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

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

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Amit Shah in Kolkata –Kolkata witnessed hectic political activity, with Home Minister Amit Shah assuring a public rally that “no minority will have to leave” the country owing to the new Citizenship Act, while a march of BJP supporters set off shock waves as they raised the incendiary ‘GoliMaro Salon Ko’ (Shoot the traitors) slogan in the heart of the city. Speaking at a public rally at the ShaheedMinar Ground, Mr. Shah emphasised that fear was being spread among sections of the population over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). He added that “no minority from Kolkata or West Bengal will lose citizenship because of the CAA”.
2. Fears rise as COVID-19 cases, deaths hit new high –The number of countries hit by the COVID-19 outbreak climbed past 60, as infections and deaths continued to mount around the globe, emptying streets of tourists and workers, shaking economies and rewriting the realities of daily life. Australia and Thailand reported their first deaths, while the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic recorded their first cases. Italian authorities announced that the number of people infected in the country had surged 40% to 1,576 in 24 hours, and five more people had died, bringing the death toll there to 34. Iran, Iraq, Italy and South Korea, among other places, saw the number of infections rise. More than 87,000 people worldwide have been infected, and nearly 3,000 have died.
   
3. CAA Violence: Situation eases in Delhi; police quell rumours–No fresh cases of violence were reported in the national capital, a week after clashes erupted in the north-eastern areas. Rumours of fresh violence briefly created panic in some areas in the evening but the Delhi police quickly quelled them.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which announced the closure of entry and exit gates of seven Metro stations due to “security reasons”, reopened them within 45 minutes.A week after riots broke out in the city, the police pulled out four more bodies from drains in north-east Delhi. Despite the recovery of the bodies, the death toll that stood at 42 on Saturday has not been officially revised.
4. Three killed as goods trains collide in Madhya Pradesh–Three persons were killed when two goods trains of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) collided in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh.
5. Centre to review list of monuments under ASI–The number of monuments under the Centre’s protection could increase as the government is planning to conduct a review of those under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the ones protected by the State governments. At present, 3,691 monuments nationwide are protected by the ASI, with the highest number, 745, in Uttar Pradesh, according to his reply in the LokSabha on February 10.
   
6. 11 chairs named after 11 female scientists, to be filled by women –One of the first women physicians in the country, a pioneer of India’s weather assessment systems and the first Indian woman to get a doctorate in science. Ahead of International Women’s Day, some of India’s iconic—but perhaps forgotten—women scientists will be brought out of the obscure annals of history and into the spotlight. The ministries of science and technology and women and child development have identified 11 early 20th-century women scientists in whose honour Chairs will be set up in institutes across the country. The range of fields is wide-—from cytogenetics to organic chemistry to social sciences. Only women researchers will take up positions and could get research fund up to Rs. 1 crore.
7.  Afghan peace deal hits first snag over prisoner releases –Afghanistan’s president that he will not free thousands of Taliban prisoners ahead of all-Afghan power-sharing talks set for next week, publicly disagreeing with a timetable for a speedy prisoner release laid out just a day earlier in a U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. President Ashraf Ghani’s comments pointed to the first hitch in implementing the fragile deal, which is aimed at ending America’s longest war after more than 18 years and getting rival Afghan factions to agree on their country’s future.
8. US Presidential Elections: Biden scores major win in South Carolina primary – Joe Biden decisively won the South Carolina primary, delivering the former vice president a much-needed victory that he hopes will mark the beginning of a comeback for his presidential campaign. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Biden won with 48.5 percent of the vote, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) far behind with around 19.9 percent of the vote. The Associated Press called the race for Biden almost immediately after polls closed. Biden’s victory is his first since voting began in the Democratic nominating contest earlier this month and showcased the strong support he had among African Americans, who make up a majority of the Democratic electorate in the state.
   
9. Markets on edge, economic fears intensify as coronavirus spreads –The rapid spread of a deadly virus from China is top of emerging-market investors’ minds as they ponder its impact on the global economy. Concern the outbreak will develop into something akin to the SARS pandemic of 2003 halted a seven-week rally in emerging markets, and continued to weigh on currencies, stocks and bonds. With China’s markets closed for the Lunar New Year holidays, the nation’s assets abroad came under pressure. The offshore yuan slid to the weakest level this year and neared 7 per dollar, while a China-focused exchange-traded fund in Europe plunged 6%, poised for its biggest decline since May. The death toll in China from the virus climbed to at least 80 and confirmed cases in the Asian nation jumped to more than 2,700.
   
10. For Boris Johnson, Britain’s Baby Boom Starts at 10 Downing–  The 55-year-old prime minister and his partner, Carrie Symonds, 31, said that they had become engaged and were expecting a child in early summer. Mr. Johnson will be the first prime minister since Tony Blair to have a child while living in 10 Downing Street. Mr. Blair and his wife, Cherie, had a son, Leo, while there in 2000.Mr. Johnson and Ms. Symonds were the first unmarried couple ever to move into the prime minister’s residence. The child will be the first for Ms. Symonds, a former communications chief for Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Delhi Public Library	Library Info Asst, Lib. Clerk, MTS, UDC, LDC	31	-	-	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/02/Notification-Delhi-Public-Library-LDC-UDC-MTS-Other-Posts.pdf
2	HURL	Engineer through GATE 2019	90	Degree (Eng)	March 15, 2020	https://hurl.net.in/uploads/advertisement_for_Fresh_Graduates_second.pdf
3	CMPDI	Dy Surveyor, Stenographer	17	10th Class	March 30, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/02/Notification-CMPDI-DY-Surveyor-Steno-Posts.pdf
4	HURL	Vice Pre., Chief Mgr, Asst Manager, Eng, Chief Mgr	109	Degree (Eng), PG	March3, 2020	https://hurl.net.in/uploads/advertisement.pdf
5	IIT, Kharagpur	Software Tester	6	B.E/ B.Tech, MCA, M.Sc	March 20, 2020	https://www.icmr.nic.in/sites/default/files/career_opportunity/advertisement_.pdf
6	IITM	Exe. Director, Pro. Scientist – E, D, B, C	36	Degree (Engg), PG	March29, 2020	https://www.icmr.nic.in/sites/default/files/career_opportunity/advertisement_.pdf
7	IIT, Kharagpur	Software Developer	6	B.E/ B.Tech, MCA, M.Sc	March20, 2020	http://www.iitkgp.ac.in/temporary-jobs

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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 Weekly Roundup – Constitution and Law

• SC refused examination of interlocutors reports in petition seeking clearance of ShaheenBagh protesters. Environment not Conducive.
• Supreme Court Bar Association condemns Delhi violence and failure of authorities to protect rule of law.
• Mumbai Coastal Road Project: SC seeks response on plea to stop reclamation work.
• Nirbhaya Case: Plea for separate executions of death row convicts deferred to 5th March.
• Plea seeking guidelines for international parental child abduction: SC reprimands government for lacunae. Three days ahead of the schedule hanging, Pawan Kumar, one of the co-convicts, files curative petition.
• SC issues notice on Iltija’s habeas plea against detention of former J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti on condition.
• Judicial officer’s integrity must be of a higher order and even a single aberration is not permitted.
• SC to consider plea for transfer of trial in Chinmayanand case from up to Delhi on March 2.
• Malegaon Blast: Plea in SC by victim’s kin seeks speedy trial of case.
• Congress leader Hardik Patel granted interim bail in connection with involvement in 2015 PatidarAndolan agitation Gujarat Police pulled up for delay.
• Mortgage by a corporate debtor to secure debts of third party not ‘Financial Debt’ within meaning of Sec 5(8) IBC.
• wo day international judges conference held on Feb 22 on the topic “Judiciary in the changing world”.
• Delhi riots: HC hears plea seeking judicial enquiry and compensation for deceased protestors and allows the Delhi police 4 weeks to file counter affidavit.
• Delhi HC issues notice on plea seeking SIT probe against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul  Gandhi, Manish Sisodiya etc.  for allegedly making hate speeches.
• Delhi HC issues notice on plea for NIA probe into funding of Anti-CAA protests.
• Delhi Violence: In a midnight hearing, DELHC directed Delhi Police to ensure safe passage to injured victims of riots in North Eastern portions of Delhi.
• Gauhati HC sets aside ex parte order of foreigners tribunal declaring a person as foreigner.
• Bombay HC: SC collegium recommends appointment of Justice BP Dharmadhikari as Chief Justice of Bombay HC.
• Delhi HC: Notice issued in BJP candidate’s plea challenging Manish Sisodiya’s election win.
• Madras HC: Solitary allegation of intemperate language against female employee not sexual harassment.
  

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

2.1 The World Bank has offered to give financial assistance to the last remaining portion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) between Sonnagar (Bihar) and Dankuni (West Bengal)

• Originally India is slated to construct it in the private public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
• Currently, the entire EDFC is being built with loan from World Bank, except for the last portion between Bihar and West Bengal.
  The Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) with a route length of 1856 km runs from Dankuni in West Bengal to Ludhiana (Punjab).
• It covers Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,Jharkhand and West Bengal.
• The railway is one of the multiple freight corridors.
• It has two components, first is to provide additional rail transport capacity, improved service quality and higher freight throughput and the second is institutional development to assist DFCCIL and Ministry of Railways (MOR) to develop their capabilities to best utilize heavy haul freight systems.
• Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd. (DFCCIL) - DFCCIL is a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Railways tasked with planning and completion of 3,306 kms of Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs), consisting of western freight corridor and eastern freight corridor (1,856 kms). The total project cost is estimated at over Rs. 81,000 crore.
• The construction of DFCs project would enable the decongestion of existing over-saturated paths which, thereby, will effectively improve punctuality of passenger trains.
• Western Dedicated Freight Corridor: The 1,504-km western freight corridor begins at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh and stretches till the country’s largest container port — Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, near Mumbai — passing through Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

2.2 RBI board recommended aligning central bank's accounting year (July-June) with the financial year (April-March) from 2020-21.

2.3 Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India  launched 'CredaiAwaas' app to connect homebuyers with its member developers to purchase properties.

2.4  Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurates India Pavilion at GulFood 2020 in Dubai (UAE).

2.5 US-India Business Council (USIBC) appoints Vijay Advani as new Chair of its Global Board of Directors.

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

3.1 Rainfall to increase over next 100 years

• Indian monsoon rainfall increased from the last glacial maximum to the present. Increasing temperatures result in increase in water vapour in the atmosphere, which causes an increase in the quantum of rainfall. Concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere going up, resulting in more water vapour, rainfall is expected to increase in the next 100 years. 

3.2 World’s largest cave fish discovered in Meghalaya

• World’s largest species of cave fish has been discovered in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills. The cave fish is around one and a half feet in length and has no eyes and is white due to a lack of melanin pigmentation.

3.3 Inauguration of new building

• Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat inaugurated newly constructed building of the Rajiv Gandhi National Ground Water Training and Research Institute in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

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

4.1 US, Taliban signed peace deal in Doha. End of 18-year-long Afghan war.

• The peace deal was signed in the Qatari capital Doha by USSpecial Envoy ZalmayKhalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
• The deal lays the groundwork for intra-Afghan talks, negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
• The US under the deal is committed to reducing the number of its troops to 8,600 from the current 13,000 within 135 days of signing the deal and a full withdrawal of foreign soldiers from Afghanistan over the next 14 months.In exchange, the Taliban has to guarantee that it will not allow militant groups like the al-Qaeda to operate within Afghanistan.
• The US is also said to be working with allies to proportionally reduce the number of coalition forces in Afghanistan if the Taliban adheres to its peace commitments. However, Western powers could continue to maintain military bases.
• Under the prisoner swap agreement, the Taliban has agreed to release 1000 Afghan prisoners in exchange for the release of around 5000 Taliban fighters from the Afghan government.
• The signing of the agreement has spurred hopes that it could lead to an end to the almost two decades of conflict and bring long-lasting peace in Afghanistan. America has been cautious in its approach, by stating that the accord though a good step is just the beginning and the road ahead will not be easy.
• There are concerns that the talks, scheduled to take place between the Afghan sides, would be much more complicated.
   

4.2 Minister of International Development of Norway Dag-IngeUlstein participated in Mithi river clean up in Mumbai.

4.3 Muhyiddin Yassin appointed new Prime Minister of Malaysia.

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

5.1 32 projects have been sanctioned under the Pradhan MantriKisanSampadaYojana (PMKSY) of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI)

• The projects are spread across almost 17 States, leveraging an investment worth ?406 crores.
• These projects envisage the creation of direct and indirect employment, especially in rural areas.
• Food processing plays an important role in connecting Indian farmers to domestic and international consumers and markets.
• The introduction of modern processing techniques for food results in improved shelf-life of the agricultural produce and ensures steady revenue to farmers.
• The processed food market is expected to grow to $543 billion by 2020 from $322 billion in 2016, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.6%.
• History – PMKSY was introduced in 2016 by MoFPI under an umbrella Scheme for Agro-Marine Processing and Development of Agro-Processing Clusters or SAMPADA, which was proposed to be implemented with an allocation of ?6,000 crores for the period of 2016-20. In 2017, SAMPADA was renamed as the Pradhan MantriKisanSampadaYojana (PMKSY).
• Aims - To supplement agriculture. To create processing and preservation capacities. To modernise and expand existing food processing units. To add value leading to the reduction of wastage.
• Seven component schemes - Mega Food Parks. Integrated Cold Chain and Value Addition Infrastructure. Infrastructure for Agro-Processing Clusters. Creation of Backward and Forward Linkages. Creation/Expansion of Food Processing & Preservation Capacities. Food Safety and Quality Assurance Infrastructure.
• Human Resources and Institutions - Under PMKSY, capital subsidy in the form of grants-in-aid ranging from 35% to 75% of the eligible project cost subject to a maximum specified limit is provided to investors under the various schemes for undertaking infrastructure, logistic projects and setting up of food processing units in the country.
   

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Movie Review – Joker

• Director –Todd Phillips
• Running Time – 122 minutes
• Language – English
• Cast -Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck/Joker, Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin, Zazie Beetz as Sophie Dumond, Frances Conroy as Penny Fleck. 
• Story -The origin tale of the Joker– one of the most iconic villains in comic book history.‘Joker’centersaround the iconic arch nemesis and is an original, standalone fictional story not seen before on the big screen. Phillips' exploration of Arthur Fleck, who is indelibly portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, is of a man struggling to find his way in Gotham's fracturedsociety. A clown-for-hire by day, he aspires to be a stand-up comic at night...but finds the joke always seems to be on him. Caught in a cyclical existence between apathy and cruelty, Arthur makes one bad decision that brings about a chain reaction of escalating events in this gritty character study.
• Awards and Honours – 92nd Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Ideal Legislative Assembly Speaker/Ideal Legislative Council Chairman Award presented to the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly P. Rama krishnan at Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad.

7.2 AAP leader Ram NiwasGoel unanimously re-elected as the Speaker of Delhi Assembly. 

7.3 Bihar assembly passed unanimous resolution saying there was no need for NRC (National Register for Citizens) in the state and updating of NPR (National Population Register) should be done according to the 2010 format.

7.4 MP government more than doubles the honorarium paid to Muslim clerics (from Rs 2,200 to Rs 5,000 per month) and muezzins (from Rs 1,900 to Rs 4,500) in the state.

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

8.1 Dr.Niti Kumar, a senior scientist from the CSIR - Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow has received Science and Engineering Research Board SERB) Women Excellence Award, 2020

• Award was conferred by the President of India during National Science Day (NSD) celebrated on February 28, 2020.
• This award is a one-time award given to women scientists below 40 years of age.  
• Awardees are supported by a research grant of 5 lakhs per annum for 3 years.
• Research group of Niti Kumar is trying to understand the protein quality control machinery in human malaria parasite for exploration of alternative drug targets for malaria intervention.
• Other awards won by Dr.Niti Kumar -Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award, 2015, INSA Medal for Young Scientist, 2010by Indian National Science Academy.

8.2 PM laid foundation stone of the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway in Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh.

8.3 Indian Railways launched its first ‘Restaurant on Wheels’ at Asansol Railway station in West Bengal. 

8.4 Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan and TN CM Edappadi Palaniswami laid foundation stone for a new government medical college in Ramanathapuram.

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

9.1 United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that it will begin to accept applications for astronauts under its Artemis programme from March 2 to March 31, 2020

• Eligibility - US citizen and have a master’s degree in a STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field from an accredited institution. 
• Completed at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircrafts or have two years of related experience. Passed NASA’s long-duration spaceflight physical test.
• Artemis– Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. It is NASA’s next mission to the Moon. Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.
• Objectives - To measure what happens when the Sun’s radiation hits our rocky moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it.  NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024. To find and use water and other critical resources needed for long-term exploration. Investigate the Moon’s mysteries and learn more about our home planet and the universe. Learn how to live and operate on the surface of another celestial body where astronauts are just three days from home. Prove the technologies we need before sending astronauts on missions to Mars, which can take up to three years round-trip.
• It will launched through powerful new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS).
• The name of the spacecraft will be Orion spacecraft.
• There are three missions under Artemis program. Artemis I, will be an uncrewed flight to test the SLS and Orion spacecraft together, followed by the Artemis II mission, the first SLS and Orion test flight with crew. NASA will land astronauts on the Moon by 2024 on the Artemis III mission and about once a year thereafter.

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

10.1   Ranking – Land Records and Services Index, 2020 by National Council of Applied Economic Research   

• Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu were the five best-performing states in terms of digitisation of land records and their quality.

For more information download pdf from here –

http://www.ncaer.org/uploads/photo-gallery/files/1582891535NCAER%20N-LRSI%20presentation.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

• Jiri Vesely won the Men’s Singles title at the Tata Open Maharashtra tennis tournament in Pune in Feb 2020.
• At 69 km, Hyderabad Metro Rail is now the second largest operational Metro network in the country behind Delhi Metro.
• The first India-Africa Defence Ministers’ Conclave was held in Lucknow in Feb2020.
• Samvidhaan (Constitution) has been named as the Hindi Word of 2019 by Oxford.
• Wetlands and Biodiversity was the theme of the World Wetlands Day observed in Feb2020.

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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