Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 25-06-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 25-06-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. India-China Standoff 2020 – Satellite images, reports indicate PLA’s set up camp at clash site – Latest commercial satellite images and ground reports indicate Chinese troops are back on Indian territory in the Galwan Valley region in eastern Ladakh, setting up a much larger camp with gun positions in place of the observation post that was destroyed by Indian troops in the bloody clash of June 15. The situation in several other sectors in eastern Ladakh remains very tense, with China reinforcing military positions in the Depsang Plains, while continuing to occupy Indian territory on the north bank of Pangong Tso.
2. COVID-19 Updates – Corona capital: Delhi overtakes Mumbai count – Delhi surpassed Mumbai in overall Covid-19 cases, thereby becoming India’s worst-hit city. The national capital reported 3,788 new cases, taking its tally to 70,390 — 862 more than Mumbai’s figure. Delhi’s death toll touched 2,365 with 64 fatalities reported. It is, however, significantly lower than Mumbai’s toll of 3,964. The first cases reported in Delhi and Mumbai were on March 2 and 11, respectively. In the next two months, Mumbai’s tally spiked to touch 39,686 by May 31, while Delhi’s count hit 19,844. In June, Mumbai’s daily numbers have been stable, but Delhi’s cases have jumped. The capital reported a record 3,947 cases on June 23.
   
3. Indian Society – TB still a bigger killer than Covid in India – India recorded 24 lakh tuberculosis cases and over 79,000 deaths due to the disease in 2019. The numbers, while considerably lower than WHO estimates, translate into roughly 20,000 deaths every quarter. In comparison, Covid has killed around 15,000 people over the last three-and-a-half months. The 24 lakh cases represent an 11% rise over the previous year and bring the official number closer to WHO’s estimate of 26.9 lakh cases. This gap between officially recorded and estimated cases, often referred to as the “missing millions”, narrowed from over 10 lakh in 2017 to 2.9 lakh in 2019, shows the annual TB report released by the health ministry. The report shows 79,144 deaths due to tuberculosis were reported in 2019, which is much lower than the WHO estimate of 4.4 lakh fatalities.
4. Indian Economy – Hinduja brothers spar over letter on $11bn wealth – A letter signed by the four Hinduja brothers is at the centre of a legal dispute over the future of the family’s $11.2 billion fortune. The 2014 document says that the assets held by one brother belong to all, and that each man will appoint the others as their executors. But now Srichand Hinduja, 84, the patriarch of the family, and his daughter, Vinoo, want the letter to be declared worthless. The dispute between the UK-based family came to light in a ruling delivered by a London judge, who said the three other brothers, Gopichand, Prakash and Ashok, tried to use the letter to take control of Hinduja Bank — an asset that was in Srichand’s sole name. Srichand and Vinoo want the London court to rule that the letter should have “no legal effect” and cannot be used as a will, the judge said.
5. COVID-19 Updates – Spike in production brings down cost of PPE, test kits by 70% – A spurt in production has resulted in a near 70% crash in prices of personal protection equipment (PPE) kits and RT-PCR or Covid test kits. PPE kit prices of 100 GSM (gross square metre) have crashed in select markets to Rs 168 apiece from Rs 600 a few weeks ago, and those of RT-PCR testing kits have dropped to Rs 600 from nearly Rs 1,700 earlier. We are in a situation where supply is significantly more than the demand. There are multiple standards of PPEs depending on their use. Supplies to the government are now happening around Rs 300 a kit while it was nearly Rs 850 to Rs 900 a couple of months ago. The highquality products are down to Rs 800 a kit from Rs 1,200.
   
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 – Trump’s H-1B order a ‘gift to China’ – President Trump’s executive order suspending green cards and visas for a range of foreign guest workers is being described as “gift to China”, even as India is identified the country that will suffer most from the action. The move has also brought the extreme right and left of the US political spectrum on the same page, while pitting Republican lawmakers and White House principals against each other. Shock waves from the presidential decree continued to cascade across US industry, business, and the political arena, even as thousands of foreign professionals found their future upturned, and in some cases, families separated. There were several instances of dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders appealing to US authorities to facilitate their return and re-entry to America after being stuck in India during emergency visits.
8. Natural Disasters – At least 5 dead, several feared trapped as 7.4 quake strikes southern Mexico – A powerful earthquake centered on Mexico’s Pacific coast shook southern and central Mexico, killing at least five people. The magnitude 7.4 quake struck about 40 miles from the beach resort of Huatulco in Oaxaca state, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The same region was battered by a deadly quake in 2017. At least five people died and several more were injured, according to Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat. He said rescuers were responding to reports of 15 people trapped under rubble in a small mountain town that was difficult to access. Mexico’s civil protection agency said at least three hospitals had been damaged and sections of four highways had been wiped out by landslides triggered by the earthquake.
9. Indian Economy – IMF sees 4.5% contraction for India in 2020-21 – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday forecast India’s economy to contract 4.5% in 2020-21, a drastic reduction from its April estimate of 1.9% expansion, as the coronavirus pandemic induced lockdown takes a heavy toll on Asia’s third-largest economy. It said global growth is projected at –4.9% in 2020, 1.9 percentage points below the April 2020 World Economic Outlook (WEO) forecast.
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 SC dismisses review petitions against judgment decriminalizing adultery

• The Supreme Court has dismissed two review petitions filed against its judgment which decriminalized adultery by striking down Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code. An organisation named All Religious Affinity Movement had filed one of the review petitions against the judgment.
• Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code punished a married man for having sex with wife of another man.
• However, the sexual act was exempted from punishment if it is performed with the consent or connivance of the husband of the other woman.
• Also, the provision exempts the wife from punishment, and states that wife should not be even treated as an abettor.
• The bench comprising of the then CJI Dipak Misra, AM Khanwilkar, RF Nariman, DY Chandrachud and Indu Malhotra, had held that the penal provision violated a woman's right to dignity, resulting in infringement of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
• It was also observed that the provision treated women as chattel, and has chauvinistic undertones.
• Recently, the Constitutional Court of Taiwan had ruled that the provisions of Criminal Law criminalizing Adultery are unconstitutional.
• It said that the provisions directly restricts the people's sexual autonomy, and also interferes with the privacy of the people.

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

2.1 India becomes 12th largest holder of US government securities

• Key point -

1. India has become the 12th largest holder of US government securities at the end of April, with holding worth 157.4 billion dollars.
2. The American government securities are held by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as it invests in foreign assets as part of its prudential liquidity management.

• Highlights -

1. The data from the US Treasury Department showed that after significantly reducing the exposure in March to 156.5 billion dollars, India marginally hiked the holding by 0.9 billion dollars to 157.4 billion dollars the next month.
2. While the holding touched a record high of 177.5 billion dollars in February, the same was drastically reduced in March..
3. The exposure stood at 164.3 billion dollars in January. At the end of April, Japan remained the country with the maximum exposure at 1.27 trillion dollars, followed by China at 1.1 trillion dollars and the UK at 368.5 billion dollars.
4. India, which was at the 13th place in March, climbed to the 12th position in April. This happened on account of Saudi Arabia coming down to the 15th spot after the major oil producing country drastically trimmed its exposure to $125.3 billion.

• Impact of the pandemic -

1. Global economic uncertainties have increased in the wake of the pandemic. India too has been impacted and the rupee has been witnessing significant fluctuations in recent months.
2. So far this year, there has been no specific trend in terms of such securities bought and sold by India amid global economic uncertainties due to coronavirus pandemic.

• Key notes -

1. Dollars and other US government assets began to be among the preferred ones for investments, with the collapse of the gold standard or the Bretton Woods principles in the late 1970s and central banks moved to the fractional reserves system.
2. Since then, the US dollar/T-bills have been the safest asset class for any central bank, despite getting one of the lowest returns.
   

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

3.1 NITI Aayog, ITF Jointly launch decarbonizing transport project in India to check CO2 emissions

• Key point -

1. With an aim to develop a path to a low-carbon transport system for the country, policy think tank NITI Aayog and the International Transport Forum (ITF) of OECD have jointly launched the ‘Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies’ (DTEE) project in India.
2. DTEE is a collaboration between the ITF and the Wuppertal Institute, supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

• Highlights - 

1. The ambitious five-year project will help India develop a pathway towards a low-carbon transport system through the development of modelling tools and policy scenarios.
2. The DTEE project would help India translate its climate ambitions into actions.
3. The collaboration would support our policymaking by identifying various scenarios to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets submitted by India under the Paris Agreement.
4. The India project is carried out in the wider context of the International Transport Forum's Decarbonizing Transport initiative.
5. It is part of the Decarbonizing Transport in Emerging Economies family of projects, which supports transport decarbonization across different world regions.

• Key facts -  

1. The transport sector of India is the third most greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting sector, where the major contribution comes from the road transport sector.
2. Out of the total carbon dioxide emissions in India, 13% come from the transport sector.
3. These emissions have more than tripled since 1990.
4. The increasing motorization and demand for mobility in India have contributed to air pollution, congestion, as well as the increase of greenhouse gas emissions, in the urban area.
5. In India, CO2 emitted per inhabitant was just about a twentieth of that of an average OECD country, yet, India's transport CO2 emissions are likely to increase by almost 6% annually to 2030.
6. NITI Aayog has been at the helm for the promotion of electric vehicles and sustainable mobility through its' National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage'.

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

4.1 United Nations Public Service Day

• Key point -

1. Every year the United Nations Public Service Day is observed on June 23 as a mark of respect and gratitude to people in public service, sometimes endangering their lives, in countries across the world.

• Theme of United Nations Public Service Day 2020 -

1. Honouring the public servants who have been working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic" is this year's focus for UN Public Service Day.
2. Whether working in the healthcare sector or reaching essential items to homes in COVID-19 hit areas, social workers and policemen have made our lives easy amid the pandemic.
3. Special mention needs to be made about the sanitation workers, most of whom come from the lowest rung of the society in India.
4. This year the UN is holding a virtual event to engage public servants from across the world and discuss the stiff challenges the pandemic is throwing at frontline workers and citizens virtually every day.

• Origin of the United Nations Public Service Day 2020 -

1. The UN General Assembly, on 20 December 2002, designated June 23 as Public Service Day.
2. The purpose was mainly to value and spread awareness about public service in the community.
3. The UN has also started a recognition programme - the UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA) in 2003, to reward the excellent work done by public servants.

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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 – Corporate World

• India ranked 43rd on IMD’s World Competitiveness Rankings; Singapore on top - Singapore was number one for the second year in a row in the 2020 World Competitiveness Ranking of 63 economies by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). In second to fifth place, in order, came: Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Hong Kong SAR. Factors behind Singapore’s success are its strong economic performance which stems from robust international trade and investment, employment and labour market measures. India’s rank was unchanged at 43rd. Traditional weaknesses like poor infrastructure and insufficient education investment kept India’s ranking low.
• UNCTAD releases World Investment Report 2020 - The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released its World Investment Report 2020 on June 15, 2020. At $51 billion, India was world’s 9th largest recipient of FDI (foreign direct investments) in 2019. The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI with $251 billion, followed by China ($140 billion) and Singapore ($110 billion). In 2018, India had received $42 billion of FDI. 
• Indian Gas Exchange, first online delivery-based gas trading platform, launched - The Indian Gas Exchange (IGX), first nationwide online delivery-based gas trading platform, was launched on June 15, 2020.  Incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of the IEX - India’s energy market platform, IGX will enable market participants to trade in standardised gas contracts. The launch is expected to lead to market-driven pricing and boost consumption by improving availability.
• RIL becomes first Indian company to cross Rs 11 lakh crore market valuation mark - Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) became the first Indian company to cross the Rs 11 lakh crore market valuation mark on June 19, 2020 as shares rallied over 6 per cent after chairman Mukesh Ambani announced that his oil-to-telecom conglomerate had become net debt-free.
• Saudi Arabia’s PIF to invest ₹11,367 crore in Jio Platforms for 2.32% stake - Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has agreed to invest ₹11,367 crore in in Mukesh Ambani led Jio Platforms Limited for 2.32% stake. With this investment, Jio Platforms has raised ₹1,15,693.95 crore from leading global investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG and L Catterton, since April 2020.
• BSE tenth among world’s largest exchanges in terms of market capitalisation - BSE is among world’s 10 largest exchanges in terms of cumulative market capitalisation of all companies listed on its platform, as per the latest data from the World Federation of Exchanges. BSE is at the tenth place in the top-10 list, with a market capitalisation of $1.7 trillion. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) tops the chart with a valuation of $19.3 trillion.

• Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Group forays into defence manufacturing - Hyderabad headquartered multi-disciplinary infrastructure conglomerate Megha Engineering and Infrastructures (MEIL) group has announced foray into defence weapons manufacturing by setting up a Greenfield production facility in Telangana involving an initial capital outlay of Rs 500 crore. MEIL has acquired approvals to produce weapons, vehicles, ancillaries and arms under Defence procurement policy 2020.
• NIIT Tech shareholders approve change in company name to COFORGE Ltd. - Majority of NIIT Technologies shareholders have voted in favour of changing the company’s name to ‘‘COFORGE Ltd’’, according to regulatory filings.
• Infosys joins Amazon, signs Climate Pledge to become net-zero carbon - Infosys announced that it will make its business net zero carbon by 2040. On June 16, 2020, the Indian software services company, along with several MNCs signed on to The Climate Pledge, an initiative by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Global Optimism founder Christiana Figueres (former UN climate chief) to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. 
• China’s Great Wall Motor Company to invest $1 billion in Maharashtra - China’s largest sport utility vehicle (SUV) manufacturer Great Wall Motor Company Ltd., which recently acquired General Motors’ car manufacturing plant at Talegaon, near Pune, has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra government reaffirming its commitment to invest $1 billion in phases.
• Facebook acquires Swedish startup Mapillary - In a move aimed at taking on Google Maps, Facebook has acquired Swedish startup Mapillary, that is building a detailed, accurate, and up to date global street-level imagery platform, for an undisclosed sum.
• Mahindra & Mahindra launches BS VI Supro ambulance - Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. has announced the introduction of the BS VI Supro ambulance, developed in house on the company’s Supro van platform at a price of ₹6.94 lakh. The first fleet has been manufactured for the Maharashtra Government for use in COVID-19 pandemic.

• Airtel Payments Bank launches ‘Suraksha Salary Account’ for workforce of MSMEs - Airtel Payments Bank on June 15, 2020 launched ‘Suraksha Salary Account’, designed specifically workforce of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). The account has no minimum balance condition and offers benefits such as Hospicash Insurance and personal accidental insurance cover.
• HDFC Ergo launches country’s first drone cover - In an industry-first initiative, the third largest private sector general insurer HDFC Ergo on June 15, 2020 tied up with tech firm Tropogo to offer commercial drone owners and operators third-party liability cover for property damages and physical injuries from the flying machines.
• RIL CMD Mukesh Ambani is 9th on Forbes Real-time Billionaires List - With the market capitalisation of Reliance Industries (RIL) crossing the Rs 11-trillion mark on June 19, 2020, its Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani has become the ninth richest billionaire globally on the Forbes Real-time Billionaires List with a net worth of $64.6 billion. Amazon founder & CEO ($160.1 billion), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates ($108.6 billion) and LVMH Group’s Bernard Arnault & family ($102.8 billion) occupied the top three positions.
• Ex RBI Governor Urjit Patel appointed Chairman of NIPFP for 4-year term - Former Reserve Bank governor Urjit Patel will take charge as chairman of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP), New Delhi for a four-year term commencing June 22, 2020. Patel on December 10, 2018, had unexpectedly resigned months before the end of his three-year term in September 2019.
• Noted economist B P R Vithal dies at 93 - Noted economist B P R Vithal, who served as a Member of the Tenth Finance Commission, died in Hyderabad on June 19, 2020 at the age of 93. He had established the Centre for Economic and Social Studies in Hyderabad.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 OBC sub-categorisation commission gets six-month extension

•  Key point - 

1. The Union Cabinet has approved a six-month extension to the commission appointed to examine sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes.
2. The current term of the commission was expiring on 31 July.

• Highlights -

1. Headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice G. Rohini, the commission will now have till January 31, 2021 to submit its report.
2. The commission had been appointed in October 2017 with the initial deadline of 12 weeks.  
3. This is the ninth time that the tenure of the commission constituted in October 2017 has been extended.
4. Officials said that it needs more time as its work has been affected by the pandemic.
5. Besides looking into the issue of sub-categorisation within the OBCs, the commission’s mandate also included looking into how the 27 per cent reservation for the OBCs in jobs and education is being implemented and if all categories of OBCs are benefitting from it.
6. As of now, the 27 per cent quota is distributed among 2,633 castes that are part of the OBCs.
7. Given how some dominant castes among the OBCs end up cornering the benefits of the reservation, their sub-categorisation would ensure a more equitable distribution.   
8. Experts’ views: Political commentators and experts, however, have questioned the repeated delay in submission of the report by the commission.

• Any OBC issue will ‘cast shadow’ over Bihar polls -  

1. SC advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan said it could be a Catch-22 situation for the government.
2. Report of any such commission around issues related to caste is bound to be politically sensitive, especially in an election season. That could be one reason to keep deferring it.
3. He said if the commission says that various schemes have only been availed of by certain OBC groups, it will reflect badly on the government and they will have to make accommodation for other sub-groups with fixed percentages, which could be unpopular.

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

8.1 The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the annual Tuberculosis (TB) Report 2020

• Key point -

1. India is committed to eliminating tuberculosis from the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global target by the World Health Organisation (WHO) i.e. 2030. To align with the desired goal, the programme has been renamed from the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) to National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP).

• State TB Index -

1. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh were the top three best-performing states for TB control under the category of states with 50 lakh population.
2. Tripura and Nagaland were best-performing in the category of states having less than 50 lakh population.
3. Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu were selected as the best performing Union Territories.

• Missing Patients –

1. According to the report, India notified the highest number of 24.04 lakh tuberculosis cases last year (2018) as against an estimated 26.9 lakh cases by WHO, indicating that around three lakh patients missed out from the national TB programme.

• Treatment Success Rate –  

1. 79,144 deaths due to tuberculosis were reported in 2019, which is much lower than the WHO estimate of 4.4 lakh. Treatment success rate is around 70-73% in the last two years. From 2014-2016, it was between 76 and 77%.

• Indian Efforts -  

1. The Nikshay Ecosystem - National TB information system is a one-stop solution to manage information of patients and monitor program activity and performance throughout the country.
2. Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) - Scheme to provide financial support to patients for nutrition.
3. TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign - Launched In September 2019 it is showcasing the highest level of commitment for the elimination of TB.
4. The Saksham Project - Project of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to provide psycho-social counselling to Drug Resistant TB (DR-TB) patients.

• Causes and transmission - 

1. TB is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs and it is spread from person to person through the air.
2. 8% of TB cases can be attributable to tobacco usage.
3. People living with HIV are the most vulnerable among all those TB patient groups. India accounts for 9% of all HIV-associated TB deaths in the world, the second-highest number globally.
4. The other such group is patients suffering from diabetes. 20% of all TB cases in India also suffer from diabetes.

• Symptoms - 

1. Cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.

•  Treatment -

1. TB is treated with a standard 6-month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.
2. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs.  
3. MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.
4. Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a more serious form of MDR-TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to the most effective second-line anti-TB drugs. 

• The road ahead - 

1. Robust efforts are needed to improve the early and accurate diagnosis followed by a prompt treatment.
2. Collaboration with global efforts which are being done to eliminate the TB.
3. Need for expanding laboratory network and diagnostic facilities to cover the whole country under the National TB Elimination Programme.  
4. Requirement of the crucial contribution from the private sector in providing quality care. 
5. There is a need to fight the stigma around the disease so that every TB patient can seek care with dignity and without discrimination.

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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 -

• Sahakar Mitra: Scheme on Internship Programme (SIP) was launched in June 2020 by National Cooperative Development Corporation to help cooperative institutions access innovative ideas of young professionals.
• India has elected to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Last time India won a non-permanent seat at UNSC in 2011-2012.
• Former hockey player Balbir Singh Sr. died in Mohali in May 2020 at the age of 95. He was the captain of the Indian team that won gold medal at 1956 Olympic Games.
• ‘Nursing the World to Health' was the theme of the International Nurses Day celebrated on May 12, 2020.
• India ranked 53rd among 117 nations in terms of budget transparency and accountability according to the International Budget Partnership (IBP).

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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