Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 20-03-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 20-03-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 pandemic: PM calls for social distancing, people’s curfew – Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians across the country to face the coronavirus pandemic with collective determination and patience to make sure that “humanity and India prevails”. In his address to the nation on television, Mr. Modi also announced the setting up of the COVID-19 task force, under Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, for measures to mitigate some of the economic hardships engendered by the pandemic. There were nine calls to action in Mr. Modi’s address, including a self-imposed ‘janata curfew’ (people’s curfew) on March 22, not to resort to panic-buying, asking senior citizens to stay indoors, social-distancing, avoiding elective surgery or routine health check-ups not to overburden health services, asking employers to pay employees in full when they have to stay home and to stay away from rumours.
2. COVID-19 pandemic: Virus toll touches 5; Gujarat, Chhattisgarh report first cases – Two more Indian nationals succumbed to COVID-19 — one in Punjab and the other in Iran — taking the death toll to five on a day the government announced a total ban on flights by scheduled international passenger aircraft at Indian airports from March 22 to 29. Globally, the number of deaths due to the epidemic crossed 9,200, while the number of cases rose to over 2,25,000 from 200,000 in the last 24 hours. The number of COVID-19 positive Indians rose to 424, of which 148 contracted the disease in the country and 276 overseas.
3. Supreme Court orders M.P. floor test today – The Supreme Court ordered a floor test in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly on March 20, agreeing that uncertainty over whether the Kamal Nath-led Congress government enjoys the confidence of the House cannot go on for even another day. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta overrode a decision by Speaker N.P. Prajapati to adjourn the session to March 26. Justice Chandrachud remarked that a floor test was best before the politics got any murkier. It agreed with Governor Lalji Tandon that every day of delay in conducting the floor test would be a win for horse-trading.
4. Nirbhaya Case: As plea before court fails, four Nirbhaya convicts to be hanged – The four death-row convicts in the December 16, 2012 gang-rape and murder case are scheduled to be hanged on March 20 morning after the Delhi High Court dismissed a eleventh hour petition seeking a stay on the execution. The High Court, which heard the petition of the convicts till late night, pronounced its order around 12 a.m. and said the plea was without any merit. Having exhausted all available legal remedies, including mercy petition before the President, three of the convicts have meet their respective families for the last time. The family of one of the convicts did not come to visit him.
5. Defence: Defence Ministry places order for 16,479 LMG – The Ministry of Defence (MoD)  signed a Rs. 880-crore contract with the Israeli Weapon Industries (IWI) for 16,479 Light Machine Guns (LMG). The contracted Negev 7.62X51 mm LMG is a combat-proven weapon and currently used by several countries and would greatly enhance the lethality and range of a soldier compared to the presently used weapon. The Army has recently begun inducting the first batch of 10,000 SIG-716 assault rifles with troops engaged in counter-insurgency operations in the Northern Command. The rifles are being procured under a contract signed in February 2019 with Sig Sauer of the U.S. for 72,400 SIG-716 assault rifles worth over Rs. 700 crore.
6. COVID-19 pandemic: Italy overtakes China’s virus death toll; China hits a milestone - no new local COVID-19 infection – Italy’s death toll from the COVID-19 outbreak overtook that of China, where the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, first emerged. A total of 427 deaths were registered in Italy over the past 24 hours, bringing the total nationwide tally to 3,405 since the outbreak surfaced on February 21. China has recorded 3,245 deaths since early January.
7. Sri Lanka parliamentary elections postponed – Sri Lanka’s general elections, which was scheduled to be held on April 25, have been postponed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. It was not possible to hold polls amid the coronavirus crisis, Chairman of the Election Commission of Sri Lanka told media persons on Thursday, when the number of positive COVID-19 cases in the island rose to 59. A new date for the polls will be announced in the coming weeks.
8. Rupee rebounds from new lows as RBI gives Rs. 25k cr support - The rupee rebounded from a record low of 74.49 to close 31 paise higher at 73.91 against the dollar following a recovery in the stock markets and RBI’s announcement that it will provide funds to banks to offset the shortage of liquidity caused by its sale of dollars. At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened lower at 74.39 and slid further to the day’s low of 74.49 as the BSE sensex crashed by over 3,000 points before triggering the circuit breaker. The rupee recovered sharply to 73.91, up 31paise against the dollar, as the RBI’s measures were seen to be supporting the Indian currency.
9. Exports rise for first time in seven months - India’s exports grew for the first time in seven months, while imports returned to positive territory after falling for eight months, although traders are bracing for a fresh bout of slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Latest data released by the commerce department estimated that exports went up 2.9% to $37.5 billion in February, led by shipments of oil seeds, electronic goods and iron. But there were signs of a slowdown in segments such as iron ore, where China is a key market, with the growth rate moderating to 38% in February compared to an over 105% jump in the previous month. Several industries are fearing massive slowdown in coming months due to Covid-19.
10. Ropax ferry service launched between Mumbai and Mandwa near Alibaug - A roll on-roll off cum passenger ferry service, also called 'Ropax', between Bhaucha Dhakka, Mumbai to Mandwa, Alibaug, was launched on March 15, 2020 in the presence of Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya. The vessel, built in Greece, can carry 200 cars and 1000 passengers. It can reach speeds of 14 knots and will complete the 18-kilometre sea journey in 45 minutes to one hour. The road distance between Mumbai and Mandwa is 110 kilometres and can take anything between three to four hours.

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 Miners Health	Project Asst , Research Scientist & Accounts Asst	5	Degree, PG	March 19, 2020	http://www.nimh.gov.in/downloads/Employment/Advt_for_post_of_Research_Scientist_2020.pdf
2	NIRT	Consultant/ Scientist C/ Scientist B/ Jr Medical Officer, Sr Pro. Asst.	6	12th Class, Degree, PG, Ph.D	March 21, 2020	http://www.nirt.res.in/pdf/2020/ADVT/18.03.2020/Advertisement-%20Walk%20in%20interview%20or%20skype%20interview%20at%20Delhi%20on%2021.03.2020%20under%20NTBPS.pdf
3	ICCR	Programme Officer, Asst, Stenographer, Stenographer, LDC	32	12th Class, Any Degree, Comp. Knowledge	April 8, 2020	https://www.iccr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Announcement/notification%20DR%20posts_0.pdf
4	AIISH, Mysore	Reader, Lecturer, Research Officer, Research Associate	7	MBBS, MS, M.Sc, PG, Ph.D	March 30, 2020	https://aiishmysore.in/en/admin/file_att/advt%205%202020.pdf
5	ICMR	Jr Research Fellow	150	M.Sc/ M.A	May  27, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-ICMR-Jr-Research-Fellow-Posts.pdf
6	Assam Police	Asst Dy Controller, Civil Defence Demonstrator/ Wireless Operator	34	HSLC, Degree (Arts/ Science/ Commerce)	April 8, 2020	https://slprbassam.in/pdf/RecruitmentNotice2020/Advertisement%20dated%20civil-defence%2017-03-2020.pdf
7	Office of the Dy Comm., Barpeta	Junior Assistant	27	Degree (Arts/ Science/ Commerce)	April 3, 2020	https://niyog.assam.gov.in/barpeta/files/advertise.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 COVID-19: All benches to take up only extremely urgent matters on coming March 23 and 26: Bombay HC

• Taking another step towards minimal human contact amid widespread public anxiety over the pandemic of Covid-19, the Bombay High Court in continuance of previous directions by the Acting Chief Justice BP Dharmadhikari has now directed benches at Nagpur, Aurangabad and High Court of Bombay at Goa, to take up only extremely urgent matters on Monday, March 23 and 26, 2020.
• No judicial work will be taken up on March 24 and 27, 2020. However, filing shall be allowed within working hours.
• Furthermore, the notice states - 

1. Praecipe for circulation shall be sent only through E-mails.
2. No oral mentioning would be permitted. If praecipe is allowed, then only the matter would be listed on board
3. The assignment shall be separately published as is done during the vacations.
4. The Registry shall call for the staff as may be required for the two working days during the week;
5. The Advocates, Litigants and Public are requested to circulate only extremely urgent matters that cannot wait beyond the next week.

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

2.1 GST Council meeting held; rate on mobile phones raised to 18%

• GST Council meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on March 14, 2020.
• GST rate on mobile phones and specific parts was raised from 12% to 18%. 
• One rate of GST at 12% for both hand-made and machine-made matchsticks announced. 
• It was 18% on machine-made and 5% on man-made matchboxes. 
• GST rate on Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) services for aircrafts reduced from 18% to 5%.

2.2  'BhoomiRashi' Portal expedited process of land acquisition for National Highways.

1. The 'BhoomiRashi' Portal launched in March 2018 has significantly expedited the process of land acquisition for National Highways, said Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. 
2. The portal has been integrated with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for depositing the compensation in the account of affected/ interested persons on a real-time basis.

2.3  RBI to regulate activities of payment aggregators (PAs) who are entities that facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept various payment instruments from the customers for completion of their payment obligations.

2.4  RBI extends validity of Authorization issued to Vakrangee to setup, own and operate the White Label ATMs till 31 March 2021.

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

3.1 Coronavirus vaccines: five key questions as trials begin

• The push to make a coronavirus vaccine is moving at breakneck speed.
• The first of a few dozen healthy volunteers in Seattle, Washington, received a vaccine in a phase 1 safety trial sponsored by the US government.
• Similar safety trials of other coronavirus vaccines will also begin soon.
• Even as these ‘first in human’ trials get going, key questions about how our immune system fights off the virus — and how to safely trigger a similar immune response with a vaccine — remain unanswered.
• Here are some of the key questions that scientists hope to answer to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
• Do people develop immunity? - Vaccines help a person to generate an immune response against an infection without first being exposed to the pathogen. Studies of other coronaviruses, such as the four that cause some common colds, lead most researchers to assume that people who have recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection will be protected from reinfection for a period of time. But that assumption needs to be backed by evidence, we don’t know that much about immunity to this virus.
• If humans do develop immunity, how long does it last? - That’s another big unknown. Immunity is short-lived for the coronaviruses that cause common colds; even people who have high levels of antibodies against these viruses can still become infected. The evidence is more equivocal for the two other coronaviruses that have triggered epidemics: those that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Perlman says his team has found that after people recover from MERS, their antibodies against the virus drop precipitously.
• What kind of immune response should vaccine developers look for? - The phase 1 trial that began this week focuses on the safety of a vaccine developed by Moderna, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. But researchers will also look closely at the nature of the immune response the vaccine summons.
• How do we know if a vaccine is likely to work? - Normally, vaccines go into human trials after tests for safety and effectiveness in animals. But the Moderna vaccine and another being developed by Inovio Pharmaceuticals in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, are being tested in animals at the same time as human phase 1 trials are happening. Inovio plans to begin its first human trial in April.
• Will it be safe? - Because they are given to large numbers of healthy people, vaccines usually have a higher bar for safety than do drugs administered to people who are already ill. With SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, researchers’ main safety concern is to avoid a phenomenon called disease enhancement, in which vaccinated people who do get infected develop a more severe form of the disease than people who have never been vaccinated. In studies of an experimental SARS vaccine reported3 in 2004, vaccinated ferrets developed damaging inflammation in their livers after being infected with the virus.
  

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

4.1 US Federal Reserve cuts benchmark borrowing rate to a range of 0-0.25%.

4.2 RBI to conduct open market operations (OMOs) on March 20 in the form of purchase of an aggregate amount of Rs 10,000 crore of government securities.

4.3 S&P Global Ratings lowers India's economic growth forecast to 5.2% for 2020.

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

5.1 Manipur CM announces schemes for welfare of sportspersons and artists

• Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on March 15, 2020 announced schemes for the welfare of sports persons and artists of the State. 
• Under the ‘Chief Minister’s Akhannaba Sanaroising gi Tengbang (CMAST)’ scheme, suitable employment in government services will be provided to sports persons, who have won medals in notified disciplines in selected International Sports events. The scheme would also support the sports persons on purchasing of costly sports items. Also, cash awards for Olympic participants have been enhanced to 1 crore, 75 lakh, 50 lakh and 10 lakh rupees for different categories. Sportsperson who have represented in National and International tournaments and are unemployed would be given lifetime pension. 
• The Chief Minister Artist Sing gi Tengbang (CMAT) scheme is designed with a view to encourage the artists in different fields and targeted to cover 4000 artistes in a year. Pension will be given to selected artists who are 60 years and above. Monetary support would be extended to cultural groups or institutes for training and productions in various fields of arts and culture. Financial assistance will also be provided to the students studying in government dance and music institutes in Manipur.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Defence

• Lt Gen Dhillon appointed Defence Intel Agency chief - Former 15 Corps Commander, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, has been appointed as the Director-General, Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence) under the Chief of Defence Staff. Lt Gen Dhillon will replace Lt Gen AS Bedi who assumed the appointment in February 2018. As DG, DIA, he would be responsible for handling the intelligence inputs from all the three services along with various other agencies. The government had in December 2019 created the Department of Military Affairs which looks after the tri-services issues and enhance coordination. The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) was created as part of recommendations of the Kargil review committee report under K Subrahmanyam. The DIA is a tri-services organisation.
• ITBP DG S. S. Deswal given additional charge of the DG BSF - Director General Indo-Tibetan Border Police S. S. Deswal has been given the additional charge of the DG Border Security Force (BSF) after the repatriation of incumbent Vivek Johri to his parent cadre Madhya Pradesh, an MHA directive issued on March 10, 2020.

• Two labourers killed in an explosion at an Ammunition Depot of Army in Anantnag district Jammu and Kashmir.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 2020 Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding woman journalist announced

• Arfa Khanum Sherwani of The Wire and Bengaluru-based freelancer Rohini Mohan have been jointly given the 2020 Chameli Devi Jain Award for outstanding woman journalist. Rukmini S, an independent data-journalist from Chennai, received honourable mention.
• Sherwani was chosen for her reporting from conflict situations in Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh. Mohan’s reportage on the NRC exercise in Assam set a new benchmark for investigative journalism. 
• Rukmini S got special recognition for pushing the boundaries of data journalism in India. 
• The Media Foundation instituted the Chameli Devi Jain Award in 1980, named after Chameli Devi Jain, a legendary freedom fighter and community reformer who went to jail for her beliefs.

7.2 Parliament passes Central Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 granting central university status to three deemed Sanskrit universities - Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, and Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth Tirupati.

7.3 Government nominates former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to Rajya Sabha.

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

8.1 Winners of road safety reporting prizes announced by Centre for Media Studies 

• Prachi Salve of IndiaSpend and Pradeep Dwivedi of Dainik Jagran were jointly awarded first prize on road safety reporting by New Delhi-based Centre for Media Studies (CMS). CMS, a not-for-profit research think tank, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) India, conducted a three-month fellowship programme for journalists to work on road safety and related issues in 2019. The second prize awardees are B Raveendra Shetty of Vijay Karnataka and Purnima Singh of Times Now Hindi.

8.2 World Sleep Day observed on March 13

• World Sleep Day was observed on March 13, 2020. 
• The day is organised by the World Sleep Society every year on the Friday before Spring Vernal Equinox - which is March 13 in 2020. 
• The day is dedicated to spreading awareness about all aspects of sleep including the importance of getting good sleep, sleep medicines and social aspects of sleep problems. 
• The theme of this year’s World Sleep Day is 'better sleep, better lives, better planet'.

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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–  Global House Price Index Q3 2019, Knight Frank

• India ranked 47th in the world in terms of appreciation in housing prices as rates grew by only 0.6 per cent during July-September quarter over the year-ago period on slow demand, global property.
• Report tracks the movement in mainstream residential prices across 56 countries and territories worldwide using official statistics.
• Hungary leads the index this quarter with 15.4 per cent annual price growth, followed by Luxembourg at 11.4 per cent and Croatia at 10.4 per cent. Slovakia is at number four with home price rising by 9.7 per cent, followed by Latvia (9 per cent), Czech Republic (8.7 per cent), China (8.5 per cent), Jersey (8.5 per cent), Mexico (8.4 per cent) and Russia (8.1 per cent).
• Prices across 56 countries and territories worldwide rose at an annual rate of 3.7 per cent on average, which marks the index's slowest rate of growth for over six years. 

For more information download pdf from here –
  
https://content.knightfrank.com/research/84/documents/en/global-house-price-index-q3-2019-6859.pdf

 10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• MSME Minister Nitin Gadkari in Dec 2019 launched the sale of ‘Khadi Rumal’ made by weavers in J&K.
• The International Migrants Day was observed on December 18, 2019.  
• Angela Merkel topped Forbes’ annual list of ‘World's 100 Most Powerful Women’. 
• Admiral Aurangzeb Chowdhury, Chief of Naval Staff Bangladesh Navy in Dec 2019 visited naval base in Visakhapatnam.
• In Banking, the term P2P means Peer to peer.

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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