2014 on hopes of stabilising a country notorious for coups and assassinations since gaining independence from Portugal in 1974.
4. But his tenure was hampered by a paralysing face-off with Parliament under the country's semi-presidential political system.
5. The National Electoral Commission (CNE) put turnout at 72.67 percent, similar to the first round of voting on November 24, 2019 which Pereira won with 40.1 percent against 28 percent for Embalo.
6. Embalo, 47, is a reserve brigadier general who favours wearing a red-and-white Arab keffiyeh headdress.
7. Like Pereira, who was also a prime minister, he served under Vaz - between 2016 and 2018, before representing Madem, a party formed by PAIGC rebels.
8. He fought to overcome his first-round vote deficit by portraying himself as a unifier of the country and by gaining the backing of eliminated candidates, including Vaz.
9. Born in the capital city Bissau, Embalo is a member of the Fulani ethnic group. At university, he studied social and political science in Spain and Portugal.
10. A father of three, Embalo is a football fan and supports Belgian team Standard Liege.
11. He sought early retirement from the army in the 1990s, and launched an investment fund set up by the then Libyan government.
12.  Opposition candidate and former army chiefMrEmbalo, nicknamed "The General", served as prime minister between 2016 and 2018.
13. He sought to overcome his rival's lead in the first round by pledging to unify the country and gaining the backing of eliminated candidates, including MrVaz.
14. Mr Embalo has also vowed to modernise Guinea-Bissau - one of the world's poorest nations, which is home to some 1.6 million people.

Pakistani Nobel Peace laureate MalalaYousafzaideclared as ‘the most famous teenager in the world’ in its 'Decade in review' report by United Nations.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

Railway fare hike

1. The railways announced fare hike across its network, excluding suburban trains, effective from January 1, 2020.
2. While suburban fares remain unchanged, ordinary non-AC, non-suburban fares were increased by 1 paise per km of journey.
3. The railways also announced a two paise/km hike in fares of mail/express non-AC trains and four paise/km hike in the fares of AC classes.
4. Existing fares of train services like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Vande Bharat, Tejas, Humsafar, Mahamana, Gatimaan, Antyodaya, GaribRath, Jan Shatabdi, Rajya Rani, Yuva Expresses, Suvidha and special trains on special charges, AC MEMU (non-suburban), AC DEMU (non-suburban) etc shall similarly be revised to the extent of the proposed increase in fares.  
5. In the Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani, which covers a distance of 1,447 km, the hike at the rate of 4 paise per km will be around Rs 58.
6. There will not be any change in the reservation fee and superfast charge and the hike in fares will not be applicable to tickets already booked.
7. The last such hike was announced in 2014-2015 when fares of all classes of trains were raised by 14.2 per cent and freight charges by 6.5 per cent. 
8. However, since then, the railways introduced the flexi-fare scheme which significantly raised fares on select trains and launched trains like Vande Bharat Express and Tejas Express which have relatively higher fares. Trains with dynamic pricing like Suvidha Express were also introduced.
9. Revenue generated by the "marginal" increase in fare will be used for the modernisation of the network.
10. In the Delhi-Kolkata Rajdhani which covers a distance of 1,447 km, the hike at the rate of 4 paise per km will be around Rs. 58.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS

India sees highest number of babies born on January 1.

1. According to UNICEF, India welcomed estimated 67,385 babies, the highest in the world, on New Years’s Day.
2. Globally, over 50 per cent of the births on January 1 are estimated to take place in the following eight countries - India – 67,385; China – 46,299; Nigeria – 26,039; Pakistan – 16,787; Indonesia – 13,020; USA – 10,452; The Democratic Republic of Congo – 10,247 and Ethiopia – 8,493.
3. Fiji most likely delivered 2020’s first baby, while the united states will most likely deliver it last.

Veteran cartoonist Vikas Sabnis died following a brief illness. He was 69.Inspired by Bal Thackeray and RK Laxman, he had started his career in 1968. Since then, for over 50 years, Sabnis has worked as a staff cartoonist at various newspapers, including the Times of India and the Mid-day.

National Tribal Dance Festival organised in Raipur, Chhattisgarh from December 27 to 30. It was organized in Chhattisgarh for the first time. More than 1300 participants from 25 states and UTs of the country and six countries participated.

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• 7. POLITY

No news in this section today.

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES

UPSRTC launches calling and WhatsApp service 'Damini' helpline for safety of women.

1. The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) has launched a dedicated women helpline, 'Damini', which is a calling and a WhatsApp service for the safety of women.
2. The unique number "81142-77777" has been subscribed for the helpline, which is an extension of the 'NirbhayaYojana' that aims to ensure safety of women.
3. UPSRTC managing director Raj Shekhar said that the helpline is called 'Damini' because of its specific nature and importance.
4. The UPSRTC will make the number visible by printing it inside buses and at bus stations by January 15.
5. The service will be functional from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day and will be exclusively handled by women officers at the UPSRTC headquarters and regional offices.
6. Women passengers can lodge their complaints on the general helpline number, 1800-180-2877, after 6 p.m.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NASA astronaut Christina Koch created record for longest single spaceflight by a woman.

1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut Christina Koch created record for longest single spaceflight by a woman.
2. Christina Koch, a 40-year-old electrical engineer from Montana, arrive at the International Space Station on March 14.
3. She broke the record set by former space station commander Peggy Whitson in 2016-2017. The old mark was of 288 days.
4. Koch is expected to spend a total of 328 days, or nearly 11 months, on board the ISS before returning to Earth.
5. The US record for longest space flight is 340 days set by Scott Kelly in 2015-16. The world record is 15 months set in 1990s by a Russian cosmonaut abroad the former Mir space station.
6. Koch’s extended mission will help NASA learn about the effects of long spaceflights data that is needed to support future deep space exploration mission to Moon and Mars.
7. Before breaking the endurance record for a woman in space, Koch set another milestone as part of the first all-female spacewalking team in October 2019.

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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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