Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-07-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-07-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Internal Security – Highways ministry ups border roads upkeep funds by 4 times – In a significant ramp up in the context of the ongoing border standoff with China, the road transport and highways ministry has increased four-fold the allocation for maintenance of NHs in border areas, which are managed by the Border Road Organisation (BRO), from Rs 30 crore to Rs 120 crore for this year. The decision reflects the strategic imperatives that have emerged in the wake of the military face off and the government's renewed focus on stepping up the infrastructure in border areas so as to allow swifter movement of troops and military supply chains. It has also significantly increased the ceiling for new national highway works in border states. In Ladakh, for example, works up to Rs 589 crore can be approved against the earlier cap of Rs 72 crore.
2. India-China Standoff 2020 – China doubles down on claims on eastern Bhutan boundary – Days after Bhutan sent China a demarche protesting against Chinese claims to the Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutan, Beijing has doubled down, including Bhutan’s “eastern sectors” to the boundary dispute between the two countries for the first time. The boundary between China and Bhutan has never been delimited. There have been disputes over the eastern, central and western sectors for a long time. China last month stoped funding for the Sakteng sanctuary from the UN Development Program’s Global Environment Facility (GEF), on the grounds that it was “disputed” territory. According to written records, there has been no mention of eastern Bhutan, or Trashigang Dzongkhag (district), where Sakteng is based, that borders Arunachal Pradesh, in 24 previous rounds of boundary negotiations held between the two countries, between 1984 and 2016.
   
3. Naxalism - India – Four Maoists killed in Odisha’s Kandhamal – The Odisha police scored a major success in their anti-Naxal operations when four CPI (Maoist) cadres were gunned down in Kandhamal district. On a tip-off, personnel of the Special Operation Group (SOG), an anti-Naxal force, and the District Voluntary Force (DVF), a special constabulary unit of the State police, rushed to a forest area of the Sirla gram panchayat under the Tumudibandh police limits of Kandhamal.
   
4. COVID-19 Updates – Vaccine trials take 6 to 9 months: WHO Chief Scientist; DST deletes a release mentioning no vaccine before 21 – Days after the Indian Council of Medical Research issued a letter calling for fast-tracking the trial process of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation Soumya Swaminathan said a vaccine trial usually takes at least six months to complete. A fresh controversy erupted over India’s Covid-19 vaccine timelines with a department of science and technology (DST) press release first mentioning and then deleting a reference to the antidote being unlikely to be ready for mass use before 2021.
5. COVID-19 Updates – India’s Covid count world’s 3rd highest; nearly 25k cases on July 5 – India now has the third highest Covid-19 caseload in the world after overtaking Russia, even as new infections in the country rose to another record high of nearly 25,000 during the day. India also recorded 421 new deaths from the virus, taking the toll to over 2,300 in the five days of this month alone. Total Covid-19 cases recorded in India were 6,97,887. During the course of the day, the count went past Russia’s current caseload of 6,81,251. With this, only the US and Brazil have recorded higher Covid-19 cases than India.
   
6. World Politics – Kuwait’s bill on workers rings alarm bells in India –  A draft bill to reduce the number of foreign workers in Kuwait has been deemed constitutional by the legal and legislative committee of the Gulf state’s national assembly. While the bill still has to be vetted by another committee, as Kuwait chalks out a more comprehensive plan to cut down on foreign workers, it has led to fears in India that as many as 7-8 lakh Indians could be forced out of Kuwait if the bill is enacted into law. The bill proposes that the number of Indians, who form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait, be reduced to 15% of the country's 4.8 million population. Indians number about 1.4 million in the country and 15% quota would mean their presence reducing to around 6.5-7 lakh.
   
7. International Affairs – Nepal’s ruling party to meet today to decide PM Oli’s fate – Whether Nepal PM K P Oli yet again proves a survivor or succumbs to an inner party rebellion may be decided when the powerful standing committee of the ruling Nepal Communist Party meets to discuss the political situation after having been postponed it earlier to allow senior leaders some time to address differences. Oli and his rival and party co-chair P K Dahal Prachanda met in an apparent attempt to preserve party unity and avert the crisis which has, according to reports from Nepal, seen 30 out of the 45 members of the committee seeking the PM’s resignation. Oli’s detractors have been pressuring him to step down in the wake of his reported statements that a plot was being cooked against him in New Delhi.
8. US Presidential Elections – Kanye West declares late run for US presidency – A popular rapper and black icon who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Chicago, West is expected to draw a few young African-American voters enthralled by his success if not his unknown vision. In a narrow election where a few thousand votes could make the difference in winning a state (Trump won Michigan by only around 10,000 votes, getting all its 16 electoral votes in the winner-takes-all system), this could jeopardise Biden support among blacks. Some pundits compared it to the candidacy of Green Party’s Jill Stein, who was seen as a spoiler for Hillary Clinton in 2016, taking away Democratic votes that may have otherwise enabled her to win the White House.
   
9. COVID-19 Updates – DRDO readies 1,000-bed hosp in 12 days, treatment to be free – A 1,000-bed Covid hospital in Delhi Cantonment, complete with 250 ICU beds, is ready to be operational after Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), with the help of Tata Sons and others, has set it up in just 12 days.
   
10. Indian Economy – India may see trade surplus after 18 yrs – India may register its first monthly trade surplus in over 18 years in June as the pace of contraction of exports is estimated to have slowed down to around 12%, while imports are seen to have fallen almost 49% during the month. Initial estimates for June, available with the commerce department, show a trade surplus of around $786 million, with imports pegged at $21.1 billion and exports at $21.9 billion. The last time India had a positive balance on the trade account was in January 2002 when it had a surplus of $10 million with exports of $4.3 billion.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Panchmahal District Co-Op Bank Ltd	General Manager, Deputy General Manager, Jr Officer	155	BBA, MBA, M.Com, ICWA, CA	July 14, 2020	https://panchmahaldistrictbank.com/admin05082019/assets/images/upload/documents/qNKm20200702135944.pdf
2	Nanded Merchants Coop Bank Ltd	Chief Executive Officer, Software Engineer & Other	7	Degree/ PG / CDAC/ CCNA	July 10, 2020	https://www.nmcbank.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/NMC_RE.pdf
3	J&k Bank	Chief Risk Officer, CA, Economist, Engineer & Other	26	Degree (Engg), CA/ MBA, MCA, PG, Ph.D	July 18, 2020	https://www.jkbank.com/pdfs/jobs/Detailed%20JNotification%20for%20Specialised%20Officers-07022020.pdf
4	IBPS	CRP RRB IX	9640	Degree, MBA, CA	July 21, 2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ibps-rrb/61212/#RRB-IX
5	SBI	Specialist Cadre Officer	455	Degree, PG, CA, CMA/ ACS	July 13, 2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/sbi-specialist-officer/22492/
6	IBPS	Professor, Associate & Asst Professor, Faculty Research Associate	29	Degree/ PG/ Ph.D	July 15, 2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ibps-career/48609/
7	J&K Bank	Banking Associate & Probationary Officer	1850	Any Degree	July 24, 2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/jk-bank/292487/#PO

 

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• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 Weekly Roundup – Constitution and Law

• Decided to accept and abide by PCA award in Enrica Lexie casse - Centre tells SC. Seeks disposal of pending after PCA holds Italy liable to compensate India. Asks India to drop prosecution against Marines.
• Tablighi foreigners blackisting case: Right to grant Visa a ‘Soverign Right’ of state, Tabligh members can’t be deported unless criminal trial completed – Centre tells SC. Jutice A. M. Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna.
• 99% of Habeas pleas filed before Jammu and Kashmir HC since abrogation of Article 370 are still pending: J&K HC Bar association writes to CJI.
• Tough to hold CA exam due to rise in Covid-19 cases, ICAI tells SC; seeks time till July 10 assess ground situation.
• SC rejects Anti-Sikh riots convict Mahender Singh Yadav’s plea for interim bail. Justice Indira Banerjee and B. R. Gavai
• Awarding compensation towards ‘Loss of love and affection’ as a separate head in addition to ‘Loss of consortium’ not justified : SC. Justice S. Abdul Nazeer, Indu  Malhotra and Aniruddha Bose
• Tamil Nadu General Sales Tax leviable on purchase turnover of empty bottles purchased in course of Beer/IMFL manufacture business: SC.
• Centre re-appoints Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General for three years; extends tersms of ASGs.
• TN custodial deaths: PIL in SC seeks to restrain CM palaniswamy from holding Home Ministry portfolio

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

2.1 IHS Markit India Services Business Activity Index (Service Purchasing Managers’ Index - PMI) observes the contraction of services sector activity for the fourth consecutive month in June 2020

• News - 

1. Activity of services sector of India remained in deep downturn in June. The Index is compiled by IHS Markit for more than 40 economies worldwide. IHS Markit is a global leader in information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets.

• Purchasing Managers' Index -

1. PMI is an index of the prevailing direction of economic trends in the manufacturing and service sectors.
2. It consists of a diffusion index that summarizes whether market conditions, as viewed by purchasing managers, are expanding, staying the same, or contracting.
3. It is different from the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), which also gauges the level of activity in the economy. IIP covers the broader industrial sector compared to PMI. PMI is more dynamic compared to a standard industrial production index..

• Present Scenario of Service Sector -

1. The IHS Markit Services PMI in June rose to 33.7 from 12.6 in May (2020), indicating a pick-up from the previous month, although any reading below 50 on this survey-based index shows contraction.
2. The index stood at a record low of 5.4 in April (2020).
3. India's services sector activity reported the slower rate of decline which is reflective of some stabilisation in activity levels but the closures and temporary suspensions are responsible for the stabilization in service activities.
4. Additionally, 59% of firms reported no change in output since May. Meanwhile, only 4% registered growth, while 37% recorded a reduction.

• Reasons of contraction -

1. Huge fall in total new orders due to reduced consumption habits.
2. Closure of businesses due to the unfavourable environment.
3. Steep drop in export sales.
4. Job losses due to lower business requirements.
5. Poor staff availability.

• The road ahead - 

1. Although the deterioration was weaker than in April and May, the latest reduction was stronger than seen prior to the virus outbreak by a wide margin. Thus, business confidence needs to be developed to uplift expectations of service sector activities. 

2.2 National Charted Accountants Day 2020

• Other Important News

1. India, Bhutan signed agreement for construction of 600 MW Kholongchhu joint venture hydroelectric project in Bhutan.
2. Fitch Ratings cut India’s growth forecast for 2021-22 fiscal to 8% from 9.5% projected in May.
3. Rajya Sabha member Suresh Prabhu to head Cooperative Development Forum (CDF). He belongs to BJP.
4. World Bank approves $750 million loan under its MSME Emergency Response program for MSMEs in India.
5. Indian Oil Corp to form equal JV with Bangladesh’s Beximco LPG to set up a terminal to import LPG in Bangladesh.
6. Shrikant Madhav Vaidya takes charge as the new Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) 
7. IRDAI frames COVID-19 health cover norms; product, to be called Corona Kavach Policy
8. Governing Council Meeting of National Productivity Council (NPC) held under Chairmanship of Commerce & Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
9. Finance Commission to devise a mechanism for incentivisation of States in areas of agricultural reforms. 
10. Agra-based Indian Garment Company bags NRDC (National Research Development Cooperation) license for manufacturing NavRakshak PPEs
11. 'Overdraft: Saving the Indian Saver', written by Former RBI Governor Urjit Patel, set for release
12. Last date for filing ITR (income tax returns) for 2019-20 extended till November 30.

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

3.1 Indian Oil, NTPC, SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation) to develop a demonstration waste-to-energy plant at Okhla landfill site in Delhi.

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

4.1 Important news across the world - Roundup

• COVID-19 virus alert given by our office in China on Dec 31, not Chinese government: WHO.
• Britain recognises Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's president.
• UNSC adopted first COVID19-related resolution demanding immediate cessation of hostilities.
• Gunmen attack Pakistan Stock Exchange building in Karachi, seven including all 4 attackers killed.
• Legislature in the US state of Mississippi votes to remove the Confederate battle standard from the state flag.
• ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders organise their annual summit by video conferencing. 
• Global fundraising meeting on June 27, 2020 raised 6.15 billion euros from US, EU & others to fight Covid-19.
• Ireland: Micheál Martin takes charge as Prime Minister of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael coalition govt.
• Malawi: Opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera wins Presidential election.
• US: Vandalising national monuments made punishable offence with up to 10 years in jail
• Milton Glaser, master designer of ‘I ♥ NY’ logo, dies at 91
• Amazon to acquire self-driving startup Zoox.
• Microsoft Corp to shut its retail stores permanently, to sell through digital and third-party retailers 
• Diplomat Indra Mani Pandey appointed as India’s next Permanent Representative to the United Nations 
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holds talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

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

5.1 PM launched Digital India AatmaNirbhar Bharat App Innovation Challenge to identify best existing Indian apps and to build new apps for various categories indigenously.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Covid-19 pandemic and situation of women in society

• Scenario -

1. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on women’s work. Little attention has been paid to the consequences of the pandemic for women workers.
2. Same is true to the design of specific policies and programmes to assist them.
3. A survey by the Azim Premji University of 5,000 workers across 12 States was conducted found that women workers were worse off than men during the lockdown.
4. Among rural casual workers, for example, 71% of women lost their jobs after the lockdown; the figure was 59% for men.
5. Data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) also suggest that job losses in April 2020, as compared to April 2019, were larger for rural women than men.

• Regular employment not available -

1. When women are not reported as workers, it is because of the lack of employment opportunities rather than it being on account of any “withdrawal” from the labour force.
2. This crisis of regular employment will have intensified during the pandemic and the lockdown.
3. A second feature of rural women’s work is that women from all sections of the peasantry, with some regional exceptions, participate in paid work outside the home. 
4. In thinking of the potential workforce, thus, we need to include women from almost all sections of rural households and not just women from rural labour or manual worker households.
5. A third feature of our village-level findings is that younger and more educated women are often not seeking work because they aspire to skilled non-agricultural work.
6. A fourth feature of rural India is that women’s wages are rarely equal to men’s wages, with a few exceptions.
7. The gap between female and male wages is highest for non-agricultural tasks — the new and growing source of employment.
8. Finally, an important feature of rural India pertains to the woman’s work day.
9. Counting all forms of work — economic activity and care work or work in cooking, cleaning, child care, elderly care — a woman’s work day is exceedingly long and full of exhaustion.

• Lockdown and employment of rural women- 

1. A rapid rural survey conducted by FAS showed that in large parts of the country where rain-fed agriculture is common, there was no agricultural activity during the lean months of March to May.
2. In areas of irrigated agriculture, there were harvest operations (such as for rabi wheat in northern India) but these were largely mechanised.
3. In other harvest operations, such as for vegetables, there was a growing tendency to use more family labour and less hired labour on account of fears of infection.
4. Put together, while agricultural activity continued, employment available to women during the lockdown was limited.
5. Employment and income in activities allied to agriculture, such as animal rearing, fisheries and floriculture were also adversely affected by the lockdown.
6. Our village studies show that when households own animals, be it milch cattle or chickens or goats, women are by default part of the labour process.
7. During the lockdown, the demand for milk fell by at least 25% (as hotels and restaurants closed), and this was reflected in either lower quantities sold or in lower prices or both.
8. For women across the country, incomes from the sale of milk to dairy cooperatives shrank.
9. Among fishers, men could not go to sea, and women could not process or sell fish and fish products.

• Extreme condition during the lockdown -

1. Non-agricultural jobs came to a sudden halt as construction sites, brick kilns, petty stores and eateries, local factories and other enterprises shut down completely.
2. In recent years, women have accounted for more than one-half of workers in public works, but no employment was available through the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) till late in April.
3. The first month of lockdown thus saw a total collapse of non-agricultural employment for women.
4. In May, there was a big increase in demand for NREGS employment.
5. One of the new sources of women’s employment in the last few decades has been government schemes, especially in the health and education sectors, where, for example, women work as Anganwadi workers or mid-day meal cooks.
6. During the pandemic, Accredited Social Health Activists or ASHAs, 90% of whom are women, have become frontline health workers , although they are not recognised as “workers” or paid a regular wage.

• Health and Nutrition during lockdown - 

1. While the lockdown reduced employment in agriculture and allied activities and brought almost all non-agricultural employment to a halt, the burden of care work mounted.
2. With all members of the family at home, and children out of school, the tasks of cooking, cleaning, child care and elderly care became more onerous.
3. There is no doubt that managing household tasks and provisioning in a situation of reduced incomes and tightening budgets will have long-term effects on women’s physical and mental health.
4. The already high levels of malnutrition among rural women is likely to be worsen as households cope with reduced food intake.

• The road ahead -  

1. As the lockdown is lifted, economic activity is growing but the young and old still remain at home.
2. Further, as the COVID-19 infection spreads, given a higher likelihood of cases among men than women, the burden on women as earners and carers is likely to rise.
3. We need immediate measures to reduce the exhaustion of care work.
4. To illustrate, healthy meals for schoolchildren as well as the elderly and the sick can reduce the tasks of home cooking.
5. It is time for women to be seen as equal partners in the task of transforming the rural economy.

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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 Delhi’s largest corona facility opens doors

• Sardar Patel Covid Care Centre and Hospital, Delhi’s biggest health facility for novel coronavirus-infected people, became operational at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Chhatarpur on Sunday with 21 patients.
• The 10,000-bed facility, built in 10 days under the direct supervision of the home ministry, was inaugurated by lieutenant governor Anil Baijal. The patients who were admitted included both men and women in the age group of 20-50 years. 
• The facility will function as an isolation centre for mild and asymptomatic Covid patients, with 10% of the beds having an oxygen facility in case anybody develops severe breathlessness and requires tertiary hospital care.
  

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

9.1 Sixth International Asteroid Day observed on 30 June

•  Highlights - 

1. World Asteroid Day or International Asteroid Day is observed globally on June 30.
2. Asteroid Day aims to raise public awareness about asteroid impact hazard and to inform the public about the crisis communication actions to be taken at the global level in case of a credible near-Earth object threat.
3. It is observed at the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on June 30, 1908, and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard.
4. Asteroid Day, the official United Nations’ day of global awareness and education about asteroids.

• History -

1. Asteroid Day was co-founded by astrophysicist and famed musician Dr. Brian May, of the rock group Queen, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, Filmmaker Grig Richters, and B612 President Danica Remy, to promote awareness and provide knowledge to the general public about the importance of asteroids in our solar system history, and the role they play in our solar system 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 -

• India returned from Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria with three medals.
• The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) charges a premium of 10 paise for a deposit of Rs. 100.
• According to a research done by IIT Kharagpur, most cities in India are turning into “urban Heat islands” in all seasons during day and night.
• Bong Joon-ho won the Best Director award at the 92nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles in Feb 2020.
• Indian Navy won the All India Bombay Gold Cup Hockey Championship in February 2020.

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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