Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 05-08-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 05-08-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Economy – Trump bars H-1B visa holders from federal jobs – President Donald Trump has signed an executive order preventing federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers — mainly those on H-1B visas. The move comes over a month after the Trump administration on June 23 suspended the H-1B visas, along with other types of foreign work visas, until the end of 2020 to protect American workers in a crucial election year. The new restrictions took effect from June 24. Mr. Trump’s order follows an announcement by the federally-owned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) that it would outsource 20% of its technology jobs to companies based in foreign countries.
   
2. COVID-19 – India’s new Covid cases & deaths were world’s highest on Monday – India recorded the highest count of fresh Covid-19 cases in the world for the second day running while also reporting the most daily deaths from the virus on Monday (August 3). India’s death toll, at 814, was way higher than the fatalities reported on the day in Brazil (572) and the US (568), the two countries worst hit by the pandemic, as per data from worldometers.info. India had reported 49,134 fresh coronavirus cases on Monday, which remained higher than the count in the US (48,622) and Brazil (17,988). However, there was a silver lining in India’s rising Covid-19 graph on Tuesday — for the first time in weeks, active cases in the country decreased by 874.
3. Internal Security – In a first, women on combat duty near LoC – The Army has for the first time deployed women soldiers for internal security and combat duties near the Line of Control with Pakistan. On deputation from paramilitary force Assam Rifles, the women’s platoon has been stationed in Tangdhar sector of Kashmir. The 13-lakh-strong Army has been inducting women in small numbers since the mid-1990s but only as officers. Women are also not allowed to join the “fighting arms” of infantry, armoured corps, mechanised infantry, and artillery. It was only last year that the Army began the recruitment of the first lot of around 50 women as jawans or soldiers in the Corps of Military Police (CMP), who are undergoing training at present. The Army also plans to induct around 800 women in the military police, with a yearly intake of over 50 personnel, to assist in investigating criminal cases such as rapes and molestations as well as ensuring “good order and discipline” in the military formations.
   
4. Polity & Governance – Ayodhya awaits Modi’s launch of Ram temple construction – Twenty-eight years after Babri Masjid was demolished by kar sevaks, PM Modi will on Wednesday (August 5) formally launch the construction of a temple at the spot, where Hindus believe Lord Ram was born. The Supreme Court in last November permitted the construction of a Ram temple at the site where the Babri Masjid stood till December 6, 1992. Mr. Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat will be among the five persons on stage at the bhoomi pujan ceremony for which 175 guests, including 135 seers, were invited by the Trust entrusted with the construction of the temple.
5. World – China accuses U.S. of ‘bullying’ over TikTok – China has accused the U.S. of “bullying” over popular video app TikTok, after President Donald Trump ramped up pressure for its U.S. operations to be sold to an American company. In the latest diplomatic spat between the world’s two biggest economies, Beijing hit back after Mr. Trump gave TikTok six weeks to arrange a sale of its U.S. operations — and said that his government wanted a financial benefit from the deal. The app has been under formal investigation on U.S. national security grounds, and Mr. Trump said that Microsoft was in talks to buy TikTok. He has given ByteDance until mid-September to strike a deal, a tactic that is almost unheard of.
   
6. World – Explosions Rock Beirut – A pair of explosions shook the centre of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday (August 4), damaging buildings in several neighbourhoods, causing widespread injuries and sending a giant pink cloud rising from near the city’s port. The state-run National News Agency reported that a fire had broken out in a fireworks storehouse at the port before the explosion. But it was not immediately clear what had caused such a large blast. Lebanon’s health minister Hamad Hassan said more than 50 people had died and over 2,700 suffered injuries. With the wounded still streaming into hospitals and the search for missing people underway, the figures were likely to go higher. Lebanese PM Hassan Diab’s wife and daughter were also “slightly” injured. The explosion was reminiscent of massive blasts during Lebanon’s civil war and took place only three days before a UN-backed tribunal was set to give its verdict in the killing of former PM Rafik Hariri in a truck bombing over 15 years ago.
   
7. Polity & Governance – Rajapaksas aim for victory as Sri Lanka goes to polls today – Over 16 million voters in Sri Lanka will on Wednesday (August 5) have a chance to elect their representatives to Parliament in the all-island polls that the ruling Rajapaksa administration is aiming to sweep with a two-thirds majority. Following President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s rise to power last year on a huge mandate, his Sri Lanka Podujana Party (SLPP, or People’s Party) is seeking a decisive parliamentary majority to amend the Constitution, especially the 19th Amendment passed during the former government’s term that clips the President’s executive powers.
8. People & Personalities – HDFC Bank names Jagdishan successor to Puri as MD & CEO – HDFC Bank has named veteran Sashidhar Jagdishan as the new MD and CEO to succeed Aditya Puri. Mr. Jagdishan, whose appointment was approved by the RBI, would take charge on October 27 and hold office for a period of three years, India’s largest private sector bank said in a filing. Having joined as a manager in the finance function in 1996, Mr. Jagdishan rose to become the bank’s chief financial officer in 2008.
   
9. World – N Korea has 'probably' developed nuclear devices to fit ballistic missiles: UN report – North Korea is pressing on with its nuclear weapons program and several countries believe it has "probably developed miniaturized nuclear devices to fit into the warheads of its ballistic missiles. The report by an independent panel of experts monitoring UN sanctions said the countries, which it did not identify, believed North Korea's past six nuclear tests had likely helped it develop miniaturized nuclear devices. Pyongyang has not conducted a nuclear test since September 2017.
   
10. COVID-19 – 24 million may drop out of school due to pandemic: UN – Almost 24 million children are at risk of not returning to school next year due to the economic fallout of COVID-19. The educational financing gap is also likely to increase by one third. More than 1.6 billion learners across the world have been affected by the disruption of the education system, but the pandemic has also served to exacerbate existing disparities, with vulnerable populations in low-income countries taking a harder and longer hit. For example, during the second quarter of 2020, 86% of children at the primary level have been effectively out of school in poor countries, compared to just 20% in highly developed countries. Even for those who do not drop out of school, learning losses could be severe, especially in the foundational years.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	MSME Tech. Centre, Bhopal	Manager, Sr Engineer and Other	9	Diploma (Engg), Degree	30 Days	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/08/Notification-MSME-Technology-centre-Bhopal-Manager-Sr-Engineer-Other.pdf
2	Eng. Projects (India) Ltd	Graduate Apprentice	5	B.E/ B.Tech	AUG-20-2020	https://epi.gov.in/upload/5f250e51a19ebadvt_website_Graduate_Apprentice_CivlElecMechandInstru.pdf
3	GBPIHED	System Manager, JRF, SRF, Sr, Jr Project Fellow, Project Asso.	28	M.Tech/ MCA/ M.Sc./ M.A and Ph.D.	AUG 8--2020	http://gbpihed.gov.in/PDF/Recruitment/Rec_Doc1595996868Advt_28_Post_HQ_July_2020.pdf
4	GBPIHED	Senior Consultant, Consultant-A/ Associate, Associate	5	Degree (Engg/ Tech)/ Master’s	AUG-14-2020	http://gbpihed.gov.in/PDF/Recruitment/Rec_Doc1596174291Advt_HQ_Consultant_july_2020.pdf
5	IDTR	Graduate & Technician Apprentice	28	Diploma/ B.E/ B.Tech (Engg.)	AUG 24,2020	http://portal.mhrdnats.gov.in/sites/default/files/file_upload/Apprentices-NATS_IDTR-Jamshedpur.pdf
6	GBPIHED	Junior Project Fellow and Field Assistant	5	Intermediate/ Any Degree, M.Sc.	12-08-2020	http://gbpihed.gov.in/PDF/Recruitment/Rec_Doc1595918716Advt_GRC_july_2020.pdf
7	GBPIHED	JPF, Field Asst, Jr Researcher/ Project Fellow & RA	8	12th Class/ Any Degree, PG, Ph. D	AUG-10-2020	http://gbpihed.gov.in/PDF/Recruitment/Rec_Doc1595920832Advt_SRC_July_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 Not Available Today

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

2.1 Not Available Today

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

3.1 COVID-19: COVISHIELD phase 2,3 trials get DCGI nod 

• Highlights –

1. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has given approval to Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune, to conduct Phase II+III clinical trials of Oxford University-Astra Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine (COVISHIELD).
2. India currently has a CFR of 2.11%, which is amongst the lowest in the world.
3. As per figures released by the Ministry on Monday (August 3), the country has seen more than 40,574 patients recovered in the last 24 hours, which takes the total recoveries to 11,86,203 and the recovery rate to 65.77%.
4. With improving daily recovery numbers, the gap between the recovered cases and the active cases has increased to more than 6 lakh.
5. The Health Ministry also announced the use of Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN), an innovative technological solution aimed at strengthening immunisation supply chain systems across the country.
6. eVIN has reached 32 States and Union Territories (UTs) and will soon be rolled out in the remaining States and UTs of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Ladakh and Sikkim.
7. At present, 23,507 cold chain points across 585 districts of 22 States and 2 UTs routinely use the eVIN technology.
8. Over 41,420 vaccine cold chain handlers have been introduced to digital record-keeping by training them on eVIN.
9. Nearly 23,900 electronic temperature loggers have been installed on vaccine cold chain equipment for accurate temperature review of vaccines in storage.

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

4.1 Not Available Today

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

5.1 HM Amit Shah inaugurates webinar on ‘Lokmanya Tilak – Swaraj to Self-Reliant India’

• Key point –

1. Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated a two-day international webinar on the theme of 'Lokmanya Tilak - Swaraj to Self-reliant India' organized by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations on the 100th death anniversary of the great freedom fighter Lokmanya  Bal Gangadhar Tilak in New Delhi.

• Bal Gangadhar Tilak –

1. Bal Gangadhar Tilak  (23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), born as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak, was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence activist. He was one third of the Lal Bal Pal triumvirate.
2. Tilak was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement.
3. The British colonial authorities called him "The father of the Indian unrest.
4. He was also conferred with the title of "Lokmanya", which means "accepted by the people (as their leader).
5. Mahatma Gandhi called him "The Maker of Modern India".
6. Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of Swaraj ("self-rule") and a strong radical in Indian consciousness.
7. He is known for his quote in Marathi: "Swarajya is my birthright and I shall have it!"
8. He formed a close alliance with many Indian National Congress leaders including Bipin Chandra Pal, Lala Lajpat Rai, Aurobindo Ghose, V. O. Chidambaram Pillai and Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

• HM’s Speech –

1. Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak played a key role in the making of the Indian Independence movement complete in letter and spirit.
2. Tilak made an unparalleled contribution to the freedom movement, he dedicated every moment of his life to the nation and created an ideological generation of revolutionaries.
3. The slogan of 'Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it' given by Lokmanya Tilak, will always be written in golden letters in the history of the Indian Independence Movement.
4. This slogan may seem natural to utter in our times, but in the 19th century very few people could have dared of uttering it and sacrificing their life and working for it to make it turn into reality.
5. The Union Home Minister also mentioned that, despite being an eloquent orator, thinker, philosopher, established writer and social reformer, Tilak was rooted to the ground.
6. Amit Shah further added that Tilak’s idea of India as a nation, Indian culture and Indian customs are equally relevant today.
7. Appealing to the youth, the Union Home Minister said that if one wants to know the glorious history of India and Indian culture, then Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s writings will have to be understood.
8. He also advised the youth that reading his literary works will give them new knowledge about the great personality of Tilak and by taking inspiration from him, the youth will be able to attain new heights in their lives.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Roundup: Banking and Finance

• Banks’ gross NPAs may climb to as much as 14.7% by March: RBI – 

1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on July 24, 2020 said stress tests indicated that gross non-performing assets (GNPA) ratio of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) could worsen to as high as 14.7% by the end of the current financial year, from 8.5% in March 2020, if the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was ‘very severe’.
2. Bank credit which had considerably weakened during the first half of 2019-20, slid down further to 5.9% by March 2020 and remained muted up to early June 2020. This moderation was broad-based across all bank groups, the central bank said in its Financial Stability Report, July 2020.
3. In terms of inter-sectoral exposures, asset management companies/mutual funds, followed by insurance companies, were the biggest fund providers in the system, while non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) were the biggest receivers, followed by housing finance companies (HFCs).
4. On the assessment of systemic risk, the RBI said in its report that the Indian financial system remained stable, notwithstanding the significant downside risks to economic prospects.
5. The central bank said the near-term economic prospects appear severely impacted by lockdown induced disruptions to both supply and demand side factors, diminished consumer confidence and risk aversion.

• NPCI launches UPI AutoPay feature for recurring payments - National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI), on July 22, 2020, launched its one-stop fintech payment solution- UPI AutoPay (Unified Payments Interface AutoPay) that is meant to facilitate recurring payments and can be used for multiple financial purposes such as utility payments, booking bus pass, train tickets, paying DTH subscriptions among others.
• IRDAI allows Corona Kavach policy to be sold as group health insurance - The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has now allowed general and standalone health insurers to offer Corona Kavach Policy as a group insurance product. Once the insurers launch this group cover, companies and other organisations may soon be able to buy this cover for their employees.
• Partha Pratim Sengupta appointed new MD, CEO of Indian Overseas Bank - Partha Pratim Sengupta, Deputy Managing Director and Chief Credit Officer at State Bank of India, has been appointed as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Indian Overseas Bank. His appointment will be up to date of attaining the age of superannuation which is December 31, 2022, or until further orders whichever is earlier.
• Karur Vysya Bank Ltd. appoints Ramesh Babu Boddu as new MD & CEO - Private sector lender Karur Vysya Bank Ltd. (KVB) on July 21, 2020 appointed Ramesh Babu Boddu as the managing director and chief executive officer. He succeeds P.R. Seshadri who resigned in January 2020 on personal grounds.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 The Ministry of Defence has formulated a draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 (DPEPP 2020)

• Goals and Objectives –   

1. To achieve a turnover of Rs. 1,75,000 crore including export of Rs. 35,000 crore in Aerospace and Defence goods and services by 2025.
2. To reduce dependence on imports and take forward "Make in India" initiatives through domestic design and development.
3. To promote the export of defence products and become part of the global defence value chains.
4. To create an environment that encourages research and development (R&D), rewards innovation, create Indian Intellectual Property (IP) ownership and promotes a robust and self-reliant defence industry.

• Strategies planned –

1. Procurement Reforms - A Project Management Unit (PMU) will be set up. It aims to move away from licensed production to design, develop and produce indigenously. It also aims to own the design rights and IP of the systems projected in the Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) and a Technology Assessment Cell (TAC) would be created.
2. Indigenisation And Support to MSMEs/Startups - The indigenisation policy aims to create an industry ecosystem to indigenise the imported components (including alloys and special materials) and sub-assemblies for defence equipment and platforms manufactured in India. 5,000 such items are proposed to be indigenised by 2025. More than 50 startups are currently developing new ‘fit-for-military-use’ technologies/products.
3. Optimise Resource Allocation - The share of domestic procurement in overall Defence procurement is about 60%. To enhance procurement from domestic industry, the procurement needs to be doubled from the current Rs. 70,000 crore to Rs. 1,40,000 crore by 2025.
4. Investment Promotion and Ease of Doing Business - India is already a large aerospace market with rising passenger traffic and increasing military expenditure, as a result of which the demand for aircraft (fixed and rotary wings) is rising.
5. The opportunities in the aerospace industry have been identified in the following segments - aircraft build work, aircraft Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO), helicopters, engine manufacturing and MRO work, line replaceable units, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and upgrades and retrofits.
6. Innovation and R&D - Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) has been operationalised to provide necessary incubation and infrastructure support to the startups in the defence area. iDEX would be further scaled up to engage with 300 more startups and develop 60 new technologies/products during the next five years.

• The road ahead -

1. Self-reliance in defence manufacturing will be ensured thrugh strategic independence, cost-effective defence equipment and may lead to saving on defence import bill, which can subsequently finance the physical and social infrastructure.

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

8.1 World Breastfeeding Week 2020

• Key points –  

• World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is a global campaign to raise awareness and galvanise action on themes related to breastfeeding.
• The 2020 theme is “Support breastfeeding for a healthier planet.”

• Highlights –

• WBW is celebrated every year from 1 to 7 August in commemoration of the 1990 Innocenti Declaration.
• WBW started in 1992, with annual themes including healthcare systems, women and work, the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, community support, ecology, economy, science, education and human rights.
• Since 2016, WBW is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2018, a World Health Assembly resolution endorsed WBW as an important breastfeeding promotion strategy. 

• #WBW2020 Campaign –

1. #WBW2020 will focus on the impact of infant feeding on the environment/climate change and the imperative to protect, promote and support breastfeeding for the health of the planet and its people.
2. The theme is aligned with thematic area 3 in the WBW-SDG 2030 campaign which highlights the links between breastfeeding and the environment/climate change.
3. The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) applies the warm chain approach of working together across sectors and levels to make common cause with groups working on environmental issues.
4. Together, we need to emphasise the link between breastfeeding and the environment.

8.2 Sanskrit Diwas 2020

• Sanskrit Day 2020 –   

1. Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas is observed every year on the full moon day in month of Shravan or Sawan, the fourth month in the Hindu calendar.
2. PM Modi thanked everyone involved in promoting, teaching and using the Sanskrit language, on World Sanskrit Day.
3. On Sanskrit Diwas, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said, Sanskrit is the link that unifies India.

• Important details –

1. Sanskrit Day or Sanskrit Diwas was announced by the government of India in 1969, to revive and popularise the language.
2. A Sanskrit daily, Sudharma, which has an online version also, is published from Karnataka.
3. There are 50 letters in Sanskrit - the first 16 are vowels and next 34 are consonants.
4. Sir William Jones, an English scholar and founder of the Asiatic Society, translated Kalidasa's Abhijnana Shakuntala and Ritu Samhara into English. He also translated Jayadeva's Gita Govinda and the Manusmriti.
5. Another scholar, Sir Charles Wilkins translated the Bhagavad Gita into English.

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

9.1 Weekly Roundup – Science and Technology

• Covid-19: WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan sees no herd immunity yet - World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said that there was no evidence of “herd immunity” effect in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Herd immunity is usually achieved through vaccination and occurs when most of a population is immune to a disease, blocking its continued spread.  
• Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine safe, induces immune response: Lancet - A potential covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has produced a strong immune response in a large, early-stage human trial, according to newly released data published on July 20, 2020 in the medical journal The Lancet.
• N-95 masks with valved respirators ineffective against Covid-19: Centre - The Centre has written to all states and union territories warning against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirators by people, saying these do not prevent the virus from spreading and are “detrimental” to the measures adopted for its containment.
• UAE becomes first Arab nation to launch mission to Mars - The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab nation to launch a mission to Mars on July 20, 2020 when the Hope (Arabic: al-Amal) Probe blasted off from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center for a seven-month journey to the red planet, where it will orbit and send back data about the atmosphere.
• China launches first Mars probe ‘Tianwen 1’ - China successfully launched its first Mars probe called Tianwen 1 (Quest for Heavenly Truth 1) on July 23, 2020 when a Long March-5 rocket took off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Hainan province. The mission has three scientific objectives: orbiting the red planet for comprehensive observation, landing on Martian soil and sending a rover to roam the landing site.

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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 -

• All India Radio (AIR) got its current name in the year 1936.
• India and Maldives have signed an agreement for establishment of ‘Emergency Medical Services’ in capital Male.
• Justice S. K. Singh is the Chairperson of TDSAT.
• Nagaland state announced ban on sale of dog meat recently.
• China’s Great Wall Motor Company Ltd signed an MoU with the Maharashtra government reaffirming its commitment to invest $1 billion.

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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