Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 25-04-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 25-04-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. India records largest single-day spike of 1,752 cases; toll hits 723 – Over nine lakh persons are under active COVID-19 surveillance in India, as the total number of cases reached 23,452. The death toll stood at 723. The country registered another biggest single-day spike with over 1,752 positive COVID cases. India currently has 17,915 active cases, while 4,813 people have recovered, which puts the recovery rate at 20.57%. Separately, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a statement, said the situation in emerging and major hotspots, including Ahmedabad, Surat, Hyderabad and Chennai, is serious. The statement added that violations of lockdown measures reported in some parts of the country pose a serious health hazard to the public and may lead to the spread of COVID-19..
2. Uttar Pradesh to bring back migrant workers in phases – Uttar Pradesh will bring back migrant workers stranded in other States and have completed 14 days of quarantine in a phased manner. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath instructed officials to prepare a working plan and come up with details. Mr. Adityanath asked officials to make preparations for keeping the migrants under 14 days of quarantine in their respective districts and to sanitise and vacate shelter homes well in time. Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Awanish Awasthi, said the Chief Minister had instructed officials to send back migrants of other States who had completed 14 days of quarantine in Uttar Pradesh.
3. IIT researchers develop tool to predict spread of COVID-19 - Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi have developed a web-based dashboard for predicting the spread of COVID-19 in India. The institute said that the mobile-friendly dashboard, PRACRITI (PRediction and Assessment of CoRona Infections and Transmission in India) gives detailed State-wise and district-wise predictions of COVID-19 cases in India for a three-week period, which is updated on a weekly basis. The institute said that researchers believe that such a platform will be highly useful for healthcare organisations as well as local and central authorities to efficiently plan for different future scenarios and resource allocation.
4. White tigress dies in Delhi zoo – A 13-year-old white tigress died at the Delhi zoo. The tigress, which was born in the zoo, was cremated on its premises. The official said that all precautions were taken by the zoo staff to avoid any contact with the animal. Earlier this month, the Central Zoo Authority in a letter to zoo officials said that COVID-19 has been confirmed in a tiger in a zoo in New York and directed all of them to be careful. The official said that samples of the tigress have been sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly.
5. CM appeals to recovered patients to donate their plasma, save lives - Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed “encouraging” the limited trial of plasma therapy on patients at a city hospital and appealed to recovered COVID-19 patients to step forward and donate their plasma to save the lives of serious patients. Two of the four patients on whom the trial was conducted at Lok Nayak Hospital would be shifted out of intensive care three days after the therapy. He also said that Delhi government would ask for permission from the Centre to use plasma therapy on all serious patients based on the next trial.
6. Foodgrain stock will last till next March, says FCI chief – The stock of foodgrains available with the Food Corporation of India is “comfortable” to manage the situation till March next year, but it would be an exaggeration to hold that the stock is “far in excess” of the buffer stock requirement, which should include additional allocation, according to D.V. Prasad, Chairman and Managing Director of the FCI. Responding to the demand being made by food security activists that the Central government, with “enormous excess stock”, release more foodgrains to States free of cost or at a nominal price over and above the existing allocations, Mr. Prasad told that the buffer stock norms were fixed based on the requirement of wheat or rice at 5 kg a person for 80 crore beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), which was in line with the requirements of the law.
7. Wildlife Board nod for mining in Assam elephant reserve – Amid the countrywide lockdown, the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has recommended coal mining in a part of an elephant reserve in Assam. The NBWL’s Standing Committee had on April 7 discussed a proposal for use of 98.59 hectares of land from the Saleki proposed reserve forest land for a coal mining project by North-Easter Coal Field (NECF), a unit of Coal India Limited. The NBWL is under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Saleki is a part of the Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve that includes the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary covering 111.19 sq km of rainforest and several reserve forests in Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts.
8. A month of lockdown: Covid growth falls from 22% to 8% – When PM Modi announced a total lockdown of the country exactly a month ago, there were around 500 Covid-19 cases in India. But there were clear signs that the numbers were going to shoot up. The average daily growth in cases was 21.6% on March 24, which since dropped to 8.1%. Had we continued to grow at that rate, the number of cases would have crossed 2 lakh by now. But a growth rate of 8.1% three days into the fifth week of lockdown is still higher than what the worst-hit countries achieved after locking down for the same period. While Germany brought down the growth rate to 2%, the US was at 4.8%.
9. India Post delivers ₹412cr cash in doorstep banking revolution  - The lockdown has set off a banking revolution. Irrespective of which bank you have an account with—in a city or a village without a branch—you can call the local post office and ask it to deliver cash. In as little as 10-15 minutes, the postman or postwoman will reach your home. For this, you need not have an account with the post office. Between March 24 and April 23, post offices across India delivered Rs 412 crore in over 21 lakh such transactions, mostly in rural and unbanked areas, through a network of 1.36 lakh post offices which have been equipped with 1.86 lakh handheld AePS devices.
10. World Unites To Speed Up Vaccine  – World leaders pledged to accelerate work on tests, drugs and vaccines against Covid-19 and to share them around the globe, but the United States did not take part in the launch of the World Health Organization (WHO) initiative. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were among those who joined a video conference to launch what the WHO had billed as a “landmark collaboration” to fight the pandemic.

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 Design	Professor, Instructor, Designer/ Faculty, Dy Engineer & Asst Eng.	16	Diploma, Degree, PG	May 17, 2020	https://nidmp.ac.in/Upload/NIDMP_RecruitmentTech.pdf
2	IIM, Kashipur	CEO, Business Manager, Asst Manager, Exe	5	Any Degree, PG	May 11, 2020	http://www.iimkashipur.ac.in/sites/default/files/Advertisement%20for%20Positions%20in%20FIED%20IIM%20Kashipur.pdf
3	SPRERI	SRF, Project Asst, Research Asso., Project Coord, Field Asst	17	Degree, PG, Ph.D (Engg)	April 25, 2020	http://spreri.org/Job-Opeings.htm
4	BPPI	Asst General Manager, Manager, Jr Marketing Officer, Executive	84	Degree, PG (Relevant Discipline)	April 30, 2020	http://janaushadhi.gov.in/vacancies/Recruitment%20no.%2003_17042020.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	IIT, Palakkad	Asst Registrar, Jr Tech. Super., Jr Technician,	6	Diploma, Degree, PG	May 15, 2020	https://iitpkd.ac.in/sites/default/files/2020-04/StaffRecruitmentIITPalakkad04152020.pdf
7	DRDO-RAC	Scientist C, D, E, F	40	Degree (Engg)	--	https://rac.gov.in/cgibin/2020/advt_135_result/public/pdf/advt_135.pdf?a6271ddc2fa0db5abfbfc176e33e2026=1

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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 World Book and Copyright Day celebrated by UNSECO on April 23

• Every 23rd of April, the World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated around the world.
• The connection between 23 April and books was first made in 1923 by booksellers in Spain as a way to honor the author Miguel de Cervantes who died on that day.
• Nowadays, the World Book and Copyright Day is observed in over 100 countries, where schools, private businesses, voluntary organisations and many more come together to pay a tribute to authors and books.
• In 1995, UNESCO decided that on this date the World Book and Copyright Day should be celebrated in reference to the Catalonian (Catolonia - region, in northeastern Spain) festival and also, as the date marks the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare and some other authors.
• Besides promoting the importance of reading and publishing, UNESCO aims to highlight the concept of copyright as the IP form giving writers the right to be credited for their work. On this occasion, we invite you to read our latest Bulletin issue on copyrights.
• Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) named World Book Capital for 2020.
  

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

2.1 Government to set up Rs 1 trillion fund to repay outstanding payments to MSMEs owed by govt. and private industries: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari

• A scheme is devised to set up the fund, and the proposal may be placed before the Cabinet for approval once the Finance Ministry gives its go-ahead.
• The fund will provide relief to the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector to a certain extent.
• The corpus will be a mobile fund that will help increase liquidity in the market.
• The minister asked the industry chamber to explore a technical joint venture through investment of capital between Indian industry and major global corporations.
• Previous to that On April 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) did try to ease the liquidity crisis among MSMEs by announcing a targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO) of Rs 50,000 crore to help small and medium-sized non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and micro-finance institutions (MFIs).
  

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

3.1 Not Available Today

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

4.1 Second International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace celebrated on April 24

• The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was established on 12 December, 2018 through resolution A/RES/73/127 and was first observed on April 24, 2019.
• Preserving the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, which underpin the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is fundamental to promote and support the three pillars of the UN - peace and security, development and human rights.
• The international norms and rules-based system that have steered nations through seven decades must rise to meet the mounting challenges of protectionism and isolationism. 
• Global issues such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, humanitarian and migratory crises are cross-cutting, implicating the values and interests of nations and necessitate collective attention and action. Technological advancement has also impacted the political and socio-economic landscape and inter-state relations.
• As emphasized in the resolution, the International Day is a reaffirmation of the UN Charter and its principles of resolving disputes among countries through peaceful means. 
• It acknowledges the use of multilateral decision-making and diplomacy in achieving peaceful resolutions to conflicts among nations.
• Background - The United Nations came into being in 1945, following the devastation of the Second World War, with one central mission: the maintenance of international peace and security. The Charter of the United Nations states that one of the United Nations' purposes and principles is the commitment to settle disputes through peaceful means and the determination to succeeding generations from the scourge of war. On 12 December 2018, the General Assembly adopted the resolution, "International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace" (A/RES/73/127) by a recorded vote of 144 in favour to 2 against.
• Message of the UN Secretary-General - The COVID-19 pandemic is a tragic reminder of how deeply connected we are. The virus knows no borders and is a quintessential global challenge. Combatting it requires us to work together as one human family. We must do all we can to save lives and ease the economic and social devastation. This is the biggest international challenge since the Second World War. But multilateralism is not only a matter of confronting shared threats; it is about seizing common opportunities.  We now have the opportunity to build back better than in the past, aiming at inclusive and sustainable economies and societies. At this key moment for international cooperation, and in this 75th anniversary year of the United Nations, let us strive as one to realize the founders’ vision of a healthy, equitable, peaceful and more sustainable future for all.

4.2 COVID-19 related news

• India co-sponsors resolution calling for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines adopted by UN General Assembly,
• China announced additional US $ 30 million grant for WHO.
• Pakistan receives US $ 1.39 billion emergency loan from IMF to deal with Corona virus crisis.

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

5.1 Web portals for rural development launched

• PM launches two web portals -- e-Gram Swaraj & Swamitva Yojana -- for faster development of villages.
• The e-Gram Swaraj app will provide panchayats a single interface to complete development projects.
• Swamitva Yojana will use drones in mapping of properties in villages and will make it easier for villagers to avail loans from banks.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Sports

• BCCI creates ‘Team Mask Force’ video to promote wearing masks in public places - Featuring India’s most revered cricketers such as Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, the BCCI has created a new video to promote wearing masks in public places and help the country battle the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Team Mask Force’ has been created to spread awareness about wearing masks in public places.
• Cricket: Indian Premier League suspended indefinitely by BCCI - Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has suspended the Indian Premier League 2020 indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Mascot for 2022 Asian Para Games at Hangzhou unveiled - The mascot for the 4th Asian Para Games scheduled to be at Hangzhou, China from October 9 in 2022 was unveiled on April 16, 2020. The design of ‘Feifei’ is inspired by the motif of the ‘Divine Bird’ in the Liangzhu Culture.

• Tour de France cycling race postponed from June 27 to August 29 - The world’s most famous cycling race Tour de France has been postponed in the wake of Corona virus pandemic. The three-week race was set to start on June 27 but will now begin on August 29.
• Viswanathan Anand joins WWF India’s ambassador for environment education - Former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand has joined WWF (World Wide Fund) India as its ambassador for environment education programme that currently reaches out to over 5,00,000 children across 2000 schools in the country.
• Former US golf player Doug Sanders dies aged 86 - Former US golf player Doug Sanders, who won 20 PGA Tour events in his career, died on April 11, 2020 in Houston at the age of 86.
• Veteran sports journalist Samir Goswami dies aged 65 in Kolkata - Veteran sports journalist Samir Goswami passed away in Kolkata at the age of 65 on April 18, 2020. He worked for more than two decades in popular Bengali newspaper ‘Bartaman’.
• Former Pakistani cricketer Zafar Sarfraz dies aged 50 from coronavirus - Former Pakistani first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz became the first professional player in the country to die after contracting the novel coronavirus on April 13, 2020 in Peshawar.
  

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Panchayati Raj Day celebrated on April 24

• The Panchayat raj is the oldest system of local government.
• The word 'Panchayat' is an amalgamation of two words where 'Panch' means 'five' and 'Ayat' means 'assembly' and 'Raj' means 'rule'.
• Traditionally panchayats consisted of sensible and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community.
• The leader of the panchayat was often called as the mukhiya, sarpanch or pradhan.
• The job of these assemblies was to settle disputes between individuals and between villages but there were varying forms of such assemblies.
• In 1992 a major change in the Panchayat system of India came in the form of the passage of the Panchayati Raj Act (73rd Amendment). The act came into existence with effect from April 24, 1993.
• The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010.  
• Since then, the National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated on April 24 every year in India.
• The enactment of the 73rd amendment is applauded as a defining moment in history as it permits states to take steps to organize village panchayats and provide them with necessary powers and authority necessary to help them to function as units of self-government.
• Every year on this National Panchayati Raj Day Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference and awards best performing Gram Panchayats with 'The Panchayat Shashakatikaran Puraskar/Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar'.
• But this year due to Coronavirus lockdown Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Gram Panchayats via video conferencing and will launch a unified e-GramSwaraj portal and a mobile app.
  

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

8.1 An e-office application called ‘e-karyalay’ launched in CISF to enable movement of files and documents without physical touch.

8.2 Salary of Kerala government  employees to be deducted for six days every month for the next five months for raising funds to fight COVID-19.

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

9.1 RNA extraction kit ‘Chitra Magna’ launche

• RNA extraction kit named ‘Chitra Magna’ launched for isolating RNA from swabs for COVID 19 tests.
• It is developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Thiruvananthapuram.

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

10.1 Reports/ Rankings - D&B Business Optimism Index

• Dun & Bradstreet Composite Business Optimism Index at 49.40% for Q2 2020 (April-June); down 37% as compared to the year-ago period.

 To download complete pdf please visit here – 

https://www.dnb.co.in/file/BOI_2020-q1.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Viswanathan Anand joined WWF (World Wide Fund) India as its ambassador for environment education programme.
• The UN Economic and Socials Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is based at Bangkok
• The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres launched a USD 2 billion ‘Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID19’ on March 25, 2020.
• US President John F. Kennedy initiated the observation of World Consumer Rights Day on March 15 every year.
• Tiruchirappalli hosted four-day International Conference on Banana 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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