Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-01-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-01-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Modi asks CAA opponents to protest against Pak. ‘atrocities’ - Taking a dig at those protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “If they want to carry out agitations, let them carry out agitations against the oppressions of Pakistan against its minorities, including Dalits, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, for the past 70 years.” Addressing thousands of students and seers of various Mutts on the premises of the Siddaganga Mutt in Tumakuru, Mr. Modi said instead of carrying out agitations against Pakistan which was “oppressing” its minorities, the anti-CAA protesters were opposing the Union government for implementing the CAA and the NRC to safeguard the interests of the minorities in Pakistan and other nations.
2. NCLAT decision is a recipe for disaster, Tatas tell SC - The multi-billion salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Sons Private Limited appealed to the Supreme Court saying the December 18 decision of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to reinstate Cyrus Mistry as its chairman is a blow to corporate democracy and rights of the Board of Directors. The 180-page appeal said the tribunal crossed its jurisdiction by terming the appointment of incumbent N. Chandrasekaran illegal while restoring Mr. Mistry as Chairman.
3. AIADMK suffers a setback in rural local body polls - The ruling AIADMK suffered a setback in the rural local body polls held in 27 districts with the DMK racing ahead in panchayat unions and district panchayat wards as per results/trends. Crowdsourced trends were available only for 350-odd of the 515 district panchayat member posts and 2,900-odd of the 5,090 panchayat union ward posts, while the State Election Commission declared the results for much fewer posts. The DMK had won in 727 of 1,632 seats the results of which were declared for the post of panchayat union ward members as of 11.30 p.m. The AIADMK was lagging by nearly 170 seats, as its candidates had won only in 556 seats.
4. India records less than 100 tiger deaths for the first time in three years - For the first time in the past three years, the number of tiger deaths in a year in the country has been less than 100. According to data from the Ministry of Forest Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC), there were 84 cases of tiger deaths in the country and 11 cases of seizures (in which a tiger is presumed dead on the basis of body parts seized by authorities). Both put together, the number of tiger deaths in 2019 was 95.
5. Science Congress takes ‘extra care’ to avoid pseudo-science - On the eve of the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC), set to commence in Bengaluru, organisers said they had taken “special care” to ensure that ‘pseudo-scientific’ articles or talks did not creep in. At last year’s ISC at Lovely University, Jalandhar, G. NageswaraRao, the then vice-chancellor of Andhra University, asserted that the Kauravas of the Mahabharata were born of the stem-cell technology and test-tube baby science, and that Rama and Ravana had fought with ‘guided missiles.’ While pseudo-scientific remarks at the congress are not unprecedented — in 2015, at the event in Mumbai, there was an entire session dedicated to ‘aircraft from the Vedic age’ — Mr. Rao’s remarks stood out, as it was the first time a senior scientist from a well-regarded institution had made such comments.
6. Architects question land use change for Central Vista revamp - Several architects have raised concerns over the Centre’s proposed change of land-use of plots in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi to make way for a new Parliament House, residences and office buildings, flagging the potential reduction in land for general public use as well as the lack of a scientific study to justify the amendment of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 (MPD). As part of the project, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on December 21, 2019 issued a notification inviting suggestions and objections to its proposed land-use change in the Master Plan. A 9.5-acre-plot opposite the existing Parliament House, currently earmarked for recreational use, was proposed to be changed to “Parliament House”, and a 15-acre plot near South Block to “residential”. Comments were invited for a period of 30 days.
7. Taiwan’s top military official killed in crash - Taiwan’s top military official was among eight people killed, after a helicopter carrying them to visit soldiers crashed in a mountainous area near the capital Taipei. The main portion of the helicopter lay in a northern forest wreathed in mist, its blades shattered, as dozens of rescuers combed the wreck for survivors, pictures released by emergency authorities showed. The reasons for the crash, in the wake of a forced landing, were unknown. The chief of general staff, Air Force General Shen Yi-ming, had died, while five of the 13 aboard survived.
8. Relief for Netanyahu as SC refuses to rule on his eligibility - With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under indictment, Israel’s Supreme Court refused to weigh in on whether a prime ministerial candidate charged with serious crimes can be asked to form a new government. The decision gave Mr. Netanyahu a temporary reprieve ahead of a general election on March 2 and staved off a potential showdown between the government and the judiciary. He took the contentious step of asking Parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution. Mr. Netanyahu is Israel’s first sitting Prime Minister to be charged with crimes and the first to run for re-election while under such a serious legal cloud.
9. Sugar output drops by close to a third - The country’s sugar production has fallen sharply by 30.22% to 7.79 million tonne (MT) in the first three months of current marketing year ending September, but ex-mill prices have remained stable so far, helping mills clear cane payment to farmers on time. However, sugar exports are happening at a good pace. Mills have so far contracted for shipment of over 2.5 MT of sugar under the government’s MAEQ (Maximum Admissible Export Quantity Quota). Ex-mill sugar prices have remained steady in the range of ?3,250-3,350 per quintal in north India and at ?3,100-3,250 per quintal in south India.
10. ONGC won all 7 oil, gas blocks - State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) walked away with all the seven oil and gas blocks on offer in the latest bid round that saw just eight bids coming in. ONGC signed contracts for the seven blocks at an event where Oil Minister DharmendraPradhan and other Ministry officials were also present. The latest licensing round for allowing companies to explore for oil and natural gas was held on revamped terms but saw only ONGC and Oil India Ltd. participating. ONGC put in bids for all seven blocks on offer, while Oil India put in an offer for one block at the close of bidding on October 31, 2019.

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW

No news in this section today.

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• 2. ECONOMY

Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) Sugar Data - Sugar output dropped by close to a third.
 

1. The country’s sugar production has fallen sharply by 30.22% to 7.79 million tonne (MT) in the first three months of current marketing year ending September, but ex-mill prices have remained stable so far, helping mills clear cane payment to farmers on time.
2. However, sugar exports are happening at a good pace.
3. Mills have so far contracted for shipment of over 2.5 MT of sugar under the government’s MAEQ (Maximum Admissible Export Quantity Quota).
4. Ex-mill sugar prices have remained steady in the range of ?3,250-3,350 per quintal in north India and at ?3,100-3,250 per quintal in south India.
5. Since the Centre has not increased the fair and remunerative price (FRP) for 2019-20 as also State governments like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab have not hiked the state advised price (SAP), ex-mill prices remain stable and mills are in a better position to be able to pay cane prices to the farmers on time.
6. The country’s total sugar production has dropped to 7.79 MT till December 2019 from 11.17 million tonne in the same period of the 2018-19 marketing year (October-September).
7. In its first estimate, ISMA had pegged sugar production lower at 26 MT this year from 33.16 MT in 2018-19.
8. Sugar production in Maharashtra — the country’s largest sugar producing State — dropped to 1.65 MT till December 2019 against 4.45 MT in the same period last year, the data showed.
9. The average sugar recovery in Maharashtra has declined to 10% from 10.5% achieved in the year-ago period due to loss of sucrose content in the flood-affected sugarcane crop.
10. About 137 sugar mills were in operation till December 2019 against 189 mills in the same period last year.
11. Production in Uttar Pradesh, the country’s second largest producing State, rose to 3.31 MT so far compared to 3.10 MT a year ago.

Foreign Direct Investment Data of First Half of 2019-20

1. Data on foreign direct equity investments (FDI) released by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) on December 31, 2019.
2. FDI rose 15% in the April-September period of 2019-20 to $26.09 billion, up from the $22.66 billion received in the corresponding period of 2018-19.
3. Services sector — encompassing financial, banking, insurance, outsourcing, among other industries, was the highest recipient of FDI at $4.4 billion.
4. This was followed by the telecommunications sector, which garnered $4.3 billion, and the computer software and hardware at slightly more than $4 billion.
5. Singapore was the largest source of FDI for India in FY20, accounting for around $8 billion, followed by Mauritius with $6.3 billion, Netherlands ($2.3 billion), the United States ($2.1 billion) and Japan ($1.7 billion).
6. Singapore has long been the highest source of foreign funds to India, pumping in around $140 billion since 2000, constituting 32 per cent of all inbound FDI over this period.
7. However, over the past year, inflows from Singapore have shot up as an increasing number of Indian firms are getting incorporated in the island nation’s jurisdiction. India revised its tax treaty with Mauritius and Singapore, which came into effect in FY20.
8. The National Capital Region was the most favoured choice of investors, receiving $7.1 billion worth of investments. This was followed by Karnataka with $4.6 billion. Maharashtra, the highest receiver of FDI in FY19, dropped to third place with $3.6 billion in FY20, till September.
9. The DPIIT compiles total investment inflows with the data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as well as its own databases, and the data is published every quarter. 
10. In the first quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal, FDI inflows were higher by 33 per cent as compared to the corresponding period of FY19.
11. Inbound foreign direct equity investments declined for the first time in six years in FY19, in line with overall weak economic conditions. Investments reduced to $44.36 billion, down by 1 per cent from $44.85 billion last year. 
12. In the first full year (FY15) of the Narendra Modi government, annual inbound equity investments surged 22 per cent. The growth rate peaked at 35 per cent in FY16 and has fallen ever since.

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• 3. ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

Tiger population: India recorded less than 100 tiger deaths for the first time in three years

1. For the first time in the past three years, the number of tiger deaths in a year in the country has been less than 100.
2. According to data from the Ministry of Forest Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC), there were 84 cases of tiger deaths in the country and 11 cases of seizures (in which a tiger is presumed dead on the basis of body parts seized by authorities).
3. Both put together, the number of tiger deaths in 2019 was 95.
4. In 2018, the number of tiger deaths recorded was 100 (93 mortalities and seven seizures). The number was 115 (98 mortalities and 17 seizures) in 2017, and 122 (101 mortalities and 21 seizures) in 2016.
5. These figures should be seen in the context that tiger numbers in the country were growing.
6. The last tiger census report, released in July 2019, had placed the number of tigers in India at 2,967, up by a third when compared with the numbers reported in 2014.
7. The reduced numbers of tiger mortalities are because of surveillance, good management of Tiger Reserves and a lot of awareness and education programmes on tiger conservation.
8. The data for 2019 on tiger mortality also confirmed 22 cases of poaching and one case of tiger poisoning across the country.
9. An analysis showed that 16 out of the 22 poaching incidents were reported outside tiger reserves.
10. Madhya Pradesh, which has the highest number of tigers in the country (526, as per the last census), recorded the most number of cases (31) of tiger deaths.
11. This was followed by Maharashtra, which reported 18 deaths. Karnataka, another State with high tiger population, recorded 12 deaths, and Uttarakhand recorded ten deaths.
12. Tamil Nadu recorded seven cases of tiger deaths. Deaths were also recorded from non-tiger bearing States like Gujarat, where a tiger had strayed into the State and died.
13. India has 50 Tiger Reserves with an area of about 73,000 sq. km. With tigers coming out of Reserves and covering long distances, India will need more Tiger Reserves.
     

Forest Fire in Australia – Emergencydeclared in New South Wales (Southeastern state of Australia).
Pacific island nation Palau became the first country of world to ban sun-cream which is harmful to corals and sea life. 

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• 4. FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Interpol Issued Red Notice for former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn.

1. Interpol issued a wanted notice for former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who jumped bail in Japan and fled to Lebanon rather than face trial on financial misconduct charges in an escape that has baffled and embarrassed authorities.
2. It is for the first time that the automotive titan may be brought in for questioning.
3. Lebanese Justice Minister Albert Serhan said that we will carry out our duties, but Ghosn entered the country on a legal passport, and he appeared to cast doubt on the possibility Lebanon would hand Ghosn over to Japan.
4. Interpol issued what is known as a Red Notice, or a request to law enforcement agencies worldwide that they locate and provisionally arrest a fugitive. A Red Notice is not an arrest warrant and does not require Lebanon to arrest Ghosn.
5. Shortly afterward, Ghosn issued a statement — his second this week — seeking to distance his Lebanese wife and family from any role in his escape.
6. Ghosn, who is Lebanese and also holds French and Brazilian passports, was set to go on trial in Japan in April.
7. He arrived in Lebanon via Turkey. Lebanese authorities have said that he entered legally on a French passport.
8. Ghosn’s sudden arrival in Beirut (Capital of Lebanon) shocked Japan and confounded authorities. How he was able to flee Japan, avoiding the tight surveillance he was under while free on 1.5 billion yen ($14 million) bail, is still a mystery.
9. Ghosn, who grew up in Beirut and frequently visited, is a national hero to many in this Mediterranean country with close ties to senior politicians and business stakes in a number of companies.
10. People take special pride in the auto industry icon, who is credited with leading a spectacular turnaround at Nissan beginning in the late 1990s and rescuing the automaker from near-bankruptcy.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES

PM Modi released third installment of PradhanMantri Kisan SammanNidhi

1. PM Modi releases third installment of Rs. 2000 to 6 crore beneficiaries under PM KISAN (PradhanMantri Kisan SammanNidhi) for the period December 2019 - March 2020.
2. Rs. 12000 crore deposited under the 3rd tranche of the scheme.
3. This will benefit approximately 6 crore beneficiaries.
4. Prime Minister will also hand over Certificates to beneficiaries under PM Kisan from 8 States / UTs. Prime Minister also handed over the keys of Deep Sea fishing Vessels and Fishing Vessel Transponders to select farmers of Tamil Nadu.
5. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi distributed Agriculture Minister’s Krishi Karman Awards for Progressive Farmers and Commendation Awards to the states at a public meeting in Tumkur, Karnataka.
6. He also distributed Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to select farmers from Karnataka on the occasion.
7. The PM-KISAN is a central sector scheme with 100 per cent funding from Government of India. The key element of PM-KISAN is income support of Rs 6,000 per year provided to all farmer families across the country in three equal installments of Rs 2,000 each every four months.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS

Disaster Management:  New campus of National Fire Service College (NFSC) inaugurated in Nagpur; Foundation of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Academy in Nagpur and Launch of Subhash Chandra Bose Award in the field of Disaster Management.

Sports : ESPN Cricinfo picked MS Dhoni as captain of One Day International and T20 teams of past decade; ViratKohli is picked for Test team.

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• 7. POLITY

Obituary: Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader D. P. Tripathi passed away in New Delhi at 67.
Appointment : AIIMS, New Delhi’s Professor Suresh Chandra Sharma appointed as the first Chairman of National Medical Commission.
 

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• 8. SOCIAL ISSUES

2019 concluded as a ‘deadly decade’ for children in conflict, with more than 170,000 grave violations verified since 2010: UNICEF

1. Since the start of the decade, the United Nations has verified more than 170,000 grave violations against children in conflict – the equivalent of more than 45 violations every day for the last 10 years.
2. The number of countries experiencing conflict is the highest it has been since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989, with?dozens of violent armed conflicts killing and maiming children and forcing them from their homes.
3. In 2018, the UN verified more than 24,000 grave violations against children, including killing, maiming, sexual violence, abductions, denial of humanitarian access, child recruitment and attacks on schools and hospitals. While monitoring and reporting efforts have been strengthened, this number is more than two-and-a-half times higher than that recorded in 2010.
4. More than 12,000 children were killed or maimed in 2018. Continued, widespread use of airstrikes and explosive weapons such as landmines, mortars, improvised explosive devices, rocket attacks, cluster munitions and artillery shelling cause the vast majority of child casualties in armed conflict.
5. Attacks and violence against children have not let up throughout 2019. During the first half of the year, the UN has verified over 10,000 such violations against children – although actual numbers are likely to be much higher.
6. In January, violence, displacement and extremely harsh winter conditions in northern and eastern Syria killed at least 32 children.
7. In February, there were several violent attacks against Ebola treatment centres in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with attacks continuing throughout the year.
8. In March, more than 150 people, including 85 children were killed in an attack by an armed group on the village of Ogossagou in the Mopti region of central Mali, with a further attack on Sobanou-Kou killing another 24 children.
9. In April, 14 children were killed and 16 critically injured by a blast near two schools in Sana’a, Yemen, where one in five schools can no longer be used as a direct result of the conflict.
10. In May, UNICEF called on Governments to repatriate children who are their nationals or born to their nationals and who were stranded in camps and detention centres in northeast Syria. Nearly 28,000 foreign children from more than 60 different countries, including almost 20,000 from Iraq, remain trapped in the northeast. In the same month, there were reports of children killed and injured in an escalation of violence in Rakhine State in Myanmar.
11. In June, three children were exploited and used by an armed group to detonate explosives that killed 30 people and injured 48 others at a community football viewing centre in Konduga, Borno, Nigeria. In the first two weeks of June, at least 19 children were reportedly killed amidst protests in Sudan with another 49 injured.
12. In July, scores of children were injured by a deadly blast that damaged a school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Later that month, 32 children were released from armed opposition groups in northern South Sudan, but UNICEF estimates that thousands of children are still used by armed forces and armed groups in the country.
13. In a single weekend in August, 44 civilians were reportedly killed due to airstrikes in northwest Syria, including 16 children and 12 women.
14. In September, UNICEF reported that 2 million children remain out of school in Yemen, including almost half a million who dropped out since the conflict escalated in March 2015.
15. In October, an escalation of violence in northeast Syria killed 5 children and injured 26 children.
16. This brought the number of children killed in Syria in the first 9 months of the year to 657 children and that of children injured to 324.
17. In November, UNICEF said that three years of violence and instability in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon have left more than 855,000 children out of school and displaced 59,000 adolescents.
18. In early December, 5 children were killed when gunmen opened fire inside a place of worship in Burkina Faso. In eastern Ukraine, where nearly half a million children are affected by the conflict, 36 attacks on schools were reported this year, including one school being damaged 15 times.
19. And in mid-December, UNICEF said in Afghanistan, an average of nine children were killed or maimed every day in the first nine months of 2019.
20. UNICEF calls on all warring parties to abide by their obligations under international law and to immediately end violations against children and the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including schools, hospitals and water infrastructure.
21. UNICEF also calls on states with influence over parties to conflict to use that influence to protect children.
22.  Across all these countries, UNICEF works with partners to provide the most vulnerable children with health, nutrition, education and child protection services.
23. Maharashtra saw a steep rise in farmer suicides in November 2019 – with 300 cases recorded for the month – the first time in four years.

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• 9. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Fourteen scientists awarded Swarna Jayanti Fellowships for 2018-19 by the Ministry of Science and Technology

1. SwarnaJayanti Fellowships have been awarded to 14 Scientists associated with projects containing innovative research idea and with potential of making impact on Research and Development in the respective disciplines.
2. The scientists, selected for the award through a rigorous three-tier process, will be allowed to pursue unfettered research with freedom and flexibility.
3. The SwarnaJayanti Fellowships scheme was instituted by Government of India to commemorate India's fiftieth year of independence.
4. Under this scheme, a selected number of young scientists, with proven track record, are provided special assistance and support to enable them to pursue basic research in frontier areas of science and technology.
5. The awardees are supported by Department of Science & Technology, for fellowship and research. This will cover all the requirements for performing the research and include a fellowship of Rs 25,000/- per month as well as a research grant of 5 lakh Rupees for 5 years in addition to their salary.  Out of the 443 applicants, 14 scientists have been finally selected this time for this scientist specific fellowship.

India's second spaceport after Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh will be set up in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu: ISRO

1. Tamil Nadu government has begun acquiring about 2300 acres of land in Thoothukudi district for second satellite launch port.
2. Thoothukudi is about 600 km southeast of Chennai.
3. The country's first spaceport is at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km northeast of Chennai.
4. The new location is ideal for launching smaller satellites of less than 500 kg in the sun-synchronous orbit.
5. The space agency will outsource making of the small satellites to the private industry.

Five Young Scientists Laboratories of DRDO at Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai were dedicated to the nation.

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• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

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