Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 26-06-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 26-06-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. World Politics – Moving Europe troops to counter China threat to India – USA – In a statement that pitches the US as a factor in the India-China military faceoff, secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that China’s ‘threats to India’ and Southeast Asia were among the main reasons for the US’s move to reduce its troops in Europe. The decision to draw down troops in Germany was part of a well-thought out strategy because they were being moved to other places, Pompeo told the Brussels Forum. US President Donald Trump recently announced that the US would be reducing troops from Germany, a decision that’s angered EU countries.
2. Natural Disasters – Lightning kills 107 people across UP and Bihar in a day – A fusillade of lightning strikes across 31 districts of two states killed 107 people - 83 in Bihar and 24 in UP - amid warnings from meteorologists for people in both states to stay indoors as more thunderstorms are on the radar over the next 72 hours. In Bihar, a total of 23 districts reported fatalities, with Gopalganj accounting for the highest number of 13 deaths, followed by Madhubani with eight. Siwan and Bhagalpur had six deaths each while East Champaran, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur and Banka reported five each. In UP, nine people were killed in Deoria, followed by six in Prayagraj, three in Ambedkarnagar and two in Barabanki. Kushinagar, Fatehpur, Unnao and Balrampur accounted for the rest.
3. Indian Society/Covid-19 Updates – ICSE & CBSE boards scrap pending exams for Std X & XII – With Covid cases soaring, both CBSE and ICSE boards have decided to cancel their pending Class X and XII exams, report Amit Anand Choudhary & Manash Pratim Gohain. CBSE told the Supreme Court that scores would be awarded on the basis of combined assessment of marks scored in practicals/ internal assessments and the board papers written. The board said Std XII students would, however, be given the option of writing the remaining exams when the situation turns ‘conducive’. The ICSE board said results for both classes would be based on past performances and there will be no re-exam option for its students.
4. Indian Society – HUL to drop ‘fair’ from ‘Fair & Lovely’ – ‘Fair & Lovely’, India’s popular skin complexion cream, is rebranding itself. Even as parent Unilever’s presence in the skin lightening space came under intense pressure globally, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) said it would stop using the word ‘Fair’ in the 40-year-old brand name. The move marks the culmination of the company’s conscious effort to move the brand’s proposition from ‘fairness’ to ‘radiance’. It puts to rest a controversial chapter in the history of the brand that was seen to propagate a stereotypical viewpoint of beauty. With sales of over Rs 2,000 crore, Fair & Lovely is the leading face care brand in India and among HUL’s top 5 bestsellers.
5. Indian Society – Govt launches app for easy access to blood – With an aim to enable easy access to safe blood, health minister Harsh Vardhan launched ebloodservices app, in partnership with the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS), for easy access to blood needed for transfusion. This app has been developed by the e-Raktkosh team of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) under the Digital India scheme. Many people require blood-related services regularly because of certain medical conditions in their families. Through this app, four units of blood can be requisitioned at a time and the blood bank will wait for as long as 12 hours for the person to collect it.
6. India: Politics – Indian money in Swiss banks down 6% in 2019, falls for 2nd yr –  Funds parked by Indian individuals and enterprises in Swiss banks, including through India-based branches, fell nearly 6% in 2019 to 899 million Swiss francs (Rs 6,625 crore), annual data released by Switzerland’s central bank showed. This marks the second consecutive year of decline in aggregate funds of Indian clients with all Swiss banks, taking the figure to the third lowest level in more than three decades since 1987 when the Swiss National Bank (SNB) began compiling the data.
7. Environment and Ecology – Framework for producers to manage plastic waste – Four years after making producers’ responsible for managing plastic waste in the country, the Centre has come out with a much awaited framework where it suggests three different models to be adopted by manufacturers, importers and brand owners to handle the waste under supervision of a central authority. Introduction of a system of plastic credit, establishing Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs) and setting up a fee-based mechanism are three different models which will be available to producers of plastic products, including FMCG companies, under this framework.
8. World Politics – Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls Osama bin Laden ‘martyr’ in Parliament – Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan called slain al-Qaeda chief and 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden a “shaheed” (martyr) and said that Islamabad faced “embarrassment” by taking part in America’s war on terror. Speaking in parliament during the budget session, Mr. Khan said the American forces entered Pakistan and killed bin Laden without informing Islamabad after which everyone started abusing his country.
9. Covid-19 Updates – At 36,880 US records highest one-day spike so far – The United States recorded its worst day of new coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, as health officials around the country reported a total of 36,880 new cases. COVID-19 infections in the United States had been slowing since the previous record of 36,739 cases back on April 24, but case counts have roared back in recent weeks, The New York Times reported. The latest evidence of the pandemic's economic toll also arrived, with the U.S. Labor Department reporting that 1.5 million more jobless claims were filed last week. It's the 14th straight week that new unemployment claims have topped 1 million.
10. Indian Economy – SEBI relaxes preferential pricing norms, tweaks takeover code – Market regulator SEBI has decided to relax pricing regulations for preferential share allotment to encourage companies to raise funds from the market. The market regulator has provided an additional option for pricing preferential issuance of shares. According to the rule, companies, to price their preferential issue, will be allowed to consider the average of weekly high and low of the volume weighted average price during the previous 12 weeks or the previous 2 weeks, whichever is higher. SEBI also added that companies opting for the new pricing formula will have the securities allotted for a period of 3 years.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Dharmapuri District Central Coop. Bank	Salesman	51	SSLC	July 18, 2020	http://www.drbdharmapuri.net/recruitment/admin/images/ADVERTISEMENT703499_1592995904.pdf
2	Vellore Dis. Central Coop Bank	Salesman, Packe	191	10th Class, 10+2	July 31, 2020	http://drbvellore.net/recruitment/admin/images/DRB%202020%20Salesman%20&%20Packer%20Advertesment%20(2)735391_1592911461536347_1592970953.pdf
3	KIOCL	Graduate Engineer Trainee	25	Degree	July 31, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/06/Notification-KIOCL-Graduate-Engineer-Trainee-Posts.pdf
4	CTRTI	Project Asst, Jr. Research Fellow	5	Degree, PG	July 4, 2020	http://www.ctrtiranchi.co.in/pdf/interview-english.pdf
5	NMDC Ltd	Executive Gr.I, II, III & IV	22	BE/ B.Tech	July 7, 2020	https://assets.examflix.in/myfile/EPCM_ADVT.pdf
6	RCFL	Management Trainee, Engineer, Officer	393	10th Class, Dip, Deg	July 15, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/06/Notification-RCF-Ltd-MT-Engineer-Other.pdf
7	ECIL	Technical Officer, Scientific Assistant-A	7	Dilpoma, Degree (Engg)	July 10, 2020	http://www.ecil.co.in/jobs/Advt.No._21_2020.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 'Animal sacrifice an essential religious practice': plea in SC against Kerala HC judgment upholding law prohibiting animals and birds sacrifices

• An appeal has been filed before the Supreme Court against an order of the Kerala High Court, upholding the Constitutional validity of the Kerala Animals and Bird Sacrifices Prohibition Act, 1968.
• The appeal has been filed by one PE Gopalakrishnan, a Shakthi worshipper, claiming that animal sacrifice is an integral part of his religious practice and as such the High Court order impinges upon his fundamental right under Article 25(1) of the Constitution.
• A bench comprised by Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice Shaji P. Chaly observed that there are no materials on record to substantiate which community of the religion is required under the Hindu or any other religion, to kill an animal, for propitiating, if not personal consumption, in the manner required in the religion.
• The grounds raised by the Petitioner include –  

1. Unreasonably interferes with the rights of the Petitioners under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution of India
2. Violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India
3. Impugned Act is repugnant to The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (Central Legislation) and therefore, void in view of Article 254 of the Constitution of India

• The petition has been drawn by Advocates Ananthu Bahuleyan, Sarveshwar Kannan and Anushka Paridkar.

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

2.1 IMF sees India’s GDP contracting by 4.5% in FY21

• Key points -

1. The IMF has slashed India’s growth projection significantly since its last forecast in April, reflecting a longer period of lockdown and slower recovery than anticipated earlier.
2. While the impact of the global pandemic was felt only in the last quarter of FY20, India’s economy had been slowing even before that.

• Highlights -

1. IMF lowers India’s growth forecast by 640 bps, sees economy contracting by 4.5% for FY21.
2. This is lower by 640 basis points, or 6.4 percent, compared to its earlier forecast of 1.9 percent GDP growth for FY21 given in April.
3. Steeper cut reflects longer duration of lockdown, slower recovery.
4. Post this period of contraction, IMF has projected a 6 percent growth for India in FY22.
5. However, IMF has warned that there is a higher-than-usual degree of uncertainty around its forecast owing to the assumptions made regarding the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
6. On the upside, better news on vaccines and treatments, and additional policy support can lead to a quicker resumption of economic activity.
7. On the downside, further waves of infections can reverse increased mobility and spending, and rapidly tightened financial conditions, triggering debt distress.

• Data analysis -

1. India’s GDP growth slowed down to 3.1 percent for the quarter ending March 2020, while its growth for the full financial year FY20 stood at 4.2 percent.
2. This is the lowest growth that India has recorded in the past 11 years.

• NSO’s outlook -

1. The National Statistical Office (NSO) also revised growth numbers for the first three quarters of FY20 in its last release in May.
2. India’s Q1 GDP growth stood at 5.2 percent, Q2 GDP growth at 4.4 percent, and Q3 GDP growth was at 4.1 percent after the revisions.

2.2 TRAI launched channel selection app for easy subscription

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

3.1 CSE has observed an increase in ozone levels in the several cities of the country

•  CSE - Centre for Science and Environment. The analysis is based on Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data from 22 cities in 15 States.
• Ozone pollution -  

1. Ozone present in the earth’s ozone layer protects human beings from harmful Ultraviolet (UV) radiation whereas the ground level ozone is highly reactive and can have adverse impacts on human health.
2. Even short-term exposure of an hour of ozone is dangerous for those with respiratory conditions and asthma. Thus, an 8-hour average is considered for ozone instead of the 24-hour average for other pollutants.
3. Ozone is not directly emitted by any source but is formed by photochemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx), other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and gases in the air under the influence of sunlight and heat. Ozone pollution is thus also a clear indicator of vehicular pollution.
4. The ozone is primarily a summer season problemin India as the presence of sunlight has a direct impact on formation of ground level ozone. Hence, higher concentrations of ozone are seen during the summer months.

• Particulate pollution - 

1. It has been also been observed that the particulate pollution has been dropped dramatically during the lockdown.
2. Also, an average PM 2.5 levels during the lockdown for all cities were found to be lower than the average for the same period in 2019. However, with lockdown relaxed, pollution started to increase.

• The road ahead -  

1. Active steps to take to mitigate primary pollutants, which lead to ground ozone formation like curbing private vehicle usage, increasing electric mobility, scaling up public transport and pedestrian infrastructure, deploying citywide parking management etc.

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

4.1 Trump suspends H1B, other visas till 2020-end

• What has happened -

1. In an attempt to aid the coronavirus-battered economy, US President Donald Trump has suspended the entry of certain foreign workers in the US until the end of 2020.
2. It is believed that the visa suspension could open up 525,000 jobs for US workers.

• Who will be most affected -

1. The proclamation that temporarily blocks foreign workers entering on H-1B visas, is for skilled employees, and L visas, for managers and specialised workers being transferred within a company.
2. Trump also blocked those entering on H-2B seasonal worker visas, which are used by landscapers and other industries.
3. The suspension also applies to J-1 holders "participating in an intern, trainee, teacher, camp counselor, au pair, or summer work travel program."

• Are there any exemptions -

1. It exempts those already in the US, as well as valid visa holders overseas, but they must have an official travel document that permits entry into the US.
2. It also exempts food supply chain workers and people whose entry is deemed in the national interest.
3. Which visa categories are impacted: Visa categories including H-1B, H-2B, H-4, J-1, J-2, L-1, and L-2 will be the most affected.

• Experts’ views -

1. The visa suspension would stifle the economic recovery after the damage done by the pandemic. 
2. These restrictions will negatively impact the U.S. economy" and decrease job opportunities for Americans.

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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 – Defence

•  Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Raj Mohan Vohra, Maha Vir Chakra awardee, dies at 88 - Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Raj Mohan Vohra, who was a 1971 war hero and a Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) awardee, died due to COVID-19 on June 16, 2020 at the age of 88. He was awarded the MVC for his conspicuous bravery and leadership at the Battle of Basantar during the Indo-Pak. War of 1971.
• US President confirms plans to withdraw 9,500 American soldiers from Germany - US President Donald Trump has confirmed plans to withdraw 9,500 American soldiers from bases in Germany and bring down the count to 25,000 soldiers. He accused Germany of being “delinquent” in its payments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and said he would stick with the plan unless Berlin changed its course.
• China to set up a “national security agency” in Hong Kong - China will set up a “national security agency” in Hong Kong to oversee a forthcoming new law aimed at cracking down on dissent in the city. The new law also would override any existing Hong Kong laws that may conflict with it once it is implemented, Xinhua news agency said in a report on June 20, 2020.
  

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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 Important News

• PM CARES Fund

1. PM CARES Fund allots ₹2,000 crore to supply 50,000 Made-in-India ventilators
2. PM CARES Fund Trust releases ₹1,000 crore to States/UTs for welfare of migrant labourers.

• UP becomes first state to operationalise rail coaches converted into isolation units for Covid-19 cases at Mau junction in Varanasi
• RailTel to provide video surveillance at 6,049 railway stations across country -

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

9.1 ICMR recommends use of rapid antigen test kits for COVID-19 diagnosis along with RT-PCR

• Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR has recommended the use of rapid antigen test kits for diagnosis of COVID-19 in containment zones and healthcare settings in combination with the RT-PCR (real time-polymerase chain reaction) test.
• The kits will allow faster diagnosis without laboratory examination. Rapid antigen test kit is a rapid chromatographic immunoassay for qualitative detection of specific antigens to SARS-CoV-2. It has been developed by a South Korea based company.
• The Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection can be interpreted as positive or negative after 15 minutes of putting the sample into the well by appearance of test and control lines, which can be read with a naked eye, requiring no specialized equipment. The maximum duration for interpreting a positive or negative test is 30 minutes. After that the test strip should be discarded.
• In view of its high specificity while relatively low sensitivity, ICMR recommends the use of Standard Q COVID-19 Ag detection assay as a point of care diagnostic assay for testing under containment zones and healthcare settings in combination with the gold standard RT-PCR test.
• The Standard Q COVID-19 Ag rapid antigen detection test has a very high specificity, that is the ability to detect true negatives.

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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 -

• National Council of Educational Research and Training has signed MoU with Rotary India for e-learning content telecast for class 1-12 over its TV channels.
• Food Safety, Everyone’s Business was the theme of the World Food Safety Day observed on June 7, 2020.
• Lt. General D. B. Shekatkar committee committee’s recommendations regarding creation of border infrastructure is being implemented by the government.
• Udaya Bhaskar is the Director General of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India.
• Madhya Pradesh launched Jeevan Shakti Yojana in  April 2020 for women to earn by making masks at home.

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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