Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-03-2020

Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-03-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. 30 corona cases confirmed, 23 more positive in 1st test –A 57-year-old Ghaziabad resident with a recent travel history to Iran has become the 30th person to be confirmed positive for Covid-19 in India. The number of cases is likely to rise sharply as health authorities await results of reconfirmation tests on 23 more whose initial tests have shown the presence of the virus. The Ghaziabad man has been quarantined at Delhi’s Ram ManoharLohia hospital. His wife and son have been put in an isolation ward in a Ghaziabad hospital. PM’s visit to Brussels has been rescheduled.
   
2. SC to step in if Nirbhaya convicts are not hanged on March 20 –The Supreme Court made it clear that any delay in the execution of the death sentence of the four Nirbhaya gang-rape case convicts on March 20 will see the court itself step in on March 23 to decide the government’s appeal for permission to separately hang them. The assurance from a three-judge Bench, led by Justice R. Banumathi, came while it was addressing the government’s apprehension that chances were high that one or other of the convicts might turn up in court before March 20 with a new plea and further delay the execution.
   
3. EPFO lowers interest rate to 8.5% for 2019-2020–Salaried employees are set to get 0.15% less in interest on Provident Fund deposits for 2019-2020, with the Central Board of Trustees of the Employees’ Provident Fund reducing the interest rate from 8.65% to 8.5%.The Board also ratified the restoration of normal pension after 15 years from the date of commutation — a move that will benefit about 6.3 lakh pensioners who had opted for commutation on or before September 25, 2008. It also approved a proposal to empanel the Jammu and Kashmir Bank as one of the banks for the collection of EPF dues in J&K.
   
4. Suspended AAP councillor denied bail, arrested in Delhi –Suspended AamAadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussain was arrested by the Delhi police in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma in northeast Delhi during the recent riots. Hussain, who was absconding, had applied for anticipatory bail at the Karkardooma court, and a decision on his plea was to be announced by the magistrate. In between, he reached the Rouse Avenue court to surrender and moved an application, saying he was facing threats.
   
5. RBI supersedes Yes Bank board, limits withdrawals to Rs. 50,000–The Reserve Bank of India superseded the board of directors of Rana Kapoor-promoted Yes Bank and limited cash withdrawal to Rs 50,000 but depositors can withdraw up to Rs 5 lakh for medical treatment, higher education, expenses on marriage and other ceremonies, and “unavoidable emergencies”. The cap applies across even multiple accounts of a depositor. RBI has appointed deputy managing director and chief finance officer of State Bank of India, Prashant Kumar, as an administrator of the bank. Although the central bank has said that the moratorium will last for 30 days, a plan involving SBI is in the works.
6. NPR data useful for welfare schemes, says Home Ministry–The Union Home Ministry has informed a parliamentary panel that it proposes to collect details on additional questions such as “date and place of birth of parents” in the National Population Register (NPR) to “facilitate back-end data processing and making the data items of date and place of birth complete for all household[s]”.Though the final NPR form for 2020 has not been made public, it is proposed to collect data on some additional items like place of last residence, mother tongue, Aadhaar number (voluntary), mobile number, passport (Indian passport holder), voter ID card, driving licence number, date and place of birth of father and mother.
7. Seven Congress members suspended for remaining period of Budget session –LokSabha passed a motion suspending seven Congress members for the remaining period of the Budget session for their "gross misconduct" after they snatched papers from the Speaker's table and "utter disregard" for House rules. As soon as the House met at 3 pm following an adjournment, MeenakshiLekhi, who was presiding the House, named Gaurav Gogoi, T N Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Manicka Tagore, RajmohanUnnithan, Benny Behanan and Gurjeet Singh Aujla. Once a member is named by the Chair, he or she cannot attend the House for that day. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi then moved a motion to suspend these members from the House for the remaining period of the Budget session. The motion was passed by a voice vote amid protests by opposition members.
8. Russia and Turkey Announce Cease-Fire Agreement in Northwestern Syria – The presidents of Russia and Turkey said they reached agreements on a cease-fire in northwestern Syria, where escalating fighting had threatened to put forces from the two countries into a direct military conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President RecepTayyipErdogan also said the deal also envisions setting up a security corridor along a strategic highway in Idlib province.
9. COVID 19 outbreak – 300 mn children missing class across globe–The coronavirus epidemic reached deeper into daily life across the world, with a sweeping shutdown of all schools in Italy and warnings of school closings in the United States, intensifying the educational upheaval of nearly 300 million students globally. Only a few weeks ago, China, where the outbreak began, was the only country to suspend classes. But the virus has spread so quickly that now, 22 countries on three continents had announced school closings of varying degrees, leading the United Nations to warn that ‘the global scale and speed of the current educational disruption is unparalleled.’
10. Banks announce share swap ratios – With the March-end deadline for the biggest-ever amalgamation scheme approaching, eight state-owned banks announced swap ratios for the proposed mergers. Punjab National Bank (PNB), in a regulatory filing, announced the share exchange ratio in accordance with the scheme of amalgamation, as it is set to merge Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) and United Bank of India (UBI) into itself with effect from April 1. PNB’s board had approved for amalgamation of OBC and UBI, Punjab National Bank said in a BSE filing. According to the swap ratio, 1,150 equity shares of PNB are to be exchanged for every 1,000 equity shares of Oriental Bank of Commerce, while 121 equity shares of PNB are to be swapped for every 1,000 equity shares of UBI.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	BSNL	Graduate & Technician Apprentice	100	Diploma, Degree (E and C)	March 12, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-BSNL-Graduate-Technician-Apprentice-Posts.pdff
2	KVIC	Sr Consultant	15	PG	March 6, 2020	http://www.kvic.gov.in/kvicres/update/others/Senior%20Consultants%20Detailed%20Ad%20for%20IT%20for%20online%20uploading12022020.pdf
3	NLC India Limited	Trainee	56	10+2, CA/ CMA	March 26, 2020	https://thdc.co.in/sites/default/files/Apprentice%20Notification%20-%202020-I.pdff
4	THDC India Limited	Apprentice	30	8th, 10th Class, 10+2, ITI (Relevant Trade)	March 13, 2020	https://www.nidmp.ac.in/Upload/NIDMP_Recruitment012020.pdff
5	State Health Society, Bihar	ANM	865	Diploma (ANM)	March  30, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-State-Health-Society-Bihar-ANM-Posts.pdf
6	Women & Child Dept, Naya Raipur	Director, Member, Social Worker	82	Degree (Engg), PG	March 30, 2020	https://www.cgstate.gov.in/documents/10179/53574/cgwcd_vacancy-Notice_04-Mar-2020/ab5b33a9-9d31-40c7-b029-dae9d7956493
7	Karnataka Forest Dept	Forest Guard	399	12th Class	April 15, 2020	https://forestrecruitment.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/339-fg-notification-2019-20.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 Justice Dr. S Muralidhar received an amazing farewell from the members of the Delhi High Court Bar Associationon the occasion of his transfer to Punjab and Haryana High Court.

• Some major judgments in which Justice Murlaidhar was a part of during his 14 years of service in Delhi High Court -

1. Decriminalization of homosexuality :Naz Foundation case – 2009 – Stuck down Section 377 of Indian Penal Code which criminalise homosexuality as against ‘order of nature’.
2. Jaspal Singh Gosainvs CBI facke encounter case – Feb 2018 – Fake encounters have no place in legal system governed by rule of law.
3. BhimaKoregao case  –Aug 2018 – Quashed the transit warrant issued against GautamNavlakha.
4. 1984 anti-Sikh riots case – Dec. 2018 – Riots were amount to Crimes against Humanity:  Conviction of Sajjan Kumar.
5. Hashimpura massacre case – Oct. 2018 – Convicted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) officials in the 1987 Hashimpura mass murder case.
6. Forceful eviction of slum dwellers case– March 2019 –Gave decision against forceful eviction of 5000 slum dwellers at ShankurBasti in Delhi on December 12, 2015 with quoting the term 'Right to city'.
7. Patent case of drug Regorafenib used to treat colorectal cancer – July 2019 – Relief for generic drug manufacturers.
8. Midnight order to provide relief to Delhi riot victims.

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

2.1 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) supersedes Yes Bank board, limits withdrawals to Rs. 50,000

• The RBI superseded the board of troubled private sector lender YES Bank and imposed a 30-day moratorium on it “in the absence of a credible revival plan” amid a “serious deterioration” in its financial health.
• Former State Bank of India chief financial officer Prashant Kumar has been appointed administrator of YES Bank.
• Each depositor will be able to withdraw only up to Rs 50,000 in total till the moratorium is in place but in exceptional circumstances such as a medical
  emergency or marriage, depositors can withdraw up to Rs. 5 lakh or the amount lying in account, whichever is less.
• This is the first time that a bank of this size will be put under a moratorium by the RBI.
• During the moratorium, which came into effect from 6 pm on March 5, YES Bank will not be allowed to grant or renew any loans, and “incur any liability”, except for payment towards employees’ salaries, rent, taxes and legal expenses, among others.
• The financial position of YES Bank had undergone a steady decline “largely due to inability of the bank to raise capital to address potential loan losses and resultant downgrades, triggering invocation of bond covenants by investors, and withdrawal of deposits”.
• In November 2019, the bank reported a net loss of Rs 600 crore for the three months to September primarily owing to a one-time deferred-tax asset (DTA) adjustment of Rs 709 crore. The bank had posted a net profit of Rs 965 crore in the same period last year but its gross NPAs increased to Rs 17,134 crore in the quarter ended September from Rs 3,866 crore in the year-ago period.
• Net NPAs moved up to Rs 9,757 crore from Rs 2,019 crore in the same period. The percentage of net NPAs jumped from 0.84 per cent in Q2 FY19 to 4.35 per cent in Q2 FY20.
• Mumbai-headquartered Yes Bank was incorporated in 2004. The bank’s asset size stood at Rs. 3,71,160crore at the end of June 2019. The bank has 1,120 branches and 1, 456 ATMs across the country.
   

2.2 ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Haridwar-based Patanjali Bio Research Institute (PBRI) signedMoU for joint research and education.

2.3 44th Civil Accounts Day celebrated on March 1.

2.4 Power Ministry’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) launched star rating programme for Deep Freezer and Light Commercial Air Conditioners (LCAC).

2.5 Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar launches Humsafar mobile app for doorstep diesel delivery in the national capital region.

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

3.1 The Northern Region Renewable Energy Management Centre (NR-REMC) was inaugurated in New Delhi

• Renewable Energy Management Centers (REMCs) are equipped with Artificial Intelligence based Renewable Energy (RE) forecasting and scheduling tools.
• They provide greater visualization and enhanced situational awareness to the grid operators.
• Renewal energy supply can be seasonal (wind) or limited to some hours in the day (solar).
• It disturbs the power grid, used to seamless supply of thermal power.
• The Government of India’s target of 175 GW Renewable Energy (RE) capacity by 2022 driving accelerated RE penetration poses challenges to the grid management due to intermittent and variable nature of RE generation.
• The Government of India had approved the implementation of the REMCs as a Central Scheme and had mandated POWERGRID, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Power as an Implementing Agency.
   

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

4.1 Donald Trump administration imposes personnel cap on Chinese media entities in US

• Trump administration imposed limits on the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work in five Chinese state media entities in the United States.
• The announcement was made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said that Washington hopes that the action will urge Beijing to adopt a "more fair and reciprocal approach to the US".
• This comes in the backdrop of China's decision last month to expel three Wall Street Journal reporters over a headline on a coronavirus opinion piece on Feb3 which read: ‘China Is the Real Sick Man of Asia.’
• The entities together employ approximately 160 Chinese citizens and the cap will bring this number to 100.The personnel caps would be placed on the entities as opposed to people hence it would be up to the media outlets to decide the necessary staffing cuts
• Chinese citizens working for other media organizations in the United States are not affected by the cap.
• Tensions between the two superpowers have escalated since President Donald Trump came to office three years ago, with disputes over issues ranging from trade to accusations of Chinese spying in the United States and to U.S. support for Taiwan.
• Chinese individuals whose visas are contingent on their ability to work in the United States may be forced to leave the country. The United States would also be announcing in near future limits on duration of stay for Chinese citizens

4.2 Daren Tang of Singapore elected as new Director General of Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).

4.3 Former UN Secretary General (1981-1991) Perez de Cuellar of Peru passed away at 100.

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

5.1 Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) and Assistance to Disabled Persons for aids and appliances (ADIP)

• Senior citizens (persons above age of 60 years) and differently abled person receive Assistive Aids and Devices under the RashtriyaVayoshriYojana (RVY) and Assistance to Disabled Persons for aids and appliances (ADIP) respectively. PM recently distributed these devices at ‘SamajikAdhikartaShivir’ in Prayagraj, UP.
• RVY –

1. It is a Central Sector Scheme, fully funded by the Central Government.The expenditure for implementation of the scheme is met from the “Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund”.
2. Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the sole implementing agency of the scheme.
3. To avail the benefits person must belong to BPL family and should hold valid BPL card issued by the concerned authority.

• Under the Scheme, assisted living devices such as Walking Sticks, Elbow Crutches, Walkers/ Crutches, Tripods/ Quad pods, Hearing Aids, Wheelchairs,Artificial Dentures and Spectacles are provided free of cost to the beneficiary senior citizens.
• ADIP –

1. It is to assist the needy disabled persons in procuring durable, sophisticated and scientifically manufactured, modern, standard aids and appliances that can promote their physical, social and psychological rehabilitation, by reducing the effects of disabilities and enhance their economic potential.
2. The aids and appliances supplied under the Scheme shall conform to BIS specifications to the extent possible.The scheme is implemented through implementing agencies such as the NGOs, National Institutes under this Ministry and ALIMCO (a PSU).

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Defence

• IAF and Britain’s Royal Air Force conducted 5th edition of Ex Indradhanush at Air Force Station Hindan on February 24-29. The theme of this edition of the exercise is 'Base Defence and Force Protection'.Indradhanush provides a platform for the air forces of both the countries to share and jointly validate strategies and tactics to counter terror threats to their installations.
• IAF, SavitribaiPhule Pune University signedMoU to set up ‘Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh Chair of Excellence’.
• Explosive detection device RaIDer-X unveiled; co-developed by High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) Pune and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
• Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated Regional Hub campus of National Security Guard (NSG) at Kolkata.
• Indian Army’s Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) organised “PRAGYAN CONCLAVE 2020” in New Delhi on March 4-5.
   

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Maharashtra: Aurangabad airport renamed ChhatrapatiSambhajiMaharaj Airport.

7.2 Maharashtra International Education Board (MIEB), started by the previous BJP-led government, shut down by the new MahaVikasAghadi (MVA) coalition of Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena.

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 Punjab Govt. to install statues of religious figures and freedom fighters -- Parshuram at Ludhiana, Maharaja Agrasen at Bathinda, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur at Sirhind, Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna at Amritsar and Dr. B R Ambedkar at Phagwara/Jalandhar

8.2 City Chowk, Circular Chowk in Jammu named as Bharat Mata Chowk, AtaljiChowk.

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

9.1 Indigenously Developed Flow Diverters Stents

• Context - The research team of SreeChitraThirunal Institute of Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram has developed an intracranial flow diverter stent for the treatment of aneurysms of the blood vessels of the brain.
• Significance – Presently these are imported, indigenous technology will help to manufacture these stents at a much lower price.
• Features - Flow diverters stents are deployed in the artery in the brain bearing the aneurysms to divert blood flow away from the aneurysm, thus reducing the chances of its rupture from the pressure of blood flow. The weave shape of the designed stent makes it resistant to kinking or twisting when it is placed in complex-shaped arteries. It is made up of Nitinol - a superelastic alloy with shape memory acquired from National AeroSpace Laboratories, Bengaluru (CSIR-NAL).
• A shape-memory alloy that can be deformed when cold but returns to its pre-deformed shape when heated.
• Nitinol is a nickel-titanium alloy distinguished from other materials by its shape memory and superelastic characteristics. It was discovered while searching for materials that could be used in tools for dismantling magnetic mines. It is used in industries but due to its narrow temperature range its major use in medical field.
• Brain aneurysm, also known as Intracranial aneurysm, is a localised ballooning, bulging or dilation of arteries in the brain, caused by progressive weakening of the inner muscles of the wall of the blood vessels. Spontaneous rupture of the aneurysm can result in bleeding into the space around the brain leading to paralysis, coma or death.
• SCTIMST is an Institute of National Importance under the Department of Science and Technology.. 

9.2 National Science Day is observed on February 28 every yearto mark the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir C. V. Raman on 28 February 1928. Theme - Women in Science.

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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

• India has become one of the world’s least free democracies, which warned that “the Indian government’s alarming departures from democratic norms under Prime Minister NarendraModi’s BJP could blur the values-based distinction between Beijing and New Delhi”.
• India’s rank is at the 83rd position along with Timor-Leste and Senegal.  
• This is near the bottom of the pile among the countries categorised as “Free”, with only Tunisia receiving a lower score. 
• Kashmir, NRC, CAA and crackdown on mass protests listed as the main signs of declining freedom.
• The report treats “Indian Kashmir” as a separate territory, which saw its total score drop precipitously from 49 to 28 this year, moving it from a status of “Partly Free” to “Not Free”.

For more information download pdf from here –

https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/2020-02/FIW_2020_REPORT_BOOKLET_Final.pdf 

10.2 Daily dose of FIVE Facts -

• Tamil Nadu was the Best State in Organ Donation for the fifth time in a row at the 10th Indian Organ Donation Day recently.
• The Arms (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by the Parliament in Dec19. Licenses for arms will now be issued for a period of five years.
• Republication Party holds the majority in Senate of US Parliament.
• Good governance index (GGI) was launched by the Centre in December 2019. Madhya Pradesh has topped the ranking in agriculture and allied sector among Big States. 
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in New Delhi in Jan 20.

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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