Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 21-08-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 21-08-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. World – Sri Lanka to draft new Constitution – Sri Lanka will draft a new Constitution, jettisoning the 19th Amendment passed in 2015 that imposed curbs on presidential powers and strengthened Parliament. The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP, or People’s Front), along with its allies, secured an impressive two-thirds majority in the recent general election, making possible swift passage of new legislation. The statute, passed in 2015 during the former President Maithripala Sirisena-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s term, sought not only to clip the President’s executive powers, but also to strengthen independent commissions. It brought back the two-term limit on Presidency. It was hailed by many, including members of civil society, as a progressive legislation in contemporary Sri Lankan history, even as its critics found it falling short in some respects. The Rajapaksa camp viewed the 19th Amendment’s clauses as primarily intending to prevent its leaders’ return to power.
2. Polity & Governance – Kamala Harris accepts historic V-P nomination – Kamala Harris, the first black woman and person of Indian descent to be nominated on a major political party ticket in U.S. history, accepted the (uncontested) nomination as vice-presidential candidate of the Democratic Party. In her acceptance speech, Ms. Harris revisited a theme she has talked about in her book, The Truths We Hold: her mother raised her and her sister to be “proud, strong Black women” and to “know and be proud” of their Indian heritage. As a U.S. Senator, Ms. Harris had, earlier this year, introduced legislation to examine and respond to the race dimensions of the COVID-19 burden. She said in her speech that a disproportionately high number of racial minorities were being impacted by the diseases due to “structural racism”.
3. World – Hong Kong govt. slams U.S. decision to suspend treaties – On August 19, the U.S. suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, becoming the latest country to do so after Canada, Australia and Britain suspended such agreements. The U.S. also suspended an agreement with Hong Kong on reciprocal tax exemptions on income derived from the international operation of ships. The government said that bilateral agreements were not preferential treatment given to Hong Kong, but were negotiated in good faith to benefit both parties. China’s Foreign Ministry said Hong Kong will also suspend its extradition agreement with the U.S. in response. Since July 1997, Hong Kong has surrendered 69 fugitives to the U.S., with the U.S. extraditing 23 people to Hong Kong.
4. World – ‘U.S., China to soon hold call on trade’ – Beijing and Washington will soon hold a call on trade, China’s Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, after reports that planned high-level talks on the “phase one” trade agreement between the two countries were postponed. The U.S. and China signed the accord in January, bringing a partial truce in their trade war, and obliging Beijing to import an additional $200 billion in American products over two years, ranging from cars to machinery to oil to farm products.
5. Economy – ‘Slowdown to extend as virus goes rural’ – India is staring at a protracted slowdown as coronavirus cases reach its countryside, with signs of recovery in the rural economy hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi “at best a mitigating factor”. The world’s No.5 economy reports first-quarter GDP data on Aug. 31 and it is likely to have contracted 20% over April-June. It is forecast to shrink 5.1% in the year to March 2021, the weakest since 1979. Almost half of India’s 1.38 billion population rely on agriculture, with the sector accounting for 15% of economic output. Mr. Modi has been citing higher fertiliser demand and sowing of monsoon crops, both key signs of rural activity, as “green shoots”. But four government officials said the uptick may not be as large as believed given a spike in virus cases in rural areas that were initially isolated from the pandemic.
6. Internal Relations – India and China hold fresh talks – India and China on Thursday (August 20) held another round of border talks aimed at breaking the impasse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with complete disengagement still remaining a far-off prospect. Thursday’s talks marked the fourth meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) since tensions began this summer. More than 10 rounds of high-level talks have since been held, including five rounds between the Corps Commanders, in addition to the conversations between the Special Representatives and the Foreign Ministers. China has not accepted India’s demand for a return to status quo ante before early May’s tensions.
7. Religion – ‘Temple will be ready in 36-40 months’ – The Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, entrusted with the task of the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya said construction would likely be completed within 36 to 40 months hence, and that engineers from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, IIT-Madras and Larsen and Toubro (L&T) were in the process of testing the soil at the site. According to the trustees, the temple would be made in such a way that it could withstand natural calamities and would last for many years, which is why no iron was to be used.
8. Economy – Unemployment allowance eligibility criteria under ESIC relaxed, workers can claim 50% of average wage – Relaxing the eligibility criteria to avail the unemployment allowance under the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), the Centre announced that workers can directly claim 50 per cent of the average wage as against 25 per cent earlier, payable up to 90 days of joblessness, for their loss of employment between March 24 and December 31 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The benefits would be payable 30 days after unemployment as against 90 days earlier.
9. Society – Indore wins cleanest city title again – For the fourth year in a row, Indore has been ranked the cleanest city in the country. The survey of sanitation in over 4,000 cities was carried out over 28 days earlier this year. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri said Swachh Survekshan, in its fifth edition, had become the world’s largest sanitation survey, with 1.8 crore citizens giving their feedback. Among the cities with over 1 lakh population, Indore was ranked number one, followed by Surat, Navi Mumbai, Ambikapur, Mysore, Vijayawada, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Chandrapur and Khargone. Chhattisgarh was ranked the cleanest State out of those with over 100 cities, while Jharkhand was the cleanest among those with fewer than 100 urban local bodies (ULBs) or cities.
10. COVID-19 – With 68,898 Covid-19 cases, India’s tally surges past 2.9 million; recovery rate over 74% – India recorded 68,898 cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) disease and 983 deaths in a single day, taking the country’s tally past 2.9 million. This is the third day in a row that the daily Covid-19 cases in the country have been more than 64,000--it was 64,531 on Wednesday and a record 69,652 on Thursday. The number of active cases stands at 692,028 across the country and the death toll at 54,899. With 62,282 recoveries in the last 24 hours, India’s recovery rate amongst Covid-19 patients has reached 74.29%. India now has 2,158,946 coronavirus disease patients who have recovered. The gap between active and recovered has gone up further at 1,466,918. 

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	NCTE	Assistant, Stenographer, LDC & DEO	18	Typing & Shorthand Knowledge	SEPT-19-2020	https://ncte.gov.in/WebAdminFiles/RecentAnnouncement/0_20_08_2020_637335043529208683.pdf
2	RMRIMS	Staff Nurse, DEO, Pharmacist, Lab Tech.	7	12th Class, GNM/ ANM	AUG-28-2020	http://www.rmrims.org.in/PDF2020/Aug19_2020.pdf
3	ECIL	Technical Officer	350	Degree (Engg)	AUG-30-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ecil-recruitment/14107/
4	Office of Deputy Commissioner, Cachar	Orunodoi Sahayak	28	Any Degree	AUG-21-2020	https://niyukti.assam.gov.in/cachar/files/advertise.pdf
5	Assam PSC	Asst Engineer, Jr Engineer	637	Degree/ Diploma	SEPT-22-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/apsc-recruitment/70794/#AE-JE
6	CMHO, Basta	Microbiologist, Staff Nurse & Other	48	BMLT, DMLT, GNM, B.Sc (Nursing), M.Sc	SEPT-8-2020	Read more: Latest notifications for government jobs, bank jobs and all state jobs | FreeJobAlert.Com http://www.freejobalert.com/latest-notifications/#ixzz6VimGrOmx
7	District Hospital, Nanded	Lab Technician	35	10+2, DMLT, Diploma, B.Sc	AUG-8-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s32b24d495052a8ce66358eb576b8912c8/uploads/2020/08/2020081927.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 holds Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt over tweets against CJI, Judiciary

• Key points –

1. The Supreme Court has held advocate Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt in a case registered against him over two of his tweets.
2. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said the court will hear the arguments on the quantum of punishment on August 20.
3. The senior lawyer can be punished with a simple imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months or with a fine of up to Rs 2,000 or with both.

• Highlights –

1. On June 29, Bhushan had tweeted on a photo of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde astride a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
2. While taking up the matter for hearing, the bench took note of another tweet by the advocate on June 27 regarding the judiciary which it said was published in The Times of India.
3. The lawyer said the posts were against the judges regarding their conduct in their personal capacity and they did not obstruct administration of justice.
4. On July 22, the top court issued a show cause notice to the lawyer after initiating the criminal contempt against him, saying that the tweets had “brought the administration of justice in disrepute”. The bench had also added Twitter India as a party to the matter.
5. Currently, Bhushan is appearing in the Supreme Court for the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, seeking transfer of PM Cares funds to the National Disaster Response Fund.
6. He also represents the Association for Democratic Reforms in a petition challenging the Electoral Bond Scheme.

• What is Contempt of Court –

1. According to the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, contempt of court can either be civil contempt or criminal contempt.
2. Civil contempt means wilful disobedience to any judgment, decree, direction, order, writ or other process of a court or wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court.
3. On the other hand, criminal contempt means the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representations, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which
4. (i) scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court; or
5. (ii) prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with, the due course of any judicial proceeding; or 
6. (iii) interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner.

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

2.1 Cabinet expands lending limits for power discoms to help then clear dues

• Key points – 

1. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday relaxed the borrowing limits for the state government-owned power distribution companies (discoms) as a one-time measure.
2. This was done to assist power retailers to clear their dues to generation and transmission companies to help reduce stress in the sector.

• Important details –

1. Discoms can borrow only up to 25 per cent of their previous year’s working capital under the limits stipulated in the UDAY scheme.
2. Borrowing were tied to discoms’ operational performance to ensure discipline.
3. The limit has now been relaxed for a one-time lending. This would help those discoms that have exhausted their borrowing limits.

• Stretched portfolios –

1. This could, however, further stretch the lending portfolios of PFC and REC, which have been under rating pressure from several agencies.
2. Recently, S&P Global Ratings downgraded PFC to BB+ from BBB-, citing Covid-19 and weak macroeconomic outlook of Indian economy.

• Other details –  

1. The power distribution segment accounts for 27 per cent of PFC’s total loan disbursement, while it is 44 per cent for REC.
2. In April, both PFC and REC passed resolutions to not lend to any state that making financial losses and has high aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses and have not filed for tariff revision. This has now been put on hold following the Atmanirbhar loan package.
3. The loan is part of the Atmanirbhar package announced in May to infuse liquidity into the power distribution sector.
4. The discoms can claim one-time loan against their dues as of June, 2020. Till June, the total dues of discoms to gencos stood at Rs 1.13 trillion.
5. To avail of the loan, state governments would need to clear dues of their departments to the discoms and also give a guarantee to lenders.
6. The discoms would also need to indicate a trajectory of loss reduction — both financial and operational.

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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 World Humanitarian Day 2020 

• Key points –

1. Every year World Humanitarian Day is observed on August 19, to remember the real life heroes who chose humanitarian service in most difficult circumstances.
2. This is a day to say 'thank you' to those humanitarian workers who gave their lives or were injured while providing life-saving support and protection to people in need.

• World Humanitarian Day 2020: History –

1. On August 19, 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad killed 22 people, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the chief humanitarian official in Iraq.
2. The United Nations General Assembly formalized the day as World Humanitarian Day in 2009. This year the UN is marking the 11th Humanitarian Day.

• World Humanitarian Day 2020: Theme –

1. As World Humanitarian Day this year comes amid the global coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization has a global campaign that celebrates #RealLifeHeroes, who have "committed their lives to helping others."
2. The campaign looks to find out "what drives humanitarians to continue to save and protect lives despite conflict, insecurity, lack of access and risks linked to COVID-19."

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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 Weekly Round-up – Sports

• Hosts England beat Pakistan by 3 wickets in first test at Manchester - Hosts England (219, 277/7) defeated Pakistan (326, 169) by 3 wickets in the first Test at Old Trafford in Manchester on August 8, 2020. Chris Woakes, who made 84* in England’s second inning was declared player of the match. Joe Root and Azhar Ali were captains of England and Pakistan respectively.
• BCCI to grant amnesty to players who voluntarily declare any age fraud - The BCCI on August 3, 2020 said it will grant amnesty to registered players who voluntarily declare any age fraud. Such players will not be suspended and allowed to participate in the appropriate age group level. If guilty players don’t accept their fraud now and are later found to be guilty of age fraud then they will be banned for two years.
• India retains the right to host the 2021 T20 World Cup: ICC - India on August 7, 2020 retained the right to host the 2021 T20 World Cup while Australia will conduct this year’s postponed edition in 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced after its board meeting.
• BCCI suspends IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese company Vivo - The BCCI suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event’s upcoming edition without giving any details.
• Justin Thomas of US becomes World No. 1 ranked golfer - Justin Thomas of US reclaimed the World No. 1 ranking on August 2, 2020, out-duelling defending champion Brooks Koepka to win the WGC St. Jude Invitational at Memphis (USA) by three strokes. He fired a five-under 65 in final round (13-under 267 overall) to clinch the title.
• Football: Former Mohun Bagan captain Manitombi Singh dies at 39 - Former India defender and Mohun Bagan captain Manitombi Singh died at the age of 39 at his native village near Imphal in Manipur on August 9, 2020. Manitombi also represented India in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Major Happenings

1. Trinamool Congress MLA Samaresh Das dies at 76 after testing positive for COVID-19.
2. CM Hemant Soren unveils new State logo displaying national emblem and ‘Palash flower’ (Butea monosperma).
3. Ashok-Gehlot led Congress government won trust vote in the Legislative Assembly.
4. All villages to be connected with optical fibre in 1,000 days: PM Modi
5. BJP candidate Jai Prakash Nishad elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha from UP.
6. IPS officer V S K Kaumudi appointed Special Secretary (Internal Security) in Home Ministry
7. Satya Pal Malik appointed Meghalaya Governor; Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari given additional charge of Goa.
8. Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) renamed as Ministry of Education
9. UP: Home Ministry approves renaming of Manduadih railway station in Varanasi district as Banaras.
10. Cabinet approves setting up of National Recruitment Agency for conducting Common Eligibility Test for various govt. jobs.

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

8.1 Cabinet approves increase in sugarcane FRP by Rs 10 to Rs 285 per quintal for 2020-21

• Key point – 

1. The Centre has decided to increase the sugarcane Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) by Rs 10 to Rs 285 per quintal for the marketing year starting October 2020.

• Highlights –

1. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the FRP payable by sugar mills for the 2020-21 sugar season (October-September) on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
2. It includes FRP at Rs 285 per quintal for a basic recovery rate of 10 per cent, a premium of Rs 2.85 per quintal for every 0.1 per cent increase above 10 per cent in the recovery, and a reduction in the FRP by Rs 2.85 per quintal for every 0.1 per cent decrease in recovery, in respect of those mills whose recovery is below 10 per cent but above 9.5 per cent.    
3. For mills with recovery 9.5 per cent or below, the FRP is fixed at Rs 270.75 per quintal.
4. The FRP is determined under the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966.  It is uniformly applicable all over the country and is the minimum price that sugar mills have to pay to sugarcane farmers.
5. Sugarcane producing states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana fix their own sugarcane price called state advisory prices (SAPs), which are usually higher than the FRP.
6. The government estimates the country’s total sugar production to be 28-29 million tonnes in the current year ending next month, compared to 33.1 million tonnes during 2018-19 due to a sharp fall in acreage in Maharashtra and Karnataka.

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

9.1 Chandrayaan-2 captures image of crater on Moon; ISRO names it after Vikram Sarabhai

• Key points –

1. Chandryaan-2 has captured images of the Moon and one of the craters has been named after Vikram Sarabhai, the father of the Indian space programme.
2. Planned to land on the South Pole of the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22.
3. However, the lander Vikram hard-landed on September 7, crashing India’s dream to become the first nation to successfully land on the lunar surface in its maiden attempt.
4. The orbiter of the mission is working fine and has been sending data.

• Important details –

1. Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said as Sarabhai’s birth centenary year completed on August 12, this is a thanksgiving tribute to the scientist.
2. Singh added that the recent achievements of the ISRO, which have placed India as a frontline nation of the world, is a vindication of Sarabhai’s visionary dream.
3. The Department of Space directly comes under the Prime Minister’s Office.
4. The Sarabhai Crater is around 250 to 300 kilometres east of the crater where the Apollo 17 and Luna 21 Missions had landed.
5. The Sarabhai Crater, captured in 3D images, shows that it has a depth of around 1.7 kilometres taken from its raised rim and the slope of crater walls is between 25 to 35 degrees.
6. These findings will help space scientists understand further the process on the lunar region filled with lava.
7. Chandrayaan-2 continues to perform as per the design and provides valuable scientific data. The public release of scientific data from Chandrayaan-2 for global use will begin in October 2020.

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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 -

• Yes Bank has taken possession of Reliance Centre, the headquarters of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) in Mumbai for not repaying loans.
• According to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) will develop a School Quality Assessment and Accreditation Framework (SQAAF).
• In Indian Army, AAD is Army Air Defence.
• Philip Barton has taken charge as the new envoy of United Kingdom to India?.
• Rate of interest for National Savings Certificate July-September 2020  is 6.8%.

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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