Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 11-03-2020

Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 11-03-2020

• 
  

• [message]
• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. MP govt wobbles as Scindia and 22 MLAs quit, set to join BJP –Jyotiraditya Scindia made it an unhappy Holi for Congress, quitting the party, which triggered 22 MLA resignations and pushed the Kamal Nath government to the brink. Seventeen of the MLAs who have resigned are from the Scindia faction, and two were already in communicado. Three others joined them, including one brought back from Bengaluru. BJP took the resignations to Speaker N P Prajapati, who said he would take a decision only after getting legal opinion. If the resignations are accepted, it’ll reduce Congress’s strength in the 230-member House to 92, and BJP, with 107 MLAs, could stake claim to form government. There were reports of an SP and a BSP MLA—who have so far supported the Congress government—meeting Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the three-time BJP CM.
2. 5 corona cases confirmed in Maha, Kerala put under lockdown–India’s count of coronavirus cases rose by 18 to 62 with eight testing positive in Kerala, five in Maharashtra, four in Karnataka and one in J&K. A Pune couple, their daughter, one of their co-travellers from a group of 40 on a Dubai trip, and the cab driver who drove the family from Mumbai to Pune on March 1 on their return were the five confirmed cases in Pune. Meanwhile, the Kerala government went on high alert after eight new cases were reported. Government sources said the number of cases is expected to rise and have imposed a host of regulations, including shutting down all educational institutions and cinema halls till March 31. All government functions too have been suspended till the monthend. The CM urged all religious heads and institutions to organise events without mass gatherings.
3. Yes Bank moratorium likely to be lifted this weekend –Yes Bank’s resolution is likely to happen as early as this weekend, according to RBI-appointed administrator Prashant Kumar. The bank’s administrator has made it clear that availability of funds is not an issue at all and full services will be restored when the moratorium is lifted. The bank has also enabled inward fund transfer through IMPS and NEFT to enable credit card bill repayments. The bank has been assured cash lines from RBI and SBI. Between the two, the bank is assured of enough liquidity to meet withdrawal demand even when the moratorium is lifted.
4. After worst one-day fall in history, Dalal St expects sensex to stabilise –Dalal Street investors are expecting a stable session after a day’s break when most markets around the world stabilised following manic sell-offs. The day’s selling in India, led by foreign funds, had resulted in a record 1,942-point crash in the sensex to 35,635, a one-year-low level that also wiped out over Rs 7 lakh crore worth of investors’ wealth. Market players are also likely to take solace from a Sebi statement that indirectly said that there was no problem with the Indian market and the sell-off was due to external reasons.However, bond market players expect some volatility, mainly due to the RBI’s decision last week to extinguish Yes Bank’s AT1 bonds—a type of debt instrument that was perceived to be highly secured—as part of the proposed restructuring plan of the lender.
5. Threat of coronavirus pandemic now 'very real': WHO–The World Health Organization warned there was now a "very real" threat that the new coronavirus outbreak will become a pandemic, but stressed the virus could still be controlled.After global COVID-19 infections passed the 100,000-mark, WHO chief Tedros A dhanom Ghebreyesus told that "the threat of a pandemic has become very real."But he stressed, "even if we call it a pandemic, still we can contain it and control it.
   
6. Ghani sworn in as Afghan president, rival holds own inauguration –Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has taken an oath for a second term but his main rival Abdullah Abdullah has refused to recognise the inauguration, holding his own swearing-in ceremony, landing the country in a new political crisis. International representatives, including US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, and US and NATO forces commander General Scott Miller, attended Ghani's inauguration at the Presidential palace in the capital, Kabul.Abdullah Abdullah rejected the presidential election results announced last month, saying Ghani's win was invalid because of vote-rigging in a repeat of the 2014 elections marred by fraud.
7. Max von Sydow, Star of 'The Seventh Seal' and 'The Exorcist,' Dies at 90 – Max von Sydow, the legend of Swedish cinema who dueled with Death in a game of chess in Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal and portrayed the resolute Father Merrin in William Friedkin's The Exorcist, has died. He was 90. Von Sydow, who starred in 11 films directed by Bergman, typically playing a tormented protagonist, died at his home in Provence, France.
8. Demand slump: Farm items’ price fall raises rural pain fear– Increased supplies and some demand destruction caused by Covid-19 have of late resulted in a correction of prices of food items including vegetables, non-perishables like cereals and sugar as also chicken and egg. This could give some relief to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), which is struggling to find room for a rate cut amid elevated inflation, even as growth pangs weigh heavily on its mind but the drop in prices of food crop could adversely impact rural consumption which apparently has shown signs of revival lately.
9. Falling LNG prices to revive prospects of stressed power units –Falling spot prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) makes this an opportune time for revival of stressed gas-based power assets in the country. LNG prices are currently at $5 per million metric British thermal unit (mmbtu), down from a peak of $10 per mmbtu as recently as November 2018.
   
10. Foreign pension funds may soon get more freedom– Deep reforms are on the anvil in the country’s pension market, with plans to permit foreign pension funds to set up independent pension trusts and make the Pension Fund Regulatory Development Authority (PFRDA) the sole authority to allow a pension product into the market.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Dredging Corporation of India Limited	Trainee (Dredging)	9	M.Tech (Dredging and Harbour Engg)	March 23, 2020	http://dredge-india.nic.in/files/exceutivedredging.pdf
2	CIMFR	Sr. Scientist	9	M.E/ M.Tech, Ph.D (Relevant Discipline)	April9, 2020	http://cimfr.nic.in/upload_files/current_opportunity/1583750529_Advertisement%20No.-CIMFR-012020.pdf
3	IIT, Kanpur	Assistant Project Manager	5	Degree, PG (Relevant Discipline)	March 16, 2020	http://www.iitk.ac.in/dord/project/dord-apm-07-03-20.html
4	NIMR	Project Consultant, Project Asst, Project Technician – I, II, III, DEO	8	10th, 12th Class, DMLT, Degree, Ph.D	March21, 2020	https://nimr.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Advertisement-for-NIMR-NADIAD-.pdf
5	Central Citrus Research Institute	Young Professiional – II, Research Associate, SRF, JRF	8	PGwith NET/ GATE, Ph.D	March 30, 2020	http://www.ccringp.org.in/ccringp/PDF/advt12.pdf
6	Army Recruiting Office, Ghoom	Soldier (General Duty)	-	10th Class	April26, 2020	http://joinindianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/BRAVO_NotificationPDF/Ghoom_Rally_Notification_04-06_May_2020.pdf
7	BEL	Trainee Engineer – I, Project Engineer – I	24	B.E/ B.Tech	March14, 2020	http://bel-india.in/Documentviews.aspx?fileName=Web%20advertisement%20MS%20SBU-07-01-20.pdf

 

• [message]
• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

• [message]
• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Allahabad HC orders removal of posters with details of anti-CAA protesters

• The high court took suo motu cognizance of the matter and issued a notice to the Lucknow district administrator and divisional police commissioner seeking an explanation on the laws that the administration relied on to put up the hoardings across the city.
• The court also directed the district magistrate and the Lucknow police commissioner to submit a compliance report on or before 16 March.
• Posters bearing photographs, names and addresses of those accused of vandalism during the anti-CAA protests had come up at major road crossings in Lucknow last week on the orders of the state government. The police in Lucknow had identified around 50 people as alleged rioters who were served notices.
• In Uttar Pradesh, there are lakhs who are accused of serious crimes, but their personal details have not been made public, the court pointed out.
• “In entirety, we are having no doubt that the action of the state, which is (the) subject matter of this public interest litigation, is nothing but an unwarranted interference in (the) privacy of people. The same, hence, is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India”
  ~ The High Court Bench 

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

2.1 PM launched a campaign to set up 10,000 Farmers Producer Organisations (FPO) all over the country from Chitrakoot (UP)

• These organisations will be set up in next five years.
• New FPOs will be set up to increase the income of the farmers and to empower them.
• FPOs will enable the farmers to market and process the crops along with producing them. It will help small, marginal and landless farmers in order to give them access to technology, quality seed, fertilizers and pesticides including helping them in marketing of their products.
• The Centre will provide fund of Rs 15 lakh to each FPO.
• Nearly 86% of farmers are small and marginal with average land holdings in the country being less than 1.1 hectare. These farmers face tremendous challenges during agriculture production phase.

2.2 Chief Economic Adviser K V Subramanian delivers 7th Dr Raja J Chelliah Memorial Lecture on Ethical Wealth Creation in Chennai.

2.3 FICCI organising India Pharma 2020 and India Medical Device 2020 Conference and Exhibition at Gandhinagar on March 5-7.

2.4 Andhra Pradesh government to permit GMR Group to develop Bhogapuram International Airport near Visakhapatnam.

2.5 Govt. invited bids for the sale of its entire 52.98% stake in PSU Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL).

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

3.1 Fishing cat, Smooth-coated otter and Eurasian otter found in Chilika Lake

• Context: A study of the wildlife fauna in and around  Chilika Lake in Odisha.
• Details: Researchers have found the presence of a viable, breeding population of a fishing cat in the brackish water lagoon. Another globally endangered species, smooth-coated otter, has also been recorded. The fishing cat and smooth-coated otter enjoy conservation measures of the highest accord in India according to the country’s laws, much like the tiger and elephant.
• Fishing cat - The fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) is a medium-sized wild cat. It is a globally endangered species that is elusive. It hunts in water. It has specialized features like partially webbed feet and water-resistant fur that helps it to thrive in wetlands. The fishing cat is predominantly nocturnal. The fishing cat lives foremost in the vicinity of wetlands. The fishing cats are found in very few places in the south and south-east Asia. In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats. The fishing cat is threatened by destruction of wetlands. The fishing cats are also occasionally poached for its skin. Since 2016, the fishing cat is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) lists the fishing cat on Appendix II of CITES, which governs international trade in this species. In India, the fishing cat is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and thereby protected from hunting. The fishing cat is the state animal of West Bengal.
• Smooth-coated Otter - The smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is an otter species occurring in most of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq. The smooth-coated otter is a relatively large otter, from 7 to 11 kg in weight and 59 to 64 cm in head-body length. Its tail is flattened, in contrast to the more rounded tails of other otters. Its legs are short and strong, with large webbed feet bearing strong claws.
• Eurasian otter  - The study has also recorded the presence of the Eurasian otter in Chilika. Despite being a widely-spread and common species globally, very little is known of the Eurasian otter’s distribution and abundance in India and especially along the eastern coast.

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

4.1 Parliament of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, accepted resignation of PM Oleksiy Honcharuk. Denys Shmygal appointed new PM.

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

5.1 Real-time assessment ofDDU-GKY would be undertaken by NIRDPR

• The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) will soon undertake real-time assessment of flagship youth employment scheme of government, the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushlya Yojana (DDU-GKY).
• The institute has developed an enterprise resource planning platform called ‘Kaushal Bharath,’ to enable states to capture data on projects under DDU-GKY and for the information to be collated in one system.
• Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is a placement linked skill development program which allows skilling in a PPP mode and assured placements in regular jobs in an organization not owned by the skilled person.
• DDU-GKY is being undertaken as PPP Project all over the country through Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) registered with the Ministry of Rural Development.
• Guidelines of the scheme mandate State Governments to take up skill training projects with Corporate Social Responsibility funding.
• DDU-GKY Guidelines provide for setting apart 15% of the funds  for national level beneficiaries from among minority groups.
• Eligibility - Rural Youth - 15 to 35 years. SC/ST/Women/PVTG/PWD - upto 45 years.
  

• [message]
• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Accidents, Natural and Man-made Disasters

Govt. reconstitutes the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR)

• The government has reconstituted the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) with Union Home Minister Amit Shah as its chairperson and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, among others, as its members.
• The NPDRR is a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral decision making body on disaster management. It was established in year 2013.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank', Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri are among its members.
• The minister of each state government and union territory dealing with disaster management, a member of the state disaster management authority, mayors of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, and municipal commissioners of these cities will also be its members.
• Ten chairpersons of urban local bodies, to be nominated by the urban development ministry, 10 representatives of Panchayat Raj Institutions, to be nominated by the panchayat raj ministry, four Lok Sabha members, two Rajya Sabha members, and the Union home secretary and secretaries of departments concerned will be the NPDRR's ex-officio members, the notification said. 
• The Lok Sabha members will be nominated by the speaker and those from the Rajya Sabha by the chairman.

• [message]
• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Lok Sabha passes Mines and Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill

• Lok Sabha on March 6, 2020 gave passed the Mines and Mineral Laws (Amendment) Bill that proposes to remove end-use restrictions for participating in coal mine auctions and will open up the coal sector fully for commercial mining for all domestic and global companies.

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

8.1 Sanitary pad makers will be required to provide bio-degradable bags from January 2021

• The Centre would make it mandatory for sanitary pad manufacturers to provide bio-degradable bags for the disposal of each pad from January 2021, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, said on March 8, 2020. Javadekar made this announcement at an International Women’s Day event in Pune, where he interacted with waste collectors of SWaCH Pune, a wholly-owned workers’ cooperative.

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

9.1 IIT-M develops AI-powered drones to counter ‘rogue’ ones

• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in March 2020 claimed to have developed an AI-powered drone to counter ‘rogue drones’ (unregulated unmanned aerial vehicles) ensuring safety at vital locations.
• The AI-powered system would be an assistance to law enforcement agencies, security services, armed forces in order to secure air space over critical civilian and military installations by ‘rogue’ drones.
• The drones can hack into the GPS navigation system of the ‘rogue drones’ forcing it to change its flight path or make a safe landing, a press release said.
• India has an estimated over six lakh rogue or unregulated unmanned aerial vehicles and security agencies were analysing modern anti-drone weapons like ‘sky fence’ and ‘drone gun’ to counter terror or similar sabotage bids by such aerial platforms. According to central security agencies, unregulated drones and remotely-piloted aircraft system pose a ‘potential threat’ to vital installations and other sensitive locations.

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

10.1   Ranking– Freedom in the World 2020report released by US-based democracy watchdog Freedom House   

India has been ranked at 83rd position. 

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 -

• Kerala launched the ‘Nadu-Nedu’ programme in Nov2019 for transforming government schools.
• A Conference on ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ was organised by the governments of J&K in and Tamil Nadu in Jammu in Nov19. 
• United Arab Emirates achieved a Guinness World Records title for the most nationalities on an aircraft with 145 individuals from 145 nationalities in Dec 2019.
• Chen Yufei won the Women’s Singles title at the BWF World Tour Finals badminton in Guangzhou, China in Dec2019.
• Dehradun (Uttarakhand), hosted the 79th Conference of Presiding Officers of Legislative Bodies in Dec 2019.

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!

• [message]
• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

---