Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 27-05-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 27-05-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Internal Security – PM reviews LAC situation – PM Modi reviewed the current situation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and the ongoing standoff with China with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat and the three Service Chiefs. The meeting comes a day before the biannual Army Commanders conference. Army chief Gen. Manoj Naravane made a detailed presentation on the standoff at various points of the LAC in eastern Ladakh, it has been learnt. Several rounds of talks on the ground up to the level of Division Commanders have failed to break the impasse.
2. COVID-19 Updates – Need stricter trials HCQ testing in India – The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) moratorium on testing hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), the controversial anti-malarial drug, for treating COVID-19, doesn't imply that India should pause testing the drug as a preventive, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO said but she stressed that India ought to be doing stricter trials to test the drug’s efficacy in staving off infection in asymptomatic people at high-risk of contracting the virus. HCQ was one of four drug-combinations being tested in a global clinical trial, called Solidarity Trial, coordinated by the WHO. ICMT too said that there are no major side-effects of hydroxychloroquine, can be used in preventive treatment for COVID¬-19.
3. COVID-19 Updates – Weak demand for air travel – Weak demand for air travel continued to haunt airlines on the second day of domestic flight operations as most flights saw only 25%-50% seats occupied by passengers, and in some cases this was as low as 7%. But flights to Mumbai saw a slight improvement in sales as the State government on Monday relaxed quarantine norms for short-term travel, it is learnt. Passengers travelling to the city for less than seven days have been exempted from isolation, provided they don’t travel to Mumbai’s hotspots.
4. COVID-19 Updates – India’s recovery rate improved – India’s COVID recovery rate has improved from 26.59 % on May 2 to 41.61% on May 26, according to figures released by the Union Health Ministry. The Ministry, however, maintained that this improved recovery rate should not allow complacency to set in. The war against COVID-19 is a long-drawn one and we are far from safe. The case fatality rate was showing a downward trend from 3.30% (as on April 15) to around 2.87% at present, which is among the lowest in the world. The global average is presently around 6.45%.
5. International Relations – Xi orders military to think about worst-case scenarios – China’s President Xi Jinping called on the military ‘to think about worst-case scenarios’ and ‘scale up battle preparedness’. He made the remarks during his annual meeting with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) representatives attending the National People’s Congress or Parliament in Beijing. Mr. Xi had also referred to “battle preparedness” during his meeting with the PLA in 2019. This year, his speech focused on the post-pandemic situation, as he heard the PLA members of Parliament reporting on ‘strengthening training amid the epidemic, and accelerating capacity building on biosecurity defense’.
6. US Presidential Elections - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull the Republican Convention out of North Carolina – U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull the Republican Convention out of North Carolina if its Governor did not guarantee that there would be no restrictions on crowd numbers. The convention is an event to nominate the GOP’s presidential candidate (expected to be Mr. Trump). As the U.S.’s 50 States are in various stages of reopening, the number of coronavirus deaths approached 100,000. Tweeting to the Governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, a Democrat, Mr. Trump said the GOP was spending millions constructing the arena for the convention and that Mr. Cooper was still in “shutdown mood”, unable to guarantee if a full crowd would be allowed to attend the August 24-27 convention.
7. Asia: Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka Minister Thondaman passes away – Ceylon Workers’ Congress [CWC] leader and Sri Lanka Cabinet Minister Arumugan Thondaman passed away, after a sudden illness. He was 55. Earlier, Minister Thondaman met Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay and held discussions on development partnership in Sri Lanka's hill country, where Malayaha Tamils, or Tamils of recent Indian origin, reside. Nearly 1,50,000 people from the million-strong community work in the tea estates. Arumugan Thondaman, who served in President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government as Minister of Community Empowerment and Estate Infrastructure Development, is the grandson of iconic plantation Tamil leader and trade unionist Savumiamoorthy Thondaman, and has been the face of the party since his grandfather’s demise.
8. COVID-19 Updates – Aarogya Setu’s Android version is now open source – The government announced that the Aarogya Setu App will be open source, giving access to the source code to the developers’ community, and top officials said the move signals the government’s commitment to the core design principles of transparency, privacy and security. Open sourcing Aarogya Setu is a unique feat for India. No other government product anywhere in the world has been open-sourced at this scale.
9. Environment and Ecology – 6-yr-old Sariska tigress gives birth to triplets again – Six-year-old tigress ST-12 has given birth to triplets one more time in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), making her the mother of six cubs born in different litters in the last two years. This is a record for any tigress to have six surviving cubs in STR. In 2018, the tigress for the first time set a record of giving birth to triplets in the history of STR. Born in 2014, this is the second time ST-12 has given birth to triplets. The tigress mated with ST-13. The total number of tigers in the Sariska reserve now stands at 20.
10. Indian Economy – Govt looks at RBI to monetise deficit – The Centre is likely to look at the option of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) monetising the deficit in the second half of the financial year, a senior government official has said, asserting that the Centre is seriously examining the issue. The assessment within the government is that expenditure in the first half of the financial year would be met through market borrowing and spending re-prioritisation for various ministries. There is an uncertainty about how long the pandemic will last and the government is not keen on rushing into any decisions so early in the financial year.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Assam Police	Forester, Steno, Forest Guard, Surveyor, Mahut, Carpenter and Driver	1081	8th Class, 12th Class, Any Degree	June 25, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/05/Notification-Assam-Police-Forest-Guard-Steno-Forester-Other-Posts.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 SC orders Centre and States to immediately provide transport, food and shelter free of cost to stranded migrant workers

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

2.1 Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways inaugurates breakthrough event of Chamba Tunnel under Chardham Pariyojana done by BRO

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has completed construction of a 440 m long tunnel below the Chamba town on the Rishikesh-Dharasu road highway (National Highway - 94).
• The construction of the tunnel is a part of the Chardham Pariyojana.
• It is a programme taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for connectivity improvement for Chardham (Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri) in Uttrakhand.
• It envisages improvement as well as development of 889 km length of national highways.
• The work under the programme is being implemented on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode.  
• Under the EPC mode, the project cost is completely borne by the government but the contractor is directly responsible for ensuring quality of the work as well as rectification of defects and maintenance of the project stretch for a period of 4 years after completion of construction.
• Border Roads Organisation - It was conceived and raised in 1960 by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru for coordinating the speedy development of a network of roads in the North and the North Eastern border regions of the country. It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence.

2.2 NCDEX launched first agri-futures index of India, NCDEX AGRIDEX, on May 26

• National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX) announced the commencement of trading in the country’s first agri futures index NCDEX AGRIDEX.
• The NCDEX AGRIDEX futures contracts expiring in the months of June 2020, July 2020, September 2020 and December 2020 shall be available for trading from May 26, 2020.
• AGRIDEX is a return-based index comprising of ten liquid commodities traded on NCDEX.
• It has commodity-wise and sector-wise floors and caps, with no single commodity or sector dominating the index. 
• AGRIDEX has very low correlation with other asset classes and indices. 
• To ensure diversification, no group of related commodities may constitute more than 40% of the total weightage in the index.
• The rollover will be done on the first 3 days of the expiry month and the index would be rebalanced annually on the first business day of April. AGRIDEX is a comprehensive agri-commodities index which provides a holistic view over this segment.
• NCDEX has partnered with NSE Indices, a leading Index service provider, to maintain and disseminate real-time NCDEX AGRIDEX values.

2.3 Indian-American inventor Rajiv Joshi of IBM won Inventor of the Year given by the New York Intellectual Property Law Association. 

2.4 Validity period of hotel approval and classification extended till June 30.

2.5 Chhattisgarh government to consider lac cultivation as an agriculture activity in the state.

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

3.1 World Turtle Day celebrated on May 23

• Aim of the day is to increase attention on conservation of Turtles and Tortoises. It aims to protect the turtles and tortoises from illegal smuggling, exotic food industry, habitat destruction, global warming and pet trade.
• Theme 2020 is ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop’.
• It is an annual event that has been taking place since 2000.
• It is being organised by the nonprofit organisation namely, American Tortoise Rescue (ATR).
• The day was observed in India by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), along with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Turtles are the reptiles of the order Testudines, characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs and acting as a shield. It can reside inside freshwater or saltwater. Turtles are cold-blooded species. They have very slow metabolism and can survive without food and water for a long time. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) most of the species of turtles and tortoises are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.
• Turtles play an important role in the river by scavenging dead organic material and diseased fish by controlling the water pollution. Turtle populations could improve seagrass ecosystem health by removing seagrass biomass and preventing sediment formation. Turtles are also transporters of nutrients and energy to coastal areas.
• There are five species of turtles in Indian waters i.e. Olive Ridley, Green turtle, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, Leatherback.
• The Olive Ridley, Leatherback and Loggerhead are listed as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Hawksbill turtle is listed as 'Critically Endangered' and Green Turtle is listed as 'Endangereed' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are protected in Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, under Schedule I. Turtles have been protected in India under the Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation programme.

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

4.1 Major Suman Gawani of India selected for UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award (2019)

• An Indian Army officer Major Suman Gawani and a Brazilian woman Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo have been selected for the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award (2019).
• The woman peacekeeper were described as "powerful role models" by the UN Chief Antonio Guterres.
• This is for the first time that the prestigious United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award is being shared by two women. 
• Major Suman Gawani and Brazilian Naval Officer Commander Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo will receive the award during an online ceremony presided over by United Nations Secretary-General Guterres on May 29, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
• Major Suman Gawani is the first Indian peacekeeper to win the award.
• She is a Military Observer, formerly deployed to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and had mentored over 230 UN Military Observers on conflict-related to sexual violence, and ensured the presence of women military observers in each of the Mission’s team sites.
• She also trained South Sudanese government forces, and helped them to launch their action plan on conflict-related sexual violence.
• Military observer Gawani joined the Indian Army in the year 2011 when she graduated from the Officers Training Academy. 
• She then joined the Army Signal Corps. 
• UN Military Gender award was created in 2016, to recognise the dedication and effort of an individual military peacekeeper in promoting the principles of UN Security Resolution 1325 which is on women, peace and security in a peace operation as nominated by Heads and Force Commanders of peace operations.

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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 – Arts and Culture

• International Museum Day celebrated on May 18 - The International Museum Day was celebrated on May 18, 2020. Theme for 2020: ‘Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion’. The day is celebrated annually on May 18 to raise awareness about the importance of museums as “means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.” Celebration of the day is coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).
• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue & Development observed on May 21 - World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development was observed by the UN on May 21, 2020. The aim is to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to advance the goals of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions adopted in 2005.

• International Tea Day observed by the UN on May 21 - International Tea Day was observed by the UN on May 21, 2020. The day is observed to promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favour of the sustainable production and consumption of tea.

• Hunar Haat to resume from September 2020; theme: “Local to Global” - After a gap of about 5 months due to the Corona pandemic, “Hunar Haat”, which has benefitted artisans and craftsmen from across the country, will restart from September 2020 with the theme of “Local to Global” and comparatively larger participation of artisans. This was announced by Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on May 23, 2020.
• Seven titles on “Psycho-Social Impact of Pandemic & Lockdown and How to Cope With” of National Book Trust launched by HRD Minister. 
• Sahitya Akademi award winning Bengali author Debesh Roy passed away at 84 in Kolkata.
• Padma Bhushan recipient Professor Anisuzzaman died in Bangladesh at the age of 83.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Centre launches scheme for 100% solarisation of Konark Sun Temple and Konark town in Odisha.

7.2 Odisha government allows home delivery of liquor; introduces 50% 'COVID Fee' on all types of foreign liquor and beer.

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

8.1 Bihar, postal department tie up to supply ‘Shahi Lichi’ of Muzaffarpur and ‘Zardalu Mango’ of Bhagalpur to consumers at their doorstep

• This has been done to meet the demand of the public and for giving market space directly to farmers to sell their fruits without any middlemen.
• Zardalu Mango – It is a unique mango variety from Bhagalpur. It is known for its light yellow skin and distinct special aroma. It was accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2018.
• Shahi Lichi – It is a variety of lichi which grown in Muzaffarpur and has higher pulp and is juicier. Humid condition and alluvial soil having fairly good amount of calcium content in Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, and nearby areas, proved ideal for lichi cultivation in Bihar. India is the second largest producer of lichi in the world. Bihar is the leading state for lichi production in the country. It was accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag recognition in 2018.

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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 -

• Theodore Maiman is known for the first successful operation of the laser in 1960?
• India’s Sania Mirza has won International Tennis Federation’s Fed Cup Heart Award.
• The growth forecast for Indian economy for calendar year 2020 made by Moody’s Investors Service in April 2020 is 0.2%.
• The institution of Panchayati Raj came into being with the enactment of the Constitution 73rd Amendment Act, 1992.
• World Liver Day was observed on April 19, 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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