Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 29-08-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 29-08-2020

• [message]
• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Agriculture – Good rainfall helps farm sector post record kharif crop acreage – India has reported an all-time record acreage of kharif (summer sown) crops this year despite the Covid-19 pandemic and flood situation in many states. The development indicates the farm sector, which remained largely free of lockdown curbs, may continue to register growth despite a shrinking GDP. Barring damage due to inclement weather, several crops will benefit from good monsoon rainfall and the government’s procurement policies. During lockdown, FCI had launched a massive operation to complete procurement and make payments to farmers. As on Friday (August 28), the total kharif acreage was reported at 1,082 lakh hectares against 1,010 lakh hectares during the corresponding period last year – an increase by over 7%. Sown areas of mainly paddy, oilseeds and pulses contributed to this increase.
2. COVID-19 – 87,000 health workers +ve in India, 573 dead; 50% of toll in Maha alone – More than 87,000 healthcare workers have been infected by Covid-19, with just six states—Maharashtra, Karnataka, TN, Delhi, WB and Gujarat—accounting for around 74% of the cases and over 86% of the 573 deaths. Maharashtra alone accounts for around 28% of the infected healthcare workers and over 50% of the deaths. While Maharashtra, Karnataka and TN had tested more than 1,00,000 healthcare workers each till August 28, Karnataka reported only 12,260 cases— almost half the burden in Maharashtra. TN reported 11,169 cases. While Maharashtra reported 292 deaths, Karnataka and TN had 46 and 49 deaths, respectively.
3. Education – SC: Final-yr exams must for getting graduate/PG degrees – Ending the suspense for 1.5 crore final-year UG and PG students, the SC has said final examinations are a must to get degrees, but ruled that in a pandemic, states had power under the Disaster Management Act to postpone exams beyond the September 30 deadline set by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Refusing to scrap the exams, the court said the exams need to be rescheduled in consultation with the UGC, upholding the regulator’s mandate to set the rules for award of degrees. In doing so, the SC said it recognised the importance of the evaluation process. The SC said UGC guidelines had taken the pandemic situation into account and had given three options to universities for conducting final examinations — offline, online and a mix of both. There was nothing unreasonable about the guidelines as it also provided another opportunity to students, who, for some reason, may miss the final examinations.
4. World – Japan’s PM quits citing health reasons – Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe has announced that he will resign, ending his record-breaking tenure in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership race in the world’s third-largest economy. Mr. Abe said he is suffering a recurrence of the ulcerative colitis that forced him to cut short a first term in office, and that he no longer felt able to continue as PM. While speculation about Mr. Abe’s political future has grown in recent weeks, after two hospital visits for unspecified health checks, the resignation nonetheless came as a surprise. The resignation shocked the markets, with Tokyo stocks plunging more than 2% towards the end of afternoon trade when reports of Abe’s decision first emerged.
5. Awards & Recognition – WWII spy of Indian origin honoured with plaque in UK – World War II British secret agent Noor Inayat Khan has become the first woman of Indian origin to be honoured with a blue plaque in London. Khan worked as a British spy in Nazi-occupied France before being executed in a concentration camp, having revealed nothing to the Gestapo, not even her name. She posthumously received the George Cross. Born in Moscow to an Indian father, Sufi master Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan, and to white American Sufi poet who adopted the name Pirani Ameena Begum, Khan, a Muslim, lived with her family in Paris much of her life. But they decided to move to England in 1940 to join the fight against fascism.
6. COVID- 19 – As deaths cross 1,000-mark for 4th day, India no. 3 in Covid toll; 7L+ active cases – India’s Covid-19 death toll surged to the third highest in the world after overtaking Mexico on Friday, even as the pandemic numbers continued to swell in the country with the daily count of fresh cases staying above 76,000 for third day running and fatalities over 1,000 for the fourth straight day. With 1,015 fatalities reported on August 28, the death toll from the virus rose to 62,635, going past Mexico’s Covid toll of 62,594. Only the US, with 1,85,272 deaths recorded so far, and Brazil (1,18,988) have a higher toll than India. However, India’s mortality rate from the infection, at 1.8%, remains the lowest among these three countries.
7. COVID-19 – Positivity rate down for 3 fortnights in a row, at 7.9% – Holding out hope amid rising Covid-19 cases, the all-India positivity rate, total confirmed cases per 100 tests, measured over a 14-day period, showed a declining trend for three consecutive fortnights — from a high of 11.2% between July 15-28 to 8.8% during August 1-14 and now at 7.9% (between August 14-27) though states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh remain worries. A positivity rate of 5% or below over a 14-day period is considered a ‘green zone’ where a state can safely relax lockdown measures. Anything above that mark is considered a ‘red zone’.
8. Economy – Chinese buyers help lift Indian steel exports – India’s steel exports more than doubled between April and July to hit their highest level in at least six years, boosted by Chinese buying. Traders said reduced prices had driven the purchases as Indian sellers sought to get rid of a surplus generated by the impact of COVID-19 on domestic demand and generate much-needed income. Leading Indian steel companies Tata Steel Ltd. and JSW Steel Ltd. were among Indian companies that sold a total of 4.64 million tonnes of finished and semi-finished steel products on the world market between April and July.
9. Business – ‘Local transfer pricing cases to go faceless’ – The Income-Tax Department will soon start sending out intimation to assesses undergoing scrutiny that such cases would now be handled under faceless assessment. Officials also said domestic transfer pricing cases, too, will be covered under the faceless assessment mechanism. Asked whether the previous notices still stand valid, the official said, “Previous notices will not become redundant.” Reassessment cases would also be a part of the faceless scheme.
10. Economy – Citing strained finances, states ask Centre to borrow – A day after the Centre listed two options for bridging the revenue gap in the 41st GST Council meeting, several states have raised concerns about their inability to borrow at lower rates and instead demanded the Centre to borrow. States cited their strained finances and the struggle to pay salaries and pensions to not undertake borrowing to meet the compensation gap, adding that the Centre’s capacity to borrow is higher than states. SBI in a research report also proposed Centre to make arrangements with the RBI to facilitate such borrowing. It listed three options for the states to meet the revenue shortfall: monetisation of state debt by the RBI, expansion of ways and means advances limit and allowing states to tap National Small Savings Fund (NSSF) for funds at a concessional rate of interest.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	NABCONS	Civil Eng., Finance Coord., MIS Coord., Divisional Coord.	6	B.Tech, MBA, M.Tech, CA/ ICWA	SEPT-6-2020	http://www.nabcons.com/downloads/Advertisement-ORMAS.pdf
2	NABCONS	Sr Consultant, Consultant, Associate Consultant	5	Degree, PG	SEPT-3-2020	http://www.nabcons.com/downloads/Advertisement_Corporate_Office-Delhi.pdf
3	DRDO-DFRL	Jr Research Fellow	6	M.Sc/ M.Tech with NET/ GATE	SEPT-30-2020	https://www.drdo.gov.in/sites/default/files/career-vacancy-documents/DFRL_1.pdf
4	Information & Public Relations Dept, AP	Special Officer, Social Media Analyst, Digital Campaigner	72	Any Degree, MBA	SEPT-2-2020	http://ipr.ap.nic.in/images/Notifications/APDCnotificationsigned.pdf
5	Dept of Gram/ Ward Volunteers Secretariat	Grama/ Ward Volunteer (Nellore)	558	-	01 & 04-09-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ward-volunteer/847921/
6	PNRD, Assam	Asst Block Develop. Officer, Jr Asst	1004	Any Degree	SEPT-17-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/pnrd-assam/265441/
7	BPSC	Associate Professor (Comp. Science & Engg)	15	B.Tech/ B.Sc, M.Tech, Ph.D	SEPT-16-2020	http://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in/Advt/NB-2020-08-27-06.pdf

 

• [message]
• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

• [message]
• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 States can sub-classify the list of reserved classes - SC

• News –  

1. A five-judge Bench of the apex court held that States can sub-classify the list of Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBCs) to provide preferential treatment to the “weakest out of the weak”.

• Details -

1. The decision overruled a previous 2005 decision in E V Chinnaiah v State of Andhra Pradesh and Others, also by a five-judge Bench. Since a Bench of equal strength cannot overrule a previous decision, the court also referred it to a 7-judge Bench.
2. The judgment was on the constitutional validity of Section 4(5) of the Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006 which allows 50% of the reserved Scheduled Castes seats in the State to be allotted to Balmikis and Mazhabi Sikhs.

• Background -

1. 1992 - Indra Sawhney v. Union of India -  It would be perfectly legal for the state to categorise backward classes as backward and more backward. Upheld the concept of ‘creamy layer’ within OBC to those who have overcome their backwardness but the concept of creamy layer in SCs and STs has been in debate since then.
2. 2005 -  E V Chinnaiah v State of Andhra Pradesh and Others - Only the President has the power to notify the inclusion or exclusion of a caste as a Scheduled Caste, and states cannot tinker with the list.
3. 2006 -  M. Nagaraj & Others vs Union Of India - The government had to collect quantifiable data showing backwardness of the class and inadequacy of representation of that class in public employment.
4. 2018 -  Jarnail Singh vs Lachhmi Narain Gupta - The government need not collect quantifiable data to demonstrate backwardness of public employees belonging to the SC/STs to provide reservations for them in promotions. Observed that certain caste groups or subgroups have “come out of untouchability or backwardness by virtue of belonging to the creamy layer”.
5. 2020 - Reservation in the matter of promotions in public posts is not a fundamental right, and a state cannot be compelled to offer the quota if it chooses not to.

• Way Forward -

1. In hierarchical structure, no two castes are equal. This judgement will help trickle down the benefits of reservation to the most needy and establishment of an equal society.

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

2.1 Piyush Goyal launches GIS-enabled national land bank portal for details on industrial belts

• Key point –  

1. Commerce and Industry minister Piyush Goyal has virtually launched a first-of-its kind GIS-enabled national land bank portal, which will help investors zero in on land located in various states for potential projects.

• Highlights –

1. As much as 4.2 lakh hectares of land has been mapped across 3,275 industrial clusters in India, of which about 1.13 lakh hectares of land is available for investors, as the government looks to lure investors at a time when anti-China sentiments are growing globally.
2. Investors will also get access to details of logistics, land, rail & air connectivity, tax incentives, drainage system, power supply and raw material availability from the portal on various industrial belts.
3. To start with, extensive information about industrial belts in six states is available on the portal. Goyal expressed confidence that all states will be on board by December.
4. Nevertheless, broad details of land availability across 31 states and Union Territories are also part of the portal now. The minister said the portal is a prototype only and will be developed further with inputs from states.

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

3.1 California’s Death Valley hits 54.4 degrees Celsius – world’s ‘hottest ever’ temperature on record

• Key points –

1. On Sunday, 17 August 2020 Death Valley in California had the hottest air temperature recorded anywhere on planet Earth.
2. As per a report, the temperature in Death Valley rose to 54.4 degrees Celsius or 129.9 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the Mojave Desert. It is one of the hottest places on Earth, along with deserts in the Middle East and the Sahara.

• Important details – 

1. The report added that as per the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center, Death Valley had recorded a temperature of  53.8 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit) in July 2013. However, the temperature on 17 August has surpassed the earlier record.
2. As per the data, the all-time highest temperature ever recorded is 56.7 degree Celsius on 10 July 1913, at the Greenland Ranch in the Death Valley, but the recording is debatable as mechanisms a century back were not that advanced.
3. The high temperature is a result of a 'heat dome' that has built up on the western coast of the US. As per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a high-pressure circulation that traps hot ocean air like a lid or a cap causing heat to get trapped at the surface and favouring the formation of a heatwave.
4. The heatwave has led to two days of blackouts in California. Brandi Stewart who has lived and worked at the Death Valley National Park on and off for five years said that when one walk outside it is like being hit in the face with a bunch of hairdryers.
5. Death Valley has reached 53.8 degrees Celsius (129 degrees Fahrenheit) seven times in its records starting from 1911 to most recently on 1 July 2013, according to NOAA's ACIS database.
6. The highest temperature recorded anywhere in the Eastern Hemisphere was 131 degrees Fahrenheit in Kebili, Tunisia, on 7 July 1931.

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

4.1 Iran relents on IAEA inspections at two sites, ending standoff

• Key point –

1. Iran has agreed to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the country's two suspected nuclear sites for verification activities.

• Important details –

1. The Islamic Republic and the United Nations' nuclear watchdog reached an agreement on August 26 that would allow IAEA to visit the two suspected nuclear cities in Tehran and Isfahan. The agreement comes amid IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi's high-level visit to Iran.
2. Tehran had long-denied permission to IAEA for inspection in the country, arguing that it was due to baseless allegations from foe Israel. But the Islamic Republic finally agreed after continuous pressure from the UN body over the past few months.
3. The IAEA in June passed a resolution calling on Iran to allow its inspectors to physically verify the two suspected nuclear sites. According to reports, Iran has agreed to allow the inspection of a condition that IAEA would pursue no further questions regarding the issue.
4. As per the joint statement, dates for the IAEA access and the verification activities have been agreed upon.
5. The development comes ahead of the Joint Commission meeting in September on the landmark 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and the major powers of the world, including the United States.
6. However, the Trump administration backed off from the deal in 2018 calling it 'horrible one-sided agreement'.

• The 2015 deal –

1. Under the deal, it was agreed that Iran would scale down its uranium enrichment programme and in exchange international sanctions against the country would be lifted.
2. However, after Trump's withdrawal, the US reimposed sanctions on the country preventing it from selling oil and gas to the world, which is a major source of income for the Middle East nation.

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

5.1 Not Available Today

• [message]
• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Round-up – Sports

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni (39) retires from international cricket - The veteran India wicket-keeper batsman and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (39) announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. He made 4,876 runs (6 centuries, 33 fifties, highest: 224) in 90 tests at average of 38.09 and 10,773 runs in 350 ODIs (10 centuries, 73 fifties, highest: 183 not out) at an average of 50.53. In T20Is, he made 1617 runs (2 fifties, highest: 56) in 67 matches at an average of 37.6. Catches/stumpings were 256/38 in tests and 321/123 in ODIs. Dhoni captained India in 60 tests out of which India won 27, lost 18 and drew 15. In ODIs, Dhoni captained India in 200 matches out of which India won 110, lost 74, tied 5 and drew 11. Under his captaincy, India won the World Cup in 2011. In T20Is, Dhoni captained India in 72 matches out of which India won 41, lost 28, tied 1 and drew 2.
• Suresh Raina retires from international cricket - Suresh Raina announced retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. The 33-year-old left-hander batsman made 5615 runs in 226 ODIs at a strike-rate of 93.50. In 78 T20Is, Raina notched up 1605 runs at a strike-rate of 134.87. Raina began his Test career with a fighting 120 against Sri Lanka in 2010 in Colombo. He made 768 runs from 18 Tests at an average of 26.48.
• Former cricketer & UP minister Chetan Chauhan passes away at 73 - Former cricketer and UP minister Chetan Chauhan passed away at the age of 73 in Gurgaon on August 16, 2020. MLA from the Naugawan Sadat constituency, Chauhan was also elected to the Lok Sabha twice from Amroha constituency. Chauhan was currently serving as the Minister of Sainik Welfare, Home Guards, and Civil Security. An opening batsman, he played for India in 40 test matches (2084 runs) during 1969-1981and was a winner of the Arjuna Award.
• Veteran sports journalist G.K. Menon passes away - Veteran sports journalist G.K. Menon passed away in Mumbai on August 11, 2020 at the age of 93. Besides working with The Times of India and The Indian Express in a career spanning four decades.
• Lewis Hamilton win Formula One Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona - Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Formula One Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on August 16, 2020. Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes finished first and second respectively.
• Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju virtually launches Fit India Freedom Run - Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on August 14, 2020 virtually launched the Fit India Freedom Run, a country-wide event. The participants can run at their own place and at their own pace at a time convenient to them between August 15 and October 2.

• [message]
• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Weekly Round-up - Defence

• Army Chief honours 51 Special Action Group of the National Security Guards (NSG) for counter-terrorism work.
• Defence Ministry suspends business dealings with Vectra company over Tatra case.
• Procurement of 106 Basic Trainer Aircraft for IAF from HAL approved - The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), in its meeting held under the Chairmanship of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accorded approval for Rs 8,722.38 crore worth of capital acquisitions of various platforms and equipment required by the Indian Armed Forces on August 11, 2020. These include procurement of 106 Basic Trainer Aircrafts for the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
• Indigenous platforms in negative list to avoid imports: Defence Ministry - Several military platforms like the Light Combat Aircraft, Pinaka rocket launchers and Akash missile systems, which have been indigenously developed, were included in the negative list of imports to ensure that the Services do not go in for procurement of similar systems by imports, the Defence Ministry said on August 10, 2020. On August 9, the Defence Ministry had issued a 101-item negative defence import list which must be domestically procured in a phased manner.
• Defence Minister launches various initiatives of DPSUs & OFB - Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on August 10, 2020 launched the initiatives of a number of modernisation and up-gradation of facilities as also new infrastructure creation by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) through digital link in New Delhi. The Defence Ministry is celebrating Atma-Nirbharta (self-sufficiency) week from August 7 to 14.
• IITs sign two MoUs with defence PSUs - Two memorandum of understandings (MoUs) were signed between Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) on August 14, 2020. Goa Shipyard Limited signed an MoU with IIT, Goa on areas such as artificial intelligence, internet of things and computational field dynamics. An MoU on development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones was signed between Bengaluru-headquartered BEML and IIT Kanpur.

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

8.1 Not Available Today

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

9.1 Russel Kirsch, inventor of pixel, passes away at 91

• Key point –  

1. Russell Kirsch, a computer scientist credited with inventing the pixel and scanning the world’s first digital photograph, died Aug. 11 at his home in Portland, Oregon. He was 91.

• Important details –

1. Pixels, the digital dots used to display photos, video and more on phone and computer screens, weren’t an obvious innovation in 1957, when Kirsch created a small, 2-by-2-inch black-and-white digital image of his son, Walden, as an infant.
2. That was among the first images ever scanned into a computer, using a device created by his research team at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institutes of Science and Technology).
3. This work “laid the foundations for satellite imagery, CT scans, virtual reality and Facebook.”
4. That first square image measured a mere 176 pixels on a side — just shy of 31,000 pixels in total. Today, the digital camera on the iPhone 11 can capture roughly 12 million pixels per image.
5. Though computers have become exponentially more powerful and can now fit in our pockets, science has ever since been coming to terms with the fact that Kirsch made his pixels square.
6. The square shape of the pixels meant that image elements can look blocky, clunky or jagged — just generally not as smooth as real life. There’s even a word for this effect — “pixelated.”
7. Kirsch later developed a method to smooth out images by using pixels with variable shapes instead of the squares.
8. Born in Manhattan in 1929, Kirsch was the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia and Hungary.
9. He was educated at the Bronx High School of Science, New York University, Harvard and MIT and worked for five decades as a research scientist at the U.S. National Bureau of Standards.

9.2 August 19 is World Photography Day 

• Key points –

1. World Photography Day is a worldwide celebration of the science, history, art, and craft of photography.
2. August 19 marks the day when people share a passion for photography to raise awareness and share ideas about the field of photography.
3. This day is commemorated with an aim to encourage people who want to pursue photography as a hobby or career.

• History –

1. World Photography Day originated after the invention of the 'daguerreotype'. It is a photographic process developed in 1837 by Frenchmen Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce.
2. Two years later, on January 9, 1839, the French Academy of Sciences officially endorsed the daguerreotype. After seven months, the French government on August 19, 1839, announced that the invention of the daguerreotype was a gift to the world.
3. An Australian photographer, named Korske Ara introduced the World Photography Day Project in 2009 and a year later, on August 19, 2010, the first global online gallery of World Photography Day was organised.

• How to celebrate World Photography Day –

1. Those who are photographers or who believe that they have clicked some beautiful pictures can submit their photos on the portal of World Photography Day. Your photos may feature on the website.
2. Those who are photographers or who believe that they have clicked some beautiful pictures can submit their photos on the portal of World Photography Day. Your photos may feature on the website.

• [message]
• 10. FACTS, CHARTS, RANKINGS and EDITORIALS (Prelims + GS Mains)

10.1 Not Available Today

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• August 14, 2020 was the concluding day of ‘Atma Nirbharta Week’ (self-sufficiency week) observed by Defence ministry.
• The United Arab Emirates became the first Arab nation to launch a mission to Mars in July 20. It was launched by Japan.
• Valtteri Bottas won the season-opening Formula One Austrian Grand Prix at Spielberg in July 2020.
• The CCEA (Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs) on June 24, 2020 approved setting up of Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund.
• Kolkata port was renamed after Syama Prasad Mookerjee in June 2020.

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!

• [message]
• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

---

>