Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 25-05-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 25-05-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 Updates – Domestic Flights to resume after two months break – Amid growing uncertainty on the number of flights allowed by different States at specific airports and the health protocols to be followed by passengers at each of them, the Ministry of Civil Aviation held a meeting with airlines and airports to finalise routes that could be opened from. Except Andhra Pradesh which will start on 26/5 & West Bengal on 28/5, domestic flights will recommence across the country.
2. COVID-19 Updates – India now in top 10 – India reported the highest single-day spike so far of 7,097 COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 1,38,482, according to reports from the State Health Departments. The number of active cases stood at 76,858, while 57,605 people have recovered. The death toll crossed 4,000, with 150 new fatalities. Data from Johns Hopkins University show that the total number of cases in India has surpassed that of Iran (with 1,35,701 confirmed infections). India now has the 10th highest number of confirmed cases worldwide.
3. COVID-19 Updates – Special train attacked in Bihar – In two incidents in Bihar within a span of 24 hours, a special train from Haryana, carrying some 1,300 people home to the northeastern States, was attacked and 12 passengers on a bus from Madhya Pradesh were abused and threatened. The journey for the returnees from Haryana was incident-free until their train stopped at Danapur in Bihar. Trouble started when the passengers, mostly young persons from northeastern States, refused to let several people waiting on the platform into the train.
4. Naxalism - History-sheeter with Maoist links held – The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested a history-sheeter with a long record of armed robbery, who was allegedly involved in financing Maoist activities in Nepal. The accused, who has at least 30 cases to his name, would allegedly commit crimes in Maharashtra and send the proceeds of the crimes to Maoists in Nepal. Nepal, over the last one year, has witnessed an escalation in Maoist activities, including an attack on the office of a private telecom operator in February 2019 and string of bomb blasts in Kathmandu in May last year, the credit for which was claimed by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), led by Netra Bikram Chand.
5. Andhra Pradesh Gas leak incident – Seal LG Polymers plant: AP HC – The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed that the LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam be sealed and no one, including company directors, be allowed to enter its premises. But the court permitted the committees formed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Central and State governments to probe the incident, to make a note of their visits in registers maintained at the factory gate. The compliance report is to be filed by May 26 and cases listed for May 28.  
6. Internal Security - No troops detained by China – Army – The Army “categorically denied” reports that Indian patrol teams had been detained by Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, during the current standoff. Tensions between India and China along the LAC have been rising for the past month, since People’s Liberation Army troops tried to disrupt road construction in the Ladakh sector; dozens of soldiers have been injured in incidents of jostling and pushing in at least four points of conflict. Officials have said that the skirmishes have been caused by “differing perceptions” of the LAC, which is not fully demarcated.
7. COVID-19 Updates - Centre seeks efficacy of Ayurveda – The Union Health Ministry sought results of COVID-19 treatment using Ayurvedic medicines. This was following a visit by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to a dedicated COVID-19 health centre at the Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan (CBPACS), Najafgarh. Ayurveda is a traditional medicinal knowledge source from India and there is huge potential in it. Its inherent strength in holistic healing and wellbeing is being put to good use in treatment of the patients at this centre.
8. Cold War 2.0 – Chinese Foreign Minister says Beijing is open to international probe led by the WHO – The United States is pushing relations with China to “the brink of a new Cold War,” China’s Foreign Minister said, rejecting Washington’s “lies” over the coronavirus while saying Beijing was open to an international effort to find its source. Keeping up the worsening war of words with Washington over the pandemic and a Beijing move to tighten control over Hong Kong, Wang Yi said the United States had been infected by a “political virus” compelling figures there to continually attack China. Long-standing friction between the two powers over trade, human rights and a range of other issues have been pushed to new heights since the virus outbreak.
9. Hong Kong Protests – Thousands rally in Hong Kong against law – Hong Kong police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of people who rallied to protest against Beijing’s plan to impose national security laws on the city. In a return of the unrest that roiled Hong Kong last year, crowds thronged the Causeway Bay shopping area in defiance of curbs imposed to contain the coronavirus. Chants of “Hong Kong independence, the only way out,” echoed through the streets.
10. Indian Economy: Corporate World – Aditya Birla MF suspends fresh inflows into two debt schemes – Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund has temporarily suspended fresh investments in two of its debt schemes — Medium Term Plan and Credit Risk Fund. The fund house said that it had made significant gains in the two schemes, which would be realised by existing investors, and hence has stopped fresh investments so that the gains are not diluted.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	South Eastern Railway	OT Asst (Dresser), Hospital Attendant	23	--	June 4, 2020	https://ser.indianrailways.gov.in/cris//uploads/files/1590065585280-SUKUMAR%20BAG.pdf
2	DME, Assam	Demonstrator	5	MD	May 27, 2020	https://dme.assam.gov.in/sites/default/files/swf_utility_folder/departments/dme_lipl_in_oid_8/menu/document/ad._demonstrator_micro.pdf
3	NHM, Chhattisgarh	District Laboratory Technician	8	10+2 with BMLT/ DMLT	May 28, 2020	http://cghealth.nic.in/ehealth/2020/NHM/Recruit/SamvidaBhartiVigyapan_22052020.pdf
4	KSP	Armed Police Constable (Men) (HK & NHK)	1449	SSLC	June 22, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/05/Notification-KSP-Armed-Police-Constable-NHK-Posts.pdf
5	KSP	Civil Police Constable (Men & Wmen) (HK &NHK)	2565	Matriculation, Diploma, Degree	June  22, 2020	http://cpchk20.ksp-online.in/
6	Kerala PSC	Police Constable & Women Police Constable	125	SSLC	June 24	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/05/Notification-Kerala-PSC-Police-Constable-Posts.pdf
7	PCMC	ASHA	360	8th Class	--	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/05/Notification-PCMC-ASHA-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 Supreme Court permitted Air India to operate non-scheduled flights with middle seat bookings for 10 Days

• The Court however added that for non-scheduled operations after that, Air India should follow the Bombay High Court's direction to keep middle seats vacant.
• A bench headed by CJI Bobde passed the order in the petitions filed by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Air India against the May 22 order of the Bombay HC which directed Air India to keep middle seats empty even in respect of its non-scheduled international operations.
• The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy.

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

2.1 Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) review

• The Reserve Bank of India has extended the moratorium on loan repayments by three more months in view of Covid-19.  A 40 basis points (bps) cut to both the repo and reverse repo rates has been announced. The decision has been taken by the RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee which met ahead of its scheduled meeting in early June.
• The latest moves are expected to ease the financial burden on businesses due to the extended lockdown.
• Repo Rate and Reverse Repo Rate - The repo rate is presently at 4%, while the reverse repo rate stands at 3.35%. This will make funds cheaper for banks, thus aiding them to bring down loan lending rates. Repo rate is the rate at which a country’s central bank (RBI) lends money to commercial banks.
• Extension of Moratorium on Loan Repayments by Another 3 Months - The lending institutions have been permitted to extend the moratorium (suspension) on term loan instalments by another three months, i.e., from 1st June, 2020 to 31st August, 2020. This is expected to help borrowers, especially companies, which have halted production and are facing cash flow problems, to get more time to restart their units. Earlier, the RBI announced the moratorium for a three-month period — 1st March to 25th May. All conditions related to the extension remain unchanged.
• Conversion of Interest Charges into a Term Loan - The RBI has allowed borrowers and banks to convert the interest charges during the moratorium period (from 1st March to 31st August) into a term loan which can be repaid by March 2021. This is expected to reduce the burden on borrowers who have gone for moratorium.
• Group Exposure Limit Raised - The group exposure limit of banks has been increased from 25% to 30% of the capital base for a temporary period till 30th June, 2021. Group exposure limit determines the maximum amount a bank can lend to one business house. Under the existing guidelines on the Large Exposures Framework, the exposure of a bank to a group of connected counterparties should not be higher than 25% of its capital base.
• A Rs. 15,000 crore line of credit for a period of 90 days -  would be extended to the Exim Bank to boost the foreign trade. Export-Import (Exim) Bank is the premier export finance institution of the country.
• The maximum permissible period of pre-shipment and post-shipment export credit sanctioned by banks has been increased from the existing one year to 15 months (for loan disbursements made up to 31st July, 2020). This was done to help exporters support their production and realisation cycles. Simply put, any exporter who has taken credit from a bank can repay it in 15 months instead of one year.
• The RBI refrained from providing a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth forecast for the year, or likely trajectory for inflation. GDP growth will slip into negative territory this year, blaming it on the collapse in demand due to a fall in private consumption following the Covid-19 lockdown. 
• MPC review – Important Facts

1. Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das cuts benchmark lending rate by 40 basis points 
2. Following the 0.4% reduction, the repo rate has come down to 4% and the reverse repo rate has been cut to 3.35% from 3.75%
3. Six-member MPC voted 5:1 in favour of 40 bps cut in interest rate
4. Moratorium on loan repayments extended by three more months to August 31, 2020.
5. GDP growth in 2020-21 is estimated to remain in the negative territory
6. RBI to roll over Rs 15,000-crore refinance facility for SIDBI for 90 days
7. Pre and post-shipment of credits for exports increased from 1 year to 15 months
8. RBI to extend Rs 15,000-cr line of credit to EXIM Bank

2.2 ONGC, NTPC sign MOU to set up joint venture for renewable energy business.

2.3 US private equity giant KKR & Co. Inc. picks 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms for Rs 11,367 crore.

2.4 Government extends validity of motor vehicle documents till July 31.

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

3.1 UMANG App of Government

• 7 services hosted on http://mausam.imd.gov.in web site of IMD onboarded to government’s UMANG Application. 7 services are: Current Weather, Nowcast, City Forecast, Rainfall Information, Tourism Forecast, Warnings & Cyclone.
• UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-Age Governance) is one of the key initiatives under the Digital India program to develop a common, unified platform and mobile app to facilitate a single point of access to all government services.
• It is envisaged to act as a master application, which will integrate major government services from various sectors such Agriculture, Education, Health, Housing among others. The application will enable users to access e-Government services from the central Government, the State Governments, local bodies and their agencies.
• This multi-lingual app is developed and operated by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to fast-track Mobile Governance in India.

 3.2 Indian Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC), which provides a paperless dispute resolution environment, inaugurated in New Delhi.

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

4.1 US to pull out of Open Skies surveillance treaty

• The USA has announced that it will exit the Open Skies Treaty (OST) in six months due to continuous violation of the treaty by Russia and changes in the security environment.
• The USA has blamed Russia for restricting US flyovers in neighbour Georgia and its military enclave in Kaliningrad (Russia). Russia misused its flights over the US and Europe to identify critical infrastructure for potential attack in a time of war. Russia intends to annex the Crimean peninsula and has designated an Open Skies refueling airfield in the region. The USA has expressed willingness to make a new agreement.
• Russia has denied the allegations and warned that the withdrawal will affect the interests of all of 35 participating countries but intended to fully follow all the rights and obligations under the treaty as long as the treaty is in force. 
• The USA has used the treaty more intensively than Russia. Between 2002 and 2016, the U.S. flew 196 flights over Russia compared to the 71 flights flown by Russia. This move by the USA has further deepened doubts on extension of the New START treaty, which expires in February, 2021.
• Open Skies Treaty - It was signed in 1992 and came into effect in 2002. It allows its 34 signatories countries to monitor arm development by conducting surveillance flights (unarmed) over each other’s territories. Therefore, the treaty established an aerial surveillance system for its participants. Both US and Russia are signatories of the treaty. India is not a member of this treaty.
• New START Treaty - The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) is a treaty between the USA and the Russian Federation on measures for the further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. It entered into force on Feb 5, 2011. It is a successor to the START framework of 1991 that limited both sides to 1,600 strategic delivery vehicles and 6,000 warheads.
• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty - It was a nuclear arms-control accord reached by the US and the Soviet Union in 1987 in which the two nations agreed to eliminate their stocks of intermediate-range and shorter or medium range land-based missiles which could carry nuclear warheads. The US withdrew from the Treaty on Aug 2 2019.

4.2 Lesotho’s PM Thomas Thabane resigns after pressure over his involvement in his estranged wife’s murder in 2017.

4.3 China's ambassador to Israel Du Wei (58) found dead in Tel Aviv.

4.4 Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan takes charge as the Chairman of the 34-member WHO Executive Board.

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

5.1 Chhattisgarh government launched Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana to provide assured monetary assistance to farmers per acre of land cultivated.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup - Sports

• 1989 men’s national table tennis champion Manmeet Singh Walia dies at 58 - Former national table tennis champion Manmeet Singh Walia passed away at the age of 58 in Montreal, Canada on May 12, 2020. He had won in 1989.
• FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in India postponed to Feb 17-Mar 7, 2021 - The postponed FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in India was on May 12, 2020 rescheduled to next year from February 17 to March 7 after the world body made a "thorough assessment" of the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from November 2 to 21 his year.
• SAI forms committee to prepare SOP to resume training post lockdown - Sports Authority of India (SAI) has formed a committee to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure to resume training in all SAI Centres in all sporting disciplines after the lockdown is lifted. All training had been suspended across SAI Centres in view of the on-going Corona pandemic. A separate committee has been formed to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for swimming, since the sport requires athletes to train in water and may have different health risks involved, as compared to other sport.
• Sania Mirza wins ITF’s Fed Cup Heart Award for Asia/Oceania zone - Tennis player Sania Mirza on May 11, 2020 became the first Indian to win ITF’s (International Tennis Federation) Fed Cup Heart Award for her successful return to the court post motherhood. Sania won the award for Asia/Oceania zone after securing highest number of votes from fans by online voting. Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) emerged victorious from Europe/Africa and Fernanda Contreras Gomez of Mexico won from the Americas region.
• Deepa Malik takes charge as President of the Paralympic Committee of India - 49-year-old para-athlete Deepa Malik on May 11, 2020 took charge as the President of the Paralympic Committee of India and announced her retirement. She is the first Indian woman to earn a medal at the Paralympic Games and is also a recipient of the Padma Shri, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 President Ram Nath Kovind accepted credentials from Ambassadors and High Commissioners of seven countries through video conference

• High Commissioner Barry Robert O'Farrell from Australia
• Ambassador M N'DRY Eric Camille from Cote d'Ivoire
• High Commissioner Santi Bai Hanoomanjee from Mauritius
• Ambassador Choe Hui Chol from North Korea
• High Commissioner Jacqueline Mukangira from Rwanda
• Ambassador Abdoul Wahab Haidara from Senegal
• High Commissioner Roger Gopaul from Trinidad and Tobago

 7.2 UP Government to set up a Migration Commission for employment of migrant labourers in the state.

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

8.1 Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) changes title of its web portal from 

https://ttdsevaonline.com to https://tirupatibalaji.ap.gov.in

8.2 CBSE launched cyber safety handbook for class IX to XII students listing dos and don’ts

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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 Global Nutrition Report 2020

• India is among 88 countries that are likely to miss global nutrition targets by 2025, according to the Global Nutrition Report 2020 released on May 12, 2020.
• It also identified the country as one with the highest rates of domestic inequalities in malnutrition.
• In 2012, the World Health Assembly identified six nutrition targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition to be met by 2025.  
• These require governments to reduce stunting by 40% in children under five and prevalence of anaemia by 50% among women in the age group of 19-49, ensure 30% reduction in low-birth weight and no increase in childhood overweight, increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months up to at least 50% and reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less than 5%.
• According to the Global Nutrition Report 2020, India will miss targets for all four nutritional indicators for which there is data available — stunting among under-five children, anaemia among women of reproductive age, childhood overweight and exclusive breastfeeding.

To download visit here -

https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• The Blue Flag certification is accorded to beaches around the world by the Denmark-based Foundation for Environment Education.
• Japan has the world’s most powerful passport according to the Henley Passport Index.
• Russia had annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2013.
• Footballer Martin Peters passed away at the age of 76 in London in Dec. 2019?
• Turbulence and Triumph: The Modi Years is the book co-authored by Rahul Agarwal and Bharathi S Pradhan that was released 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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