Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 19-02-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 19-02-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Pakistan to remain in terror financing watchdog’s ‘Grey List’ - The International Co-operation Review Group (ICRG) of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommended that Pakistan be retained on the ‘Grey List’, given its failure to completely implement the 27-point action plan to check terror financing. The final decision would be announced at the end of the five-day FATF Plenary session in Paris.
2. Ghani named winner of Afghan election - Ashraf Ghani secured a second term as President of Afghanistan, but his rival Abdullah Abdullah immediately challenged the final election figures and said he was forming his own government. The results of the September 28, 2019 poll were released after lengthy delays following vote-rigging allegations by Mr. Abdullah that led to a recount.
   
3. COVID-19 outbreak updates - The death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak rose again on Tuesday but Chinese and international health officials sought to calm global nerves, citing a study showing that most cases are mild and warning against excessive measures to contain the epidemic. Nearly 1,900 people have died and more than 72,000 others infected by the virus in China, with hundreds more cases in 25 countries.
4. Foodgrain production set to touch a record high - Total food grain production is projected to scale an all-time high of almost 292 million tonnes in 2019-20 Which is more than six million tonnes higher than the 285.21 million tonnes produced in 2018-19, propelled by record production of both rice and wheat. Production of several crops, including rice and major pulses, was lower than targeted in the kharif or the monsoon season. However, the abundance of late monsoon rains resulted in cumulative rainfall that was 10% higher than the long-period average for the season.
   
5. Indian rupee down 22 paise against dollar in early trade - The rupee lost 22 paise to trade at a fresh nine-month low of 62.25 against the US dollar in early trade today at the Interbank Foreign Exchange due to rise in the greenback’s value against other currencies overseas. Dealers attributed the fall in rupee to dollar’s gains against the euro and yen overseas. However, a higher opening in the domestic stock market limited the fall of the domestic currency.
6. Centre plans duty cuts, other steps to soften virus impact – The government is expected to announce a set of measures to tackle possible disruption in supply of drugs and other manufactured goods due to the coronavirus outbreak in China. The solutions may include a reduction in customs duty on some essential inputs, apart from speeding up port clearances. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman met industry players and instructed her team of officers to discuss the issues with ministries concerned for a brainstorming.
   
7. Govt data shows sharp fall in job creation by its flagship schemes - Some of the flagship employment generation and placement schemes, such as the PM’s Employment Generation Programme and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission, are expected to see a sharp decline in job creation during the current fiscal, according to data tabled in Parliament. The number of jobs generated under PMEGP plummeted from about 5.9 lakh in 2018-19 to about 2.6 lakh in 2019-20 (until December 31, 2019). The fall is less sharp compared to 2017-18 when the number of persons who benefited was 3.87 lakh. The numbers were 4 lakh for 2016-17 and 3.23 lakh for 2015-16.
8. Hero Plans a Rs. 10kcr Push for Alternative Mobility Solutions - Hero Moto Corp, which sells one of every two motorcycles in the Indian market, on Tuesday announced plans to make the biggest investment by a two wheeler company in India in a decade. Hero will spend Rs.10,000 crore on research and development of alternative mobility solutions in the next 5-7 years. The funds will also be used for setting up sustainable manufacturing facilities, network expansion and global brand building.
9. Voda Idea Bank Guarantees Unlikely to be Invoked for Now - The government is unlikely to invoke Vodafone Idea’s bank guarantees for now, even as the officials of the telecom and finance ministries met Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba to discuss ways to ensure that the sector retains three private players.
   
10. Israeli PM Netanyahu’s trial to begin on March 17 - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial will start on March 17, two weeks after Israel holds its third national election in less than a year, the Justice Ministry said. Mr. Netanyahu, the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to be charged with a crime, has denied any wrongdoing in the three corruption cases against him.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	ICFRE	Data Entry Operator	12	10+2 with Typing Knowledge	Feb19, 2020	http://ifb.icfre.gov.in/jobs/vacancy93.pdf
2	IIIT, Nagpur	JrSuperinte., Jr Eng.& Lab.Asst	6	Degree, PG (Relevant Disciplines)	March 11, 2020	https://iiitn.ac.in/images/advertisement/advt-2020/IIITN_Recruitment_Notice_NT.pdf
3	BARC	Medical Lab Tech., X Ray Tech., Ophthalmic Tech.	8	10+2	March 6, 2020	http://www.barc.gov.in/careers/vacancy501.pdf
4	IIFPT	Adjunct Faculty, PET, RA, SRF, JRF, PA	10	Degree (Engg), PG (Relevant Disciplines), Ph.D	March4, 2020	http://www.iifpt.edu.in/uploads/index/downloads/432020Walk%20in%20Interview-advertisement.pdf
5	Institute of Life Sciences	Research Associate I, II, Data Analyst, Laboratory Technician & Other	7	Diploma, B.Tech, M.Sc, Ph.D	March 4, 2020	https://www.ils.res.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/advt-25.pdf
6	GRSE	Supervisor	6	Diploma (Engg), Any Degree	March8, 2020	http://grse.in/job_file/Detailed%20Advt_HR_SUP-01-2020_Final.pdf
7	GRSE	Pipe Fitter, Computer Operator, Painter	7	10th Class, ITI	March 8, 2020	http://grse.in/job_file/Detailed%20Advt_PWD_SRD.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 Transfer of Judges

• Context – Supreme Court Collegium has recommended to transfer Delhi High Court Judge Justice Muralidhar to Punjab and Haryana High Court, Bombay High Court Judge Justice Ranjit More to Meghalaya High Court and Karnataka High Court Judge Justice Ravi Vijayakumar Malimath to Uttarakhand High Court.
• Justice Muralidhar – He is presently the third Senior most Judge of Delhi High Court. He started his law practice in the year 1984 in Chennai. His pro bono work included the cases for the victims of the Bhopal Gas Disaster and those displaced by the dams on the Narmada. In May 2006, he was appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court. He was a part of the High Court bench that first legalized homosexuality in the 2009 Naz Foundation case.He also led the division bench that convicted members of the Uttar Pradesh Provincial Armed Constabulary(PAC) in the Hashimpura massacre case and Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
• Justice More – He is the third senior most Judge of Bombay High Court. He obtained his law degree from Shivaji University, Kolhapur and was awarded the National Merit Scholarship for pursuing further studies. He began his practice at the Bombay High Court, under (then Advocate and now Chief Justice of Madras High Court) AP Shah, in the year 1983. He mainly practiced on the appellate side and appeared in several Constitutional, Civil and Criminal matters on behalf of Municipal Council, Municipal Corporations, District Central Cooperative Banks, Sugar Factories, Election Commission and Maharashtra Public Service Commission.He was elevated as an Additional Judge of the Bombay High Court on 8th September, 2006.
• Justice Malimath – He is presently the second senior most Judge of the Karnataka High Court. He began his practice as an Advocate in the year 1987 at Karnataka High Court. he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the High Court of Karnataka in February 2008 and was made a permanent Judge in on February 17, 2010.

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

2.1 Productivity Week was celebrated from Feb 12 to 18

• Celebrations were organised by National Productivity Council (NPC).
• National Productivity Day was celebrated on February 12.
• Theme for year 2020 is Circular Economy for Productivity and Sustainability
• What is Circular Economy? Circular Economy is based on the model of Make, Use and Return. It controls the finite stocks and reuses them by recycling and thus balances the resource flow. The key advantages of Circular Economy are that It will increase productivity, create more jobs and reduce carbon emission.
• NPC is an autonomous registered society under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It was established in 1958. NPC is a constituent of the Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organisation (APO) that is an Inter-Governmental Body, of which the Government of India is a founder member.

2.2  Kolkata-based Titagarh Wagons Ltd commissioned coastal research vessel ‘SagarAnveshika’ for Chennai-based National Institute of Ocean Technology.

2.3 First inter-city electric bus service running between Mumbai and Pune inaugurated by Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari.

2.4 'Apiary on Wheels' of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) flagged off by the Union Minister of MSME Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi.

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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 U.S. refuses visa to Sri Lankan Army chief

• The US said in Feb2020 it would refuse entry to Sri Lanka’s Army chief over “credible” evidence of human rights violations in 2009 during the final phase of he country’s civil war.
• Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, who was appointed in 2019, will be ineligible to visit the U.S., as will his immediate family. 
• Gen. Silva was the commanding officer of an Army division in the island’s northern war-zone in the final months of the military offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.
• Rights groups say some 40,000 ethnic Tamils were killed in mass atrocities as government forces seized Sri Lanka’s predominantly Tamil north. 
• The UN, in a report into the allegations, said Gen. Silva played a major role in orchestrating war crimes.

4.2 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published blacklist of companies cooperating with Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Israel freezes ties with OHCHR.

4.3 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attending the Munich Security Conference from February 14 to 16.

4.4 United States Congress comprising Senate and House of Representatives votes to restrain President Trump from attacking Iran.

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

5.1 National Conference on Review of Implementation of PMFBY (Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana)

• Edition – 4th
• Place – Udaipur, Rajasthan
• Time – February 17 and 18
• The First National Review Conference was met in Nov. 2018.
• About PMFBY
  

1. The PMFBY was launched in Feb2016 by PM N. Modi is an insurance service for farmers for their yields.It was formulated in line with One Nation–One Scheme theme by replacing earlier two schemes National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).It aims to reduce the premium burden on farmers and ensure early settlement of crop assurance claim for the full insured sum.
2. The Scheme covers all Food and Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural Crops for which past yield data is available and for which requisite number of Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) are being conducted under General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup –Arts and Culture

• Event -Surajkund International Crafts Mela
• Edition – 34th 
• Organised by - Haryana government
• Time - February 1 to 16, 2020
• Place – Faridabad, New Delhi
• Theme State - Himachal Pradesh as the ‘theme state’.
• PM Inaugurated' Kashi EkRoop Anek', a cultural arts and handicrafts exhibition, at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Hastkala Sankul, Varanasi.
• Event -Filmfare Awards, 2020
• Edition – 65th
• Best Film -Gully Boy
• Best Director -Zoya Akhtar for Gully Boy
• Best Film (Critics) - Article 15 (Anubhav Sinha) and Sonchiriya (Abhishek Chaubey)
• Best Actor In A Leading Role (Male) - Ranveer Singh for Gully Boy
• Best Actor (Critics) - Ayushmann Khurrana for Article 15
• Best Actor In A Leading Role (Female) - Alia Bhatt for Gully Boy
• Best Actress (Critics) - Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu for Saand Ki Aankh
• Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Female) - Amruta Subhash for Gully Boy
• Best Actor In A Supporting Role (Male) - Siddhant Chaturvedi for Gully Boy
• Best Lyrics - Divine and Ankur Tewari for Apna Time Aayega (Gully Boy)
• Best Playback Singer (Male) - Arijit Singh for Kalank Nahi (Kalank)
• Best Playback Singer (Female) - Shilpa Rao for Ghungroo (War)
• Best Debut Director - Aditya Dhar for Uri: The Surgical Strike
• Best Debut Actor- Abhimanyu Dassani for Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota
• Best Debut Actress - Ananya Pandey for Student Of The Year 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh
• Best Original Story- Anubhav Sinha and Gaurav Solanki for Article 15
• Best Screenplay - Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar for Gully Boy
• Best Dialogue - Vijay Maurya for Gully Boy
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Ramesh Sippy
• Excellence In Cinema - Govinda

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1  PM Inaugurated a 63-feet tall statue of former Bhartiya Jana Sangh leader Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya in Varanasi. It is the largest statue of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya.

7.2 PM Inaugurated the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre

7.3 President visited Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Inaugurates Jampore Sea Front Road and Ayushman Bharat Wellness Centre in Daman.

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

8.1 BIMSTEC nations conference on Narcotics

• Organised by -Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) organised
• Theme - Combating Drug Trafficking
• Place -New Delhi
• Time – February 13 and 14
• India’s Stance on the Issue - GoI has adopted the zero tolerance policy. It has signed 26 bilateral agreements, 15 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) and 2 security pacts with other countries to combat the issue. To prevent the online sale of narcotics it has issued the notification for registration of B2B companies. Formed a joint coordination committee to improve the surveillance over drug trafficking.An e-portal has been started for digitalization of drug data.
• The BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand besides India, constituting a contiguous regional unity.
  

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

9.1 ‘The Future of Earth, 2020’ report released

• Five global risks that have the potential to impact and amplify one another in ways that may cascade to create global systemic crisis, have been listed by ‘The Future of Earth, 2020,’ which was released in Bengaluru on February 13, 2020 by the South Asia Future Earth Regional Office, Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science.
• The report, released by K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), lists the failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation; extreme weather events; major biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse; food crises; and water crises, as the five global risks.
• As many as 222 leading scientists from 52 countries conducted the survey by Future Earth, an international sustainability research network. The Bengaluru launch was among similar parallel ones across other parts of the world scheduled between February 13 and 21.
• The report was prepared with the aim of reducing carbon footprint and halting global warming below 2 degree Celsius by 2050.
• Offering examples of how the interrelation of risk factors play a role, scientists say extreme heat waves can accelerate global warming by releasing large amounts of stored carbon from affected ecosystems, and at the same time intensify water crises and/ or food scarcity.
• The loss of biodiversity also weakens the capacity of natural and agricultural systems to cope with climate extremes, increasing our vulnerability to food crises, they point out.

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

10.1   Ranking/Report–Women Entrepreneurship in India – Powering the economy with her

• Report is released by Bain & Company and Google.
• Just 20% of all enterprises in India are owned by women.
• Identifies six dominant segments of women entrepreneurs and estimates India to have 13.5–15.7 million women--owned enterprises.

Download pdf of the report from here –

https://www.bain.com/contentassets/dd3604b612d84aa48a0b120f0b589532/report_powering_the_economy_with_her_-_women_entrepreneurship_in-india.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

• Indian Oil won the All India Beighton Cup Hockey tournament in Kolkata in Nov. 2019.
• Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape’ was the theme of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Nov. 2019.
• G20has ‘Realising Opportunities of the 21st Century for All’ as its theme for 2020.
• Anthony Joshua won World Heavyweight Boxing title in Saudi Arabia recently.
• Govt. has approved an increase in the authorised capital of IIFCL from Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 25,000 crore.

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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