Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-08-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 24-08-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 – With 3 million cases, COVID-19 unlikely to abate soon: experts – India crossed three million cases on Sunday (August 23) after adding nearly 69,239 cases the previous day — the fourth straight day that it added over 69,000 cases. India continued to be placed behind Brazil and the United States in the overall case load and, at 56,706 deaths, had only half as many as Brazil and less than a third as that of the U.S. India on Saturday reported having tested a million samples — the first time it surpassed this milestone. It has been conducting an average 8,89,935 tests in the last five days and had tested 34.4 million samples till August 21. Only about 23% of the confirmed cases, or about 7,00,000, are active cases requiring treatment and the case fatality ratio — or the confirmed deaths per ratified cases — has dipped to less than 2%.
2. Polity & Governance – Find a new party chief, Sonia Gandhi tells Cong. – Faced with an unprecedented situation of senior leaders questioning the party’s top leadership in a letter, Congress president Sonia Gandhi is learnt to have asked her colleagues to find a new party chief as she was not keen to continue as interim head. Ms. Gandhi is believed to have conveyed this to a senior party leader, who handles organisational matters, soon after completing a year as the party’s interim chief on August 10. However, the party’s chief spokesperson, Randeep Surjewala, denied that “Ms. Gandhi has spoken to anyone or written any letter”.
3. COVID-19 – India could get vaccine by year-end – Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said if everything goes well, India will get a vaccine against the novel coronavirus by the end of this year. Three COVID-19 vaccine candidates, including two indigenous ones, are in different phases of development. The phase I human clinical trials of the two vaccines — one developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR, and the other by Zydus Cadila Ltd — have been completed and the trials have moved to phase II. The Serum Institute of India (SII), which has partnered with AstraZeneca for manufacturing the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford, has been permitted to conduct its phase two and three human clinical trials in India.
4. World – S. Korea tightens curbs after fresh COVID-19 outbreak – South Korea ramped up COVID-19 restrictions on August 23 to try to contain a growing outbreak, as many countries battled worrying surges in infections. The pandemic has killed more than 8,00,000 people globally, and continues to unleash destruction, with many countries detecting spikes in infections not seen for many months. Infections have soared past 23 million globally, and some countries are still facing first waves. South Korea, which largely brought its outbreak under control, tightened curbs to try to contain a new cluster. Nightclubs, karaoke bars and beaches have been closed, with tight restrictions on large gatherings and religious services, after hundreds of infections were linked to Protestant churches. Face masks will be mandatory in the capital Seoul’s public areas from midnight.
5. Economy – In 40 days, 69 lakh seek jobs on govt portal, just a fraction employed – A GOVERNMENT jobs portal launched by the Prime Minister on July 11 has seen registration of over 69 lakh individuals in just 40 days. But the number of individuals who got jobs is just a fraction of those who registered, showing that employment will be the biggest political economy challenge for the government as it restarts economic activities while trying to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. In just a week, between August 14 and August 21, more than 7 lakh people registered. The number of people who took up jobs during the week, however, stood at just 691. According to data collated by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship on its ASEEM (Aatmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping) portal, only 2 per cent of the 3.7 lakh candidates looking for jobs have actually got one. Of the 69 lakh migrant workers who registered, 1.49 lakh were offered jobs, but only 7,700 could join work.
6. Economy – For the first time, farm sector set to grow even as GDP sees a contraction – April-June may be the first time that India’s economy would contract year-on-year since the government started coming out with quarterly estimates of GDP from 1996-97. But the data for the quarter, to be released on August 31, could also show GDP falling for the first time in spite of agricultural production going up. The country’s GDP registered an annual decline, at minus 5.2%, last in 1979-80. But that year also recorded negative growth for agricultural GDP, at minus 12.8%. Even the previous GDP contractions of 0.3% in 1972-73, 3.7% in 1965-66, and 1.2% in 1957-58 were accompanied by farm output falling by 5%, 11% and 4.5% respectively.
7. Polity & Governance – Trump team releases ad featuring Modi – Trying to specifically woo Indian-American voters, the Trump campaign has released a commercial featuring footage of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump held in Houston almost one year ago and in Ahmedabad in February. While the data show that Indian Americans mostly vote Democrat, the Republican Party is trying to target voters who are likely to be switch loyalties based on the Modi-Trump camaraderie. The clip shows Mr. Modi holding up Mr. Trump’s arm on the stage in Houston and a shot of the two walking around the arena, hands clasped.
8. Economy & Policy – Businesses to get GST registration in 3 days with Aadhar verification – Businesses which will provide Aadhaar number while applying for registration under the Goods and Services Tax will get the approval in three working days. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) last week notified Aadhaar authentication for GST registration with effect from August 21, 2020. The notification also provides that in case businesses do not provide Aadhaar number, then GST registration would be granted only after physical verification of the place of business.
9. Economy – AGR dues from telcos: Spectrum value erodes, govt on a sticky wicket – Whichever way the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) case concerning telcos goes, the ultimate loser will be the government. This is because the value of spectrum which is currently with the telecom operators — their main asset, of course on lease from the government – has diminished. If an operator like Vodafone Idea (VIL) does not get to pay its AGR dues of Rs 58,000 crore in deferred installments of 15-20 years as it has sought, it may have to file for bankruptcy and then the Centre stands to lose over Rs 2 lakh crore.
10. Economy – Local lockdowns, low industrial activity push July fuel consumption down – The recovery of diesel and petrol consumption in India to pre-Covid levels slowed in July on the back of lower demand due to state-level lockdowns, low industrial activity and reduced movement of private vehicles. The consumption of diesel fell 19.3 per cent to 5.5 million metric tonnes (MMT), as against 6.8 MMT in July 2019 and down 12.7 per cent from June 2020, signalling a slowdown in the recovery of diesel consumption to pre-Covid levels. The recovery of petrol consumption too slowed in July with consumption of around 2.3 MMT, the same as in June but down 10.3 per cent from consumption of 2.5 MMT in July 2019. The consumption of diesel hit a low of 3.3 MMT and that of petrol fell below 1 MMT this April, as a result of the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. 

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	PGCIL	Company Secretary Professional	5	Associate Member of ICSI	SEPT-12-2020	https://www.powergridindia.com/sites/default/files/Detailed%20advt_CS%20Contractual.pdf
2	ECIL	ITI Trade Apprentice	285	ITI (Relevant Trade)	19-09-2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/08/Notification-ECIL-ITI-Trade-Apprentice-Advt-No.-27-2020.pdf
3	RFRI	Store Keeper, Forest Guard, Technician, Driver	5	10th Class, 10+2	30-10-2020	https://rfri.icfre.gov.in/jobs/vacancy39.pdf
4	Oil India Limited	Operator (HMV) Grade VII	36	10+2	18-09-2020	https://oilindia.onlinereg.in/advt0120/Images/OIL%20Online%20Advertisement_Operator-I%20(HMV).pdf
5	Central Ayurveda Res. Inst. For Cancer	Senior Research Fellow	7	BAMS	Aug-31-2020	http://www.ccras.nic.in/sites/default/files/viewpdf/Vacancies/20082020_RRAPCARIC_Mumbai_Advt.pdf
6	South Central Railway	Specialist Doctor, Nursing Sister, Pharma.	42	10+2, GNM, MBBS and PG	Aug-28-2020	https://scr.indianrailways.gov.in/uploads/files/1597915119150-CMP%20P%20HA%20NOTIFICATION.pdf
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 Not Available Today.

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

2.1 RBI releases ‘National Strategy for Financial Education: 2020-2025’ 

• Key points –

1. To achieve the vision of creating a financially aware and empowered India, the Reserve Bank has released the ‘Second National Strategy for Financial Education (NSFE) for the period 2020-2025.
2. The NSFE 2020-25 intends to support the Centre and financial sector regulators’ vision of empowering various sections of society to “develop adequate knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour which are needed to manage their money better and to plan for the future”.

• Highlights –

1. To achieve the vision of creating a financially aware and empowered India, certain strategic objectives have been laid down which include inculcating financial literacy concepts among various sections of the population through financial education to “make it an important life skill”.
2. The strategy recommends adoption of a multi-stakeholder approach to achieve financial well-being of Indians.
3. In order to achieve the ‘Strategic Objectives’ laid down, the document recommends adoption of a ‘5 C’ approach for dissemination of financial education through emphasis on development of relevant ‘Content’, developing ‘Capacity’ among the intermediaries involved in providing financial services, leveraging on the positive effect of ‘Community’ led model for financial literacy through appropriate ‘Communication Strategy’, and lastly, enhancing ‘Collaboration’ among various stakeholders.”

• Survey –

1. As part of the exercise to prepare the the strategy paper, the National Centre for Financial Education (NCFE) also conducted a survey to find out the status of financial literacy in India.
2. As per the survey, the percentage of population above the financial literacy threshold Is highest in Western India that houses the two major stock exchanges of the country while people in north East come a close second.
3. Eastern and Central India still have to go a long way in updating their financial understanding.
4. Also, the salaried class in both the government and the private sector seems to understand financial products better than other segments.
5. The amount of earnings also reflect financial understanding of people with those earning the highest crossing the financial education threshold easily while those in middle to lower income groups have still to do a lot of catching up.
6. Surprisingly, there has been a marked improvement in understanding financial products by rural India in the last five years with 24 per cent of the population now fairly aware about financial systems as against just 15 per of the population in 2013.

2.2 RBI to introduce a mechanism of Positive Pay for cheque above Rs. 50,000

• Cheque Payment –

1. To enhance the safety of cheque payments, RBI has decided to introduce a mechanism of Positive Pay for all cheques of value Rs 50,000 and above.
2. This will cover approximately 20 per cent and 80 per cent of total cheques by volume and value, respectively.
3. RBI has informed that the operational guidelines in this regard will be issued separately.
4. The Cheque Truncation System (CTS) for clearing cheques is operational pan-India and presently covers 2 per cent and 15 per cent of total retail payments in terms of volume and value respectively.

• Highlights –

1. The average value of a cheque cleared in CTS presently is Rs 82,000.
2. The CTS-2010 standard specifying minimum-security features on cheque leaves acts as a deterrent against cheque frauds, while standardisation of field placements on cheque forms enables straight-through-processing by use of optical / image character recognition technology.
3. To further augment customer safety in cheque payments and reduce instances of fraud occurring on account of tampering of cheque leaves, RBI has now decided to introduce a mechanism of Positive Pay for all cheques of value Rs 50,000 and above.
4. Under this mechanism, cheques will be processed for payment by the drawee bank based on information passed on by its customer at the time of issuance of cheque.
5. ICICI Bank is one bank that has already initiated this mechanism.

• Positive Pay Meaning –  

1. All one needs to do is share the details of issued cheque like Cheque Number, Cheque date, Payee name, Account number, Amount etc along with an image of the front and reverse side of the cheque, before handing it over to the beneficiary.
2. When the beneficiary submits the cheque for encashment, the cheque details are compared with the details provided to the Bank through Positive Pay.
3. If the details match, the cheque is honoured. In case of mismatch in cheque details, the cheque is referred to you.

2.3 ICICI Lombard, Bharti AXA to merge general insurance business

• Key point –

1. ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company and Bharti AXA General Insurance Co Ltd have said they will combine their insurance businesses through a share swap deal, paving the way for the creation of the country’s third-largest general insurance entity.

• Highlights –

1. The boards of both the companies approved entering into definitive agreements for demerger of Bharti AXA’s non-life insurance business into ICICI Lombard through a Scheme of Arrangement.
2. Based on the share exchange ratio recommended by independent valuers and accepted by the boards, the shareholders of Bharti AXA will receive two shares of ICICI Lombard for every 115 shares of Bharti AXA held by them as on the date on which the Scheme of Arrangement is approved by the boards of both the companies.
3. ICICI Bank holds 51.89 per cent stake in ICICI Lombard, while the rest is with the public.
4. The combined entity shall have a market share of 8.7 per cent on pro-forma basis.
5. After obtaining all approvals, when the scheme becomes effective, the non-life insurance business will be demerged from Bharti AXA into ICICI Lombard.

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

3.1 Observe ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ on August 22

• Highlights –

1. The Global Footprint Network is encouraging the observation of “Earth Overshoot Day.”
2. According to the network, Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.
3. The date was calculated by the evaluation of carbon emissions, forest harvest, food demand and factors that could impact global biocapacity.
4. Global Footprint Network calculated the number of days that Earth’s biocapacity can provide for humanity’s Ecological Footprint.
5. Research found that there was a 9.3% reduction in the global Ecological Footprint compared to the same period last year. The network attributes this to the following:
6. -    -8.4% of forest products footprint
7. -    -14.5% carbon footprint
8. However, the Global Footprint Network noted that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global food system has been disrupted, leading to an unchanged food footprint compared to 2019.
   GFN encourages all to #movethedate by exploring sustainability solutions

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

4.1 Iran unveils ballistic missile named after Qasem Soleimani

• Key points –

1. Iran has unveiled the latest additions to its missile arsenal, including one projectile named after Qasem Soleimani, the Quds Force commander killed in a US airstrike in January.
2. The new ground-to-ground missile has a range of 1,400 km and will "further strengthen Iran's deterrence power", amid continued tensions with the US and Gulf states.
3. A cruise missile was also displayed and named after Abu Mahdi Muhandis, the leader of an pro-Iran Iraqi militia who was also killed in the airstrike.
4. The cruise missile, called martyr Abu Mahdi, has a range of over 1,000 km.

• Important details –

1. President Hassan Rouhani praised the breakthrough in missile technology by Iranian scientists, claiming that over the past two years locally-produced cruise missiles have increased in range from "300 to 1,000" kilometres.
2. Iran has invested heavily in its missile and drone programmes, which Tehran claims is purely for defensive purposes.
3. Tehran was accused of launching missile and drone strikes on Saudi oil facilities in 2019, while the US pulled out of a nuclear deal with Iran under President Donald Trump, in part due to its missile programme.
4. Washington has sought to extend an arms embargo on Iran, which is due to expire in October.
5. The airstrike of Soleimani led to retaliatory missile strikes on Iraqi bases hosting US military personnel.
6. Since then, tensions have eased but Iran has been vocal about its opposition to a peace deal agreed between Israel and the UAE.

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

5.1 Rajasthan government launches Indira Rasoi Yojana to provide meals for Rs. 8 across 213 wards

•  Key points –  

1. The Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government has launched its ambitious Indira Rasoi scheme on the 76th birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
2. The government aims at providing food at a nominal price of Rs 8 under this scheme to those in need.
3. Those who arrived at the various centres to have food were asked to give their names, mobile numbers and the authorities clicked their photos to keep a record of those who avail the facility.    

• Highlights –

1. With 358 kitchens in 213 city wards, the Rajasthan government will be providing food from 8 am till 1 pm and from 5 pm till 8 pm on a daily basis.
2. On the first day, the menu had six chapatis, a bowl of lentils, a bowl of vegetable and mixed pickle in the thaali priced at Rs 8.
3. Those who arrived at the various centres to have food were asked to give their names, mobile numbers and the authorities clicked their photos to keep a record of those who avail the facility.
4. Earlier, the Gehlot government had scrapped the Annapurna Yojana, which was launched by Rajasthan's former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje during her tenure that ended in December, 2018.
5. Under the Indira Rasoi Yojana, arrangements have been made to ensure people can sit and have food, which was not the case in the Annapurna Yojana.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Nine killed in Telangana powerhouse fire

• Key points –  

1. A fire swept through the Srisailam Left Bank Power Station on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border late on Thursday (August 20) night, leaving nine dead, including five engineers of Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TSGenco).

• Highlights –

1. The bodies of the five engineers, including a woman engineer, and four others were found on the ground floor of the underground powerhouse.
2. Preliminary investigations indicate the fire started from a short-circuit on the ground floor.
3. The rescue team including the National Disaster Response Force could enter the tunnel and powerhouse only after 3 pm Friday, some 15 hours later.
4. Apart from the smoke, the fact that the power supply to the plant was cut off to prevent more damage, leaving the tunnel in darkness, also made rescue difficult.
5. Among those who escaped were four employees of the company that had been outsourced maintenance work at the powerhouse by Amaron Batteries.
6. Falling on the Telangana side of the Srisailam reservoir and dam on the Krishna river, the 900 MW Left Bank Power House is part of a joint project of Telangana and Andhra. On the Andhra side lies half of the dam and the Right Bank Power House.
7. Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao expressed shock at the loss of lives and ordered a CID inquiry.
8. The state government has announced ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh for the kin of the engineers and Rs 20 lakh for the others.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 DGCA to implement e-governance project for approvals, licenses by year-end

• Highlights – 

1. Aviation regulator DGCA is implementing an e-governance project that will provide all approvals and licenses online by the end of this year.
2. It said services pertaining to pilot licensing, medical examinations and services relating to flying training organisations have already been moved online under the e-governance project called eGCA.
3. The project is being implemented in four phases and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
4. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) have been engaged as service provider and as project management consultant (for the eGCA project), respectively.
5. It said the project aims at its digital transformation, wherein all its services shall be offered digitally through eGCA portal to its stakeholders that include pilots, aircraft engineers, operators and flying training organisations.

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

8.1 International Day Commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief

• Key point – 

1. Following an unprecedented rise of violence against religious communities and people
2. belonging to religious minorities, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming
3. the 22nd of August as the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence
4. Based on their Religion or Belief.
5. Following this decision, it is expected that all Member States, as well as the civil society
6. and the private sector, actively observe this International Day and play an important role in
7. promoting the freedom of religion or belief.
8. It is a calling and an opportunity for a more serious involvement to combat intolerance, discrimination and violence against people on the basis of their religion or belief and to promote interfaith initiatives.
9. On the International Day commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief, we pay tribute to those who have lost their lives, who are attacked, threatened or persecuted due to their religion or belief.
10. Attacks on individuals based on their religion or belief, as well as violence perpetrated under the pretext on a religious doctrine, prescription and practice, are unacceptable.

• Important details –

1. With the COVID-19 pandemic we see conspiracy theories and scapegoating of religious and belief communities, contributing to the surge of public advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
2. These are often early warning signs of violent attacks and other forms of human rights violations and abuses.
3. At the same time, religious actors play a fundamental role in providing relief and social services, contributing to the global fight against the pandemic.
4. Over the past ten years, through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the EU has financed projects related to freedom of religion or belief worth more than €22 million in all regions of the world, including among others, actions to counter hate speech and foster inter-community and inter-faith dialogue.
5. The European Union will continue to work at home and abroad to combat discrimination and hate speech on grounds of religion or belief, as well as to fight impunity and strengthen accountability.

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

9.1 Not Available 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 -

• Sashidhar Jagdishan has been appointed as the new CEO of HDFC Bank in August 2020.
• Sanskrit Day was observed on August 7, 2020.
• PM Modi inaugurated the Supreme Court Building in Port Louis through video conferencing in July 2020.
• Income tax was introduced for the first time in India in the year 1860.
• The first radio broadcast in India was made by the Indian Broadcasting Company (a private company) from the Bombay Station in the year 1927.

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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