Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 07-04-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 07-04-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. 47% of patients below 40, says govt. - India has registered the largest single-day rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the past 24 hours with 704 new cases and over 30 deaths reported. The tally stood at 4,281 confirmed cases and 111 deaths, according to the Union Health Ministry. According to reports from State Health Departments, the number of confirmed cases nationwide was 4,664, with 4,164 active cases. The death toll rose to 141, while 359 persons had been discharged after recovery. The highest number of active cases were reported from Maharashtra at 868, with 52 deaths — 21 in the past 24 hours. Andhra Pradesh reported two more deaths, while Punjab, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh reported one fatality each.
2. Pench tiger death raises COVID-19 fears - The spectre of COVID-19 has made its appearance in one of India’s most storied tiger reserves. The death of a 10-year-old ailing male tiger, in the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) — the country’s most munificent reserve —that succumbed to a ‘respiratory illness’ last April 4 would have been a routine affair. But a report of a confirmed COVID-19 infection in a tiger at the Bronx Zoo, in New York, United States and advisories by divisions of the Environment Ministry that deal with the protection of the cats in zoos, as well as in Tiger Reserves has officials in the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)— the organisation that manages the protection of India’s 3,000-odd tigers — puzzling on whether the tiger should be tested for the novel coronavirus disease.
3. 30% pay cut for MPs, MPLADS suspended - The Union Cabinet approved an ordinance to cut salaries of the Prime Minister, all ministers and sitting MPs by 30% for one year in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and also decided to suspend the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years. The twin moves will release Rs 7,900 crore to combat the disease. Information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar told the media that President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and governors of states have also voluntarily offered to take the 30% pay cut as a social responsibility. The move, intended as an austerity measure, reflects the thinking in government that the political class should signal that it is not standing apart from the economic hardship caused to the common people.
4. Army killed ultras in hand-to-hand combat - The five terrorists who had infiltrated across the Line of Control were killed in extremely close-quarter combat by the Army’s Special Forces (SF) commandos, who were air-dropped by helicopters on the snow-bound heights of the Keran sector in north Kashmir. But the success in thwarting the largest infiltration attempt since the snow began melting in the mountain passes this year came at a huge cost, with five commandos of the elite 4 Para-SF battalion laying down their lives in the encounter at an altitude of around 10,000 feet. They were identified as Subedar Sanjeev Kumar, Havildar Davendra Singh and paratroopers Bal Krishan, Amit Kumar and Chhatrapal Singh. While three of them were killed in action at the encounter site the other two succumbed to their injuries in a military hospital at Srinagar later.
5. Some community spread in hotspots likely: AIIMS chief - There may be some community spread of Covid-19 in hotspots and these areas need to be monitored closely to prevent community transmission of the virus, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said, even as fresh coronavirus cases registered a slight dip and fell below 500 for the first time in the past five days. As Dr Guleria’s remarks triggered a fresh debate over the stage of Covid-19 transmission in the country, the health ministry concurred with the doctor’s statement.
6. Taliban accuse US of violations, say peace deal near breaking point - The Taliban said their peace deal with the US was nearing a breaking point, accusing Washington of violations that included drone attacks on civilians, while also chastising the Afghan government for delaying the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners promised in the agreement. The Taliban said they had restricted attacks against Afghan security forces to rural outposts, had not attacked international forces and had not attacked Afghan forces in cities or military installations. The Taliban said these limits on their attacks had not been specifically laid out in the agreement with the US signed in February.
7. Radiation spike in Chernobyl nuclear zone due to forest fire - Ukrainian authorities reported a spike in radiation levels in the restricted zone around Chernobyl, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident, caused by a forest fire. The fire has spread to about 100 hectares of forest. Two blazes erupted in the zone around Chernobyl that was sealed after the 1986 explosion at the plant. Firefighters said they have managed to localise one of the fires in an area of about five hectares, but the second one continued burning, covering about 20 hectares. They said they were using aircraft to extinguish the blaze. People living near the power plant were not in danger.
8. Over 20% export orders cancelled - Covid-19 has led to exporters bleeding with upwards of 15-20% of the orders getting cancelled and a major amount of funds being locked up, owing to non-payment of dues by large buyers in the US, Europe and West Asia, prompting them to seek a bailout from the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the impact on exports during a meeting of the council of ministers. He asked ministries to be ready with a plan to boost exports, with focus on new sectors and markets.
9. Lowest ever GST on imports in Mar - The government managed to rake in just over Rs. 18,000 crore through integrated GST (IGST) on imports in March, the lowest since the new tax regime kicked in 30 months ago, indicating that collections in the coming months are expected to be weaker, putting additional pressure on the government that is facing demands for fiscal stimulus in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Collections in March are related to sales or import consignments in February and the numbers are lower than the previous low of Rs 19,603 crore raised in February 2018. Low collections from imports point to not only a significant decline in the value shipments into the country but also a further moderation in economic activity. 

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Central Ground Water Board	Young Professionals and Consultant	62	M.Sc/MS/M.Tech/M.Sc.Tech	April 25, 2020	http://cgwb.gov.in/documents/Final%20amended%20Advt%20Hiring%20Young%20professional%20CGWB%204th%20April%2020%20pdf.pdf
2	NAFED	Asst Manager (IT/ Accounts)	5	B.Com, BE/ B.Tech/ MCA, MBA, CA/ ICWA	April 21, 2020	http://182.74.122.83/NafedHRMs/JobList
3	SAMEER	Scientist B, C	30	BE/ B.Tech/ ME/ M.Tech	April 30, 2020	https://www.sameer.gov.in/Download/recruitments/Advt_02_2020.pdf
4	North Western Railway	Nursing Officer, Pharmacist & Other	28	10+2, B.Sc, MD/ DNB	April 8, 2020	https://nwr.indianrailways.gov.in/ticker/1586091148272persbkn.PDF
5	North Western Railway	Nursing Officer, Pharmacist & Other	57	10+2, MD/ DNB	April 9, 2020	https://nwr.indianrailways.gov.in/ticker/1586073575026New%20Doc%202020-04-05%2011.48.30.pdf
6	DMHO, Guntur	Staff Nurse, Lab Technician, Pharmacist Gr II	136	SSC, Diploma, Degree, MBBS, MD, MS, M.Pharm	April 7, 2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s30777d5c17d4066b82ab86dff8a46af6f/uploads/2020/04/20200401100.pdf
7	District Panchayat, Junagadh	Medical Officer & Supporting Staff	14	--	April 11, 2020	https://junagadhdp.gujarat.gov.in/junagadh/images/health-recruitment-junagadh.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 30 common law principles ruling the litigation front in India – Part II of III

• Principle 11 - Mischief Rule of Interpretation of Statutes.
• Principle 12 - Golden Rule of Interpretation.
• Principle 14 - Lochner Doctrine stands buried: Judicial hands-off qua economic legislation. 
• Principle 15 - uicquid plantatur solo, solo cedit: What is attached to or erected on the land, becomes part of the land.
• Principle 16 - Contract to Assign and Doctrine of Relation Back.
• Principle 17 - An absolute restraint on alienation (immovable property) is void.
• Principle 18 - Rule against alienability of an immovable property.
• Principle 19 - Fraudulent transfers are not void, but only voidable at the option of the creditor.
• Principle 20 - There is distinction between actual bias and apparent bias.
  

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

2.1 National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) constructed 3979 km of highways in 2019-20

• Its highest ever in a financial year.
• The authority stopped short of meeting its target of 4500 km for the current fiscal.
• The government has envisaged a very ambitious highway development programme namely Bharatmala Pariyojana which includes development of about 65,000 km national highways.
• Under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana, the Government has approved implementation of 34,800 km of national highways with a very stiff target of 5 years with an outlay of Rs 5,35,000 crore.  
• NHAI has been mandated development of about 27,500 km of national highways under Bharatmal Pariyojna Phase-I.
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, set up in 1988 and is responsible for management of a network of over 50,000 km of National Highways out of 1,15,000 km in India.
• It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. 
• NHAI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Space Research Organisation for satellite mapping of highways.
• Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (IAS), is the present Chairman of NHAI since October 2019.
  

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

3.1 International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action observed by UN on April 4

• On Dec 8, 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.
• The UN advocates for the universalization of existing legal frameworks and encourages Member States to expand those regimes and develop new international instruments to protect civilians from the scourges of landmines and explosive remnants of war.
• It undertakes this work in collaboration with interested states, civil society, mine action and international organizations.
• It was first observed on 4 April, 2006.
• Theme 2019 - "United Nations Promotes SDGs – Safe Ground – Safe Home". 

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

4.1 China donated 1.70 lakh Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) coveralls for hospitals in India 

• Along with the domestic supplies of 20,000 coveralls, a total of 1.90 lakh coveralls will now be distributed to hospitals and will add to the 3,87,473 PPEs already available in the country as of now.
• A total of 2.94 lakh PPE coveralls have been arranged and supplied by the Centre till now to states.
• 2 lakh domestically produced N-95 masks are also being sent to various hospitals. Including these, over 20 lakh N-95 masks have been supplied by the government of India.
• About 16 lakh N-95 masks are presently available in the country, and this figure will increase with the fresh supply of 2 lakh masks.
• Supplies are also being sent to central institutions like AIIMS, Safdarjung and RML hospitals, RIMS, NEIGRIHMS, BHU and AMU.
• An order for 80 lakh complete PPE kits (including N-95 masks) had been placed on a Singapore-based platform earlier and now it has been indicated that supplies will commence from April 11 with the first installment of 2 lakh, followed by 8 lakh more soon thereafter.
• Giving a further fillip to domestic capabilities, the Northern Railways has developed a PPE coverall, in addition to the PPE coveralls and N-99 masks developed by DRDO earlier.

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

5.1 Not Available Today.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Accidents, Natural and Manmade Disasters

1.  National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe March 25 terror attack on a Gurdwara in Kabul
2. Its first overseas case of NIA.
3. On March 25, 2020, suicide bombers and assailants armed with guns attacked the Gurdwara Har Rai Sahib (Sikh shrine) in Kabul, Afghanistan.
4. About 200 worshipers were reported to have been in the building, in which 25 Sikh worshippers were killed and leaving at least 8 wounded after an hour-long siege which ended in all assailants being killed by responding security forces.
5. At least one child was said to have been among people who were killed.
6. The Islamic extremist and militant organization Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility.
7. One of the gunman was identified as Abu Khalid al-Hindi, an Indian citizen from Kerala.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Senior diplomat Anurag Srivastava took charge as the new spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs

• He replaced Mr. Raveesh Kumar.
• Srivastava, an officer of the 1999 batch of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), was India’s ambassador to Ethiopia before he was appointed as the new spokesperson of the MEA. He earlier headed the Political Wing at the High Commission of India in Colombo.
• He served at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva.  
• He also held different positions at the MEA headquarters in New Delhi, including in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division and as Director of the Finance Division.
• Kumar had been appointed as the Joint Secretary in charge of the External Publicity Division and the spokesperson of the MEA in August 2017.
• He is now likely to be appointed as New Delhi’s envoy to a foreign nation.

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

8.1 International Day of Conscience celebrated by UN on April 5

• This day serves to remind people to self-reflect, follow their conscience, and do the right things. April 5, 2020, will mark the first International Day of Conscience, which is a United Nations day.
• The designation of April 5 as the International Day of Conscience serves to remind people to engage in self-reflection to improve themselves and their communities, stimulating a crucial turning point for transforming our world. 
• Conscience empowers people to tolerate, forgive, and love one another, and thus it shortens the distance between people and between nations.
• On February 5, 2019, Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) launched a global endorsement campaign for the Declaration of International Day of Conscience at the United Nations in New York.
• To date, the declaration has been translated into 41 languages and endorsed by people in 185 nations.
• On July 25, 2019, during its 73rd session, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a draft resolution submitted by the Kingdom of Bahrain, entitled “Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience,” declaring April 5 the International Day of Conscience.
• The Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), an international peace organization, was established by Dr Hong, Tao-Tze in the United States in 2000.

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

9.1 Google Maps to show locations of COVID-19 food, night shelters in India

9.2 IIT Hyderabad incubated startup Aerobiosys Innovations develops low-cost ventilator ‘Jeevan Lite’

• “Jeevan Lite,” the device developed by the Center for Healthcare Entrepreneurship (CfHE) at the institute offers protection to healthcare providers as well as it is Internet of Things-enabled and can be operated through a phone app. It can also be battery-operated, enabling its deployment in areas without assured power supply.
• The “Minimal Viable Product” with the required functionality of this ventilator has already been developed.
• Jeevan Lite can perform both the invasive and non-invasive ventilation across a comprehensive set of modes and settings. It can be used for pediatric and adult patients and will work on rechargeable lithium-ion Batteries in an uninterrupted manner for five hours without power supply.
• Aerobiosys Innovations plans to provide Jeevan Lite at a price of Rs. 1 lakh which is significantly economical compared with existing products in the market.
• To cut down the cost and facilitate remote electronic access to the device, Aerobiosys has developed a mobile app that communicates with the unit and seamlessly controls the functional features of the ventilator.

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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 -

• Mominul Haque was the captain of Bangladesh in the test against India at Indore in Nov 2019.
• Kammuri Typhoon hit the Philippines in Dec 2019.
• Sudhir Mishra is the CEO and MD of BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between India and Russia.
• Basil Butcher passed away at the age of 86 in Florida (US) on December 16, 2019. He was a cricketer.
• The 5th Round of India-Japan Maritime Affairs Dialogue was held in Tokyo 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!

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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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