Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 05-03-2020

Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 05-03-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 cases rise to 29 in India – Fifteen Italian tourists, including the wife of an already infected person, and eight Indians tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases in the country to 29. Two cases with a high viral load were also detected in Telangana. A Paytm employee tested positive in Gurugram. The company said in a statement that the person had a travel history to Italy. The Health Ministry also confirmed the case.
2. SC asks HC to list Delhi riots cases on March 6 – The Supreme Court said it was ‘unjustified’ on the part of the Delhi High Court to delay hearing the pleas for arrest and prosecution of leaders who instigated the communal rampage in the national capital and directed the High Court to list the petitions on March 6. Less than a week ago, the HC adjourned to April 13 the hearing of petitions seeking immediate registration of FIRs against those who egged mobs on with their hate speeches. It had seemed to agree with the government that the ‘atmosphere was not conducive’ for action.
3. IIT-M launches probe into hacking of servers – The Indian Institute of Technology– Madras (IIT-M) has launched an investigation into the hacking of one of its servers that resulted in a temporary shutdown of its e-mail services last month. Confirming that one of its e-mail servers was “down” temporarily, the institution said that the issue was resolved and normalcy restored.
4. Sengar convicted in two other cases – A trial court convicted seven persons, including the expelled BJP leader Kuldeep Singh Sengar who was earlier handed a life term for raping a minor in Unnao, in two other cases linked to her father. Four other accused were acquitted. Sengar was found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in connection with the death of the victim’s father. The quantum of punishment will be announced on March 12.
5. Parliament disrupted for third day; LS passes tax bill amid din–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 Lok Sabha on February 10.
6. Coronavirus death toll jumps to 107 in Italy, all schools shut – Parliament was disrupted for the third consecutive day over the Delhi riots even as the Lok Sabha passed a bill providing an opportunity to taxpayers to settle disputes by paying just the overdue taxes with complete waiver of interest and penalty by March 31. The Direct Tax Vivaad Se Vishwas Bill, 2020, was passed amid din without discussion as the opposition continued to protest while demanding an immediate discussion on the Delhi riots. Rajya Sabha too witnessed similar protests, forcing Chairman Venkaiah Naidu to adjourn the House for the day. In Lok Sabha, it was necessary to pass the bill at the earliest as the last date to avail waiver of interest and penalty under it is March 31.
7. US Presidential Elections: Biden Revives Campaign, Winning Nine States, but Sanders Takes California–The Democratic presidential race emerged from Super Tuesday with two clear front-runners as Joseph R. Biden Jr. won Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and at least six other states, largely through support from African-Americans and moderates, while Senator Bernie Sanders harnessed the backing of liberals and young voters to claim the biggest prize of the campaign, California, and several other primaries.
8. US launches airstrike against Taliban to defend Afghan forces – The US launched an airstrike against Taliban fighters to defend Afghan forces, as violence spirals after a string of deadly attacks by the insurgents, throwing the country's nascent peace process into grave doubt. This came after reports that at least 20 Afghan police officers and army personnel were killed in Taliban attacks, part of ongoing attacks by the group.
9. Cabinet nod for banking game-changer , 10 PSBs to turn into four big banks –The Cabinet has approved the consolidation of 10 public sector banks (PSBs) into four 'mega banks', Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced. The Union Cabinet, she said, has given a go-ahead for the merger proposal and the government has been in regular touch with these banks.
10. Chinese scientists identify two strains of the coronavirus– Researchers in China have found that two different types of the new coronavirus could be causing infections worldwide.In a preliminary study, scientists at Peking University’s School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai found that a more aggressive type of the new coronavirus had accounted for roughly 70% of analyzed strains, while 30% had been linked to a less aggressive type.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	National Institute of Design	Admin Officer, Accounts Officer, Assistant Librarian, Superintendent & Other	18	Degree, PG (Relevant Discipline)	March 31, 2020	https://www.nidmp.ac.in/Upload/NIDMP_Recruitment012020.pdf
2	CIPET	Lecturer, Technical Assistant & Other	241	Diploma, ITI, Degree, PG	March 20, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-CIPET-Lecturer-Technical-Asst-Librarian-Posts.pdf
3	SSS NIBE	Scientist – B, C, D, F	11	Degree (Engg)	--	http://nibe.res.in/open.pdf
4	BECIL	MTS/ Nursery Aya (Female)	21	10th Class	March 13, 2020	https://www.becil.com/uploads/vacancy/65c76eac7a735c3dbee585e1a14a0700.pdf
5	C-DAC, Hyderabad	Project Engineer, Project Officer, Project Associate	6	B.E/ B.Tech, PG, MBA	March  17, 2020	https://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=ca_CDAC_HYD_Advt_Mar_2020
6	Vector Control Research Centre	Project Assistant, Project Technician – I, II, III	36	10th Class, 10+2, Any Degree	March 20, 2020	https://www.sameer.gov.in/Download/recruitments/ApprenticeTrainee%20_19-20_%20Short%20fall.pdf
7	URDIP	Project Assistant – I, II, III	6	Diploma, Degree (Engg), M.Sc, M.Pharm	March 12, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-URDIP-Project-Assistant-Posts.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 Increasing number of sedition cases in India

• Context: Latest data suggest that the even if the sedition law is same as ever sedition arrests increasing in recent years.
• Details –

1. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), who has been collecting separate data on sedition cases since 2014, found 47 arrests in 2014 which increased to 70 in 2018.
2. With less than 0.01% of all IPC crimes sedition is a rare crime but within India, some parts are emerging as sedition hotspots. For instance, Assam and Jharkhand, with 37 sedition cases each, account for 32% of all sedition cases between 2014-2018.
3. In 2018, there were 1,182 cases registered under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). And 92% of these cases were concentrated in five states - Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Jharkhand and Manipur.

• What is Sedition? - Sedition, which falls under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, is defined as any action that brings or attempts to bring hatred or contempt towards the government of India and has been illegal in India since 1870.  

• Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar – 

1. Section 124A has been challenged in various courts in specific cases. The validity of the provision itself was upheld by a Constitution Bench in 1962, in Kedarnath Singh vs State of Bihar.
2. That judgment went into the issue of whether the law on sedition is consistent with the fundamental right under Article 19 (1) (a) which guarantees each citizen’s freedom of speech and expression.
3. The Supreme Court laid down that every citizen has a right to say or write about the government, by way of criticism or comment, as long as it does not “incite people to violence” against the government established by law or with the intention of creating public disorder.
4. Concerns - Sedition leads to a sort of unauthorised self-censorship, for it produces a chilling effect on free speech. It suppresses what every citizen ought to do in a democracy — raise questions, debate, disagree and challenge the government’s decisions.

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

2.1 Mission Purvodaya - for development of Steel Sector

• A workshop on ‘Enabling Procedures for Increase of Steel Usage for the Growth of Economy’ was organised by the Ministry of Steel in partnership with the Government of Japan and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Feb 2020 at Bhubaneswar.
•  The Eastern belt has the potential to add over 200 MT of Steel in 2030-31 when the total capacity is expected to be 300 MT. Japan and India have earlier launched the India Japan Steel Dialogue to ensure growth of the steel sector. Iron ore exports from India, particularly from Odisha, helped Japan in becoming an economic power.
• Mission Purvodaya was launched in 2020 for the accelerated development of eastern India through the establishment of an integrated steel hub in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The Integrated Steel Hub would focus on three key elements. First, capacity addition through easing the setup of Greenfield steel plants; second, development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centres and third transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure which would change the socio-economic landscape in the East.
• Iron  and Steel Industry - Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon in which iron ore, coking coal and limestone are required in the ratio of approximately 4 : 2 : 1. All other industries depend on steel industry. India is second largest producer of crude steel in the world. Per capita finished steel consumption in 2018 was 224.5 kg for the world, 590.1 kg for China and was 74.1 kg for India. The Government has launched the National Steel Policy 2017 that aims to increase the per capita steel consumption to 160 kgs by 2030-31. Odisha is the highest steel producing state in the country. The ores of Odisha are rich in haematites. Growth of steel industry would lead to employment opportunities across the entire value chain, socio-economic growth of Eastern India and reduced disparity between the East and other regions of the country.
• Iron Ores - Hematite and magnetite are the most important iron ores in India. Hematite refers to a ferric oxide containing no crystal water, and its chemical formula is Fe2O3 (iron oxide). The pure hematite theoretical iron content is 70%. The main iron-bearing mineral of magnetite is tri iron tetroxide, and its chemical formula is Fe3O4. The theoretical iron content is around 72%. 

2.2 Pusa Krishi Vigyan Mela organised in New Delhi by ICAR-IARI (Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute) from March 1 to 3.

2.3 Organic Food Festival being organised by centre at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in New Delhi from February 21 to 23.

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

3.1 Concentration of black carbon on Gangotri glacier

• Context – As per a research done by the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, the concentration of black carbon on Gangotri glacier has almost doubled in the past years primarily because of agricultural burning and forest fires.
• Significance – Increased black carbon is responsible for faster melting of the Himalayan glaciers. In the long run it will affect the weather of upper Himalayan region.
• Key findings – The concentration of the black carbon increases in summer up to 4.62 micrograms per cubic metre. In the non-summer months, it comes down to about 2 micrograms per cubic metre.
• Reasons – Activities related to tourism, forest fires, domestic and commercial fuel wood burning, seasonal burning of crop residue and developmental activities. Of which forest fires contribute most. over 44,554 hectares of forest area has been damaged in forest fires in Uttarakhand since 2000.
• Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology (WIHG) is an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology. Its headquartered at Dehradun, Uttrakhand.
• Gangotri glacier is the largest in Uttarakhand and is one of the sources of Ganges locally known as Bhagirathi. It originates at the northern slope of Chaukhamba range of peaks in Garhwal Himalayas. It is not a single valley glacier but a combination of several other glaciers.
• Black carbon is a kind of an aerosol. An aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in the air. Among aerosols such as brown carbon, sulphates; black carbon has been recognized as the second most important anthropogenic agent for climate change. It gets emitted from gas and diesel engines, coal-fired power plants, and other sources that burn fossil fuel. It comprises a significant portion of particulate matter or PM, which is an air pollutant.

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

4.1 China assumes presidency of UN Security Council for March 2020

• China pledged to promote solidarity and cooperation in this capacity. Mr. Zhang Jun (in photo)is the China’s permanent representative to the UN.
• The Security Council was established by the UN Charter. Its primary responsibility is to work to maintain international peace and security.
• The council has 15 members: the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
• The council's presidency is a capacity that rotates every month among its 15 members.
• India has been pushing for its permanent membership in the UN Security Council. India’s bid has the backing of four of the five permanent members- the US, UK, Russia and France. Only China stands in the way of India becoming a permanent member of the UNSC.
• India has previously served as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for seven terms, overall 14 years. The most recent term was from 2011-2012.

4.2 Saudi Arabia starts issuance of permanent premium residency permit to foreigners. Indian investor Yusuffali M A, Chairman of the Lulu group, is among the first recipients.

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

5.1 Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla launched ‘Suposhit Maa Abhiyan’ in Kota, Rajasthan to provide nutritional support to pregnant women and adolescent girls.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Corporate

• Chinese handset maker Realme launches first 5G smartphone models in India.
• Future Decoded CEO Summit held in Mumbai. RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella participated.
• FCA India launches Jeep Wrangler Rubicon SUV at Rs 68.94 lakh.
• Telecom equipment maker Nokia on March 2, 2020 said its board of directors has appointed Pekka Lundmark as President and CEO to succeed Rajeev Suri.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Cabinet approves amendments to give occupancy rights to scheduled tribes in Lakshadweep

• The union cabinet approved amendment of the Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands Land Revenue and Tenancy Regulation, 1965 to confer occupancy rights to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the union territory.
• Lakshadweep island mostly comprises the ST population and they did not have occupancy rights.
• The amendment is a part of the good governance initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Lakshadweep is an Archipelago with 12 atolls, five submerged banks and three reefs.
• There are 17 uninhabited islands in the region.
• According to Census 2011, there are 64,429 persons in the island. The ST distribution is high in the State of Mizoram and UT Lakshadweep.
• 93% of the population are indigenous and the entire indigenous population in the islandhas been classified as Scheduled Tribes due to their social and Economic Backwardness.
• According to the SC and ST list (modification order), 1956, the inhabitants born to both parents born in the islands are alone treated as Scheduled Tribes.
• Malayalam is the spoken language in the island. 

7.2 Ramniklal Solanki, the founder and Editor-in-Chief of UK-based ‘Garavi Gujarat’ newsweekly and the Asian Media Group (AMG), dies in Ahmedabad at 88.

7.3 BJP MLA from Sadar seat in Bulandshahr (UP) Virendra Singh Sirohi dies aged 74.

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

8.1 Nine states of India accounts for 65% of Tuberculosis (TB) cases

• Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal are States where TB cases are high.
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare takes measures in these States to eliminate TB by 2025 ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals target year of 2030.  
• Tuberculosis is a contagious airborne disease, which can be acquired from close contact with an infected person.
• World Health Organization (WHO) has recently released 2019 Global Tuberculosis (TB) Report. TB remains the top infectious killer in the world claiming over 4,000 lives a day. Eight countries that accounted for two thirds of the global total include are India (27%), China (9%) and Indonesia (8%).These three countries are in WHO’s list of 30 high TB burden countries that accounted for 87% of the world’s cases in 2018.
• WHO aims to end the global TB epidemic, with targets to reduce TB deaths by 95% cut new cases by 90% between 2015 and 2035, sets interim milestones for 2020, 2025, and 2030.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination in 2017 and set a target of Zero-Tuberculosis deaths by the year 2025 through formula known as Detect – Treat – Prevent – Build [DTPB].

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

9.1 Not Available Today

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

10.1   Ranking/Report – A New Era for Girls: Taking stock on 25 years of progress  

 

• Despite gains in education, the world is still a violent, highly discriminatory place for girls.
• Report released by Unicef, Plan International and UN Women ahead of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
• The report underlined, among others disturbing trends, that despite the number of out-of-school girls having dropped by 79 million in the last two decades, one in every 20 girls aged 15-19 — around 13 million — has faced rape in their lifetime.
• In south Asia, while the report notes that the practice of child marriage has almost halved in the last 25 years, 30% of girls are still married before they reach their 18th birthday.
• The report found prevalence of ‘overweight’ among girls aged 5-19 nearly doubled touching 155 million from 75 million in 1995 due to negative trends for girls in nutrition and suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19.
• While girls became more likely to be in secondary school than boys in just the last decade, violence and harmful practices against women and girls was the harsh other reality. Around one in five adolescent girls aged 15 and 19 in South Asia who have been married or lived with a partner, have experienced intimate partner violence.
• report says harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation continue to damage lives and potential of millions of girls..

For more information download pdf from here –

https://www.unicef.org/media/65586/file/A-new-era-for-girls-2020.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

• Golden Peacock Award at the International Film Festival of India in Panaji in Nov2019 was won by French film ‘Particles’.
• ‘Stop Soil Erosion, Save Our Future’ was the theme of the World Soil Day observed on December 5.
• Sanna Marin was appointed as the new Prime Minister of Finland, the youngest in the world, in Dec 2019? 
• G. Satheesh Reddy is the Chairman of DRDO.
• Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu won the men’s title at the HCL-SRFI India Tour Squash Tournament in Mumbai in Dec2019.

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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