Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-07-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-07-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Internal Security – MoD approves 33 new fighter jets in deals worth Rs. 38,900 cr. – Amid the tension on the border with China, the Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, approved deals worth Rs. 38,900 crore. These include procurement of 21 MiG-29 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF), upgrade of 59 MiG-29s and acquirement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft. The approvals come a week after Mr. Singh’s visit to Moscow for the Victory Day Parade. Also Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on winning a vote on changes to the Constitution.
2. Indian Society – Over 50% Indians 25 yrs or older – For the first time, more than half of India’s population, irrespective of gender or whether it’s in urban or rural areas, is now 25 years or older. This was revealed in the Sample Registration System 2018 report released recently by the registrar general and census commissioner of India. As India’s fertility rate goes down steadily along with a rise in life expectancy, the proportion of its young population is shrinking and the median age has been increasing. The report showed that even among rural men, the proportion of those below 25 years of age had fallen to 49.9% from 50.2% in 2017. In all other categories — urban women, urban men and rural women — those under 25 already constituted less than half the population. Overall, the under-25s in 2018 constituted 46.9% of the population. However, there are still several states, those that continue to have high fertility rates, where this proportion is much higher.
   
3. International Affairs – India loses jurisdiction over Italian marines case – The Government of India said it was studying an international tribunal’s ruling that the Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen in the waters off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012, held “immunity” and would face a trial in Italy, not India. While the tribunal held in Italy’s favour the main submission, of jurisdiction, it found merit in India’s counter-claim that the marines on board “Enrica Lexie” had violated the freedom of navigation rights under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by shooting at fishing boat “St. Antony” and should pay compensation to the victims’ families, the boat owner and crew members. In their defence, the marines claimed they mistook the fishermen for “pirates” and that the shooting occurred in international waters.
   
4. Indian Society – Central police forces to recruit trans people as ‘third gender’ soon – In a major gender reform, the home ministry is set to allow induction of transgender people as ‘third gender’ into the central armed police forces. The ministry is at the concluding stage of consultations with central paramilitary forces—BSF, CRPF, ITBP, CISF and SSB—on incorporating ‘transgender’, along with male and female, in the rules for the recruitment examination for assistant commandants in central forces, starting this year.
5. Constitution and Law – Three policemen held in T.N. custodial deaths case – In a pre-dawn operation, the Tamil Nadu Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) arrested Sridhar, suspended inspector and Station House Officer of the Sattankulam station, in the case relating to the custodial murder of trader P. Jayaraj and his son J. Benicks. Sub-inspector Balakrishnan and constable Murugan, both suspended, were also arrested by special teams. Another accused, sub-inspector Raghu Ganesh, had been arrested earlier. The duo died at the Kovilpatti Government Hospital after they were allegedly tortured in police custody on June 19 after being picked up on a trivial charge.
   
6. Indian Econmy – India’s trade deficit with China dips to $48.66 billion –  India’s trade deficit with China fell to $48.66 billion in 2019-20 on account of the decline in imports from the neighbouring country, according to government data. Exports to China in the last financial year stood at $16.6 billion, while imports aggregated at $65.26 billion, the data showed. The trade deficit stood at $53.56 billion in 2018-19 and $63 billion in 2017-18. India has time and again raised concerns over the widening trade deficit with China. The government is framing technical regulations and quality norms for several products to reduce dependence on Chinese imports.
   
7. World Politics – China warns US, UK of strong steps if they meddle in HK – China warned of strong countersteps if the US, Australia and the UK continued taking actions in response to Beijing’s tough national security law in Hong Kong, saying foreign pressure would “never succeed.” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China “deplores and firmly opposes” the US parliament’s unanimous passing of a bill that would impose sanctions on entities that help violate Hong Kong’s autonomy and financial institutions that do business with them. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent, a day after the House of Representatives also cleared it without opposition, a rare example of bipartisan support. It will now be sent to President Trump to sign into law or veto.
8. World Politics – Russians Grant Putin Right to Extend His Rule Until 2036 in Landslide Vote – Russians opened the door to Vladimir Putin staying in power until 2036 by voting overwhelmingly for constitutional changes that will allow him to run again for president twice, but critics said the outcome was falsified on an industrial scale. After 99.9% of ballots had been counted, showed that the former KGB officer who has ruled Russia for more than two decades as president or prime minister had easily won the right to run for two more six-year terms after the current one ends in 2024. That means Putin, 67, could rule until the age of 83. The Central Election Commission said 77.9% of votes counted across the world’s largest country had supported changing the constitution. Just over 21% had voted against.
   
9. Indian Economy – Govt debates tough China steps without hurting FDI – A section within the government is of the view that the Centre must adopt tough measures against China over the border standoff and act against Beijing’s interests in areas that do not add value to India’s economy, but ensure that investments critical for accelerating growth should not be derailed.
   
10. Indian Economy – States demand Vice-Chairman post in GST Council, won’t budge on compensation – A meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council later this month is set to be a stormy affair with states set to air concerns of inadequate representation and an overall review of the indirect tax regime besides sticking to their demand for 14 per cent compensation. States are guaranteed compensation for any revenue shortfall from the base year of 2015-16 at an annualised growth rate of 14 per cent.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	J&k Bank	Chief Risk Officer, CA, Economist, Engineer	26	Degree, CA/ MBA, PG	July 18, 2020	https://www.jkbank.com/pdfs/jobs/Detailed%20JNotification%20for%20Specialised%20Officers-07022020.pdf
2	Prasar Bharati	Content Executive	7	PG/Diploma (Journ)	July 20, 2020	http://www.prasarbharati.gov.in/vacancies/Contractual_829787.pdf
3	C-DAC, Chennai	Project Associate	11	BE, B.Tech, PG	July 10, 2020	https://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=ca_Recruitment2021C2
4	SCTIMST	Apprentice	10	Degree	July 7, 2020	http://www.rmrims.org.in/PDF2020/July_1_2020.pdf
5	RMRIMS	Scientist, Project Asst, Sr Research Fellow, Research Scientist	5	Degree, PG with NET, MBBS, Ph.D	July 15, 2020	https://www.sctimst.ac.in/Recruitment/resources/APPRENTICE%20IN%20PATIENT%20MANAGEMENT,%20DATE%20&%20TIME%2007.07.2020%20-%2009.00%20AM.pdf
6	NCERT	Jr Project Fellow	8	B.El.Ed, PG	July 10, 2020	http://www.ncert.nic.in/announcements/vacancies/pdf_files/DEE-1485.pdf
7	TTD	Gardener	47	Class 5	July 20, 2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/07/Notification-TTD-Gardener-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 Enrica Lexie Case: Permanent court of arbitration holds Italy liable to compensate India; Asks India to drop prosecution against marines

• News -

1. The Permanent Court of Arbitration, in Enrica Lexie case, has unanimously held that India is entitled to claim compensation from Italy.
2. It also held (by 3:2 majority) that the Marines are entitled to immunity in relation to the acts that they committed during the incident of 15 Feb 2012, and that India is precluded from exercising its jurisdiction over the Marines.
3. The Tribunal also unanimously held that India has not breached Article 87 of the UNCLOS by asking Enrica Lexie to change its course and by detaining it at Kochi port after the incident of firing on Feb 15, 2012.
4. The Court has invited both the countries to consult with each other with a view to reaching agreement on the amount of compensation due to India. 
5. The Tribunal also ordered that India must take the necessary steps to cease to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over the Marine.

• Enrica Lexie Incident -

1. On Feb 15, 2012, at about 4.30 PM, at a distance of about 20.5 nautical miles from the coastline, a fishing boat 'St Antony' happened to pass "Erica Lexie", a tanker flying the Italian Flag. Two marines aboard the ship - Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Girone - mistook 'St Antony' for a pirate boat, and opened fire at it. This resulted in the death of two fishermen - Valentine Jalastine and Ajesh Binki. 
2. FIR) was lodged by the local police against the marines.
3. Following this, the Republic of Italy filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court under Article 32 of the Constitution, challenging the criminal proceedings against marines in Kerala. 
4. The Court held that the expression "incident of navigation" in Art.97 of UNCLOS cannot be extended to a criminal act, involving the killing of two Indian fishermen on board an Indian fishing vessel. 
5. The Court also held that Article 97 will apply only to 'High Seas', which do not form part of Exclusive Economic Zone, Territorial Waters or Internal Waters of any country.
6. The Court also held that State of Kerala has no jurisdiction to investigate into the incident. This was on the reasoning that only Union Government had jurisdiction over Contigous Zone under the Maritime Zones Act. Following the judgment, the investigation of the case was taken over by National Investigation Agency from Kerala police.
7. In July 2015, Italy took the case to International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an independent judicial body under the UNCLOS. The hearing addressed the jurisdiction of the Arbitral Tribunal as well as the merits of Italy's claims and India's counter-claims.

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

2.1 India's external debt rises to US$ 558.5 billion end March 2020

• Highlights - 

1. At end-March 2020, India's external debt was placed at US$ 558.5 billion, recording an increase of US$ 15.4 billion over its level at end-March 2019.
2. Commercial borrowings remained the largest component of the external debt, with a share of 39.4%, followed by non-resident deposits at 23.4% and short-term trade credit at 18.2%.
3. The data showed valuation gains due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Indian rupee and other major currencies were at $16.6 billion.
4. If we exclude the valuation effect, the increase in external debt would have been $32 billion instead of $15.4 billion at end-March 2020 over end-March 2019.
5. At the end of March, long-term debt, with original maturity of above one year, was placed at $451.7 billion, a rise of $17 billion over the level recorded in March 2019.
6. Short-term debt on residual maturity basis constituted 42.4% of the total external debt and 49.5% of foreign exchange reserves at the end of March.

• Key note -

1. U.S. dollar-denominated debt continued to be the largest component of India’s external debt, with a share of 53.7% at end-March 2020, followed by the Indian rupee (31.9%), yen (5.6%), SDR (4.5%) and the euro (3.5%).

• RBI’s report on debt service -

1. Debt service (principal repayments plus interest payments) increased marginally to 6.5% of current receipts at the end of March compared to 6.4% in the same period a year ago.
2. This reflects higher interest payments on commercial borrowings and lower current receipts. 

2.2 Other important headlines

• FICCI organised Virtual Healthcare and Hygiene EXPO 2020 on June 22-26
• India remains world’s third largest economy after China and the US on PPP (purchasing power parity) basis for 2017
• Rs. 10,000 crore ‘PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM-FME)’ scheme launched.
• Defence Ministry launched online portal for issue of NOC for power, oil and gas exploration projects in ITW (Indian Territorial Waters) and EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).
• Government lifts ban on exports of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) medical coveralls, sets a monthly quota of 5 million units.

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

3.1 International Day of the Tropics - 29 June

• Highlights -

1. The International Day of the Tropics celebrates the extraordinary diversity of the tropics while highlighting unique challenges and opportunities nations of the Tropics face.
2. It provides an opportunity to take stock of progress across the tropics, to share tropical stories and expertise and to acknowledge the diversity and potential of the region.

• Key notes -

1. As per the UN, the Tropics is home to nearly 95 per cent of the world’s mangrove forests by area and 99 per cent of mangrove species.
2. The Tropics have just over half of the world’s renewable water resources (54 per cent), and biodiversity is also much greater at 80 per cent.
3. Mangrove forests are considered to be the best among the plants to eliminate carbon dioxide from the environment, as they take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in greater quantities than other forests.
4. They also protect coastal areas from erosion, storm surge, and tsunamis.
5. The Amazon rainforest, which represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests, is also located in the tropical region. It comprises of the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest in the world.

• The Ecosystem  -

1. The Tropics are a region of the Earth, roughly defined as the area between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricorn.
2. Although topography and other factors contribute to climatic variation, tropical locations are typically warm and experience little seasonal change in day-to-day temperature.
3. An important feature of the Tropics is the prevalence of rain in the moist inner regions near the equator, and that the seasonality of rainfall increases with the distance from the equator.
4. The tropical region faces several challenges such as climate change, deforestation, logging, urbanization and demographic changes.

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

4.1 Important news across the world

• Foreign Ministers Sergey Lavrov, S. Jaishankar and Wang Yi participate in RIC (Russia-India-China) trilateral via video conference.
• India became founding member of Alliance for Poverty Eradication at the UN.
• Pakistan to remain on ‘grey list’ of terror financing watchdog FATF (Financial Action Task Force).
• Day of the Seafarer celebrated by IMO on June 25. Theme 2020 - ‘Seafarers are Key Workers’.
• International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking celebrated on June 26. Theme 2020 - ‘Better Knowledge for Better Care’. 
• International Day in Support of Victims of Torture observed by UN on June 26.
• U.S. ends defense exports to Hong Kong, restricts access to high tech products.

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• 5. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES (Prelims, GS Paper 2, GS Paper 3)

5.1 PM extended free grain distribution scheme under PMGKAY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana) till the end of November.

5.2 Road Transport and Highways Ministry readies cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims with an insurance coverage cap of ₹2.5 lakh per case.

5.3 MP government sets up Madhya Pradesh State Migrant Labourer Commission (MPSMLC)

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup – Corporates

• RIL becomes first Indian company to hit a market valuation of $150 billion - Reliance Industries Ltd. on June 22, 2020 became the first Indian company to hit a market valuation of $150 billion. In morning trade, the company’s market valuation jumped ₹28,248.97 crore to ₹11,43,667 crore ($ 150 billion) on the BSE.
• Hindustan Unilever to drop the word “fair” from its “Fair & Lovely” range of products - Hindustan Unilever, the Indian unit MNC Unilever, said on June 24, 2020 it will drop the word “fair” from its “Fair & Lovely” range of products, which have long been criticised for promoting negative stereotypes against people with darker skin. 

• Patanjali Ayurved told to stop advertising anti-COVID-19 drug - Hours after yoga guru Baba Ramdev unveiled an Ayurvedic medicine — ‘Coronil and Swasari’ — on June 24, 2020, claiming that clinical trials on COVID-19 affected patients had shown favourable results, the Central government asked Patanjali Ayurved Limited to stop advertising the drug and sought details on its claimed “successful trial and cure”.
• Agra-based company bags NRDC license for manufacturing NavRakshak PPEs - The National Research Development Cooperation (NRDC) has signed a technology licensing agreement for the manufacturing know-how of a PPE Suit named NavRakshak with an Agra-based apparel manufacturing entity, the Indian Garment Company.
• ITI Limited, Tech Mahindra to work together in the areas of 4G & 5G smart networks - ITI Limited, a public sector undertaking (PSU) manufacturing telecom and defence equipment and information technology service provider Tech Mahindra, a have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together in the areas of 4G & 5G smart networks, Smart Cities and Health Care services. 
• Indian Oil Corp launches battery swapping facility for electric vehicles - Indian Oil Corp (IOC) on June 26, 2020 launched a battery swapping facility for electric vehicles (EVs) at its petrol pumps, offering to replace discharged batteries with fully charged ones in just couple of minutes. It has partnered with Sun Mobility for setting up battery swapping facility, called Quick Interchange Station (QIS). 
• Google adds ‘Fact-Checked’ labels for search images to limit misinformation - Google announced that it will start identifying some misleading photos in its specific search tool for images with a fact-check label. This new feature is introduced to help people navigate issues around determining the authenticity of images, and make more informed decisions about the content they consume.
• Former CEA Arvind Subramanian to join Ashoka University as professor of economics - Former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian will join Ashoka University as a professor in the department of economics beginning July. He is currently visiting lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Government declared entire Nagaland 'disturbed area' for 6 more months

•  AFSPA - 

1. Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 is an act of the Parliament of India that grant special powers to the Indian Armed Forces the power to maintain public order in “disturbed areas”.
2. The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act gives the armed forces sweeping powers to search and arrest, and to open fire if they deem it necessary for “the maintenance of public order”.

• News in brief -

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Nagaland a “disturbed area” for another six months with effect from 30th June, 2020
2. The government said that Nagaland is in a dangerous condition and use of armed forces in the state is necessary.

• Key notes -

1. Nagaland has been under the coverage of the AFSPA for almost six decades.
2. It was not withdrawn even after a framework agreement was signed on August 3, 2015, by Naga insurgent group National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak Muivah) General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and government interlocutor RN Ravi in the presence of PM Modi.
3. It also remains in force in Assam, most of Manipur, and three districts and areas falling under the jurisdiction of four police stations in Arunachal Pradesh.

• COVID-19 in Nagaland  

1. Nagaland is also witnessing an increase in coronavirus cases.
2. On June 28, 2020, the government extended the lockdown in the state till July 15.
3. Nagaland has reported 459 cases and no deaths so far.

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

8.1 Nasha Mukt Bharat - Annual Action Plan (2020-21) for 272 most affected districts e-launched.

8.2 IIT Madras launched first online BSc degree of world in Programming and Data Science.

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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 UNESCO's 2020 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report

• Key point -

1. At least 40 per cent low and lower-middle-income countries across the world failed to support learners at risk during school shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis.

• Key findings of the report -

1. During the peak of school closures in April 2020, about 91% of students around the world were out of school.
2. Education systems responded with distance learning solutions, all of which offered less or more imperfect substitutes for classroom instruction.
3. Poorer countries opted for radio and television (TV) lessons, 55% of low-income, 73% of lower-middle-income and 93% of upper-middle-income countries adopted for online learning platforms for primary and secondary education.
4. 17% of low and middle-income countries are planning to recruit more teachers, 22% to increase class time and 68% to introduce remedial classes when schools reopen to combat the situation.
5. Cancellation of examinations in many countries, including India, may result in scoring dependent on teachers’ judgements of students instead – this can be affected by stereotypes of certain types of students.
6. Higher drop-out rates are also a concern because, during an earlier Ebola epidemic in Africa, many older girls never returned to school once the crisis was over.
7. Education systems often fail to take learners' special needs into account.
8. Just 41 countries worldwide officially recognized sign language and, globally, schools were more eager to get internet access than to cater for learners with disabilities.
9. Some 335 million girls attended schools that did not provide them with the water, sanitation and hygiene services they required to continue attending class during menstruation.
10. Less than 10 per cent of countries across the world have laws that help ensure full inclusion in education.

• UNESCO’s estimate -

1. Over 154 crore students are severely impacted by the closure of educational institutions across the world amid the COVID-19 outbreak due to which girls will be the worst hit as it will lead to increased drop-out rates and further entrench gender gaps in education.

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered virtual address to the Plenary session of the Indian Chamber of Commerce in June 2020..
• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression was observed by the UN on June 4.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May 2020 announced that Government-funded housing in the cities will be converted into Affordable Rental Housing Complexes for welfare of migrant workers.
• Railways have decided run Shramik Special Trains to move persons including migrant workers, pilgrims, tourists, students stranded at different places due to lockdown.
• According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), LPA stands for Long Period Average.

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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