Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 01-06-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 01-06-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Internal Security/Terrorism – Two militants escape encounter site in J&K’s Anantnag – At least two trapped militants managed to break a security cordon and escape from an encounter site in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The militants were engaged in a brief gunfight in south Kashmir’s Posh-Kreeri area in Anantnag in a pre-dawn cordon-and-search operation of the Army, CRPF and the police. A firefight broke out around 2 a.m. The operation was launched after a specific tip-off and the militants were spotted too but by the time first light of day broke, there was a lull from militants’ side. Later, no contact was established with the militants. It seems the militants managed to break the cordon. No bodies or weapons were recovered from the encounter site despite hectic search operation, police added.
2. COVID-19 Updates – CIC admonishes official for denying RTI data on stranded migrants – The Central Information Commission (CIC) has pulled up an official for “callous and casual” response in denying data on stranded migrant labourers under the RTI Act, and asked the Labour Ministry to upload on its website as much data as possible on them. Information Commissioner Vanaja N. Sarna came down heavily on the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the office of Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) who has told RTI activist Venkatesh Nayak that it has no data on stranded migrant labourers.
3. Constitution and Law – Intolerance against judiciary growing, says Supreme Court judge – Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said there was a growing intolerance against the judiciary fuelled by the social media. He said imputations were being made against judges for their decisions. Damage was done to the judicial institution if the tendency to criticise crossed certain lines. He said this during an online lecture on Sunday on ‘Freedom of Speech in times of COVID-19 - Fake news and misinformation’ organised by the MBA Academy, Madras Bar Association. The event saw the participation of S. Parthasarathy, chairman of the MBA Academy, and M. Baskar, secretary of the Madras Bar Association.
4. COVID-19 Updates – Kota coaching institutes may reopen by June-end – The state government is all set to reopen coaching centres in Kota by the end of June, and has offered all help to institutes to bring back students who had left for their respective states due to the pandemic. The lockdown has seen the coaching town reel under one of the worst economic crisis as the sector alone provides direct employment to over one lakh residents in multiple sectors. Making the first move, UDH minister and Kota MLA Shanti Dhariwal has suggested to the local administration to put coaching areas into separate zones or categories while imposing restrictions on unnecessary movement of vehicles and local residents.
5. COVID-19 Updates – Govt. eases a slew of restrictions; malls, religious places to open – As Lockdown 4.0 comes to an end, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) released new guidelines called ‘Unlock 1.0’ that allow the opening of malls, restaurants and religious places in all areas except the containment zones from June 8. It, however, prohibits the opening of bars, swimming pools gymnasiums, entertainment parks, cinema halls, metro rail and international air travel. The permit system for inter-State movement of vehicles has been removed and there shall be no restriction on movement within and outside a State. If the local administration has to regulate the movement in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases, it will have to give wide publicity in advance regarding the procedure and restrictions to be followed.
6. COVID-19 Updates – India’s recovery rate improves to 47% – India’s COVID-19 recovery rate improved to 47.4% from 38.29% on May 18. The Union Health Ministry stated that to scale up testing and enhance reach across the country, city/regional clusters have been established in a hub-and-spoke model. The Ministry added that the hubs are the government labs approved by the Ministries and so far 19 city/regional clusters had been established. These are in Delhi/NCR, Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Banaras, Palampur among other areas. Meanwhile during the past 24 hours, a total of 11,264 COVID-19 patients have recovered.
7. International Politics - Trump cuts ties with WHO as COVID-19 grips Latin America – President Donald Trump said he is severing ties with the World Health Organization (WHO) over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the death toll from the disease spiked again in the U.S. and Brazil. The virus, which has killed more than 3,64,000 people and devastated the global economy, is progressing at different speeds across the globe, with Europe continuing to open up from lockdown after seeing its number of infections steadily fall. Italy’s iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened, while Parisians flocked to parks open for the first time in months. But countries in Latin America are bracing for difficult weeks ahead, especially Brazil, where the death toll shot up by 1,124 and there was a record number of new infections.
8. India-Nepal Relations – Amendment on new map tabled in Nepal parliament – The government of Nepal tabled the crucial Constitution Amendment Bill to formalise the country’s new map, which claims parts of India as its territory. The Bill was tabled by Nepal’s Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe even as Nepal’s Madhesi parties refused to welcome the Bill as of now. Meanwhile, there was high drama on the streets with reports that senior diplomats wanted to reach the Parliament to witness the historic session.
9. USA  – U.S. streets left scarred after fifth night of outrage – Another night of outrage left stores looted and cars smoldering in many U.S. cities as curfews failed to quell violence that replaced peaceful daytime demonstrations over the death of a black man seen on video gasping for breath as a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck. In Salt Lake City, a man aimed a bow and arrow at protesters and was attacked by the crowd. Fires burned in the streets of Los Angeles. Protesters ripped apart an American flag in Raleigh, North Carolina. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in many cities.
10. Indian Economy – As personal & small biz loans crash, bank lending in April shrinks Rs. 1.1 L cr – Bank lending has shrunk by Rs 1.1 lakh crore during the four weeks ended April 24 to Rs 91.5 lakh crore. While such a decline is not unusual, this year the drop was entirely because of loans to individuals in the personal segment shrinking by nearly Rs 63,000 crore and to micro and small enterprises by nearly Rs. 50,000 crore during the period which coincided with Lockdown 1.0 and the first half of Lockdown 2.0. In percentage terms, the sharpest drop was in the personal segment, with middleclass borrowing through credit card outstanding and advances against fixed deposits and shares falling by over 10%. Most Indians stayed home, unable to go out and spend or order anything online.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	National Museum	Copy Writer, Graphic Designer, Web Devp.	8	--	June 19, 2020	http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/pdfs/Vacancy-Notice-26-05-2020.pdf
2	Cochin Shipyard Limited	Project Assistant	6	Diploma (Engg)	June 20, 2020	https://cochinshipyard.com/uploads/career/42abd9b4414b74263e162e7c969285c2.pdf
3	BECIL	Patient Care Manager	10	Degree (Life Science), PG	June 16, 2020	https://www.becil.com/uploads/vacancy/c83de05f66e498e9bacf8734cb78849d.pdf
4	THSTI	Junior Project Associate, Pro. Asso.-II	12	PG	June 5, 2020	https://thsti.in/ethsti/writereaddata/159073366458Jr-Sr-Project-Associate---outsource-Dr.-Raman.pdf
5	Army Recruiting Office, Patial	Soldier	--	10th Class, Intermediate	July  16, 2020	http://joinindianarmy.nic.in/writereaddata/Portal/BRAVO_NotificationPDF/PATIALA__RALLY_NOTIFICATION_2020.pdf
6	MSU, Baroda	Computer Pro., DEO, Network Asst,	9	Degree, MCA	June 12, 2020	http://cc.msubaroda.ac.in/RecAdminStaff/MSUBRecruitmentData/Notifications/Notification_ADE_14_2020_2021.pdf
7	NHM, Sindhudurg	Medical Officer, Audiologist, Social Wor.	90	12th Class, GNM, Degree	June 3, 2020	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 Weekly Roundup – Constitution and Law

• Suo Motu cognisance of migrants issue: No travel fare to be charged from migrants; notify places providing food for stranded migrants: SC directs
• SC allows Air India to operate Non-schedule flights with middle seat booking for 10 days.
• Amrapali Hearing: Homebuyers should not be under the impression that they can enjoy benefits without paying dues, observes SC as it reserve orders on various issues.
• SC allows TN government to use floors of hospital facing demolition action for COVID-19 treatment.
• Vizag gas leak: SC agrees to permit 30 personnel from LG polymers to access the chemical plant.
• MHA notification on full wages: SC says ‘Interim order registering coercive action against employers in Jute Mills case to continue; Adjourns other connected matters
• Don’t let people instigate law and order issue, SC observes while seeking centre’s response on plea against communalisation of Nizamuddin Markaz issue.
• Retirement of one partner amounts to dissolution of partnership firm consisting of only two partners: SC.
• Mere delay in forwarding FIR to magistrate by itself is not a ground to acquit the accused: SC
• SC to examine whether It’s order on extension of limitation affect an accused’ right to default bail under section 167 (2) CrPc.

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

2.1 According to National Statistical Office (NSO), economic growth slowed to an 11-year low of 4.2% in 2019-20.

• The provisional growth estimate for the FY 2019-20 is at 4.2%. The budget estimate was stated at 8.5% which was later pushed down to 5%. The Indian economy grew at 6.1% in 2018-19. Growth rate in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA), slowed to 3.9% in 2019-20 from 6% growth in the previous year.
• The nominal GDP growth rate, which accounts for inflation, is estimated to have grown at 7.2% in 2019-20, sharply lower than 11% in the previous year.
• Growth in Final Quarter of 2019-20 –  

1. In the final quarter of the year, that is, Jan20 – March20, the growth rate of GDP fell to 3.1%.
2. This is the lowest growth rate in the last 44 quarters.
3. Agriculture and mining sectors grew in the fourth quarter at rates of 5.9% and 5.2% respectively.
4. Public administration, defence and other services grew at 10.1%.
5. The manufacturing sector contracted to a negative growth of 1.4%.
6. The three components of demand have also fallen i.e. consumption demand has slowed, while investments and exports are both in negative territory.

• Analysis– There are two reasons why the sharp deceleration in the nominal GDP matters, first - the nominal GDP growth rate is the base of all fiscal calculations so a  sharp divergence in nominal GDP growth rate basically upsets all other calculations in the economy and second, this substantial deceleration reflects poorly on the government’s fiscal marksmanship.
• In other words, it shows that the government was not able to assess the magnitude of economic growth deceleration that was underway. Poor fiscal marksmanship, in turn, leads to inaccurate policy making because a government could end up making policies for an economy that doesn’t actually exist on the ground.

 2.2 Other Important News

• Only 10% of non-food retailers have money to pay salaries - Kumar Rajagopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India.
• China banned pork imports from India citing African swine fever (ASF) threat.
• Twitter @LabourDG, an updated source of data on Indian Labour, launched by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar.
• ADB to provide $177 million loan for 450 km Maharashtra State Road Improvement Project.
• Banks Board Bureau recommends new appointments: Ashwani Bhatia: MD for SBI, P.P. Sengupta: MD & CEO of Indian Overseas Bank and Matam Venkata Rao: MD & CEO of Central Bank of India.
• NGT conducts probe into Styrene gas leak from LG Polymers plant in Visakhapatnam on May 7 that killed 12 people; lists lapses.

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

3.1 The AP Government has directed the GMR Energy Limited to stop environmental hazardous activities like dredging in the Kakinada coast

• These activities are leading to destruction of the prime habitat of birds i.e. Great knots (Calidris tenuirostris), and Indian skimmers (Rynchops albicollis).
• It is also impacting the soil topography and salinity on the site being levelled with the dredged material.
• Due to such activities, India has lost its major part of wetlands and mudflats severely affecting the migratory species, e.g. the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Dredging is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbors, and other water bodies. It is also carried out to reduce the exposure of fish, wildlife, and people to contaminants and to prevent the spread of contaminants to other areas of the water body.
• Dredging of streams also lowers the surrounding water table and dries up adjacent wetlands.
• Mudflats refer to land near a water body that is regularly flooded by tides and is usually barren (without any vegetation). It is also known as tidal flats and formed upon the deposition of mud by tides or rivers. Mudflats and mangroves together constitute an important ecosystem. Mudflats serve to protect coastal lands from the eroding forces of nature and also provide an important habitat for shore birds.
• Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) - These are the migratory birds and have breeding habitat in tundra in northeast Siberia. It is listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. In India, It is found along the coastal regions of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

 

• Indian Skimmers (Rynchops albicollis) - It is also called Indian scissors-bill. It is listed as Vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. They are mainly found in Central India along the rivers or estuaries. It is rapidly declining as a result of widespread degradation and disturbance of lowland rivers and lakes.

 

• There is an immediate need to document the destruction of the Kumbabhisekham mudflat due to the dredging, and sought the intervention of the State and the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change in the matter. It is a Development vs Conservation issue. Hence, a proper analysis based on scientific study followed by consensus among various stakeholders by addressing respective concerns is required urgently.
  

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

4.1 George Floyd protests flare in U.S. cities

• A white former Minneapolis police officer was charged with murder in a man’s death, an incident that has unleashed four nights of violent protests.
• Derek Chauvin, who was dismissed from the police department with three fellow officers the day after the fatal encounter, was arrested on third-degree murder and manslaughter charges for his role in death of 46-year-old George Floyd.
• Graphic video footage taken by an onlooker’s cell phone and widely circulated on the Internet shows Floyd — with Chauvin’s knee pressed into his neck, while a crowd of bystanders shouted at police to let him up.
• After several minutes, Floyd gradually grows unresponsive and ceases to move.  
• He was pronounced dead at a local hospital a short time later. 
• The video reignited an outpouring of rage that civil rights activists said has long simmered in Minneapolis and cities across the country over persistent racial bias in the criminal justice system.
• The charges brought by Hennepin County prosecutors came after a third night of arson, looting and vandalism in which protesters set fire to a police station, and the National Guard was deployed to help restore order in Minnesota’s largest city.
• Authorities had hoped Chauvin’s arrest would allay public anger and avert continued unrest. Protests has been going on from that onwards in USA. A 19-year-old man protesting in Detroit was shot dead on May 29 night by a suspect who pulled up to demonstrators in a sport utility vehicle and fired gunshots into the crowd, then fled. 
• Thousands of protesters filled the streets of New York City’s Brooklyn borough near the Barclays Center indoor arena. 
• Police armed with batons and pepper spray made scores of arrests in sometimes violent clashes.

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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 SpaceX’s spacecraft successfully docks with ISS

• SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft with two NASA astronauts successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) after a historic launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the dawn of a new age in commercial space travel.
• The crew will be welcomed aboard the ISS, where they will become members of the Expedition 63 crew, which includes NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy.
• The liftoff also assumes significance as it marks the launch of humans into orbit from the U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade.
• The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying astronauts Behnken and Hurley, lifted off atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
• The launch, postponed early this week due to inclement weather, gave Americans something to cheer about as in the last three months they have lost over 1,00,000 of their countrymen due to the COVID-19 that has brought the economy to its knees. More than 40 million people have lost jobs.
  

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 The Lok Sabha Speaker has nominated 15 MPs from Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh to assist the Delimitation Commission

• Delimitation Commission - The Delimitation Commission is appointed by the President of India which works in collaboration with the Election Commission of India. Delimitation means the act or process of fixing limits of territorial constituencies in a country to represent changes in population. It determines the number and boundaries of constituencies to make the population of all constituencies nearly equal, identifies the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (wherever their population is relatively large). In case of difference of opinion it follows the majority. Its orders have the force of law and cannot be called in question before any court. It is headed by the former Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai.
• Delimitation in Jammu and Kashmir - The Commission intends to delimit the constituencies of J&K in accordance with the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act (2019). According to the act the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly are to increase with due reservations for SC and STs. It also includes few seats reserved for Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The J&K experienced the last delimitation exercise in 1995. It has often been argued that the delimitation exercise was held back deliberately to ensure greater representation of Kashmir in the legislative assembly and Parliament rather than Jammu.
• Delimitation in North-eastern States - The delimitation in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Delimitation Act, 2002. The delimitation exercise in Assam will be resumed after 12 years which was put on hold in 2008 after situation in the state was reported not to be conducive because of serious threat to the peace and public order.
• Constitutional Background - Article 82 – It provides the Parliament to enact a Delimitation Act after every Census; The Census Act (1948) – It provide the permanent scheme of conducting population Census in a ten years interval; Article 170 – It provides division of State into territorial constituencies as per Delimitation Act after every Census. The first delimitation exercise was carried out by the President (with Election Commission) in 1950-51. The Delimitation Commission Act was enacted in 1952.
• Structure - It is composed of the retired Supreme Court judge, Chief Election Commissioner and Respective State Election Commissioners.
• Objectives - To provide equal representation to equal segments of a population; Fair division of geographical areas to provide equal opportunities or all political parties; To follow the principle of ‘One Vote One Value’.
• Present Situation - The 42nd Amendment Act of 1976 froze the allocation of seats in the Lok Sabha to the states and the division of each State into territorial constituencies till the year 2000 at the 1971 level. Further, the 84th Amendment Act of 2001 extended this ban on readjustment for another 25 years (i.e., upto year 2026), without affecting the total number of seats based on the 1971 census. The 84th Amendment Act of 2001 also empowered the government to undertake readjustment and rationalisation of territorial constituencies in the states on the basis of the population figures of 1991 census. Later, the 87th Amendment Act of 2003 provided for the delimitation of constituencies on the basis of the 2001 census and not 1991 census.
• The road ahead - The appointment of associated members from the respective States and Lok Sabha will help the delimitation commission to resolve grievances of these States and to maintain transparency and integrity of the delimitation commission.
  

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

8.1 International passengers arriving in India will have to give an undertaking before boarding that they would undergo a mandatory quarantine for 14 days

8.2 Over 2 lakhs medical, engineering aspirants downloaded National Test Abyaas App within 72 hours of launch by HRD Ministry’s National Testing Agency (NTA)
 
8.3 Free online career skills training for registered job-seekers launched on National Career Service portal by Labour Ministry in partnership with TCS ion.

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

9.1 World Thyroid Day recognized globally on May 25

• Thyroid hormones regulate the body’s metabolism—the rate at which the body produces energy from nutrients and oxygen—and affects critical body functions, such as energy level and heart rate. Almost everyone knows someone affected by thyroid disease or thyroid cancer and the ATA is proud to promote international awareness on World Thyroid Day so that symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions are available around the globe.
• Spreading awareness of the importance of the THYROID on World Thyroid Day is key to the ATA’s mission as the leading organization devoted to thyroid biology and to the prevention and treatment of thyroid disease through excellence in research, clinical care, education, and public health.
• The European Thyroid Association and American Thyroid Association etablished World Thyroid Day, May 25, back in 2008 to promote public awareness of thyroid disease. Thyroid disease, today the most widely occurring endocrine disorder, represents a rapidly growing problem round the world. It afflicts millions of people, affecting their daily life, increasing morbidity, reducing productivity and deteriorating the quality of life. In babies and children thyroid disease impacts the growth and development of the brain and body.
• World Thyroid Day is part of the Thyroid Federation International’s International Thyroid Awareness Week (ITAW), celebrated May 24-30. This year the spotlight is focused on Thyroid and Child Development and stresses the crucial role played by thyroid hormones, from the prenatal to the adolescent stages, for the somatic and mental health of the child.
• ICCIDD cooperates closely with thyroid associations globally in the campaign against IDD.
• World Thyroid Day highlights five major goals to - Increase awareness of thyroid health; Promote understanding of advances made in treating thyroid diseases; Emphasize the prevalence of thyroid diseases; Focus on the urgent need for education and prevention programs and Expand awareness of new treatment modalities.
• About ATA – President: Martha Zeiger; Executive Director: Amanda Perl; Founded: 1923; Headquarters: City of Virginia.
• About ETA – President: Laszlo Hegedus; Secretary: Leonidas Duntas; Founded: May 25th 1965; Headquarters: Germany.

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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 -

• Ramesh Hospitals Vijayawada (AP) set Guinness World Record for the ‘largest gathering of cardiac surgery patients at one place’ in Nov. 2019.
• UNCTAD ranked India 73rd in Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2019.
• Government’s DPCO is Drug Price Control Orders.
• Hyundai has announced the launch of Aura car.
• Abdelaziz Djerad has been appointed as the new prime Minister of Algeria.

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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