Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services -15-07-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-07-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Polity and Governance– Congress ejects Pilot as dy CM, PCC chief amid Raj turbulence – The bitter feud between Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot and his challenger Sachin Pilot reached the point of no return with Congress on sacking the latter as deputy CM and state party chief, accusing him of working at the instance of BJP to topple the state government. Four Pilot loyalists, two of them cabinet ministers, were also sacked. The development was not a surprise as efforts by the Congress brass to get Pilot to withdraw his rebellion failed even as his supporters upped the ante by demanding a change of leadership.
2. COVID-19 – India records 30k+ cases in a day, toll crosses 24k – The Covid-19 pandemic worsened in the country as fresh cases on Tuesday zoomed past the 30,000 mark for the first time even as total deaths crossed 24,000, with the second-highest single-day addition of 582 fatalities. On Sunday and Monday, India’s daily cases were the second highest in the world after the US, having overtaken Brazil’s tally. The national caseload stands at 9,36,994. In another record of sorts, as many as 10 states reported more than 1,000 fresh infections each on Tuesday. The day’s fatality count, at 582, was the second-highest since 608 reported on July 4 (discounting the back-dated deaths numbering 2,003 reported on June 16).
   
3. International relations – EU, India to meet on resuming FTA negotiations – Seven years after talks on a free trade agreement were suspended, India and the European Union (EU) are set to agree on a “high-level dialogue on trade and investment” to restart negotiations. The announcement is expected at a virtual EU-India Summit. During this summit, India and the EU are expected to conclude several agreements including a roadmap for cooperation, an agreement on research sharing for civil nuclear cooperation and launch a maritime security dialogue as well as negotiations between Europol and the CBI. According to officials, tackling COVID-19 and its impact on the economy and the global order will be high on the agenda.
4. World – U.S. rejects Beijing’s claims in S. China Sea – The United States has said that it would treat Beijing’s pursuit of resources in the dispute-rife South China Sea as illegal, ramping up support for Southeast Asian nations and triggering a furious response from Beijing. It was the latest forceful statement by President Donald Trump’s administration to challenge China, which he has increasingly cast as an enemy ahead of the November elections. The United States has long rejected Beijing’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which is both home to valuable oil and gas deposits and is a vital waterway for the world’s commerce. The US said, “The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire.”
5. Society – ‘No. of undernourished in India down by 60m’ – The number of undernourished people in India has declined by 60 million, from 21.7% of the population in 2004-06 to 14% in 2017-19, according to a UN report. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report said there were less stunted children but more obese adults in India. The report — considered the most authoritative global study tracking progress towards ending hunger and malnutrition — said the number of undernourished people in India declined from 249.4 million in 2004-06 to 189.2 million in 2017–19. The two subregions showing reductions in undernourishment — eastern and southern Asia — are dominated by the two largest economies of the continent — China and India.
   
6. Economy – UK to exclude Huawei from role in high-speed phone network – Britain’s government has backtracked on plans to give Chinese telecommunications company Huawei a limited role in the UK’s new high-speed mobile phone network in a decision with broad implications for relations between London and Beijing. Britain imposed the ban after the US threatened to sever an intelligence-sharing arrangement because of concerns Huawei equipment could allow the Chinese government to infiltrate UK networks. Prime Minister Boris Johnson was under pressure from rebels in his own Conservative Party who criticized China’s new Hong Kong security law and its treatment of ethnic Uighurs, as well as Huawei’s links to the Chinese government.
7. Education – Centre limits duration of online school sessions – Schools can hold live online classes for a maximum of 1.5 hours per day for Classes 1-8, and three hours per day for Classes 9-12, according to the Pragyata guidelines for digital education. For kindergarten, nursery and preschool, the guidelines don’t recommend any screen time for children; they only recommend that teachers spend a maximum of 30 minutes per day to interact with parents and guide them. These guidelines, prepared by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), are only advisory in nature, and State governments have been asked to build on them and formulate their own rules, based on local needs.
8. Polity and Governance – Parliament project: seven firms bid to pre-qualify – Seven construction companies, including an Uttar Pradesh government undertaking, have submitted bids for pre-qualification for the contract to build a new Parliament building. According to the CPWD’s online tender portal, the bids received were from ITD Cementation India Limited, Larsen and Toubro Ltd., NCC Ltd., PSP Projects Ltd., Shapoorji Pallonji and Co Ltd., Tata Projects Ltd. and Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam Ltd. Between them, the bidders have constructed Metro rail projects, ports, stadia, industrial complexes among others in the past.
   
9. World – First federal execution in U.S. in 17 years – The U.S. carried out its first federal execution in 17 years on July 14, putting to death convicted murderer Daniel Lee over objections by his victims’ relatives after the Supreme Court gave its go-ahead. Lee was convicted for his role in the killing of three members of an Arkansas family in 1996. His accomplice, Chevie Kehoe, is serving life term.
10. Economy – In 14 days, Mumbai nears 100% of July rain target – The city nudged closer to its 100% required rain mark for July with heavy rainfall in several parts of Mumbai and adjoining areas like Thane and Navi Mumbai on Tuesday (July 14). While the required rains for July are 840.7mm, till Tuesday evening, officials reported 822 mm rainfall, which is almost 97.7 %. Meanwhile the city has also received over 50% of its required season’s rainfall. While the required rain mark is 2,260.4 mm, the city had logged 1,217mm (53.84%) till Tuesday. The IMD had already issued a yellow alert for Tuesday for parts of Mumbai, Thane and Palghar forecasting heavy rains at isolated places. Weathermen expect rain intensity to pick up on Wednesday. An orange alert has been issued forecasting heavy to very heavy rains at a few places.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Northern Coalfields Limited	Asst. Foreman and Technician	512	Matriculation, ITI, Diploma	Aug 25, 2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ncl-singrauli/28732/#foreman
2	Indian Institute of Petroleum	Sr Project Associate, Project Associate, Laboratory Asst.	46	Diploma, BE/ B.Tech, PG, Ph.D	July 24, 2020	https://www.iip.res.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Detailed-PA-Advt-No-03-2020.pdf
3	C-DAC	Adjunct Engineer	18	BE/ B.Tech, PG Degree/ Diploma	----	https://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=job_corp_CAE_2020
4	Medical & Health Dept, Prakasam	Nurse, Lab Tech., Pharma., Child Psychologist etc.	396	GNM, DMLT, Diploma, Degree, PG	July 22, 2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s3f3f27a324736617f20abbf2ffd806f6d/uploads/2020/07/2020071349.pdf
5	Surat Municipal Corporation	ECG Technician, Radiographic Tech.	10	----	July 17, 2020	https://www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Content/Documents/Jobs/14072020.pdf
6	MSU, Baroda	System Designer, Senior Programmer, Program Officer	45	10th Class, BE, Degree, PG, Ph.D	July 31, 2020	http://cc.msubaroda.ac.in/RecAdminStaff/MSUBRecruitmentData/Notifications/NOTIFICATION_ADE_3_7_2020_2021.pdf
7	Surat Municipal Corporation	Specialist, Sr Resident, Medical Officer, Nurse, Ward Boy, Aya	533	B.Sc (Nursing), MBBS, MD	July 20, 2020	https://www.suratmunicipal.gov.in/Content/Documents/Jobs/13072020.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 upholds right of erstwhile Travancore royal family in administration of Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

• Key Points - 

1. Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple – It dates back to the eighth century but the present structure was built in the 18th century by the then Travancore Maharaja Marthanda Varma. It is built in the unique Chera style of architecture, and its main deity is Lord Vishnu who is found in the Anantha Shayana posture (reclined posture of eternal yoga) on Adishesha or king of all serpents. It is known to be one of the 108 holy temples associated with Vaishnavism in India.
2. The Temple has been in the news since 2011 after the discovery of treasure worth over Rs. 1 lakh crore in its underground vaults.

• Verdict  -

1. The SC reversed the 2011 Kerala HC decision, which had ruled the erstwhile royals could not claim to be in control of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple after the amendment (in 1971) of definition of ‘Ruler’ (which abolished the privy purses) in Article 366 (22) of the Constitution of India and directed the state to setup a trust to manage the assets of the temple. 
2. Article 366 (22) reads, “Ruler” means the Prince, Chief or other person who, at any time before the commencement of the Twenty Sixth (Constitutional) Amendment Act, 1971, was recognised as the Ruler of an Indian State or was recognised as the successor of such Ruler but the SC rejected this and said that, as per customary law, the members of the royal family have the shebait rights (right to manage the financial affairs of the deity) even after the death of the last ruler.
3. The directed setting up of an administrative committee with the Thiruvananthapuram District Judge as its chairperson, for its transparent administration in the future.
4. The other members of the Committee would be a nominee of the trustee (royal family), the chief thanthri of the temple, a nominee of the State and a member nominated by the Union Ministry of Culture.
5. The SC also ordered a second committee to be constituted to advise the administrative committee on policy matters to be chaired by a retired HC judge nominated by the Chief Justice of the Kerala HC.
6. The primary duties of the two committees would be to preserve the treasures and properties.

• Background -

1. As per the Instrument of Accession the administration of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple was vested in trust in the Ruler of Travancore, since 1949. In 1971, privy purses were abolished. In 1991, when the last ruler of Travancore, C. T. B. Varma, passed away, his brother U. T. M. Varma took over the temple management. This created a furore that he had no legal right to claim the control or management of the temple but the royal family continued to manage the affairs of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple till the Kerala HC in 2011 ruled that the family cannot continue to exert its shebait rights.

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

2.1 Retail inflation rises to 6.09% in June

• Key point - 

1. As per the government data, Retail inflation increased to 6.09% in June, mainly on account of higher prices of food items.

• Data analysis -

1. Food inflation in June increased to 7.87%, according to Consumer Price Index (CPI) data.
2. The data collected, however, did not meet the adequacy criteria for generating robust estimates of CPIs at the state-level. 
3. The retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index was 3.18 per cent in June 2019.
4. According to the data, the annual inflation in cereals and related products was 6.49 per cent, and 16.22 per cent in 'meat and fish' segment. For 'pulses and products', it was 16.68 per cent, while that of spices stood at 11.74 per cent.
5. The inflation in vegetables basket was 1.86 per cent, while it was in negative zone for fruits. In the 'fuel and light' segment, it was 2.69 per cent.
6. The inflation was ruling at 6.2 per cent in rural India and 5.91 per cent in urban areas.

2.2 Other important happenings

1. UNICEF, FICCI join hands for action plan to support vulnerable populations to save from Covid-19.
2. BSE signs MoU with IIT Alumni Council to encourage listing culture for startups.
3. Tata group Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran and Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet win USIBC (US-India Business Council) Global Leadership Award.
4. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers to attract 18% GST, not exempted: Authority for Advance Ruling (AAR).

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

3.1 Farmers from Golaghat district in Assam have cultivated new flood resistant paddy varieties to shift from the traditional ones.

•  Key point -  

1. Rice - It is a kharif crop which requires temperature above 25°C with high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm. About one-fourth of the total cropped area in India is under rice cultivation. India contributes 21.6% of rice production in the world and ranks second after China.
2. Leading Producer States - West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab.
3. Farmers in flood-prone areas of Assam have been harvesting the water-resistant Swarna Sub1, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Manila-based International Rice Research Institute, since 2009.
4. But the switchover from traditional varieties of paddy has been slow.
5. The flood-resistant varieties including Ranjit Sub-1 were reintroduced in 2018.
6. Today the varieties called Ranjit Sub1, Swarna Sub1 and Bahadur Sub1 have been used by about 60% farmers of the West Brahmaputra area.
7. The new rice varieties can resist submergence for up to two weeks, and significantly do not get damaged by the heavy flood. Enriched with the ‘submergence’ gene, the varieties can yield up to five tonnes per hectare on an average.
8. Some 1,500 farmers cultivate on about 950 hectares in crop-yielding areas which have been impacted by the regular flood. Therefore, rice varieties can reduce flood-caused crop loss substantially.
9. These varieties can get regenerated again in case damaged by the flood, hence ensure maximum productivity.

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

4.1 Iran drops India from Chabahar rail project, cites funding delay

•  Key point -  

1. Four years after India and Iran signed an agreement to construct a rail line from Chabahar port to Zahedan, along the border with Afghanistan, the Iranian government has decided to proceed with the construction on its own, citing delays from the Indian side in funding and starting the project.
2. The development comes as China finalises a massive 25-year, $400 billion strategic partnership deal with Iran, which could cloud India’s plans.

• Highlights -

1. While Tehran has attributed the decision to delays from the Indian side, it seems to have been influenced by Beijing’s plan to have a massive strategic-cum-investment partnership with Iran.
2. The entire project would now be completed by March 2022, using $400 million from the Iranian National Development Fund.
3. The MoU between Ircon and Iranian rail authorities pertained to constructing the 628-km Chabahar-Zahedan rail line along the Iran-Afghanistan border; it was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s May 2016 visit to the Western Asian country.
4. The rail facility was part of a transit-transportation corridor, envisaged under a trilateral agreement among India, Iran and Afghanistan.
5. The deal with Iran was then cited by New Delhi as a strategic victory for India over China, which has been keen to have a major stake in Iranian infrastructure sector, to further its economic and strategic interests.
6. Therefore, the Iranian move to proceed with the rail project sans Indian assistance has given further ammunition to the Opposition, which has been vocal about Modi’s alleged diplomatic failures. 

4.2 Other important happenings

 

• In Singapore, Ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) of PM Lee Hsien Loong returns to power in general elections.
• Vikram Doraiswami is new High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh; Rudrendra Tandon is new Ambassador to Afghanistan. 
• Pakistan to resume Afghanistan's exports through the Wagah border with India from July 15 .
• Andrzej Duda re-elected as Poland’s President.

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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 Not Available Today

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 NITI Aayog presents India’s 2nd Voluntary National Review at UN’s High-Level Political Forum

• Key point - 

1. NITI Aayog presented India's second Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, 2020.

• Highlights -

1. The HLPF is the foremost international platform for follow-up and review of progress on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2. The India VNR 2020 report titled 'Decade of Action: Taking SDGs from Global to Local' was released by NITI Aayog officials. 
3. At the HLPF this year, which is being hosted virtually in the aftermath of the COVID-19, 47 Member States are set to present their VNRs between July 10-16, 2020.
4. Under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN, the HLPF meets in July for eight days every year.
5. The VNRs presented by the Member States at the HLPF are a critical component of the review of the progress and implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
6. NITI Aayog prepared and presented India's first VNR in 2017.
7. India presented its VNR along with other second time presenters like Bangladesh, Georgia, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, and Uganda.
8. India's VNR this year has undertaken a paradigm shift in terms of embodying a "whole-of-society" approach in letter and spirit.
9. NITI Aayog engaged with sub-national and local governments, civil society organizations, local communities, people in vulnerable situations and the private sector.
10. In line with the theme of Taking SDGs from Global to Local, the goal-wise account of progress on the SDGs has been appended with examples of a range of diverse good practices and success stories of interventions from the States, especially Aspirational Districts.

• The India VNR 2020 report –

1. It was also unveiled during the event. The report is a comprehensive account of the adoption and implementation of the 2030 Agenda in India.
2. Apart from presenting a review of progress on the 17 SDGs, the report discusses at length the policy and enabling environment, India's approach to localising SDGs and strengthening means of implementation.

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

8.1 Not Available Today

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

9.1 IIT Kanpur develops UV sanitizing device ‘SHUDDH’ to make your room COVID free

•  Key point -

1. Due to Covid Pandemic, People are nowadays afraid of touching anything around. So as to put an end to this problem Imagineering Laboratory department of IIT Kanpur has developed an Ultraviolet (UV) sanitizing product named SHUDH.

• Highlights - 

1. Smartphone operated Handy Ultraviolet Disinfection Helper that is SHUDH has six UV lights of 15 Watts each that can be individually monitored from a distance.
2. Initial testing has proved that the device at its full operation can disinfect a 10x10 squared feet room in about 15 minutes. 
3. It can also be used to prevent infection in hospitals, hotel, malls, offices and schools.
4. It has been prepared jointly by J. Ramkumar, Amandeep Singh and Shivam Sachan.

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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 -

• The All India Radio (AIR) broadcasted its first-ever ‘News Magazine’ programme in Sanskrit called Sanskrit Saptahiki in July 2020.
• According to the Authority for Advance Rulings (Karnataka bench) the GST rate applicable on roti (chapati) is 5%.
• Nepal has claimed the regions of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh that are part of Uttarakhand.
• Gujarat has launched the third edition of its ‘Sujalam Sufalam Jal Sanchay Abhiyan’ recently.
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) in March 2020 announced that the holding of Tokyo Olympics in July-August 2021.

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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