Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-03-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-03-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. As virus toll rises to nine, States put in place tougher measures – As the death toll from COVID-19 touched nine on Monday, the government announced a slew of measures, including the suspension of all domestic flight operations until the end of March, to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. Thirty States and Union Territories moved to a complete lockdown mode, and governments warned of strict punitive action against those who violate preventive measures. The number of cases confirmed by the Union Health Ministry rose to 471. Data from the States put the total number of cases at 476, with 443 active cases. West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh reported their first fatalities. In view of the continuing spread of the virus, Parliament curtailed its session and adjourned sine die after passing the Finance Bill.
2. SC to go digital to maintain social distancing – The Supreme Court decided to further restrict its functioning on account of the COVID-19 scare and resort to the digital mode to maintain social distancing and prevent spread of infection. The court premises would be completely shutdown. In a meeting among judges, lawyers and the government through the Solicitor General held on Monday, it was decided that only extremely urgent cases would be taken up by a Bench(es) through a video app. The Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde used its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to lift the limitation period for all cases across tribunals and courts in the country until further notice.
3. Preventive drug for healthcare workers cleared – The use of hydroxyl chloroquine as prophylaxis for high risk population faced with the SARS-CoV-2 infection was recommended by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) national task force.
4. Pandemic is accelerating, says WHO – The new COVID-19 pandemic is clearly “accelerating”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday, but said it was still possible to change its trajectory by going on the attack. The remarks came as the number of deaths soared past 15,000, with more than 3,41,000 people infected worldwide, according to a tally compiled by AFP from official sources. Some 1.7 billion people have been asked to stay home in over 50 countries and territories around the world, according to an AFP tally on Monday. Some countries have imposed mandatory lockdown measures, while others have issued stay-at-home recommendations to stem the spread of the virus.
5. Centre amends law to enable excise duty increase on fuel – The government amended the law to get enabling powers to raise excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs. 8 per litre each in future. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved an amendment to the Finance Bill, 2020, to raise the limit up to which the government can raise special excise duty on petrol and diesel to Rs. 18 per litre and Rs. 12, respectively. The amendment, along with the Finance Bill, was passed without a debate in the Lok Sabha. The government had on March 14 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs. 3 per litre each to raise an additional Rs. 39,000 crore in revenue annually. This duty hike included Rs. 2 a litre increase in special additional excise duty and Re. 1 in road and infrastructure cess.
6. Rupee hits a fresh low, breaches 76 per dollar – The rupee hit a fresh low, breaching the 76-to-a-dollar mark, amid the spread of COVID-19 across the country that has prompted several States to call for a shut down. The rupee opened weaker at 75.69 against the dollar, compared with its previous close of 75.20. The rupee hit the day’s low of 76.33 before closing the day at 76.20 a dollar, down 100 paisa, or 1.33%, from its previous close.
7. Enforce social distancing strictly, says annoyed Modi - Annoyed by violation of lockdown in different parts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a stern message to offenders by asking state governments to enforce the measures to ensure “social distancing”. The warning that heedlessness can have life-threatening consequences came a day after the praise of making the 14-hour “janta curfew” on Saturday an unprecedented success, and was seen as reflecting the exasperation over the disregard for the unanimous view that people can help stem the spread of coronavirus by staying at home.
8. Decongest jails to fight corona: SC - To decongest over-crowded prisons where inmates could be vulnerable to Covid-19, the Supreme Court on Monday directed state governments and Union Territory authorities to take measures to release those convicts and under-trial prisoners on parole or bail who have not been convicted/accused of heinous crimes.
9. 1/5th of world told to stay home - The hunt for masks, ventilators and other medical supplies consumed the US and Europe, as more than 1.5 billion people — one-fifth of the world’s population — were asked or ordered to stay home to try to blunt the spread of the coronavirus. Worldwide, over 3,67,000 people have been infected and more than 16,000 have died from the virus. As cases in China ebbed, the dangers to Europe and US have grown exponentially. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, called on countries to take strong, coordinated action to stem the accelerating outbreak.
10. Ensure there are no supply hiccups: PM tells India Inc –  Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indian companies to ensure that there are no supply disruptions during the coronavirus crisis, which has led to lockdown and curfew in several parts of the country, while promising to act on industry’s suggestions in the coming days. During an interaction with industry representatives through a video link, Modi said the impact of the pandemic will be felt on the economy for some time to come as several sectors are adversely impacted. At the same time, industry leaders said, Modi complimented them for showing concern for their workers, vendors and small businesses.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital	Senior Resident	16	MD/ MS/ DNB/ Diploma	April 1, 2020	http://health.delhigovt.nic.in/wps/wcm/connect/81539b004da721268adbff982ee7a5c7/WII+DDUH.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&lmod=-382874882
2	Kalpana Chawla Govt Medical College, Karnal	Sr Resident, Jr Resident	14	MBBS, MD/ MS/ DNB	March 24, 2020	http://www.kcgmc.edu.in/Tender/ShowPDF/5187
3	Guru Gobind Singh Govt Hospital	Sr Resident	18	MBBS, PG Degree/ Diploma	--	http://health.delhigovt.nic.in/wps/wcm/connect/3daef4004d9e1197bcb4ff982ee7a5c7/WII+GGSGH.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&lmod=-382874882
4	Panjab University	Junior Research Fellow	5	PG (Relevant Discipline)	April 7, 2020	https://jobs.puchd.ac.in/includes/jobs/2020/20200320220736-jrfmerg.pdf
5	Delhi Development Authority	Director, Patwari, SO, Steno, Secretariat Asst & Other	629	10th, 12th Class, Degree, PG, Ph.D	April 30, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-Delhi-Development-Authority-Patwari-Steno-Other-Posts.pdf
6	HRIDC	Sr Executive, Executive, Executive Asst	7	B. Tech/ B.E/ M.E/ M. Tech (Civil Engg)	April 17, 2020	http://hridc.co.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Vacancy-notice-for-executives.pdf
7	UP Postal Circle	GDS	3951	10th Class	April 22, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/03/Notification-UP-Postal-Circle-GDS-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 Nation needs NRC, Centre tells SC

• The Union Home Ministry filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on March 17, 2020 stating that preparation of NRC (National Register of Citizens) is a “necessary exercise for any sovereign country for mere identification of citizens from non-citizens.”
• The Ministry submitted before the court that it was the responsibility entrusted with the Central government “to identify/detect illegal migrants and thereafter, follow the due process of law”.
• Many opposition-ruled states have opposed the updating of National Population Register (NPR), slated to begin on April 1 along with the house listing phase of the Census. According to Citizenship Rules 2003, NPR is the first step towards the compilation of the NRC.
• The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 passed by Parliament on December 11, allows citizenship on the basis of religion to six undocumented communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who entered India on or before December 31, 2014.
• There are fears that the CAA, followed by a country-wide NRC, will benefit non-Muslims excluded from the citizens’ register, while excluded Muslims will have to prove their citizenship. The government has denied that CAA and NRC are linked.
• As many as 25,782 people belonging to minority communities in Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been granted Long Term Visa (LTV) in last five years, Lok Sabha was informed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on March 17, 2020.

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

2.1 Payment aggregators to be regulated entities: RBI 

• The Reserve Bank of India on March 17, 2020 said it will regulate activities of payment aggregators (PAs) given the important functions of these intermediaries in the online payments space.
•  PAs are entities that facilitate e-commerce sites and merchants to accept various payment instruments from the customers for completion of their payment obligations.
• As per the guidelines on regulation of PAs and payment gateways (PGs), the existing PAs should achieve a net-worth of Rs 15 crore by March 31, 2021 and a net-worth of Rs 25 crore on or before March 31, 2023. The net-worth of Rs 25 crore shall be maintained at all times thereafter.
• New PAs will have a minimum net-worth of Rs 15 crore at the time of application for authorisation and should attain a net-worth of Rs 25 crore by the end of third financial year of grant of authorisation.
• Also, entities having FDI will be guided by the Consolidated Foreign Direct Investment policy of the government and the relevant foreign exchange management regulations.
• PAs will have to put in place a formal, publicly disclosed customer grievance redressal and dispute management framework.
• The RBI has also prescribed indicative baseline technology-related recommendations for adoption by the PAs and PGs. 
• PGs are entities that provide technology infrastructure to route and facilitate processing of an online payment transaction without any involvement in handling of funds.

2.2  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.

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

2.4  SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) to start Swavlamban Express train on June 5 for entrepreneurs.

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

3.1 Protecting peat lands can help attain climate goals

• Peatlands, which play an crucial role in regulating global climate by acting as carbon sinks, are facing degradation and need to be urgently monitored. Peatlands cover only three per cent of Earth’s surface but their degradation due to drainage, fire, agricultural use and forestry can trigger release of the stored carbon in a few decades. Peatlands contain 30 per cent of the world’s soil carbon. When drained, these emit greenhouse gases, contributing up to one gigaton of emissions per year through oxidation.
• Mapping peatlands - Peatlands are formed due to the accumulation of partially decomposed plant remains over thousands of years under conditions of water-logging. To prevent their further degradation, these areas should be urgently mapped and monitored. For countries keen on reducing emissions, monitoring the ground water level of peatlands is vital, or else they can turn into carbon emission sources.
• Mapping methodologies include both ground and remotely-sensed input data. The report also offered an overview of the different monitoring approaches and their advantages and limitations. The monitoring exercise requires a mix of satellite and ground-based exercises. To facilitate countries’ access to a cloud computing-based and free monitoring platform as well as high-quality imagery, FAO has developed two state-of-the-art peatland restoration monitoring modules.
• Restoration measures - Indonesia, which has 40 per cent of all tropical peatlands, has taken corrective measures to alter drainage and deforestation since the 1980s. Their government created the Peat Ecosystem Restoration Information System (PRIMS), an online platform that provides information on the condition of peatlands and restoration efforts undertaken. Restoration work of highland peatlands was also conducted in the Hindukush Himalayan (HKH) region. This was done to ensure water security for cities in their watersheds. In general, it can be said it is essential to conserve highland peatlands in particular, Nuutinen observed. 
• Other benefits - Peatlands occur in different climate zones. While in tropical climate, they can occur in mangroves, in Arctic regions, peatlands are dominated by mosses. Some mangrove species are known to develop peatland soils under them. Besides climate mitigation, peatlands are important for archaeology, as they maintain pollen, seeds and human remains for a long time in their acidic and water-logged conditions. In many countries, pristine peatlands are important for recreation activities. These areas also support livelihood in the form of pastoralism.

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

4.1 Iraq: President Barham Saleh names Adnan Zurfi as new PM

• Iraq’s President Barham Saleh named Adnan Zurfi as the new prime minister on March 17, 2020, the second attempt to find a head of government in recent months. Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in the parliament..

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

5.1 J&K Health Scheme launched to provide free of cost Universal Health Coverage

• The Jammu and Kashmir administration on March 18, 2020 decided to roll out the J&K Health Scheme to provide free of cost Universal Health Coverage to all residents of the Union Territory in convergence with Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). The beneficiaries will be entitled to free health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year on floater basis and there is no restriction on family size or age..

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Accidents and Disasters

• Earthquake rocks Croatia's capital Zagreb - An earthquake of 5.3-magnitude rocked Croatia's capital Zagreb on March 22, 2020 damaging several buildings, including the parliament.
• COVID-19: SAARC Disaster Management Centre launches website - SAARC Disaster Management Centre on March 22, 2020 launched a website for information related to coronavirus pandemic in the region as announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent video conference with SAARC leaders. The website -- http://www.covid19-sdmc.org -- gives data and updates about the evolving situation of the novel virus in the SAARC countries that include India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal have also joined India voluntarily in contributing to the SAARC COVID-19 Emergency Fund. Prime Minister Modi has pledged an amount of US$ 10 million as an initial contribution from India. Afghanistan and Maldives on March 21, 2020 pledged to contribute USD 1 million and USD 200,000 respectively.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Rajya Sabha polls: Sharad Pawar, Athawale among 37 elected unopposed

• NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh were among 37 candidates elected unopposed on March 18, 2020 to Rajya Sabha as the deadline for withdrawal of nomination ended. Nominations had been filed for 55 Rajya Sabha seats in 17 states for the March 26 election.
• Out of these, candidates were declared elected unopposed to all seven seats in Maharashtra, six seats in Tamil Nadu, two seats each in Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Telangana; four seats in Odisha, five seats each in Bihar and West Bengal; three seats in Assam and one seat in Himachal Pradesh by the returning officers as no other candidates were in the fray. 
• Priyanka Chaturvedi, who had quit the Congress in 2109 and joined the Shiv Sena, AIADMK leader and former Lok Sabha deputy speaker M Thambidurai, Tamil Maanila Congress president G. K. Vasan, veteran lawyer K T S Tulsi and Congress party's Deepender Singh Hooda were among other prominent candidates elected to the Upper House
• The BJP bagged seven seats -- two in Haryana, three in Maharashtra and one each in Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. The BJP also bagged the seat in Haryana where bypoll was held following the resignation of former Union minister and party leader Birender Singh.
• Its allies JD(U) got two (from Bihar), AIADMK two (Tamil Nadu) and BPF one (Assam).
• The Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal got four each in West Bengal and Odisha respectively. The TRS won the two seats in Telangana.
• The Congress got four seats -- two in Chhattisgarh and one each in Haryana and Maharashtra. Its allies RJD got two (Bihar), DMK got three (Tamil Nadu), NCP bagged two (Maharashtra) and Shiv Sena got one (Maharashtra). The CPI (M) got one in West Bengal, while an independent candidate, backed by the Congress and AIUDF, was also elected in Assam.
• Elections will be held on March 26 for the remaining 18 Rajya Sabha seats-- four each in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, three each in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two in Jharkhand and one each in Manipur and Meghalaya.
• NCP leader Pawar and Union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athawale, both sitting members, were among seven elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. RPI leader Athawale was backed by the BJP. The others elected from the state were BJP's Udayan Raje Bhosale, a descendant of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Bhagwat Karad; Congress general secretary Rajiv Satav, Shiv Sena's Priyanka Chaturvedi and former NCP minister Fauzia Khan.
• In Chhattisgarh, Congress nominees K T S Tulsi and Phulo Devi Netam were declared elected unopposed. 
• Congress party's Deepender Singh Hooda, who was a three-time Lok Sabh MP from Rohtak, along with BJP nominees Ram Chander Jangra, a backward class leader, were declared elected to the Upper House from Haryana. They will have a full term till April 2026.
• BJP vice president Dushyant Kumar Gautam was elected from the seat where bypoll was held following the resignation of BJP leader Birender Singh. His term would last till August 2022.
• All the four BJD candidates in Odisha -- Subhas Singh, Munna Khan, Sujit Kumar and Mamata Mahanta -- were declared elected as opposition BJP and Congress did not field any nominee.
• All five candidates in Bihar -- two each belonging to the JD(U) and the RJD and one from the BJP --we declared unopposed as no other candidates had filed nomination. The JD(U) candidates are Harivansh Narayan Singh, currently the deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, and Ram Nath Thakur, the son of former chief minister Karpoori Thakur, both of whom will be serving their second consecutive terms. BJP candidate is Vivek Thakur. The RJD candidates are Prem Chand Gupta and Amarendra Dhari Singh, an entrepreneur not known for prior involvement in politics.
• Former Himachal Pradesh president of the BJP's Mahila Morcha, Indu Goswami, was declared elected unopposed from the lone seat in the state.
• In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress candidates Arpita Ghosh, Dinesh Trivedi, Subrata Bakshi and Mausam Noor, and CPI(M)'s Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, backed by the Congress, were declared elected.
• In Assam, sitting Bodo Peoples' Front (BPF) MP Biswajit Daimary, BJP's Bhubaneswar Kalita and Congress-AIUDF supported independent candidate and senior journalist Ajit Bhuyan were elected to the upper house. BPF is an ally of ruling BJP.
• In Telangana, both the candidates of the ruling TRS -- Keshava Rao and Suresh Reddy -- have been elected.
• Besides AIADMK leaders M Thambidurai and K P Munusamy, Tamil Maanila Congress' (Moopanar) chief G K Vasan, DMK's Tiruchi Siva, N R Elango and P Selvarasu were elected in Tamil Nadu.

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

8.1 International Day of Forests celebrated on March 21

• The International Day of Forests was celebrated on March 21, 2020 with its theme as ‘Forests and Biodiversity’. Forests cover one third of the Earth's land mass and are home to more than 80% of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

8.2 International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination observed on March 21

• The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was observed by UN on March 21, 2020. This year’s day was focused on the midterm review of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) undertaken by the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

8.3 World Down Syndrome Day observed on March 21

• The World Down Syndrome Day was observed on March 21, 2020. For World Down Syndrome Day 2020, Down Syndrome International has focused on the theme "We Decide". Down syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. It is not yet known why this syndrome occurs, but Down syndrome has always been a part of the human condition. It exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics and health. The estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide. Each year, approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this chromosome disorder.

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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   Not Available Today

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Rafael Nadal and Roberto Bautista Agut won the two matches in Spain’s Davis Cup tennis victory at Madrid on Nov 24, 2019. 
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on November 15, 2019 inaugurated the Sisseri River bridge in which Arunachal Pradesh.
• Indian and Chinese officials on Nov 11, 2019 began a course to train diplomats from Afghanistan at the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi. 
• The International Volunteer Day was observed on December 5, 2019. Its theme was Volunteer for an inclusive future.
• Andhra Pradesh Assembly on December 12, 2019 passed the Disha Act for speedy trial of specified offences against women and children.

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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