Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-02-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-02-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Coronavirus Update –India’s second case of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) infection was confirmed in Alappuzha, Kerala, after a student, admitted to the isolation ward of the Government Medical College, tested positive.China ramped up measures to contain the coronavirus epidemic and shore up an economy hit by travel curbs and business shut-downs as the first death from the illness was reported outside China.
2. Jamia Milia Juvenile firing case–Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman put an end to fears that provisions introduced in the Budget would bring Indian workers’ income in zero tax jurisdictions, like the UAE, into the Indian tax net.The Finance Bill has proposed three major changes to prevent tax abuse by citizens who don’t pay taxes anywhere in the world — reducing the number of days that an Indian citizen can be granted non-resident status for tax purposes from 182 to 120; citizens who don’t pay taxes anywhere will be deemed to be a resident; and the definition of ‘not ordinarily resident’ has been tightened.
3. EC removes Delhi DCP–The Election Commission removed Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East Delhi) Chinmoy Biswal after two incidents of firing took place at the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest sites in the district within three days.With the Delhi Assembly elections scheduled for February 8, the EC had reviewed preparations, including law and order, on January 31 and appointed a special police observer. The review, though routine, took place a day after a young man shot at anti-CAA protesters in Jamia. On February 1, another firing incident took place at Shaheen Bagh.
4. Unidentified men open fire at JMI –Two unidentified bike-borne men reportedly opened fire in the air near the anti-CAA protest site outside Jamia Millia Islamia. Shadosh, a volunteer with the Jamia Coordination Committee (JCC) who was at the site, said he heard loud shots between Gate No. 7 and Gate No. 5 and saw a red scooter leaving the site. Shail Khudaai, a member of the JCC, a group comprising students and alumni of the university, said two persons came on a two-wheeler on the road opposite the protest site, fired two rounds in the air and sped away.
   
5. Research under scanner–The report of a government inquiry into a study conducted in Nagaland by researchers from the U.S., China and India on bats and humans carrying antibodies to deadly viruses like Ebola was submitted to the Health Ministry.The study came under the scanner as two of the 12 researchers belonged to the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases, and it was funded by the U.S Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).
6. Leader of VHM shot dead –The leader of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Mahasabha was shot dead in Lucknow while he was out on a morning walk. Ranjeet Bachchan, 40, was shot in the head and his cousin Aditya Srivastava was injured in the attack by unidentified assailants, who also snatched their mobile phones, according to Joint Commissioner of Police Naveen Arora.
7. US Presidential Elections–More than a handful of Democrats will compete with each other and indirectly against a highly controversial President Donald Trump, riding high on his imminent acquittal by the Senate, as the U.S. election season kicks off with the Iowa Caucuses.Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar who had been in Washington for Mr. Trump’s Senate trial dashed to Iowa for a hectic weekend of campaigning. Together with former Vice-President Joe Biden and former Southbend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, the five candidates top the long list of Democratic hopefuls.
   
8. Brexit: Canada style FTA with EU – Two days after Brexit, British officials pushed the European Union for a Canada-style free trade arrangement as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson geared up for a key speech to spell out his government’s negotiating stance. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky News that Britain will seek a deal that imposes very few tariffs even though he said Britain will not seek to align its regulations with the EU.
   
9. Trump impeachment – Republicans prepared to defend their expected acquittal of President Donald Trump, on TV talk shows, after their Senate votes to reject witness testimony at his impeachment trial sparked criticism they were aiding a cover-up and abdicating their duties. Criticism only intensified after U.S. media reported that U.S. officials cited presidential privilege in redacting 24 emails related to Mr. Trump’s hold on military assistance to Ukraine, an issue at the heart of his impeachment trial for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
   
10. Sandeep Mathrani appointed as WeWork CEO – WeWork has appointed real estate veteran Sandeep Mathrani as its new chief executive from February 18, replacing the two incumbent co-CEOs who have been running the show since the co-working company ran into rough weather in September after its botched initial public offering (IPO). Mathrani, an Indian-American, joins from US-based real estate management company Brookfield Properties, where he was the CEO of its retail division. He will be part of the board and report to executive chairman Marcelo Claure. He was also the CEO of General Growth Properties for eight years prior to his stint at Brookfield. General Growth Properties, one of the largest shopping mall operators in the US, was acquired by Brookfield in 2018.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	NCERT	Editor, Businees Manager, Asst Production Officer	13	12th Class, Degree, MBA, PG Diploma	Feb 20, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/02/Notification-NCERT-Editor-Production-Asst-Other.pdf
2	MSME	Consultant	13	-	Feb 8, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/02/Notification-MSME-Programme-Manager-Executive-Asst-other.pdf
3	Commissioner of GST and Central Excise	Clerk and Canteen Attendant	7	Matriculation, 12th Class	Feb 15, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/02/Notification-Commissioner-of-GST-Central-Excise-Clerk-Cateen-Attendant-Posts.pdf
4	RRCAT	Trade Apprentice	70	ITI (Relevant Trades)	Feb 28, 2020	http://www.rrcat.gov.in/hrd/Openings/tasar.html#
5	IIT, Kharagpur	Jr Technical Superintendent, Jr Executive, Jr Account Officer, MLT & Other	88	12th Class, ITI, Diploma, Any Degree	Feb 24, 2020	http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/files/r01_adv_2020.pdf
6	CIMFR	Technician/ Gr – II	20	10th Class, ITI	Feb 17, 2020	http://cimfr.nic.in/upload_files/current_opportunity/1579172240_cimfr-02-2019.pdf
7	IGIB	Sr Technical Officer	6	BE/ B.Tech, M.Sc, MCA	Feb 25, 2020	https://www.igib.res.in/sites/default/files/jan2020advtto.pdf

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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 cVIGIL and Voter Helpline App of Election Commission of India get ‘AWARD OF EXCELLENCE’

• ‘cVIGIL’ and ‘Voter Helpline App’ -- two innovative Information Computer Technology applications of the Election Commission of India, developed in-house, have won the eGovernance ‘Award of Excellence’ for the year 2019.
• The award was presented at KIIT, Bhubaneswar.
• These awards were given by the Computer Society of India (CSI), Special Interest Group on e-Governance (CSI SIG e-Gov).
• cVIGILempowers citizens to report the Model Code of Conduct violations such as bribery, free gift, liquor distribution, playing loudspeakers beyond the permissible time during the elections. By using the mobile app, the citizen captures the live photo or video. The election machinery comes into action immediately as they get the evidentiary proof of the violation. Every cVIGIL case is acted upon and replied back with the action taken in the 100-minute timeline, the statement said.
• Voter helpline App provides an option for voters to search their name in 90-plus crore electors database, fill forms for new voter registration, migration and corrections, allow downloading of digital photo voter slips, displays the complete information about the contesting candidates and their affidavits and allows voters to view the real-time results.

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

2.1 Union Budget 2020-21: Highlights

• The Union Budget 2020-21 was presented on Feb 1, 2020by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.It was longest ever budget speech of over 2 hours 40 minutes.

• AGRICULTURE

1. Farm loan disbursal target for banks hiked by 11% to Rs. 15 lakh crore for 2020-21
2. 3,477 Sagar Mitras and 500 Fish Farmer Producer Organisations to involve youth in fisheries extension
3. States asked to adopt three central model laws on agricultural land leasing, marketing and contract farming
4. Farmers will be allowed to set up solar units on barren/fallow lands and supply power to grids
5. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme to be expanded; 20 lakh farmers would be provided funds to set up standalone solar pumps
6. Kisan Rail to be launched for cold supply chain to transport perishable goods
7. Krishi Udan scheme to be launched by Aviation Ministry to assist farmers in transporting agricultural products

• COOPERATIVES

1.  Lower tax rates for cooperatives at 22% with 10% surcharge and 4%

• CUSTOMS

1. Customs duties on household appliances such as fans, grinders and mixers increased from 10% to 20%
2. Customs duties on printed circuit board assembly on cellular phones doubled to 20%
3. Customs duty on completely built units of commercial electric vehicles raised from 25% to 40%

• DDT- Dividend Distribution Tax (DDT) at the hands of companies abolished; dividend to be taxed at the hands of recipients as per applicable slab
• DEFENCE OUTLAY– Defence outlay pegged at Rs 3.23 lakh crore in 2020-21, up from Rs 3.16 lakh crore this financial year 
• DISINVESTMENT -   

1. Disinvestment proceeds pegged at Rs 1.20 lakh crore for 2020-21, up from Rs 65,000 crore in current fiscal  
2. Proposal to sell the balance government holding in IDBI Bank
3. Government to sell part of stake in LIC through IPO

• EXPORTS– NIRVIK (Niryat Rin Vikas Yojana) scheme being launched to provide for higher insurance coverage, reduction in premium for small exporters and simplified procedure for claim settlements
• FISCAL DEFICIT– Fiscal deficit of 3.8% (Revised Estimate) for 2019-20 and 3.5% (Budget Estimate) for 2020-21
  
• FPI– Govt. plans to increase investment limit of foreign portfolio investors (FPI) in corporate bonds from 9% to 15%
• GOVERNMENTDEBT– Central government debt reduced to 48.7% of GDP (March 2019) from 52.2% (March 2014).
• DEPOSIT INSURANCE– Bank deposit insurance coverage increased to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 1 lakh 
• HOUSING– Additional deduction up to Rs. 1.5 lakh for interest paid on loans taken for an affordable house extended till 31st March 2021
• MSMEs–Turnover threshold for auditincreased to Rs 5 crore from Rs 1 crore for businesses carrying out less than 5% business transactions in cash
• RAILWAYS– Railways got a budgetary allocation of Rs 70,000 crore and an outlay for capital expenditure amounting to Rs 1.61 lakh crore, 3% more than the previous year
• TAX DISPUTES– Under the ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ scheme, a taxpayer will have to pay only the disputed taxes, and will get a complete waiver of interest and penalty provided he pays by March 31, 2020  

NEW TAX SLABS

1. New slabs introduced and tax rate for different slabs reduced if a taxpayer opts for foregoing exemptions & deductions
2. No tax on annual income of up to Rs 2.5 lakh
3. Tax rate of 5% (as earlier) on annual income Rs 2.5 lakh-5 lakh
4. Tax rate of 10% on annual income Rs 5 lakh-Rs 7.5 lakh
5. Tax rate of 15% on annual income Rs 7.5 lakh-10 lakh
6. Tax rate of 20% on annual income Rs 10 lakh-12.5 lakh
7. Tax rate of 25% on annual income Rs 12.5 lakh-15 lakh
8. Tax rate of 30% on annual income above Rs 15 lakh

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

3.1 India banned export of all kind of respiratory masks used to protect people from air borne particles

• The move assumes significance as there could be a spurt in demand for such products due to outbreak of deadly corona virus that has claimed more than 300 lives in China while the number of confirmed cases reached near 12,000.
• Air India's 423-seater jumbo B747 plane took off from the Delhi airport on Friday to evacuate Indian nationals from Wuhan as China deals with the novel corona virus outbreak.
• Around 400 Indians are expected to be evacuated.
• The government has reached out to over 600 Indians living in China's Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, to ascertain their willingness to be brought back to India. 

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

4.1 Ajay Bisaria appointed India’s High Commissioner to Canada

• Senior diplomat Ajay Bisaria was appointed High Commissioner to Canada
• This posting is considered important in view of India's close ties with the north American country.
• He will be replacing Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who has been serving for the post since January 2019.
• Mr Bisaria was serving as India's High Commissioner to Pakistan but returned to India in August last year after Islamabad expelled him following developments related to Jammu and Kashmir.
• Mr Bisaria, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service officer.
• As High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mr Bisaria helped establish linkages between India and the Imran Khan-led government which came to power in August 2018.
• He was involved in furthering various initiatives, including the opening of Kartarpur corridor.
• Mr Bisaria was private secretary to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 1999 to 2004. He has also worked in the World Bank in Washington as an advisor to the executive director for South Asia from 2004-2008.

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

5.1 Economic Survey 2019-20: Highlights

• The Economic Survey 2019-20 was tabled in Parliament on January 31, 2020.
• Theme: Enable Markets, Promote 'Pro-Business' Policies and Strengthen 'Trust' in the Economy. 
• GDP growth pegged at 6-6.5% in fiscal year starting April 1, up from 5% in current fiscal.
• Share of formal employment increased from 17.9% in 2011 -12 to 22.8% in 2017-18.
• India ranks 3rd in number of new firms created; 1,24,000 new firms created in 2018.
• To achieve GDP of USD 5 trillion by 2024-25, India needs to spend about USD 1.4 trillion over these years on infrastructure.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1   Movie Review –Gul Makai

• Director –HE Amjad Khan
• Cast: Reem Shaikh (as Malala Yousufzai, in photo), Atul Kulkarni (Father of Malala Yousufzai), Divya Dutta, Om Puri (two scene cameo)
• Running Time – 132 minutes
• Language - Hindi
• Story: ‘Gul Makai’ chronicles the life and struggles of Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, leading up to her notorious shooting in the hands of Taliban on October 9, 2012.
• The title "Gul Makai" (translates to flower of corn) refers to the pen name Malala used to write her fiery columns against fundamentalists. Reem Shaikh is
  cast as Malala, and she never really manages to emerge beyond the half-baked role she is given to play out, in a screenplay that reveals no attempt to look at the pervading Taliban situation from the eyes of its protagonist.

• About Malala Yousuzai - Malala Yousafzai born July 12, 1997, is a Pakistani activist for female education and the YOUNGEST Nobel Prize laureate. She is known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children in her native Swat Valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Her advocacy has grown into an international movementand according to former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she has become "the most prominent citizen" of the country.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Budget Session of Parliament starts with an address by President Ram Nath Kovind to the joint sitting of two Houses of Parliament

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

8.1    Year of the Rat starts in China with the Spring Festival on January 25

• Over a billion people in China and millions around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year – the most important of Chinese holidays – around January 25, 2020, coinciding with the date of new moon in Asia.
• Countries in Southeast Asia celebrating it include China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
• It is also celebrated in Chinatowns and Asian homes around the world.
• It is considered a time to honour deities and ancestors and to be with family.
• Each year is associated with one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac. 
• 2020 is the Year of the Rat.
• Festivities in 2020 begin on January 24 and continue for 15 days, culminating with the Lantern Festival. China’s public holiday in 2020 will be January 24-30.
• The Rat is the first of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party. The Rat tricked the Ox into giving him a ride. Then, just as they arrived at the finish line, Rat jumped down and landed ahead of Ox, becoming first.
• The Rat is also associated with the Earthly Branch and the midnight hours. In the terms of yin and yang, the Rat is yang and represents the beginning of a new day.
• In Chinese culture, rats were seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. 
• Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children.
   

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

9.1    NASA decommissioned Spitzer Space Telescope after sixteen years of operation

• NASA:National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Spitzer Project Manager Joseph Hunt of NASA declared the Spitzer Space Telescope officially decommissioned, bringing its mission to an end.
• NASA mission control downloaded the last Spitzer data and sent through a command to enter safe mode, ceasing all scientific operations.
• The telescope, which focused on capturing infrared images, launched in 2003.
• Originally it was only being planned to serve for five years.
• The spacecraft's most memorable achievements include the discovery of Saturn's largest ring and four Trappist-1 exoplanets, as well as mapping the extensive portraits of the Milky Way.

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

10.1  Ranking –The Global SocialMobility Report 2020   

• India has been ranked 76th out of 82 countries on the Social Mobility Index compiled by the World Economic Forum, while Denmark has topped the charts.
• The Index is designed to provide policy-makers with a means to identify areas for improving social mobility and promoting equally shared opportunities in their economies.
• IIM – Indian Institute of Management; XLRI - Xavier School of Management (formerly Xavier Labor Relations Institute)
  
  Download pdf of the report from here –
  
  
  http://www3.weforum.org/docs/Global_Social_Mobility_Report.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

1. Amazon in Nov 2019 announced ‘Project Zero’to identify, block and remove counterfeit products sold on its portal.
2. Kim Joo Hyung of South Korea won the Panasonic Open Golf tournament in Gurugram in November 2019.
3. Birth anniversary of Verghese Kurien was observed as National Milk Day in India on November 26.
4. Usha Jadhav won the Best Actor (Female) Award at the International Film Festival of India in Panaji in November 2019.
5. Statehood day of Nagaland celebrated on December 1.

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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