Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-08-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-08-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 – At 52k, India sees max single-day recoveries, overall rate now 67% – Even as Covid-19 cases continue to increase, India recorded 51,706 recoveries, the highest in a day so far. With this the overall recovery rate has improved to 67.2%. The total active cases in the country is now nearing 6 lakh, which is less than a third of the total Covid burden in the country. In the last 24 hours, 52,509 fresh cases were reported. While number of deaths are also increasing with 857 more deaths reported on Tuesday (August 4) taking the total to 39,795, the fatality rate – which is deaths over total number of infections - has dropped to 2.1% because of increasing share of recoveries even as new cases too are rising rapidly.
2. Polity & Governance – Tyagi gets extension as Sebi chief till Feb 2022 – The government has extended the tenure of Ajay Tyagi as Sebi chairman by 18 months till February 2022. The extension comes at a time when the economy and the markets are passing through a tough phase, mainly induced by the coronavirus pandemic. This is the second extension for the Sebi chief. Earlier this year, Tyagi was given a six-month extension. Tyagi, a 1984-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, took over as chief of the markets regulator on March 1, 2017, succeeding U K Sinha. He was then appointed for three years. After taking over as Sebi chairman, one of the first things that Tyagi had embarked upon was to turn retail investors towards investments over “speculation”. Deepening the bond market is another focus area.
3. Economy – Services sector activity contracts for 5th mth in row – Activity in the country’s crucial services sector contracted for the fifth consecutive month in July as the impact of the pandemic-induced lockdown continued to weigh on the segment as new business dropped. The IHS Markit India Services Business Activity Index registered a reading of 34.2 in July, marginally up from 33.7 in June, signalling further rapid reduction in services sector output. Moreover, the latest reading was among the lowest recorded in nearly 15 years of data collection, surpassed only by the unprecedented falls in the previous three months. The 50-point mark separates expansion from contraction. Looking ahead, the 12-month outlook for output was negative for a third successive month, with fears of a substantial economic downturn common among survey respondents.
4. COVID-19 – Covid is claiming 1 life every 15 secs; global toll tops 7L – The global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 7,00,000 on Wednesday (August 5), with the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico leading the rise in fatalities. Nearly 5,900 people are dying every 24 hours from Covid-19 on average, according to Reuters calculations based on data from the past two weeks. That equates to 247 people per hour, or one person every 15 seconds. President Donald Trump said the coronavirus outbreak is as under control as it can get in the US, where more than 1,55,000 people have died amid a patchy response to the public health crisis that has failed to stem a rise in cases.
5. Polity & Governance – Sri Lanka sees 71% polling – Polling for Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election concluded on Wednesday (August 5) with a voter turnout of 71%. The results will be released on Thursday. Following health guidelines stipulated by the Election Commission, masked voters queued up in polling stations that were equipped with hand washing facilities. They maintained physical distancing with fellow voters, as they elected representatives to the new Parliament, in which the ruling Rajapaksa administration is seeking a two-thirds majority. The race includes two past Presidents — Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is PM in the current caretaker government, and Maithripala Sirisena — former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his United National Party’s former deputy leader Sajith Premadasa, who now leads a breakaway alliance.
6. Economy – DGFT in ‘overhaul’ mode to address trade issues – The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is undergoing a revamp to address issues related to trade barriers as well as help build capacities to accelerate exports. The body is working in consultation with the industry to augment domestic manufacturing and boost exports in several electronics and hardware items, especially those in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector. The development comes after the government earlier this year had to block exports of crucial devices like ventilators when it was found that there was not enough domestic capacity for these products to allow the industry to meet foreign commitments. The DGFT recently lifted the ban on exports after sufficient capacity had been created and seeing as the case fatality rate in the country was low, which meant less people needed to be on ventilators.
7. Economy – Trains set to run at 160kmph from Delhi to Mum, Kol by 2022 – The railway ministry has instructed its zones to complete the upgradation work of tracks and other associated facilities by March 2022, to enable passenger trains to run at 160 kmph on Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah routes. Most sections of these railway corridors are likely to get barbed fencing which is required for allowing trains to run at that high speed. The respective divisional railway managers have been asked to avail longer blocks on tracks considering that currently very few passenger trains are being operated. They have been asked to start the work from next month. Currently, the Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah corridors have potential speed of 130 kmph.
8. Economy – Telangana offers tax cuts to companies hiring locals – The Telangana government has announced a slew of incentives to industries that recruit locals in skilled and semi-skilled jobs. The government has also decided to offer incentives to IT firms if they set up units in areas other than the western corridor of Hyderabad. A decision has also been taken by the government to promote electric vehicles to reduce air pollution, especially in Greater Hyderabad. Power tariff has been slashed considerably. Category I industries will be charged Re 0.50 per unit to Re 0.75 per unit for power consumption, while tariff will be Re 1per unit for category II industries.
9. Religion – At bhoomi pujan, PM likens mandir campaign to freedom movement – PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday (August 5) dedicated the Ram Mandir to the struggle and sacrifice of hundreds of kar sevaks, drawing a parallel between the campaign for construction of the temple in Ayodhya and the struggle for India’s independence. Speaking after performing ‘bhoomi pujan’ at the Ram Janmabhoomi site, he said the occasion marked the end of a centuries-long wait for a Ram Mandir and saluted those whose struggle and resolve “laid the foundation stone” for the temple.
10. Crime – Centre issues notification for CBI probe into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death – The Department of Personnel and Training issued a notification paving way for CBI probe in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The development came hours after the Centre, told the Supreme Court that it had accepted Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s request for a CBI probe. Earlier in the day, the SC sought a status report from Maharashtra Police on the investigation into Rajput’s death. The SC bench also asked Maharashtra, Bihar and Rajput’s father to file their replies on actor Rhea Chakraborty’s petition seeking transfer of case from Patna to Mumbai.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	IBPS	PO/ MT-X	1167	Any Degree	AUG-26-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ibps-po/58720/#PO-MT-X
2	-----	CDS Exam (II) 2020	344	Degree	AUG-25-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/upsc-cds-ii/19857/#CDS-II-2020
3	WII	Intern	9	PG	AUG 24--2020	https://wii.gov.in/images//images/documents/recruitments/wii_c2c__Internship__aug_2020.pdf
4	RIMS, Imphal	Biomedical Engineer, Echo Technician, Asst Technician	7	Matric, Diploma, B.Sc, Degree	AUG-10-2020	Matriculation, 10+2, Diploma, B.Sc, Degree
5	IIT, Mandi	Project Associate, Project Engineer, Senior Project Engineer	5	B.Tech, M.Tech, MCA, M.Sc	AUG 31,2020	https://www.iitmandi.ac.in/administration/advrt/JD_Advertisement%20-%20FZ%20-%20PA_PE_SPE.pdf
6	SPA, Vijayawada	GIS Expert, Research Associate, Research Asst	6	M.Plan, B.Plan	AUG-14-2020	https://www.spav.ac.in/2020/pdf/recadvert.pdf
7	ITI Limited	Executive Director, Manager & Other	24	BE/ B.Tech, MBBS	AUG-26-2020	https://www.itiltd.in/Careers/Recruitment%20of%20Middle-Senior%20Level%20Management%20Officers-04-08-2020.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 Indian Express reporter Dipankar Ghose and People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI) won 2020 Prem Bhatia award for outstanding journalism.

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

2.1 Nokia to set up lab at IISc to study 5G’s ‘socially relevant’ uses

• Key point –   

1. Finnish telecom gear maker Nokia on Tuesday announced a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru to establish a network robotics laboratory for research on socially relevant use cases based on 5G and emerging technologies.
2. The collaboration aims to help IISc in capacity building and human resources development in cutting-edge technology of robotics, 5G and autonomous systems.

• Detailed news –

1. The Nokia Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Networked Robotics will promote interdisciplinary research involving robotics, advanced communication technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to develop use cases across areas like emergency management, agriculture and industrial automation.
2. The centre will promote engagement and cooperation between academia, start-ups and industry ecosystem partners in research and development of use cases.
3. The centre supports and aligns with the government's initiatives of Start-up India.
4. Some of the use cases which the collaboration will explore include using drones for remote management of agricultural orchards to promote water conservation and avoid human contact with pesticide.
5. The researchers will also explore other use cases such as drones using a 5G-enabled wide-area network to gather situational information, helping first responders to save lives by quickly accessing the affected areas during disaster relief and drones for applications such as anticipating crop fires.

2.1 Other major happenings

1.  Sashidhar Jagdishan to succeed Aditya Puri as HDFC Bank CEO.
2. Govt. extends ban on international scheduled flights till August 31. Flights under bilateral agreements will continue to operate.
3. Govt allows export of indigenously made ventilators in view of low rate of fatality (2.15%) among Covid-19 patients.
4. Listed entities get three years to meet criteria of minimum 25% public shareholding.
5. Khadi Agarbatti AatmaNirbhar Mission program of KVIC approved to make India self-reliant in Agarbatti production.
6. Women entrepreneurs awarded by Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment (WEE) cohort initiative of IIT Delhi.
7. Ajay Tyagi gets 18 months’ extension, to be SEBI Chairman till Feb 2022.
8. Minimum Rs 500 cr net worth must for licence to sell petrol, diesel to retail, bulk users.
9. India contributes $15.46 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund

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

3.1 Not Available Today

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

4.1 Trump signs new order on H-1B Visa hiring, blow to Indian professionals 

• Key points -  

1. In a huge blow to Indian IT professionals eyeing the US job market, President Trump has signed an executive order preventing federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers -- mainly those on H-1B visa -- from hiring.
2. The move came over a month after the Trump administration in 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.
3. According to the White House, Trump's actions will help combat employers' misuse of H-1B visas, which were never intended to replace qualified American workers with low-cost foreign labour.
4. One of the participants present during the signing of the order told the president that as many as 70 per cent of the H-1B visa goes to people from India. 

• Highlights – 

1. The H1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
2. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
3. Trump said that his administration will not tolerate firing of hardworking Americans in the pursuit of cheap foreign labour.
4. The executive order requires all federal agencies to complete an internal audit and assess whether they are in compliance with the requirement that only US citizens and nationals are appointed to the competitive service.
5. As a result, the Department of Labour will also finalise guidlines to prevent H-1B employers from moving H-1B workers to other employers' job sites to displace Americans workers.
6. Trump's order follows the federally-owned Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) announcement that it will outsource 20 per cent of its technology jobs to companies based in foreign countries. 

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

5.1 ‘Gramodyog Vikas Yojana’: Government launches programme for artisans involved in manufacturing of agarbatti

• Key point –

1. The government has approved a programme for the benefit of artisans involved in manufacturing of agarbatti and to develop village industry under the ‘Gramodyog Vikas Yojana’.
2. Initially four pilot projects will be started as part of the programme, including one in the North East.
3. Officials said that this decision will help to boost the indigenous production of agarbatti and will pave way to generate rural employment.
4. This will also start the process of mitigating the gap between the indigenous production and demand and will reduce import of agarbatti in the country.

• Highlights –

1. Each targeted cluster of artisans will be supported with about 50 automatic agarbatti making machines and 10 mixing machines.
2. Accordingly, a total of 200 automatic agarbatti making machines and 40 mixing machines will be provided to the artisans.
3. The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) will provide training, and assist artisans working in this area, with Agarbatti manufacturing machines.
4. The Centre earlier took two major decisions by placing the agarbatti item from “free” trade to ‘restricted’ trade in the import policy and enhancing the import duty from 10 per cent to 25 per cent on ’round bamboo sticks’ used for manufacturing of agarbatti for the benefit of the domestic industry.

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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 Weekly Round – Polity and Governance

• P. Praveen Siddharth appointed Private Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind.
• PM Modi’s followers on Twitter rise to six crore; Donald Trump ahead at 8.3 crore followers.
• Mauritius: New Supreme Court Building built with Indian aid inaugurated in Port Louis by PMs Modi and Pravind Jugnauth.
• West Bengal: Former Lok Sabha MP Somendranath Mitra dies in Kolkata at 78.
• Bureaucrat Hardik Shah appointed PM’s new Private Secretary.
• Book ‘Swachh Bharat Kranti’ (The Swachh Bharat Revolution) featuring the journey of Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) through 35 essays launched; edited by Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer.
• Maharashtra: Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP decides to scrap pension for those who were imprisoned during emergency (1975-77).
• Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh passes away at 64 in Singapore.

1. Citizenship Amendment Act: Home Ministry seeks three more months to frame rules
2. Centre asks States and UTs to allow hospitalised COVID patients to use smartphones and tablet devices
3. UP: Cabinet minister Kamal Rani Varun dies at 62 from COVID-19
4. Rajasthan: State govt. to start Indira Rasoi Yojana in urban areas from August 20; food for poor at Rs. 8
5. Quarantine rules for international travellers eased; quarantine period halved, claims for exemptions allowed
6. Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issues guidelines for drone operating systems
7. Union Home Minister Amit Shah tests positive for coronavirus
8. Atal Innovation Mission declares results of ATL Tinkering Marathon 2019
9. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar (1985-86) passes away at 88.
10. Karnataka: Janata Dal (Secular) MLA B. Satyanarayana dies at 69.

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

8.1 Weekly Roundup - Social

1. Mahindra Group launches Mahindra University at its 130-acre, multi-disciplinary campus in Hyderabad
2. Health Minister releases book on Standard Treatment Guidelines for SUD (Substance Use Disorders), Behavioural Addictions
3. COVID-19: ADB to provide USD 3 million grant to India from its Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund
4. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, CM Jai Ram Thakur lay foundation stone of IIM- Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh
5. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launches Sahakar Cooptube NCDC (National Cooperative Development Corporation) Channel
6. Doordarshan Assam, a 24-hour dedicated channel for the State, inaugurated by Union I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar.
7. Pradeep Singh tops civil services examination 2019; Jatin Kishore 2nd, Pratibha Verma 3rd.

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

9.1 Pan India 1000 Genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 completes successfully

• Key points –

1. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has announced the successful completion of pan-India 1,000 genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2.

• Important details –

1. The Department of Biotechnology had launched a Pan-India 1000 SARS--CoV-2 RNA Genome Sequencing programme in May this year to be done by Autonomous Institutes of DBT, collaborating with national laboratories and clinical organisations.
2. Dr Harsh Vardhan has also launched the largest network of five dedicated COVID-19 Biorepositories established by Department of Biotechnology.

• The Minister’s views –. 

1. Given the importance of this information for public health response initiatives requiring investigation into the transmission of COVID-19, the sequence data will soon be released in Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) for use by researchers across the globe.
2. The information in the database will improve our understanding on how the virus is spreading, ultimately helping to interrupt the transmission chains, prevent new cases of infection, and provide impetus to research on intervention measures.
3. The data analysis, which is ongoing, may bring out some interesting conclusions to help in our fight against COVID-19.
4. He also highlighted that 16 vaccine candidates are in different stages of development.
5. Five good clinical laboratory practice (GCLP) clinical trial sites have been developed and six animal models for vaccine development studies are also ready. 

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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 -

• Civil Aviation ministry has set up an Investment Clearance Cell (ICC) headed by bureaucrat Amber Dubey.
• The Human Resource and Development Ministry released Pragyata guidelines for online classes operationalised by schools amid the COVID pandemic.
• At least 162 people were killed in a landslide at a jade mine at Hpakant in Myanmar recently.
• Annular solar eclipse occurred on June 21, 2020.
• Kushal Pal Singh retired from the chairmanship DLF at the age of 90 recently.

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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