Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 21-02-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 21-02-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID 19 updates –China touted a big drop in new COVID-19 cases as proof its epidemic control efforts are working, but the toll grew abroad with deaths in Japan and South Korea. Fatalities in China hit 2,118 as 114 more people died, but the number of new cases declined to 394, a notable shift from the 1,749 figure released a day earlier. More than 74,000 people have been infected in China, and hundreds more in over 25 countries. The number of deaths outside mainland China climbed to 11. Iran reported two deaths, the first in West Asia.
2. Unknown group to host 'Namaste Trump' event –In a new twist to the mega event Namaste Trump to be held at the newly built cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, a newly formed Donald Trump NagarikAbhivadanSamiti (Citizen Felicitation Committee for Donald Trump) is the organiser of the event. Mysteriously, it is not known yet about persons who have formed the committee to felicitate U.S. President Donald Trump in a high-profile public event at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 24.
3. Babri demolition accused hold key posts in Ram temple trust– Nritya Gopal Das and ChampatRai Bansal, chairman and general secretary of the trust set up to oversee construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, are both accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case.
   
4. Jamia violence –6 students get notice as fresh videos emerge - A few more videos of the Jamia violence, which erupted on December 15, 2019 during the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest, emerged on Thursday. The videos show protesters throwing stones from inside the campus.
5. 2 Dalit youths brutalised in Raj, 7 held–Seven people were arrested in Rajasthan’s Nagaur after a set of six videos purportedly showing some of them brutally assaulting, and hurling casteist slurs at, two Dalit youths went viral. Cops handed over the case to a special probe unit set up in 2019 following the Pehlu Khan lynching case acquittals. The accused claimed to have caught the victims stealing Rs 50,000 from a motorbike servicing centre on February 16.
6. Trump adviser Roger Stone sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison for lying in Russia probe –A federal judge sentenced President Donald Trump's long-time adviser Roger Stone to three years and four months in prison and said his lies to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election amounted to a threat to American democracy..
7. Address terror threat from Pakistan, India tells U.N. chief–U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres should spend more time addressing the threat of terrorism that emanates from Pakistan, MEA official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday. Referring to Mr.Guterres’ comments in Pakistan, Mr. Kumar said terrorism was a more pressing issue as it violated human rights. “He made a few comments on Kashmir and on some other aspects of India and on NRC as well. Our position has not changed,” he said.
8. Pak to stay on FATF grey list till June 2020– Pakistan will stay on the FATF ‘grey list’ until June 2020, after which it could slip into the ‘black list’. As the global body to fight terror financing wound up its plenary in Paris, Pakistan was told it could go into the black list if it failed to complete its 27-point action plan.Of particular concern to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is Pakistan’s failure to make significant progress in prosecuting and penalising terror financing.
9. French co to acquire 49% in GMR Airports for Rs.10,780cr – Both the existing and upcoming airports in Delhi-NCR will have a strong European connection following France’s Groupe ADP’s acquisition of a 49% stake in GMR Airports. While ADP is now linked to Delhi, Flughafen Zurich will be developing Greater Noida. Based on 2019 passenger statistics, the combined passengers handled by GMR Airports and Groupe ADP was 33.6 crore, the highest in the world. Last March, GMR Airports (GAL) had announced that a consortium of Tatas, GIC and SSG Capital Management would invest Rs 8,000 crore in GAL, valuing GMR Airports at almost Rs 22,500 crore. However, since Tata Group operates two airlines — Vistara and AirAsia India — other carriers had been opposing its entry into the airport business.
10. DoT calculates telcos’ dues for each circle – In perhaps the first step towards invoking bank guarantees of defaulting mobile companies over the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) matter, the department of telecom (DoT) has started circlewise calculation of dues of operators towards various statutory payments. The bank guarantees — estimated to be over Rs 10,000 crore — are secured for two quarters and are primarily given in lieu of the spectrum usage charge and the licence fee that companies need to pay. Also, the government is understood to have sent a fresh recovery notice to companies, asking them to pay the amount according to the AGR order. Apart from Vodafone Idea and Airtel, those getting the notice also include the Tata Group, which has been asked to pay Rs 14,000 crore.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	HMT Limited	Joint General Manager/ Deputy General Manager(HR), Regional Managers	16	Degree, PG	March10, 2020	http://www.hmtindia.com/2019/Rect_of_HMT_Machine_Tools.pdf
2	HMT Limited	General Manager/ Dy General Manager, Officer-Legal	7	Degree, PG	March 10, 2020	http://www.hmtindia.com/2019/Rect_of_HMT_(I).pdf
3	HMT Limited	General Manager/ Joint General Manager, Deputy Manager, Officer	5	Degree (Engg), PG, CA/ CMA/ ICWA	March 10, 2020	http://www.hmtindia.com/2019/Rect_of_HMT_Limited.pdf
4	AIIMS, Nagpur	Scientist – B, Research Asst, DEO	5	12th Class, Any Degree, PG	Feb29, 2020	https://aiimsnagpur.edu.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/Call_for_various_posts_under_ICMR_funded_Project_on_Tribal_Health.pdf
5	Indian Museum	Young Professional	14	PG	March 16, 2020	https://indianmuseumkolkata.org/resource/tenders/Young%20Professionals.pdf
6	NIT, Meghalaya	Technical Asst, Technician, Laboratory Attendant	30	10th, ITI, 10+2, Diploma (Engg), Degree, PG	April6, 2020	http://nitmeghalaya.in/nitmeghalaya/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Full%20Advertisement(1).pdf
7	Army Recruiting Office, Kawardha	Soldier	7	8th, 10th Class, 10+2	March31, 2020	https://joinindianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/BRAVO_NotificationPDF/Final_kawardha_rally_notifn_.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 Rajasthan government to stop rampant illegal sand mining in the state

• The Supreme Court directed the state government, collectors and SPs to take immediate steps to stop it and file an action taken report (ATR) within four weeks.
• A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant also directed the apex court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) to look into the issue of illegal sand mining in Rajasthan and submit a detailed report including suggesting measures to deal with the issue within six weeks.
• Apex court, which had stopped the sand mining in the state by its order in 2017
• CEC shall have the power to summon any person including government officials for the purposes of its inquiry and will be authorised to receive the copy of court records for this purpose.
• The benchwas hearing as many as 18 petitions including the one filed by NGO 'Dastak'.
• The Dastak Foundation is a national level NGO came into existence on August11, 2016.
   

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

2.1 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) got Rs. 1.94 lakh cr bids for maiden Rs. 25,000 crore LTROs (long-term reverse repo operation)

• Banks lapped up RBI’sfirst long-term repo operation (LTRO) for Rs. 25,000 crore with a 3-year tenor with the central bank receiving 63 bids at 7.8 times — alued at Rs 1.94 lakh crore — of the notified amount.
• The pro-rata allotment set by the RBI was at 12.86 per cent, which means for every Rs 100 crore that a bank bid, it was offered Rs 12.86 crore. (Pro-rata allotment refers to the allotment of shares in proportion of the shares applied for)
  Under the LTRO scheme announced in the monetary policy review, RBI will conduct term repos of oneyear and three-year tenors up to a total amount of Rs 1 lakh crore at the policy repo rate which is currently 5.15 per cent.
• The three-year auction will be followed by a one-year auction on February 24. 
• The aim of these auctions is to assure banks about the availability of durable liquidity at reasonable cost relative to prevailing market conditions to encourage banks to augment credit flows to productive sectors.
• The three-year government bond yield has already come off from 6.10 per cent before the RBI policy to 5.77 per cent currently. 
• Demand is likely to be strong because of the clear arbitrage opportunity.
  
   

2.2 Arth Ganga to boost economic activity along Ganga bank.

2.3 ICAI to set Sustainability Accounting Standards Board to help companies in achieving sustainable development goals.

2.4 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the performance of four Defence Public Sector Undertakings engaged in shipbuilding - Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Visakhapatnam-based Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).

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

3.1 Great Indian Bustard, Asian Elephant and Bengal Florican classified as “Endangered Migratory Species” by the UN’s Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species

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

4.1 Difficult Dialogues(DD) Forum 2020

• Edition – 5th
• Occurrence  –  Annual
• Place – Goa
• Time – February 14 and 15, 2020
• Theme 2020– State of Law, Theme 2019 - Education: Illuminating the myriad facets
• DDis a forum examining issues of contemporary relevance in South Asia.
• The conference brought together lawyers, some eminent Chief Justices, civil society, media, academic experts, activists, and people working at the community
  level in law, education, health, labourwith government and non-governmental.
• PramodSawant is current CM of Goa. Satya Pal Malik is present Governor of Goa.

4.2 Australia appointed Barry O'Farrell as the next high commissioner to India.

4.3 SIndian freelance reporter Ahmer Khan named winner of the 2019 Agence France-Presse (AFP) Kate Webb Prize.

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

5.1 The Centre has approved the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) with an estimated central and state budget of Rs 52,497 crore

• The second phase will be implemented on a mission mode between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
• The second phase will focus on Open Defecation Free Plus (ODF Plus), which includes ODF sustainability and solid and liquid waste management (SLWM).
• The ODF Plus programme will converge with MGNREGA, especially for grey water management, and will complement the newly launched JalJeevan Mission.
• The programme will also work towards ensuring that no one is left behind and everyone uses a toilet.
• Central Share of this Incentive for IHHLs shall be Rs.9,000/- (75%) from Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin). The State share will be Rs.3,000/-(25%).
• For North Eastern State, and Special category States, the Central share will be Rs. 10,800/- and the State share Rs.1,200/- (90% : 10%).
• About SBM- Rural –

1. The rural sanitation programme was started on October 2, 2014, when the sanitation coverage in the country was reported at 38.7 per cent.Now 93.4% of the households in rural India who have access to a toilet.
2. More than 10 crore individual toilets have been constructed since the launch of the mission and as a result rural area in all the States have declared
   themselves ODF as on 2nd October, 2019.
3. Objectives - To improve the levels of cleanliness in rural areas through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitised.
4. Incentive - Incentive are provided under the Mission for the construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) shall be available for all Below Poverty Line (BPL) Households and Above Poverty Line (APL) households restricted to SCs/STs, small and marginal farmers, landless labourers with homestead, physically handicapped and women headed households.The Incentive amount provided under SBM(G) to Below Poverty Line (BPL) /identified APLs households shall be up to Rs.12,000 for construction of one unit of IHHL and provide for water availability, including for storing for hand-washing and cleaning of the toilet.
    

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Defence

• Seeking to enhance the firepower of Army and Air Force, DRDO has started developing a 200-km strike range tactical ballistic missile ‘Pranash’. The missile is an advanced version of the 150-km strike range Prahar missile.
• Indian Army and a private firm have jointly developed world’s cheapest gunshot locator named ‘Parth’. The device costs around Rs 3 lakhs compared to imported item costing Rs 65 lakhs. Parth can locate the exact location of a bullet from a distance of 400m and will help to locate and neutralize terrorist faster.
• An Indian Army Major who had developed a bulletproof jacket for protection against sniper bullets, has now developed a helmet which is claimed to be first such in the world that can stop an AK-47 bullet round from a distance of 10 meters. The ballistic helmet has been developed under project Abhedya by Major Anoop Mishra who has also developed a full-body protection bulletproof jacket which can withstand even sniper rifles. The officer is part of the Indian
  Army’s College of Military Engineering in Pune and had got into the development of bulletproof jackets after he had received gunshots on his vintage bulletproof jacket.
• The 11th edition of DefExpo-2020, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, was organised in Lucknow (UP) from February 5 to 9. It was inaugurated by the PM and showcased India’s military might and technological innovations. The first India-Africa Defence Ministers’ Conclave was held in Lucknow on February 6, 2020, coinciding with DefExpo-2020. The 5th round of India-Russia Military Industrial Conference (IRMIC) was conducted on February 6, 2020 on the sidelines of Defexpo-2020 at Lucknow. As many as 14 MoUs were exchanged between the Russian OEMs and the Indian companies.
• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Lt Gen Rokotonirina Richard, his counterpart in Madagascar, at the DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow on February 6, 2020. Madagascar is an Indian Ocean island nation off the coast of East Africa.
• Indian firm JSR Dynamics launches indigenous 180 km strike range air to ground missile Khagantak
• 12th South Asia Conference organised by Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi
• DRDO’s High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune signs contract with Rosoboronexport, Russia for development of Advanced Pyrotechnic Ignition Systems
• US companies Raytheon and Lockheed Martin sign MoU with PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited to explore co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided missile system in India 
• India-UK joint military exercise 'Ajeya Warrior' to be conducted at Salisbury Plains (UK) in Feb 2020.
• Donald Trump administration approves sale of Integrated Air Defense Weapon System (IADWS) to India
• Pakconducts flight test of air launched nuclear-capable cruise missile Ra'ad-II with a range of 600 km.
• Indian Navy's INS Jamuna to conduct in hydrographic surveys in Sri Lanka for next two months.
• President presents colour to INS Shivaji, a training establishment of Indian Navy, at Lonavala.
• India-Bangladesh conduct joint military exercise SAMPRITI-IX at Umroi, Meghalaya in Feb 2020.
• Kolkata-based GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd) delivers anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Indian Navy.
• DRDO’s High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL), Pune signed technology development contract with Rosoboronexport, Russia for development of Advanced Pyrotechnic Ignition Systems. 
• Indian firm JSR Dynamics launches indigenous 180 km strike range air to ground missile Khagantak at the Defexpo-2020 in Lucknow.
• Javelin Joint Venture (JJV) signed MoU with PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to explore co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided missile system in India. JJV is a partnership of two US-based defence majors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
• The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received the Initial Operational Clearance for production of the Light Utility Helicopter, which is set to replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters of the Indian armed forces.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 The Union Cabinet has approved the creation of the 22nd Law Commission

• The term of the previous law panel had ended in August last year.With the cabinet approval, the law ministry will now notify the new panel, which will have a
  term of three years.
• Composition – A full-time Chairperson; four full-time Members (including Member-Secretary); Secretary, Department of Legal Affairs as ex-officio Member; Secretary, Legislative Department as ex officio Member; and not more than five part-time Members.
• Chairperson -A retired Supreme Court judge or Chief Justice of a High Court will head the Commission.
• Roles and functions - Identify laws which can be immediately repealed. Examine the existing laws in the light of Directive Principles of State Policy(DPSP) and suggest ways of improvement. To respond to requests made by other countries in framing their legal system. To make measures that shall help to serve the poor legally. To convey to the Government its views on any subject relating to law and judicial administration when asked for. To revise laws so as to simplify them and remove anomalies, ambiguities and inequities.
• About the law commission of India -
  
  1. The Law Commission of India is a non-statutory body constituted by the Government of India every three years since 1955. 277 reports have been submitted to the government by it.
  2. The 21st Law Commission of India was established in 2015 and its tenure was upto 31st August,2018. It was headed by Justice B.S. Chauhan (retd.).
  3. Prior to independence, the First Law Commission was established in 1834 by the British Government under the Chairmanship of Lord Macaulay.

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

8.1 Cleaning of drains & septic tanks claims 110 lives in 2019

• The number of people who died while cleaning sewers and septic tanks in the country increased by almost 62% from 68 in 2018 to 110 in 2019.
• A total of 14,559 manual scavengers had been identified by Municipalities and Gram Panchayats in 13 States from 2013-2014 till January 31, 2020.  
• Apart from that, a national survey was conducted in 194 districts in 18 States where 48,345 manual scavengers were identified till January 31, taking the total to 62,904.
• These cases were reported from 18 States and Union Territories, while 13 States and UTs submitted “nil reports”.

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

9.1    Thai Princess MahaChakriSirindhorn visits Aryabhata Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in Nainital.

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

10.1   Ranking – International Intellectual Property (IP) Index, 2020

• India was ranked 40th
• In 2018, India was ranked at 36th position out of 50 countries.
• The US, the UK, Sweden, France and Germany remained the top five economies on the intellectual property index in 2019 retaining their spots from 2018.

Download pdf of the report from here –

https://www.theglobalipcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/GIPC_IP_Index_2020_FullReport.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

• Shillong hosted the 4-day India International Cherry Blossom festival in November 2019.
• Shamim Khan won the Kensville Open Golf tournament in Ahmedabad in Dec2019.
• The  productivity of LokSabha in the Winter Session of Parliament that concluded in Dec2019 was 116%.
• Bankura district of West Bengal has won the first prize in implementation of centre’s rural job scheme.
• B. P. Raju of CBI won the ‘India Cyber Cop of the Year 2019’ award given by NASSCOM-DSCI.

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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