Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-04-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-04-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 pandemic update – PM Narendra Modi announced the extension of the current nationwide lockdown till May 3, with intensive containment measures at hotspots till April 20 in order for areas to qualify for any relief measures and freedom of mobility, especially for hawkers and daily-wage workers. He added that detailed guidelines on the contours of this extended lockdown would be issued by the government. Addressing the nation via a televised broadcast, Mr. Modi said while the efforts to fight the novel coronavirus were keeping the situation under control, it was not time to relax one’s guard, adding that the economic cost “may appear big, but is not so when compared to the lives of our citizens”.
2. COVID-19 pandemic update - India registered an increase of 1,211 COVID-19 cases and 31 deaths in the past 24 hours, making it the largest spike in cases since January. The total number of cases stands at 10,363, with 339 deaths. As many as 1,036 persons have been discharged after treatment. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of extension of the lockdown till May 3, the Ministry said the move was essential to break the chain of transmission. According to reports from the State Health Departments, the death toll rose to 390, with 11,350 cases overall of which 9,791 are active ones.
3. Bhima-Koregaon riots of 2018 updates - Civil rights campaigner Gautam Navlakha and scholar and activist Anand Teltumbde surrendered to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi and Mumbai respectively for their alleged involvement in the Bhima-Koregaon riots of 2018. Mr. Teltumbde, an engineer and IIM graduate who taught at IIT-Kharagpur, was booked for his alleged links to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and remanded to NIA custody till April 18 by a special NIA court in Mumbai. Before surrendering to the NIA, Mr. Navlakha said in a statement, “My hope rests on a speedy and fair trial for myself and all my fellow co-accused….”
4. COVID-19 impact - The average daily user visits to the websites of the Health Ministry and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have skyrocketed from 8.04 lakh in the first week of March to 3.24 crore in the last week of the month as people look for updated information on the COVID-19 pandemic. During March itself, the count of visitors on these websites increased from approximately 56.3 lakh in the entire first week of the month to 22.68 crore during the last week.
5. COVID-19 impact - The Capital witnessed a sharp decline in heinous crime against women since the beginning of lockdown, the data shared by Delhi Police sources show. The data shared with The Hindu, recorded that from March 22 to April 12, the number of rape cases registered under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code stood at 23 as opposed to 139 in 2019, during the same time period leading to a decline of 83.4%. The data also stated that the number of cases registered on charges of assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty stood at 33 as compared to 233 in 2019 from March 22 to April 12 leading to a decline of 85.8%.
6. Internal Defence: missile deal with US - The US State Department has approved two potential missile deals with India, for an estimated $92 million and $63 million. The first deal, for which Boeing is the contractor, is for 10 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II air-launched missiles and related equipment. These missiles can be fitted onto Boeing’s P-8I (Poseidon-Eight India) maritime patrol aircraft, and are intended to enhance India’s capability in anti-surface warfare while defending its sea lanes. The second deal, for $63 million and principally contracted with Raytheon Integrated Defense System, is for 16 MK 54 All Up Round Lightweight Torpedoes (LWT); three MK 54 Exercise Torpedoes (MK 54 LWT Kit procurement required); and related equipment. Also included are MK 54 spare parts, torpedo containers, two Recoverable Exercise Torpedoes (REXTORP) with containers and related equipment and support from the U.S. government and contractors.
7. COVID-19 updates - Indian companies and government entities have placed orders for 15 million personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and 1.5 million rapid testing kits from China, officials said on Tuesday. The Indian government is calling on China to fulfil those orders, amid concerns over tightened regulations on exporting such equipment by Chinese authorities following criticism from several European countries over the quality of exports. A substantial amount of India’s national PPE supply is coming from China. These orders, both from the government and private sectors, were placed on a commercial basis.
8. Environment and Ecology - The COVID-19 lockdown has activated poachers who had been forced into lying low for more than a year. At least six thwarted attempts have been made within a week in and around Assam’s national parks. Wildlife officials have not ruled out the possibility of the poachers trying to strike while the demand for animal body parts, specifically the rhino horn, remains low due to the impact of the pandemic on the grey market and make a killing later when it rebounds. And the lockdown has inadvertently made it easier for the poachers by thinning the ranks of the network of local people who had hitherto been a critical part of the anti-poaching campaign by tipping off forest officials on any suspicious movements near the parks.
9. North Korea Tentacles - A barrage of N. Korean missiles fired from both the ground and fighter jets splashed down on the waters off the country’s east coast, a show of force on the eve of a key State anniversary in the North and parliamentary elections in the rival South Korea. The launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests that North Korea has conducted in recent weeks amid stalled nuclear talks and outside worries about a possible COVID-19 outbreak in the country. North Korean troops based in the eastern coastal city of Munchon first launched several projectiles. The launches came a day before N. Korea marks the 108th birthday of the country’s late founder, Kim Il-sung. They also came a day ahead of S. Korean parliamentary elections.
10. World Economy - The COVID-19 pandemic is having a ‘severe’ effect on the world economy which is expected to contract by 3% in 2020, “much worse” than the 2008-09 financial crises, as per the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) World Economic Outlook (WEO). India’s growth is expected to dip to 1.9% in 2020 and rebound to 7.4% in 2021, as per the WEO released by the IMF. India’s growth projection for 2020 is 3.9% less than what was projected in the January update to the WEO while its rebound in 2021 is 0.9 % higher than the January projection (for India, forecasts are on a fiscal year basis). World growth rates have been revised downwards by more than six percentage points since the January WEO update.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	South Central Railway	Specialist, GDMO & Other	204	10th, 10+2, ITI, MBBS	April 15, 2020	https://scr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1586579033251-Drs.CH.LGD.pdf
2	Central Railway	Specialist	12	MBBS	April 20, 2020	https://www.iip.res.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Advt.-No.-02-2020.pdf
3	Northern Railway	Contract Medical Practitioner	134	DNB/ Diploma,	April 16, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/04/Notification-Northern-Railway-Contract-Medical-Practitioner-Staff-Nurse-Posts.pdf
4	NHM, HP	Epidemiologist, Entomologist	19	MBBS/ BDS with MPH	April 16, 2020	http://www.nrhmhp.gov.in/sites/default/files/files/R-Advertisement%20No_%20001-2020.pdf
5	MAPIT	Manager & Trainer	166	BE/ B.Tech/ M.Sc/ MCA	April 20, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/04/Notifiction-MAPIT-Manager-Trainer-Posts.pdf
6	Eastern Railway	Medical Practitioner & Nursing Staff	15	-	April 16, 2020	https://er.indianrailways.gov.in/view_detail.jsp?lang=0&dcd=2222&id=0,4,268#
7	North Central Railway	Contract Med Practitioner/ GDMO	37	MBBS	April 14, 2020	https://ncr.indianrailways.gov.in/cris//uploads/files/1586416891803-pers.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 Weekly Roundup – Constitution and Law

• Guiedlines issued to streamline video conferencing hearing during COVID lockdown: SC exercises Article 142 of Constitution.
• SC directs COVID testing to be done free in both government and private laboratories. In private laboratories the free test will be done only to the persons registered in Ayushyaman Scheme.  
• SC directs Union Ministery of Health and Family Welfare to ensure availability of appropriate personal protective equipments (PPEs) to health workers treating COVID-19 patients.
• Notice issued in plea seeking restoration of 4G mobile internet services in Jammu and Kashmir during COVID lockdown.
• Bhima Koregaon: SC grants one week to activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde to surrender. Later both surrendered.
• “Burden to prove that the property is a joint property of an Hindu United Family is on the person who assert so” – Supreme Court
• Supreme Court directs all states and UTs to ensure safe transit to released prisoners so they can reach home during lockdown.
• SC held – Principles of Estoppel does not apply when there were glaring illegalities in selection procedure. Doctrine of Estoppel - Estoppel is based on the principle that it would unjust, if a person intentionally by conduct or in any other manner has induced other person to believe and act upon such a representation, neither he or those representing can in a subsequent Court proceedings deny the truth.
• Jamait Ulama-i-Hind moves SC seeking strict action against media for communalization Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi’s Nizamuddin.
• Right to Information cannot be restricted on mere apprehension of transmission of Corona through newspapers – Madras HC

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

2.1 Government extends term of Banks Board Bureau members by two years

• The government on April 8, 2020 extended term of board members of the Banks Board Bureau (BBB). Bhanu Pratap Sharma will continue as its part-time chairman. Other part-time members are Vedika Bhandarkar, former MD of Credit Suisse; P Pradeep Kumar, former MD of SBI; and Pradip P Shah, founder MD of rating agency CRISIL. 
• The Bureau was set up by the government in 2016 as a body of eminent professionals and officials, replacing the Appointments Board for appointment of Whole-time Directors as well as non-Executive Chairman of public sector banks (PSBs) and Financial Institutions.

2.2 Foreign exchange reserves decline USD 902 mn to USD 474.66 bn

• The country’s foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 902 million to USD 474.66 billion in the week to April 3 due to a fall in foreign currency assets, according to the latest data from the Reserve Bank of India.
• During 2020-21, the country’s foreign exchange reserves have risen by almost USD 62 billion.
• In the reporting week ended April 3, the foreign currency assets (FCA), a major component of the overall reserves, decreased by USD 547 million to USD 439.12 billion.
• Expressed in dollar terms, the foreign currency assets include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.
• The gold reserve also declined by USD 340 million to USD 30.55 billion in the reporting week.
• The special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were up by USD 5 million to USD 1.43 billion.
• The country’s reserve position with the IMF dipped by USD 19 million to USD 3.57 billion..

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

3.1 Antarctica was home to rainforests 90 million years ago: Study

• Researchers have unearthed evidence of rainforests near the South Pole 90 million years ago, a finding which suggests that the climate at this time was exceptionally warm with a higher level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than previously thought. 
• The scientists, including those from Imperial College London in the UK, discovered forest soil pertaining to a time between 145 and 66 million years ago within 900 kilometres of the South Pole.
• In the study, published in the journal Nature, they analysed preserved roots, pollen, and spores from this soil, and showed that the world at that time — the Cretaceous period —was a lot warmer than previously thought.

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

4.1 ADB increased size of its Covid-19 response package for its member nations from $6.5 billion to $ 20 billion

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has tripled the size of its Covid-19 response package for its member nations to $20 billion.
• Interestingly, besides governments, ADB’s funding will also be extended to the private sector to meet their financing needs.  
• The move comes days after the multilateral funding agency extended a $2.2 billion support to India to fight against the pandemic.  
• The proposed $20 billion package includes about $2.5 billion in concessional and grant resources, but it’s unclear how much additional funding India will stand to benefit.
• Last month, ADB announced $6.5 billion funding as its initial response on March 18, followed by $13.5 billion in resources to help its developing member countries counter the severe macroeconomic and health impacts caused by Covid-19. 
• Besides it also approved measures to streamline its operations for quicker and more flexible delivery of assistance.

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

5.1 Only persons covered under ‘Ayushman Yojana’ can be tested for free in private labs – Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court modified its April 8 order which asked private labs to conduct free Covid-19 tests and said the benefit will be available only to "economically weaker sections" who are covered under a government scheme such as the Ayushman Bharat.
• It had on April 8 directed that private labs, which were allowed to charge Rs 4,500 for Covid-19 tests, would not charge for the tests observing that they need to be philanthropic in the hour of national crisis.
• A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Ravindra Bhat took note of the pleas of two persons, including orthopedic surgeon Kaushal Kant Mishra, who said that if the testing is made free for all, private labs will be overburdened financially and would slow down the tests for the novel coronavirus or Covid-19.
• The court said it was conscious of the fact that framing of the scheme and its implementation were in the government's domain who are the best experts in such matters.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Arts and Culture

• Hindustani classical singer Shanti Hiranand Chawla dies at 87 - Renowned Hindustani classical singer and Padma Shri awardee Shanti Hiranand Chawla passed away in Gurgaon on April 10, 2020 at the age of 87. The singer was trained in thumri, dadra and ghazal singing by Begum Akhtar.
• COVID-19: Veteran Indian-American journalist Brahm Kanchibotla dies at 66 in US - Veteran Indian-American journalist Brahm Kanchibotla died at the age of 66 from coronavirus in the US on April 6, 2020. He was former New York and UN correspondent of the United News of India.
• Rifat Chadirji, known as the father of modern Iraqi architecture, dies at 93 - Rifat Chadirji, known as the father of modern Iraqi architecture, died in the United Kingdom at the age of 93 on April 10, 2020 after contracting the novel coronavirus.
• US country-folk singer John Prine dies aged 73.
• Three Manipal students win MIT’s COVID-19 hackathon –  

1. A team of three students from Manipal Institute of Technology, which linked up with three professionals has won the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) COVID-19 Challenge event.
2. The team was declared as winner of its track — ‘Who to test and when?’ under ‘How to protect vulnerable populations from the effects of COVID-19?’.
3. The ‘Beat the Pandemic’ was a 48-hour virtual event to help tackle the most critical needs caused by COVID-19. The hackathon started at 3.30 a.m. on April 4, where participants formed teams to shortlist the problems and find solutions.
4. The three students of Manipal Institute of Technology — Akshatha Kamath (third year CSE), Shubham Rateria (CCE Batch of 2019) and Adri Rajaraman (ECE Batch of 2019) — participated in the event.
5. They teamed up with Melia Watson, Washington DC (respiratory therapist, MBA), Hsiang Wei Hu, Taiwan (co-founder of Acusense Biomed), and Mariane Melo, U.K. (M.D.).
6. They narrowed down to the problem of overcrowded hospitals with inappropriate admissions, whereas less than 5% of the population under 50 years needs hospitalisation.
7. Their solution was to build a tele-health platform for non-contact monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate, respiratory rate and blood oxygen concentration using a phone camera or webcam at home.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Veteran Congress leader and former union minister M. V. Rajasekharan died aged 91 in Bengaluru.

• Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister M V Rajasekharan passed away at a hospital in Bengaluru after prolonged illness, family sources said. He was 91.
• The Congress leader was ailing from old-age-related diseases. He is survived by his wife Girija Rajasekharan, two sons and two daughters.
• An agriculturist and rural development consultant, the Congress leader was born on September 12, 1928, at Maralawadi in Ramanagara district.

7.2 COVID-19 related decisions and updates

• Chief Information Commissioner Bimal Julka, all 6 Information Commissioners to take voluntary 30% cut in their basic salary for one year starting April 1, 2020.
• CEC Sunil Arora, ECs Ashok Lavasa and Sushil Chandra to take voluntary 30% cut in their basic salary for one year starting April 1, 2020.
• Tamil, Nadu: CM K. Palaniswami announces extension of the COVID-19 lockdown till April 30. 

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

8.1 COVID-19 lockdown: CBSE, Fit India to start live fitness sessions for school students from April 15, 2020 on Facebook and Instagram handles

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Fit India, the government's flagship fitness movement, will start live fitness sessions for school students to keep them engaged as well as fit in the second phase of the countrywide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• CBSE Alerts Students and Parents Against Fake Notices About Board Exams 2020, Warns Rumour-Mongers of Legal Actions.
• According to the HRD Ministry, from April 15 at 9:30 am, students can access the live sessions on the Facebook and Instagram handles of Fit India Movement and CBSE.
• All the sessions will also be available on YouTube so that students can access them at their convenience as well.
• The live sessions will cover all aspects of children's fitness such as daily workouts, yoga, nutrition and their emotional well-being.  
• Distinguished fitness experts like Aliya Imran, nutritionist Puja Makhija, emotional wellness expert Jitendra Nagpal, yoga professional Heena Bhimani and several others will be part of the sessions.
• Schools across the country were closed by mid-March, ahead of the nationwide lockdown announcement due to the spread of coronavirus.
• The 21-day lockdown, which was scheduled to end today, has now been extended till May 3.

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

9.1 IIT Bombay researchers get patent for ‘Smart Stethoscope’

•  A team at the Indian Institute of Technology of Bombay (IIT-B) has developed a "digital stethoscope" that can listen to heart beats from a distance and record them, minimising the risk of healthcare professionals contracting the novel coronavirus from patients.
• The data or the auscultated sound from a patient's chest is wirelessly sent to the doctor using Bluetooth, doing away with the need to go near to take readings, according to members of the team.
• The IIT-B team has received a patent for the device that records the auscultated sound and stores it as part of a patient's health record. This can be shared with other doctors for analysis as well as follow ups.
• Operating a start-up called "AyuDevice" from the IIT's technology business incubator, the team has sent 1,000 stethoscopes to different hospitals and healthcare centres across the country. The product has been developed with clinical inputs from doctors at Reliance Hospital and PD Hinduja Hospital.
• The stethoscope consists of a tube connected to two earpieces. The tube transmits sounds from the body while eliminating background noise that might interfere with diagnosis.
• The second advantage is that the stethoscope is able to amplify and filter several sounds and translate them into an electronic signal, which can be further amplified for optimal listening.

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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 -

• Manolis Glezos died at the age of 97 in Athens on March 30, 2020. He is known for bravery in Second World War.
• Haryana has announced Rs. 6 crore reward for each gold medal winner at Olympic Games.
• Praveen Jordan & Melati Daeva Oktavianti won the Mixed Doubles title at the All England Open Badminton organised in March 2020.
• The University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences (UAHS), Shivamogga, Karnataka has developed ‘Sahyadri Megha’, a new variety of Paddy that is diseases-resistant and rich in nutrients.
• World's oldest man Chitetsu Watanabe passed away in Japan at the age of 112 in February 2020.

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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