Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-02-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-02-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. DoT tells firms to pay Rs. 4 lakh crore by Feb 21 midnight–The Supreme Court ordered the managing directors and directors of companies, including telecom majors Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for failing to pay even a “single penny” to the government in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, worth Rs. 1.47 lakh crore, despite an October 2019 judgment. A three-judge Bench, led by Justice Arun Mishra, called the non-compliance with the judgment a “very disturbing scenario”. It also drew contempt proceedings against a Department of Telecom (DoT) officer responsible for issuing an order to the Accountant General, a constitutional authority, on January 23, 2020, to desist from taking any coercive action against the defaulting companies.
2. Justice Dharmadhikari of Bombay HC resigns –In an unprecedented move, Justice Satyaranjan C Dharmadhikari, the most senior judge after the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, told an advocate appearing before him that he had demitted his office.
   
3. SC lifts Delhi-NCR construction ban –The Supreme Court lifted completely the ban on construction and demolition in Delhi-NCR after putting a stop on such activities for over three months. Revoking its ban of November 4 last year, a Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta concluded that the ban has served its purpose and there has been a significant improvement in air quality.
4. Peaceful CAA opposers not ‘traitors, anti-nationals’: HC –People wanting to agitate in a peaceful way “cannot be called traitors, anti-nationals only because they want to oppose one law”, the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay high court said in an order on a petition challenging denial of police permission to an agitation against the CAA.The HC quashed two orders passed by the additional district magistrate (ADM) of Beed and the Majalgaon city police in Beed. Police had cited the ADM’s order as the basis for refusal of permission.
   
5. SC junks convict’s challenge to rejection of mercy plea–A Supreme Court bench led by Justice R Banumathi expectedly junked Nirbhaya case death row convict Vinay Sharma’s challenge to rejection of his mercy plea by the President, but moments later the lead judge collapsed on her chair on the judges’ dais. Despite running a temperature, the bench headed by Justice Banumathi, also comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna, assembled at 2 pm and she pronounced a 26-page verdict rejecting Vinay’s petition in a feeble voice.
6. Attacks by Trump make work impossible: US Attorney-General –The US Attorney-General has accused President Trump of making his job "impossible" because of his constant tweeting.In a highly unusual public attack, Bill Barr said: "I have a problem with some of the tweets. I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.
   
7. COVID-19 updates–A third Indian crew onboard a cruise ship off the Japanese coast has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the Indian Embassy in Japan said.A total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew and 6 passengers, were on board the ship.
8. PAN card not linked to Aadhar? It may become inoperative by March 31 – More than 17 crore PAN cards will become inoperative if not linked with the Aadhar by end of March. In a move with large scale disruption potential, the Income Tax Department has said that Permanent Account Number (PAN) will become inoperative if not linked with Aadhaar by March 31, 2020. It may be recalled that the deadline for linking of PAN and Aadhar has been extended several times and the latest deadline ends on 31 March, 2020. As per the latest figures, over 30.75 crore PANs have already been linked to Aadhaar. However, 17.58 crore PANs are yet to be linked with the 12-digit biometric ID.
9. Shelling wounds at least 19 children in Myanmar’s Rakhine: authorities–At least 19 children were wounded when a primary school was hit by shelling in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, a lawmaker and a military spokesman said. Clashes between government troops and ethnic insurgents have intensified in Rakhine, from where tens of thousands of people have been displaced since clashes began in December 2018, bringing new chaos to the region from which more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled a military crackdown in 2017. The Arakan Army, which recruits from the mostly Buddhist majority, has been fighting for greater autonomy for the western region from the central government..
10. Coronavirus may hit 28% Indian imports– The country’s construction, auto, chemicals and pharma sectors are expected to be the worst affected due to COVID-19, which carries the risk of global supply chain disruption. Five import items that are heavily dependent on China -- electrical machinery, machinery and mechanical appliances, organic chemicals, plastics and optical & surgical instruments -- that make up about 28% of India’s import basket could be hit the most due to potential shutdown.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	BECIL	Radiographer	13	B.Sc (Radiography)	Feb 25, 2020	https://www.becil.com/uploads/vacancy/3ca7b33b0ce98c3d53f6f66aa77b3505.pdf
2	Air India Limited	Operation Agent	19	Any Degree	March 4, 2020	http://www.airindia.com/writereaddata/Portal/career/870_1_Operation-Agent-Advt.-13.02.2020.pdf
3	NDRI	Research Associate, SRF, JRF, Young Professional – II, DEO	15	12th Class, Any Degree, PG (Relevant Discipline) With NET, Ph.D	March 13, 2020	http://www.ndri.res.in/ndri/Design/documents/emp_ra_feb2020.pdf
4	West Central Railway	Trade Apprentice	200	10th Class with ITI (Relevant Trade)	Feb 26, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/01/Notification-West-Central-Railway-Trade-Apprentice-Posts.pdf
5	RRC, Eastern Railway	Act Apprentice	2792	8th Class, 10th Class, Trade Certificate	March  20, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/01/Notification-RRC-Eastern-Railway-Act-Apprentice-Vacancy.pdf
6	AP High Court	Office Subordinate and Driver	7	7th Class, Valid Driving Licence	Feb 20, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/01/Notification-AP-High-Court-Office-Subordinate-Driver-Posts.pdf
7	TTD	Inspector	7	Intermediate	March 9, 2020	https://www.tirumala.org/Documents/202002101303402517.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 SC directs Centre, Assam government to file status report on Bangladeshi migrants in detention centres

• A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde was apprised by advocate PrashantBhushan that over 300 people were in detention for over three years, while more than 700 had been detained for over one year.
• The apex court posted the matter for hearing in the third week of March after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought time.
• Backgroud–

1. The top court in May last year had ordered that illegal foreigners in Assam who have completed more than three years in detention may be released after they provide biometric details in a secured database. 
2. It had also directed them to furnish a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two Indian sureties and give details of address of stay after release.

• The top court had also agreed that the Assam government should be given some more time to indicate the progress made on the diplomatic level, among others,
  with regard to deportation of declared foreigners and setting up of additional foreigners' tribunals.
• It had also directed the state government to place on record a detailed scheme, in consultation with the Gauhati High Court (on the administrative side), with regard to the constitution of foreigners' tribunals, including the appointment of members, staff, etc.

 

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

2.1 World Pulses Day observed on February 10

• The day aims to create public awareness of the nutritional benefits of eating pulses
• What are Pulses? –Pulses, also known as legumes, are the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for food. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types of pulses. Pulses do not include crops that are harvested green (e.g. green peas, green beans) also excluded are those crops used mainly for oil extraction.
• Why are pulses important crops?
  1. They are packed with nutrients and have a high protein content. Pulses are low in fat and rich in soluble fiber.
  2. For farmers, pulses are an important crop because they can both sell them and consume them.
  3. The nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses improve soil fertility, which increases and extends the productivity of the farmland.
  4. Pulses can contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing dependence on the synthetic fertilizers used to introduce nitrogen artificially into the soil.
  
  Background - Recognizing their value, on 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP).In 2019, the UNGA proclaimed 10 February as the World Pulses Day. 

2.2 Governmentto widen scope of 'Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020' to also cover cases pending in DRTs (debt recovery tribunals).

2.3 Atul Kumar Gupta elected PRESIDENT of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for 2020-21.

2.4 Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) bannede-cigarettes on all airports and aircraft in India.  

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

3.1 'Pyaar ka Paudha' (a plant of love) campaign to encourage planting trees

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

4.1 Switzerland votes for law against homophobia

• Switzerland in Feb2020 voted in favour of a new law against homophobia in a referendum.
• Final results showed 63% voted in favour of widening existing laws against discrimination on ethnic or religious grounds to include sexual orientation.

4.2  Ireland Elections - Election results for DAIL - lower house of parliament of Ireland which has 160 seats - Fianna Fail: 38, Sinn Fein: 37, Fine Gael: 35.

4.3  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Turkmenistan counterpart Rashid Meredov in New Delhi and discussed regional issues. 

4.4  UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay was on a three-day visit to India in Feb 2020, seeking to bolster strategic partnership with the country focusing on areas such as heritage, education and artificial intelligence.

 

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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 –Sports

• Badminton –Bengaluru Raptors retain Premier Badminton League championship in Hyderabad
• Boxing – Indian boxers won 4 silvers and 1 bronze at 64th Bocskai Memorial Tournament in  Debrecen in Hungary
• Chess –Ajay Patel elected new president of All India Chess Federation (AICF)
• Cricket–

1. Bangladesh beat India by three wickets to win ICC U-19 World Cup title in Potchefstroom, SA
2. 16-year old Naseem Shah of Pakistan becomes youngest to take a hat-trick in Test cricket
3. Australia presented the ICC Women’s Championship trophy
4. Australian Cricket Awards: David Warner won Allan Border Medal; Ellyse Perry wonBelinda Clark Award
5. ESPNcricinfo Awards: ODI World Cup captainof England Eoin Morgan named captain of the year
6. NZ complete 3-0 whitewash of India by winning 3rd ODI by 5 wickets at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui

• Football -Gokulam Kerala crowned champions of Hero Indian Women's League football tournament in Bengaluru 
• Hockey – 

1. Indian Navy won All India Bombay Gold Cup hockey championship 
2. Vivek Sagar (men’s) and Lalremsiami (women’s) of India named as Rising Stars of the Year by International Hockey Federation(FIH).
3. Eva de Goede of Netherlands named 2019 FIH Women's Player of the Year by FIH
4. Men's team captain Manpreet Singh becomes first Indian to won FIHPlayer of the Year award

• Ice Hockey -Ladakh Scouts won Khelo India Ice Hockey Championship by defeating ITBP in final at Leh
• Lawn Tennis – 

1. Ankita Raina of India and BibianeSchoofs of Netherlands win USD 25000 ITF women's doubles tennis event in Nonthaburi (Thailand)
2. Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament in Pune: Jiri Vesely of Czech Republic won men’s singles title, Christopher Rungkat (Indonesia) & Andre Goransson
   (Sweden) won men’s doubles title

• Pole Vault – Armand Duplantis of Sweden set new world record of 6.17 metres in men’s pole vault
• Snooker–Aditya Mehta wonNational Snooker Championship in Pune
• Weightlifting - Railways won both men's and women's trophies at the Senior National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata.
• Obituary - Veteran cricket journalist Raju Bharatan passed away at the age of 86
• Awards and Honours - Chief national badminton coach PullelaGopichand gets honourable mention in 2019 International Olympic Committee's Coaches Lifetime
  Achievement Award.
  

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Former Assam Assembly speaker Pranab Gogoi passed away

• Congress MLA and former Assam Assembly speaker PranabGogoi died in Guwahati at the age of 84 in Feb 2020. 
• Gogoi, the MLA of Sibsagar, was elected from the constituency for four consecutive terms since 2001. 

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

8.1 'Reading Mission-Haryana' initiated by the state government to inculcate reading habit among students.

8.2 Unani Day - the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan (1868-1927) celebrated on FEBRUARY 11.

8.3 Health Minister K. K. Shailajain Feb2020 said the Kerala government has declared COVID-19 as a state disaster.

8.4 Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in Feb 2020 inaugurated the Hubballi-Dharwad Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Karnataka.

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

9.1 NASA’s Christina Koch returns to Earth after 328 days  

       

• NASA’s Christina Koch returned to Earth safely on February 6, 2020 having shattered the space flight record for female astronauts after 328 days aboard the International Space Station.
• 41-year-old Koch had broken the previous record of 289 days held by another NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson -- on December 28, 2019.

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

10.1  Ranking – Public Enterprises Survey, 2018-19

• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Air India, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) highest loss-making PSUs in 2018-19.
• Oil and Natural Gas Corporation most profitable PSU in 2018-19.  

• Download pdf of the report from here –
  https://dpe.gov.in/sites/default/files/PE_seurvey_ENG_VOL_1.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

• AntyodayaSaral project of Haryana bagged award at the 23rd National Conference on e-Governance organised in Mumbai recently.
• January 11 to 17, 2020 was observed as Road Safety Week in India.
• The NandurMadhmeshwar wetland is in Maharashtra.
• Kumar Munnan Singh won the Subhash Chandra Bose AapdaPrabhandanPuruskar recently in individual category.
• The fifth edition of Science Film Festival of India was hosted by Panaji in Jan 2020.

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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