Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 23-03-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 23-03-2020

• [message]
• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. 80 districts in lockdown to contain virus spread - All train, metro and inter-State transport services across the country were suspended on Sunday till March 31 as the death toll from COVID-19 rose to seven nationwide, and the number of confirmed cases stood at 396. Unprecedented restrictions were imposed in 80 districts across 17 States and five Union Territories affected by the pandemic. The Union Health Ministry said Bihar and Gujarat had reported their first casualties from COVID-19. A 38-year-old man with a kidney ailment and recent travel history to Qatar died at AIIMS-Patna and a 67-year-old man died at a hospital in Surat. Another death of a 63-year-old man was reported from Mumbai.
2. PM thanks people for staying indoors, says battle not over - An eerie silence descended on the country as millions of Indians stayed indoors following a call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a ‘people’s curfew’ to break the transmission chain of the novel coronavirus. Traffic was negligible as people struggled in some places to find transport from airports. Trains and public buses also did not ply. Just before 5 p.m., sirens sounded in several cities and people came out onto the roads and balconies clapping their hands and banging steel plates to express gratitude to those providing essential services during this crisis. In many places, conch shells sounded as people milled around.
3. Maoists kill 17 policemen in Chhattisgarh - Seventeen members of a police patrol were killed in an ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma. Around 350 Maoists, including women cadres, opened fire on a police patrol, consisting of 100 personnel, in an attack that lasted around five hours. Fifteen policemen were injured, with two in a critical condition.
4. IIT-D team develops cheaper COVID-19 test - Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology here have developed a method to detect COVID-19 that can significantly reduce the test cost, making it affordable for large sections. The National Institute of Virology, Pune, is in the process of validating this test on clinical samples. The “probe-free detection assay” has been optimised and tested for sensitivity at the research laboratories of IIT. The Centre recommended that the maximum charge for a COVID-19 test by private laboratories should not exceed Rs. 4,500.
5. RoDTEP to replace MEIS for boosting exports - The government on March 13, 2020 approved a scheme for reimbursement of taxes and duties to exporters with a view to give boost to the country's dwindling outbound shipments. The sectors and products under the remission of duties and taxes on export products (RoDTEP) will be notified in a phased manner and the MEIS (Merchandise Exports from India Scheme) benefit for those sectors and items will be withdrawn.
6. Justice Bansi Lal Bhat appointed as the officiating chairperson of NCLAT - The government has appointed Justice Bansi Lal Bhat as the officiating chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT). NCLAT Chairperson Justice Sudhansu Jyoti Mukhopadhaya retired on March 13, 2020.
7. Asia stocks see wild turnaround – A terrible week for Asian stocks started to look a bit better as Friday evolved. As Asia woke up to the worst Wall Street selloff since 1987, benchmark indices sank across the region, triggering trading halts from Seoul to Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and Mumbai. But by the end of the trading day, Australian stocks had staged a record intra-day swing to close up 4.4%. Later in the day, India was in the green and Thailand had pared a plunge of 13% to gain 0.3%, while the MSCI Asia-Pacific Index gauge had trimmed its loss to 1.9% after sinking as much as 6.7%.
8. Lok Sabha passes the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020; upper limit for permitting abortions extended from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks for “special categories of women”.
9. Lok Sabha passes Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 giving statutory status to regulatory institutions such as DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) and AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau).
10. Rajya Sabha passed 2 bills on quality medical education system in homoeopathy and promotion of Indian systems of medicines.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Cochin Shipyard Limited	Safety Assistant, Fireman	58	10th Class, Diploma	April 2, 2020	https://cochinshipyard.com/uploads/career/9726d3ffc5edb9f222cefad1fff8969a.pdf
2	IIT, Madras	Project Associate, Sr Technician, Jr Technician	9	Diploma (Civil), B.Tech/ B.E	March 28, 2020	https://icandsr.iitm.ac.in/recruitment/admin/uploads/announce/Announcement%20for%20the%20%20Various%20posts%20in%20the%20Dept.%20of%20Ocean%20Engineering.pdf
3	CSWRI	Young Professional I, II	10	Degree, PG (Relevant Discipline)	April 16, 17, 2020	https://www.cswri.res.in/upload/466819021-yp%20adver.pdf
4	CIMAP	Sr Technical Officer, Technical Asst, Technician, Jr Secretariat Asst	23	10th Class, ITI, Degree, PG	April 2, 2020	https://www.cimap.res.in/english/images/vacancies/2020/advt012020.pdf
5	Ministry of Tribal Affairs	Consultant	7	PG (Relevant Discipline), CA	--	https://tribal.nic.in/writereaddata/News/202003060229236724262NESTSMar20.pdf
6	NALCO	Graduate Engineer Trainee	120	Degree (Engg/ Tech)	April 9, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-NALCO-GET.pdf
7	IOCL, Marketing Division	Trade Apprentice, Technician Apprentice	404	10th Class with ITI, 12th Class, Diploma (Engg), Any Degree	April 10, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-IOCL-Marketing-Division-Apprentice.pdf

• [message]
• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

1.1 Weekly Roundup – Constitution and Law

• Nirbhaya Case – SC dismisses final plea of convicts to stay execution after past midnight hearing. Convicts hanged to death. This is the first time in the history of independent India that four convicts have been executed simultaneously.
• SC orders Floor Test in Madhya Pradesh assembly for Kamal Nath government.
• SC directs Navy to grant permanent commission for serving women SSC officers.
• SC adjourns department of telecommunications’ plea seeking grant of 20 years’ time for Telecom companies to pay off their dues.
• SC stays Kerala and Allahabad HC orders stopping recovery measures by Tax Authorities, Banks citing COVID19.
• Centre files counter affidavit to petitions challenging CAA, says CAA does not affect legal, democratic or secular rights of any Indian.
• SC restrain Manipur BJP Minister from entering legislative assembly till further orders. 
• Limitation period for executing a decree passed by a foreign court will be the limitation prescribed in the reciprocating foreign country – SC
• COVID19: SC takes suo moto notice of non-supply of Mid-day meals due to school shutdowns.
• Hindu Dharma Parishad files PIL in SC seeking ban on all protests, either for or against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.
• Surrender of Passport can be ordered to ensure presence of parties in contempt proceedings.
• Bail is rule and Jail is exception: SC reiterates after HC denied accused bail even after police filed closure report.
• Calcutta HC: Political Activity part of right to life and personal liberty; foreigner can claim article 21.
• MP Political Crisis: No interim relief for Digvijay Singh  from Karnataka HC to meet Rebel Congress MLAs.
• COVID19: Madras HC restricts all protests until pandemic threat abates.
• HPHC: Elected representatives cannot have a right to claim that a particular employee be posted at a particular station.

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

2.1 The collapse of a Saudi-Russia deal has rattled markets – Oil price are crashing

• What’s the matter - Oil prices saw their biggest single-day crash in almost 30 years on March 9. The price of a barrel of Brent crude closed down 24% at $34.36 after a price war was initiated between Saudi Arabia and Russia, two of the world’s largest oil producers. It recovered slightly on March 10, but crashed again. Brent crude price was hovering around $33 a barrel. Prices crashed by almost 50% this year, from $66 a barrel on December 31, 2019 to the current levels, primarily driven by lack of demand.
• OPEC-Plus alliance - After 2014 “glut” diplomacy which brought down prices below $30 a barrel, Saudi Arabia and Russia came together to cut output and steady prices. Known as the “OPEC Plus” arrangement (Russia is not a member of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC), this alliance kept production lower and pumped up the prices. The OPEC-Plus cooperation collapsed last week after Russia rejected a Saudi request to effect more cuts in output given the fall in demand owing to the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Saudi Arabia’s oil giant Aramco announced that it would increase output from 9.7 million barrels a day now to 12.3 million barrels in April. Aramco also offered a discount to its variety of crude, targeting Russian markets in Asia and Europe.  
• What do Saudis want? -  The plan is to flood the markets with Saudi oil and depress the prices, which would hurt all oil exporters. Riyadh may have multiple targets. One is to exert pressure on Russia and make it come back to the negotiation table. Second, if the Russians do not blink, the plan is to capture market share from Russia with discounts. Third, bleed the U.S. shale oil producers who could not sustain production at depressed prices. But there is question mark on whether Saudi Arabia could sustain the price war for a longer term. Roughly 90% of Saudi budget revenues are coming from the petroleum sector. The Kingdom wants prices to be over $60 a barrel to balance its budget. Prolonged depressed prices will leave a bigger hole in the Saudi budget, complicating further the Crown Price’s economic reform and diversification agenda.
• What’s Putin’s plan? - Russian companies also want to open the taps and gain more market share. There’s a convergence of interests between Saudi Arabia and Russia in hurting the U.S. shale oil companies, which are flooding markets with shale oil and challenging the supremacy of traditional oil producers in determining the prices (U.S. output was more than 12 million barrels a day in Feb.). Russia is in a relatively stronger economic position than Saudi Arabia. Oil now accounts for less than a third of its budget revenue. The country has also built a war chest of $435 billion in foreign exchange reserves.

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

3.1 Not Available Today

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

4.1 Donations, packages and measures for COVID19

• WhatsApp launched 'Coronavirus Information Hub' in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and UNDP.
• WhatsApp donated US $ 1 million to the Poynter Institute's International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) for coronavirus data. 
• ADB announced US $ 6.5 billion package for its developing member countries to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
• Afghanistan and Maldives pledge to contribute US $ 1 million and US $ 200,000 respectively to the SAARC Corona Emergency Fund proposed by PM Modi.
• SAARC Disaster Management Centre launches website for information related to coronavirus pandemic in the region.

4.2 UN celebrates French Language Day on March 20

• The event was established by UN's Department of Public Information in 2010 "to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as to promote equal use of all six official languages throughout the Organization".
• For the French language, 20 March was chosen as the date since it "coincides with the 40th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie", a group whose members share a common tongue, as well as the humanist values promoted by the French language.
• Other dates were selected for the celebration of the UN's other five official languages.
• Spoken in more than 25 countries, French developed from Latin between the 5th and 8th centuries. It is one of the primary romance languages spoken today. French, along with English, is spoken on all five continents. While it’s one language, there are many dialects. Spread out on these five continents are 275 million speakers all fluently speaking a diverse and colorful language influenced by their culture. From France to Canada, South Africa, and Louisiana, French dialects are as nuanced as the cuisine is from culture to culture. 

4.3 Govt. launches chatbot on WhatsApp named MyGov Corona Helpdesk to curb spread of misinformation on coronavirus.

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

5.1 Karnataka: Shaadi Bhagya Scheme launched by previous government scrapped

• The BJP government in Karnataka on March 9, 2020 scrapped the Shaadi Bhagya Scheme that was launched by Congress government in the state in 2013. Under the scheme, Rs 50,000 was given to Muslim brides for marriage expenses after they submitted their Aadhar and BPL cards.

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

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Sports

All England Open Badminton Championships organised in Birmingham 

• The All England Open Badminton Championships was organised in Birmingham from March 11 to 2020.
  
• Viktor Axelsen (Denmark) defeated Chou Tien-chen (Chinese Taipei) 21-13, 21-14 in final to win men’s singles title. Chen Yufei (China) defeated Tai Tzu-ying (Chinese Taipei) 21-19, 21-15 in final to win women’s singles title. 
• Yuki Fukushima & Sayaka Hirota (Japan) defeated Du Yue & Li Yinhui (China) 21-13, 21-15 in final to win women’s doubles title. Praveen Jordan & Melati Daeva Oktavianti (Indonesia) defeated Dechapol Puavaranukroh & Sapsiree Taerattanachai (Thailand) 21-15, 17-21, 21-8 in final to win mixed doubles title. Hiroyuki Endo & Yuta Watanabe (Japan) won men’s doubles title by defeating Marcus Fernaldi Gideon & Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo (Indonesia) in the final 21-18, 12-21, 21-19.

Olympic flame for the 2020 Tokyo Games lit in ancient Olympia in Greece -

1. The Olympic flame for the 2020 Tokyo Games was lit in ancient Olympia in Greece on March 12, 2020. An actress dressed as an ancient Greek high priestess lit the flame using the rays of the sun reflected off a concave mirror, launching a week-long torch relay in Greece before the flame is handed to Tokyo organisers on March 19. The torch relay in Greece is scheduled to pass through 37 cities and 15 archaeological sites covering 3,500 km and 842 nautical miles and will be carried by 600 runners. Greek shooter Anna Korakaki became the first woman to be the initial torch-bearer.

World Athletics Council fines Russian Athletics Federation for breaching anti-doping rules

• The World Athletics Council on March 12, 2020 fined the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF) USD 10 million for breaching the sport's anti-doping rules and capped at 10 the number of Russians allowed to compete as neutrals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Dana Zatopkova, 1952 Olympic women’s javelin champion, dies at 97 

• Czech Republic’s Dana Zatopkova, the 1952 Olympic women’s javelin champion and wife of four-time Olympic champion Emil Zatopek, died at the age of 97 in Prague on March 13, 2020. 

ATK win Indian Super League (ISL) football title 

• ATK (previously known as Atlético de Kolkata) defeated Chennaiyin FC 3-1 in the final played in Margao, Goa to win their third Indian Super League (ISL) football title on March 14, 2020. Goals for the winning side came from Javier Hernandez (10th min & 94th min) and Edu Garcia (48th). Nerijus Valskis (69th min) scored the only goal for Chennaiyin FC. Chennaiyin FC striker Nerijus Valskis from Lithuania bagged the Golden Boot award for finishing the 2019-20 season with 15 goals. Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was awarded the Golden Glove award. FC Goa's Hugo Boumous was adjudged "Hero of the League". He scored 11 goals and set up 10 in 15 matches.

Mohun Bagan clinch I-League football title  

• Indian football heavyweights Mohun Bagan clinched their second I-League title with a 1-0 win over Aizawl FC with four rounds to go in the season in Kalyan, West Bengal on March 10, 2020. Mohun Bagan's first I-League title was in 2014-15.

Saurashtra clinch Ranji Trophy cricket title at Rajkot 

• Jaydev Unadkat-led Saurashtra (425, 105/4) on March 13, 2020 clinched the Ranji Trophy cricket title by defeating Bengal (380) in the final played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot by virtue of their first innings lead.

Poonam Yadav is the only Indian in Women's T20 World Cup team 

• Poonam Yadav is the only Indian player to feature in the Women's T20 World Cup team of the tournament held in Australia, International Cricket Council announced on March 9, 2020. The team is: Alyssa Healy (Australia), Beth Mooney (Australia), Nat Sciver (England), Heather Knight (England), Meg Lanning (c) (Australia), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), Jess Jonassen (Australia), Poonam Yadav (India), Sophie Ecclestone (England), Anya Shrubsole (England), and Megan Schutt (Australia).

Asian Olympic Qualifiers Boxing tournament held in Amman 

• India’s Vikas Krishan won silver medal in men’s 69 kg at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers Boxing tournament in Amman (Jordan) after skipping final due to eye injury. India’s M. C. Mary Kom (women’s 51kg), Amit Panghal (men’s 52kg) and Lovlina Borgohain (women’s 69kg) won bronze medals.

Table tennis: Achanta Sharath Kamal clinches ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open 

• Indian table tennis player Achanta Sharath Kamal won the men’s singles title at the ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open tournament by beating Marcos Freitas of Portugal 4-2 in the final played in Muscat on March 15, 2020.

Aadil Bedi wins Bengal Open Golf Championship in Kolkata 

• Chandigarh-based Aadil Bedi won the Bengal Open Golf Championship in Kolkata on March 15, 2020. Pune-based Udayan Mane finished second.

Pankaj Advani clinches National 6-Red Snooker Championship in Ahmedabad  

• Pankaj Advani clinched the National 6-Red Snooker Championship by defeating Ishpreet Singh 7-3 in final in Ahmedabad on March 11, 2020.

Tiger Woods to be inducted into golf’s Hall of Fame

• Tiger Woods will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in its class of 2021. The 44-year-old will be eligible for the Hall in December after the age of entry was lowered from 50 to 45. Woods has bagged 15 Majors and has a joint record 82 titles on the PGA Tour.

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

7.1 Union Minister Nitin Gadkari presents copy of the book -- ‘Invincible - A Tribute to Manohar Parrikar’ - to President.

7.2  ‘My Encounters in Parliament’, book authored by Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Bhalchandra Mungekar, released.
 
7.3 Former Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani appointed as the Chairman of APTDC (Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation).
 

7.4 Veteran journalist & former Rajya Sabha member Patil Puttappa dies in Hubli at 99.   

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

8.1 Railways conducting ‘Each for Equal’ campaign to promote gender equality from March 1 to 10

• 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, 2010 by Indian National Science Academy.

• [message]
• 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.

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

10.1   Ranking– World Happiness Report 2020   

• Finland is world’s happiest nation in UN’s World Happiness Report of 156 countries 
• UN celebrated the International Day of Happiness on March 20.
• India, previously ranked at 140 dropped to 144. Its rank is way lower than its neighbours. Nepal is ranked 92, Pakistan is at 66, Bangladesh at 107 and Sri Lanka at 130.
• India is a new entrant to the bottom-fifteen group.

For more information download pdf from here –
  
https://happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com/2020/WHR20.pdf

 10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Kolkata city’s police in Dec 2019 launched a revamped version of its Bondhu mobile phone app. 
• 2 Presidents of United States have been impeached by the House of Representatives excluding Donald Trump in Dec 2019? 
• Rajnish Kumar is the Chairman of Indian Bank’s Association (IBA) for 2019-20. 
• The Culture Ministry launched the portal developed by IIT-Bombay – indianculture.gov.in – in Dec 2019.
• Malaysia reported its first case of polio in 27 years in December 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!

---