Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-06-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-06-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. India-China Standoff 2020 – India, China agree on gradual, ‘verifiable disengagement’ – India and China have agreed on a gradual and verifiable disengagement from their over 50-day troop confrontation in different areas of eastern Ladakh, which will eventually lead to the two sides also thinning out their massive military build-up along the 3,488 km Line of Actual Control. With rival troops remaining on a knife-edge since the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15, the breakthrough on de-escalation came during the 11-hour meeting between 14 Corps commander Lt-Gen Harinder Singh and South Xinjiang Military District chief Major General Liu Lin. A similar meeting on June 6 had resulted in a “consensus” over disengagement that went awry after the PLA refused to adhere to the pullback plan in Galwan Valley and attacked Col Babu and his men.
2. India-Pak Relations – India downgrades Pak ties, halves mission staff – The already stuttering India-Pakistan ties took another hit with Delhi asking Islamabad to reduce its staff at the high commission by 50% (55 from 110 in 7 days), following the expulsion of Pakistani officials for espionage and the subsequent intimidation of Indian diplomatic consular officials at the hands of the ISI in Islamabad. The last time India asked for a similar reduction of staff was on December 27, 2001, exactly two weeks after the Jaish-e-Mohammad staged an attack on the Parliament. As was the case in 2001, the government said in a statement that Pakistani officials here maintained contacts with terror outfits. The decision may be read as a signal that India does not see much point in maintaining diplomatic pretences in the face of hostile activities by Pakistan.
3. Indian Economy – Colour codes likely for desi, foreign products – With an eye on Chinese products, the government is looking to mandate separate colour codes for all domestic and foreign-made goods, on the lines of green and red dots for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items, while separately summoning e-commerce players to insist on immediate disclosure of the source of products sold on their platforms, along with the local value-addition details. The colour code could be orange or saffron for made-in-India goods.
4. Indian Economy – Jobs returning, unemployment rate back at pre-lockdown levels – The unemployment rate fell to its pre-lockdown level of 8.5% in the week ended June 21, led by big gains in the rural areas, according to economic think tank Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The rate had gone up from 8.75% in March to 23.5% in April and May. It had peaked at 27.1% in the week ended May 3. The CMIE survey showed the employment gains in rural areas may even be bigger in the months ahead. The latest data on the jobs front provides huge relief to the government that has been grappling with job losses following the coronavirus pandemic. In the first three weeks of June, the unemployment rate dropped dramatically to 17.5%, then 11.6% and now 8.5%, according to the CMIE survey, as more towns and cities emerge from the lockdown and economic activity starts gathering pace.
5. Bihar LA Elections – RJD in trouble as 5 MLCs join JD(U), co-founder quits post – Bihar’s main opposition party RJD suffered a double whammy with one of its founders, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, quitting the vice-president’s post and five of its total eight MLCs forming a separate group and merging with the ruling JD(U). The five MLCs together account for two-third of RJD’s strength in the Upper House, which is the required number to split a party to escape the provisions of the anti-defection law. RJD is now left with just three members in the Upper House, including former CM Rabri Devi, Ram Chandra Purbey and Subodh Kumar.
6. India: Social – 64% of parents in favour of online classes for kids: Study –  According to a survey conducted across 204 districts, 64% of parents are in favour of online classes in schools as against 31% wanting a ban on them. So far three states — Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh — have banned online classes for students of class V and below. The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) is yet to issue any guidelines on online education and school reopening. A community social media platform, conducted a nationwide survey to get the pulse of the parents and grandparents on this issue, where they were asked what should be the way forward on this.
7. World Politics – US industry, tech cos slam Trump move to curtail H-1B – Industry leaders and executives of US giants from Amazon and Apple to Tesla and Twitter slammed President Trump’s executive order on the suspension of green card processing and freezing work visas for foreign workers, warning that the move will set back American innovation and competitiveness. Advocates of a hardline nativist immigration policy celebrated the presidential decree, although some complained that it did not go far enough. The US chamber of commerce, which is typically Republican-leaning, led the criticism, warning that “restrictive changes to our nation’s immigration system will push investment and economic activity abroad, slow growth, and reduce job creation”.
8. COVID-19 Updates – Germany slaps curbs on 3.7L people, UK set for reopening – Three months after reluctantly and belatedly imposing a lockdown in Britain, PM Boris Johnson announced that he would lift many restrictions — most significantly, cutting the required social distance between people in half, to one metre, or about three feet. Across the Channel, Germany slapped new curbs after over 1,550 people tested positive at the Toennies slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck. Officials have restricted movement in the district of roughly 3,70,000 people. Nations around the world are struggling to contain a surge of infections as lockdowns eased.
9. India-China Standoff 2020 – Chinese General ordered clash at Galwan, says US intel report – Reports of senior PLA officer Gen Zhao Zongqi, in charge of China’s western theatre command, approving the assault on Indian troops at Galwan Valley on the night of June 15 has sparked a fresh discussion over the predetermined attack and motives behind the aggressive act. According to a report in the US News, which had previously reported that the Chinese side had sustained significant casualties in the Galwan clash, the US intelligence did not see the incident as a spontaneous clash. Gen Zhao, seen to have been involved in the 2017 Doklam stand-off, is seen as a key player.
10. COVID-19 Updates – India has 1 death per lakh against world’s 6 – India has one death per lakh population due to Covid-19 while the global average is more than six times at 6.04, the health ministry said, claiming that India had one of the lowest deaths per lakh population in the world due to timely detection of cases, extensive contact tracing and effective clinical management. On June 2, India’s Covid-19 fatality per lakh population was 0.41, against 4.9 globally. Meanwhile, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) expanded the network of laboratories across the country to 1,000 to test for Covid-19. This includes 730 government labs and 270 in the private sector.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Dir. Of Groundnut Res.	Young Professional-I	9	B.Sc (Agri. Science)	June 29, 2020	http://www.dgr.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/yp-1-Junagadh-website-2020.pdf
2	THSTI	Research Associate, Project Associate-II	8	PG, Ph.D	July 2, 2020	https://thsti.in/ethsti/writereaddata/159280402482THS-RN-01-2020-06-II-dbt-project-draft-advertisement.pdf
3	Bihar Police	Lady Constable	454	10+2	July 24, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/06/Notification-Bihar-Police-Lady-Constable-Posts.pdf
4	Join Army Dental Corps	Short Service Commissioned Officer	--	--	--	https://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/NewsDetail/frmNewsDetails.aspx?MnId=wZKaJTvhq6pc+/CjfB48LQ&NewsID=sAKI24QlHKrXiUGdgPmudA==
5	State Health Society, Bihar	Community Health Officer	1050	GNM/ B.Sc (Nursing)	July 14, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/06/Notification-State-Health-Society-Bihar-Community-Health-Officer-Posts.pdf
6	Dept of Women & Child Devpt, Delhi	District Pro. Coor., Dis. Programme Assistant	18	Any Degree, PG	July 11, 2020	http://www.wcddel.in/pdf/AdvNoticePMMVY2020.pdf
7	JAU	Sr Res. Fellow, Jr Res. Fellow, Technical Asst	5	B.Sc/ Poly. (Agri), M.Sc	July 4, 2020	http://www.jau.in/attachments/Advt/DSST/June2020/SRFJRFTA.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 Why mental illness not covered under medical insurance: SC

• News - 

1. At a time when there is renewed focus on mental health after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, the Supreme Court asked the Centre and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) to explain why insurance companies were not including cost of treatment for mental illness in medical insurance covers.
2. A bench of Justices R F Nariman, Naveen Sinha and B R Gavai sent notices to the Centre and the Irda on a PIL filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal. The PIL sought a direction from the court to the Irda to implement the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 Act’s mandate in letter and spirit.

• Section 21(4) of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 - 

1. mandated every insurer to make provision for treatment of mental illness on the same basis as available for treatment of physical illnesses.
2. the insurer is directed not to discriminate against persons with mental illness as far as medical insurance is concerned. 

• Details -

1. Mr. Bansal said through various RTI applications, he had come to know that though the Irda had issued a directive in 2018, following enactment of the Mental Healthcare Act, to all insurance companies to make provision for reimbursement of cost of treatment of mental illness, the regulatory body had not made any effort to supervise implementation of its directive in letter and spirit. The Irda had responded to an RTI query and said not a single insurance company had been penalised for violation of Section 21(4) of the 2017 law. 
2. Absence of insurance cover for treatment of mental illness led to thousands of mentally ill patients not getting discharged from hospitals as apprehensive about not being able to meet the cost of treatment for mental illness, they preferred to stay in hospitals.

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

2.1 Banking and Finance 

• RBI to tighten rules for home finance firms; 75% of assets to be for individual loans -

1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed stringent norms for housing finance companies by mandating 75% of their home loans to individual borrowers by 2024.
2. A housing finance company is considered a non-banking financial company (NBFC) under the RBI’s regulations. A company is treated as an NBFC if its financial assets are more than 50% of its total assets and income from financial assets is more than 50% of the gross income.
3. In the draft norms issued on June 18, 2020, the RBI proposed the definition of qualifying assets for housing finance companies (HFCs). It said at least 50% of net assets should be in the nature of ‘qualifying assets’ for HFCs, of which at least 75% should be towards individual housing loans.
4. Such HFCs which do not fulfil the criteria will be treated as NBFC – Investment and Credit Companies (NBFC-ICCs) and will be required to approach the RBI for conversion of their Certificate of Registration from HFC to NBFC-ICC.  
5. The NBFC-ICCs which want to continue as HFCs would have to follow a roadmap to make 75% of their assets individual housing loans. The target has been set at 60% by March 31, 2022, 70% by March 31, 2023, and 75% by March 31, 2024. 
6. The RBI defined ‘qualifying assets’ as loans to individuals or a group of individuals, including co-operative societies, for construction/purchase of new dwelling units, loans to individuals for renovation of existing dwelling units, lending to builders for construction of residential dwelling units.
7. All other loans, including those given for furnishing dwelling units, loans given against mortgage of property for any purpose other than buying/construction of a new dwelling unit/s or renovation of the existing dwelling unit/s, will be treated as non-housing loans.
8. A HFC could either undertake an exposure on a group company in real estate business or lend to retail individual homebuyers in the projects of group entities, but could not do both. 
9. In order to address concerns on double financing due to lending to construction companies in the group and also to individuals purchasing flats from the latter, the HFC concerned may choose to lend only at one level.
10. If the HFC decided to take any exposure in its group entities (lending and investment), directly or indirectly, such an exposure could not be more than 15% of owned fund for a single entity in the group and 25% of owned fund for all such group entities.
11. The central bank also proposed a minimum net-owned fund (NOF) of Rs. 20 crore as compared to ₹10 crore now. Existing HFCs would have to reach Rs. 15 crore within a year and Rs. 20 crore within two years.

• Loan moratorium: No merit in ‘charging interest on interest’ for deferred payments: SC

1. The Supreme Court June 17, 2020 said there is “no merit in charging interest on interest” for deferred loan payment instalments during the moratorium period announced in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan observed that once moratorium is fixed then it should serve the desired purposes and the government should consider interfering in the matter as it cannot leave everything to banks.

• FM meets private banks, NBFCs to ensure smooth roll out of ECLGS for MSMEs

1. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman held a video conference with 20 major private banks and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) on June 15, 2020 to ensure the smooth roll out of the emergency credit line guarantee scheme (ECLGS) to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
   

• SEBI eases fund-raising norms for firms

1. As part of its attempts to make it easier for listed companies to raise funds in the current volatile scenario, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed listed companies to raise funds at shorter intervals while also giving promoters the go-ahead to increase their stakes by a higher quantum without triggering an open offer.
2. As per a gazette notification, the capital markets regulator has allowed companies to make two qualified institutional placements (QIPs) with a gap of just two weeks between them.
3. This is a significant move as the earlier regulations mandated a minimum gap of six months between two such issuances.
4. In another important amendment, the regulator has said that promoters can increase their stakes in their companies through preferential allotments by up to 10% without triggering an open offer. The cap was earlier set at 5%. The regulator has, however, allowed this relaxation only for the current financial year.
5. In April, the capital markets regulator had relaxed certain regulatory requirements related to rights issues and initial public offerings (IPOs) to make it easier for companies to raise funds at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had made the secondary markets increasingly volatile.
6. The watchdog said any listed entity with a market capitalisation of at least Rs. 100 crore could use the fast- track route for a rights issue. Earlier, the norm was Rs. 250 crore for such offerings.
7. Further, any company that had been listed for 18 months was permitted to raise funds through a fast- track rights issue. The eligibility had earlier been set at three years.
8. Also, the minimum subscription requirement to make an issue successful was lowered from the earlier 90% of the offer size to 75%.

2.2 Railways terminate Rs. 471-crore contract of Chinese company

•  The Railways has decided to terminate the contract of Chinese company Beijing National Railway Research and Design Institute of Signal and Communication Group due to “poor progress” on the signalling and telecommunication work on the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor’s 417-km section between Kanpur and Mughalsarai. The Railways had given the contract worth Rs. 471 crore in 2016.

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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 World Refugee Day observed on June 20

• News -

1. World Refugee Day is observed on June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
2. Devastating conflicts and persecution uproot thousands of people from their homes and countries every year.
3. According to the United Nations, every minute, 20 people are forced to leave behind everything, and escape conflict and war.

• Theme of World Refugee Day 2020

1. The theme of World Refugee Day this year is "every action counts." Everyone can make a difference, says the world body and it is the responsibility of each one of us to make sure that no one is left behind. The focus is to bring about changes to make the world more inclusive.

• Who is a refugee?

1. According to the United Nations 1951 Refugee Convention, people who fled their homes and countries due to "a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion" is a refugee.
2. Imagine any of us being forced to flee our homes and country. It is a heart-breaking situation, where overnight people become stateless, thrown into an uncertain future. Often natural disasters like cyclones, floods and earthquakes force people to leave their homes.

• History of World Refugee Day

1. On December 4, 2000 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution relating to the status of refugees, and decided that June 20 would be marked as World Refugee Day, to spread awareness and honour the resilience of refugees.

• COVID-19 pandemic and refugee crisis -  

1. The UNHCR is working with governments to help the displaced people by stepping up sanitation and hygiene services. It is also working with people to create awareness. It is important to ensure that they are protected and get proper treatment if infected by the deadly virus, says the global body.
2. Apart from refugees, there are other UN-designated displaced persons such as asylum seekers, internally displaced people, or IDPs, who have not crossed international borders and stateless people who do not have a nationality.

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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

•  Winners of 2020 Sony World Photography Awards announced –

1. Uruguay’s Pablo Albarenga was named as Photographer of the Year in the professional category of the 2020 Sony World Photography Awards for his work on indigenous communities in Latin America.
2. In the Open competition, the winner was Tom Oldham for his portrait of Black Francis, frontman of rock band Pixies, originally taken for MOJO Magazine. 
3. Ioanna Skellaraki was the winner in the Student competition for her series Aeiforia, which addresses the issue of sustainability through a series of night-time photographs of energy projects on the island of Tilos in Greece.
4. The Youth Photographer of the Year award went to 19-year-old Hsien-Pang Hsieh from Taiwan for his image titled Hurry, featuring a street performer who appears to be walking quickly but is in fact standing still. 
5. Sandra Herber is the winner in the Architecture category for her series Ice Fishing Huts, Lake Winnipeg.
6. Documentary category winner Chung Ming Ho focused on protesters for his series Wounds of Hong Kong. 
7. First place in the Environment category went to Robin Hinsch for his series Wahala which looks at the effects of the petroleum industry on the communities and ecosystem of the Niger Delta. Ronny Behnert won the Landscape category with a series titled Torii - traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines. 
8. Pangolins in Crisis by Brent Stirton was first in the Natural World & Wildlife category. Senegalese Wrestlers by Angel Lopez Soto triumphed in the Sport category. The Still Life category winner is Alessandro Gandolfi for his series Immortality Inc.
9. COVID-19 International Film Festival: Odia short film wins Special Jury award - Martyapura Re Jamaraj (‘Yamaraj on earth’), a 13-munite short film produced by a group from the Ankushpur village of Odisha’s Ganjam district has won a special jury award at the COVID-19 International Film Festival 2020.
10. ‘The Room Where It Happened’, a book by John Bolton, to release on June 23 - ‘The Room Where It Happened’, a book by US President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton, will be released on June 23, 2020. Bolton joined the White House in April 2018 and left in September 2019.
11. World Music Day celebrated on June 21 - World Music Day or Fête de la Musique was celebrated on June 21, 2020. This annual celebration that was founded by Frenchmen Jack Lang and Maurice Fleuret in 1981.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Not Available Today.

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

8.1 International Day of Family Remittances 2020

• Key point -

1. International Day of Family Remittances 2020 aka IDFR is celebrated each year on June 16 across the world.
2. The day is organized by the United Nations and is universally accepted.
3. It is also created to observe the hope that they have created for the future to come.

• Meaning and significance -

1. A remittance is money sent back home by a worker who works in a foreign land.
2. This money that is sent back home by migrant workers is considered to be one of the largest financial inflows in developing countries.
3. This day is celebrated to recognize the efforts of migrants who help to improve the lives of their family members back home.
4. Earlier in 2020, the UN called in for global solidarity adding that remittances play a much important role now more than ever as the world fights financial problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. It is an opportunity put forth by the United Nations to recognise the role of remittances in the well-being of millions of families.
6. These remittances also help in the sustainable development of communities in developing countries.
7. The first International Day of Family Remittances was celebrated way back on June 16, 2015.

• The celebration -

1. It encourages companies from the private and public sector to make policies to encourage remittances and betterment of migrants.
2. One can be a part of global-level discussions on remittances and migrants.
3. Furthermore, one can use hashtags like #FamilyRemittances and help to spread the message throughout social media.
4. One can also take part in several online events that are held across platforms to help spread the message of family remittances.

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

9.1 ISRO gets Indian patent for liquid cooling and heating garment

•  Highlights -

1. ISRO has got an Indian patent for its liquid cooling and heating garment (LCHG) that is suitable for space applications.
2. The patent is valid for 20 years from the date of application, that is, February 8, 2016, and was granted on June 19.
3. While ISRO is the patentee or patent owner, the four inventors are Srirangam Siripothu, Reshmi Balachandran, Saraswathi Kesava Pillai Manu, and Gurumurthy Chandrasekaran.

• Significance of the garment -

1. The garment made of biocompatible fabrics and parts to provide comfortable body temperature and removal of sweat.
2. These garments find use in manned space flights and also for earth-bound operations such as firefighting, working in industries and the like.
3. The LCHG controls the body temperature of the wearer comprising outer polymeric fabric tricot and inner polymeric fabric net in contact with the wearer's skin.
4. The outer and inner layer of the garment are separated by a plurality of tubes configured to circulate a heat transfer fluid.
5. The tube is arranged in such a way that it covers the entire body without any overlaps and remove maximum heat from the wearer.

• Project Gaganyaan -

1. Isro has initiated the Rs 10,000 crore project - Gaganyaan - with a target to send a human to space by 2022 and has been preparing various components and conducting experiments to make the project a success.
2. The organisation plans to send three astronauts to orbit the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometers, for up to 7 days.
   

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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 -

• Ved Marwah passed away in Goa at the age of 87. He had served as Governor, Head of National Security Guard and Delhi Police Commissioner.
• Madhya Pradesh launched 'FIR Aapke Dwar Yojana' in May 2020 that will enable people to file FIR without having to visit police stations.
• Jaipur City is the most recent Indian site included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2019.
• World Meteorological Day marks the foundation of World Meteorological Organisation in 1940.
• World Poetry Day was observed on March 21.

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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