Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-09-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 03-09-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Cyber Security – Govt. bans PUBG, WeChat Work, 116 other mobile apps – The government has banned 118 applications — a majority being Chinese, including popular ones such as PUBG, WeChat Work, Baidu, CamCard, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade and Alipay, stating that these were “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of State and public order”. This is in addition to the ban on 59 Chinese applications, including TikTok, Shareit, Mi Video Call, Club Factory and Cam Scanner, in June last. The announcement comes amid renewed tensions between India and China owing to the stand-off on the disputed boundary in Ladakh that has been on since May 2020.
2. COVID-19 – Maha’s 8L+ count beats 5th worst-hit country – Maharashtra reported its biggest single-day spike of 17,433 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday (September 2), taking its total to 8,25,739. On Tuesday, the state had added 15,765 fresh cases and 320 deaths, taking its tally to 8,08,306. The state took seven days to go from 7 lakh to 8 lakh cases. Maharashtra now has more cases than Peru (6,57,129 as on September 1), the fifth most-affected country. The state’s active cases crossed 2 lakh on Wednesday while the toll surpassed 25,000 with the addition of 292 deaths. The state toll of 25,195 accounts for 38% of deaths in India. Mumbai added 1,622 cases and 34 deaths on Wednesday, taking its count to 1,48,569, inching towards the 1.5 lakh mark, and its toll to 7,727.
3. Polity & Governance – Govt scraps question hour, draws oppn ire – Opposition parties cried foul over the Modi government’s decision to ‘scrap’ question hour during the monsoon session and many referred to it as a ‘death blow’ to democracy, though the government has agreed to the zero hour that usually allows parties to vent their views on current political events and also sees submission of adjournment notices. The government also clarified that unstarred questions —written questions—will be submitted to members. No “starred” questions—oral questions as follow-ups to the written queries—will be permitted during the question hour. Typically, ministers concerned reply to oral questions in the House. Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said the call to scrap it was taken after most opposition parties gave consent.
4. World – Navalny poisoned by nerve agent Novichok, says Germany – Tests carried out on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny showed that he was poisoned by a Novichok chemical nerve agent, the German government said on September 2, demanding explanations from Moscow. The government condemns this attack in the strongest terms. The Russian government is urgently requested to provide clarifications over the incident. Tests carried out by the German Army in consultation with the Charite hospital in Berlin, where Navalny is being treated, had found “unequivocal evidence of a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok family. Mr. Navalny, 44, fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month. He was initially treated in a local hospital before being flown to Berlin for treatment.
5. Study/Research – India registered 48 fatalities every hour last yr: NCRB data – India registered 48 accidental deaths every hour last year, which was marginally higher than 2018. Deaths caused due to traffic crashes, which include road and railway accidents, accounted for nearly 44% of the total 4.1 lakh accidental deaths, which exclude fatalities due to flood, avalanche, heat stroke and lightning. Cause-wise analysis of road accidents show that nearly 60% of the total accidents which caused 86,241 deaths were due to speeding. Dangerous, careless driving or overtaking claimed 42,557 lives. Road accidents had a major share of traffic crashes-related deaths at 1.6 lakh out of the total 1.8 lakh fatalities. The total road fatalities was around 1.5 lakh in 2018. The data also show that nearly 28,000 “railway accidents” claimed 24,619 lives and another 1,762 people died in “railway crossing accidents”. Maharashtra reported the highest number of accidental deaths (70,329), followed by MP (42,431) and UP (40,596).
6. Society – Suicides see 3.4% rise; at 38% Maha has max farmer deaths – The number of suicides in India, often called the suicide capital of the world, increased further by 3.4% from 1.34 lakh in 2018 to 1.39 lakh in 2019. The only silver lining was that the number of suicides by those engaged in the farm sector witnessed a marginal decline in 2019 as compared to 2018, with their share in the country’s 1.4 lakh suicides too falling to 7.4% from 7.7% during the corresponding period. As per the report on ‘Accidental Deaths & Suicides in India’ (ADSI) for the year 2019 released by NCRB, the rate of suicides (suicides per lakh of population) too went up from 10.2 to 10.4 in the corresponding period, with family problems, marriage-related issues and illnesses together accounting for 55% of the total suicides.
7. Business – India now in top 50 on global innovation list – India has been ranked 48th on the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020 among 131 economies, breaking into the top 50 countries for the first time. Moving up four positions from last year, three ‘clusters’ — Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai — feature in the top 100 science & technology hotspots, further endorsing India’s presence in the global innovation economy. High-income cou
8. World – UAE flights to ‘all nations’ can fly over Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow UAE flights to “all countries” to overfly the kingdom, days after allowing an Israeli aircraft to pass over en route to Abu Dhabi. Saudi Arabia has accepted an Emirati request to allow “crossing the kingdom’s airspace for flights heading to the UAE and departing from it to all countries”. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Monday’s (August 31) historic first commercial flight of an Israeli aircraft direct to the UAE across Saudi Arabia would not be the last. The announcements come after a U.S.-Israeli delegation visited Abu Dhabi on Monday, on the first direct commercial flight from Tel Aviv. Saudi Arabia has said it will not follow the UAE in establishing diplomatic ties with Israel until the Jewish state has signed a peace accord with the Palestinians.
9. Economy – GST mop-up dips by just 1% in Aug over previous month – GST collections dropped by under Rs 1,000 crore month-on-month to Rs 86,449 crore in August. Although the mop-up in August was 12% lower than a year ago, the pace of decline was a little slower from the 14% registered in July, indicating that economic activity is stabilising. The improvement seemed to be visible also in the fact that, excluding imports, there were at least six states — Nagaland, J&K, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and UP — which reported an increase in collections till August, compared to three at the end of the previous month. Among them, Nagaland reported a 17% increase.
10. COVID-19 – In a global 1st, India sees 83k cases in a day – India recorded its biggest single-day surge in Covid infections by adding 83,029 fresh cases on Wednesday (September 2), crossing the 83,000 mark for the first time. This is the third time India has crossed the 80,000-mark and worryingly, the three peaks came in the last four days, pointing at the rapid spread of Covid. No other country has come close to the 83,000-mark in a day, with US earlier setting a record with 77,255 cases on July 16. With 1,023 fresh deaths, India’s cumulative toll reached 67,415. Maharashtra alone accounts for 37% of the total national casualties.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	NLC India Limited	Apprentice	675	ITI, B.Com, B.Sc (CS)/ BCA	SEPT-20-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/nlc/12180/#Apprentice
2	NIMR	JRF, SRF, MTS, DEO, Project Asst, Lab Tech.	41	12th Class, Degree, PG	15, 16 & 17-09-2020	https://nimr.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Advertisement_for_Walk-in-interview.pdf
3	Oil India Limited	Geophysicist, Fire Service Officer	15	B.E/ B.Tech (Fire Engg), M.Sc	21 & 22-09-2020	http://www.oil-india.com/Document/Career/Walk%20-in-%20Interview%20for%20Engagement%20of%20Geophysicist%20and%20Fire%20Service%20Officer%20on%20contract%20for%20KGB%20and%20BEP%20Project.pdf
4	NBFGR	Young Professional-II, Sr Research Fellow	8	M.F.Sc, PG Degree/ PG Di	SEPT-11-2020	--
5	CSMCRI	Project Associate- I, Senior Project Asso.	14	B.E./B.Tech (CE), M.Sc.	SEPT-21-2020	https://www.csmcri.res.in/jobs/project-associate-i-and-ii-senior-project-associate
6	DHFWS, Kurnool	Counsellor, TB-HV, Stat. Asst, Lab Tech.	11	10+2, BA, DMLT	SEPT-5-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s37f24d240521d99071c93af3917215ef7/uploads/2020/09/2020090165.pdf
7	BISCOMAUN	Jr Engineer, Asst Manager, Office Exe.	275	10+2, Dip (Civil), BCA	SEPT-28-2020	https://hirings.org.in/BISCOMAUN%20RECRUITMENT%20NOTIFICATION.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 Weekly Round-up  

• Students vs UGC – SC refuses prayer to quash UGC guiedlines to hold exams, states may approach UGC to postpone exams citing COVID-19 - SC. Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M. R. Shah
• SC fails to get an apology from Prashant Bhushan in contempt case for two of his Tweets; reserve order.    
• Is sub-classfication permissible within SC-ST reservation? SC 5 judge bench refers matter to larger bench; says ‘EV Chinnaiah’ decision needs reconsideration. Justices Arun Mishra, Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, M. R. Shah and Aniruddha Bose.
• NEET-JEE: Ministers from six states file review in SC against  dismisal of pleas to postpone exams. Justices Arun Mishra, B. R. Gavai and Krishna Murari
• COVID-19 not a ground to postpone elections: SC dismisses petitions to defer Bihar polls. Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M. R. Shah
• “Happened because you lockdown the entire country” SC pulls up centre for not clarifying stand on interest during moratorium. Justices Ashok Bhushan, R. Subhash Reddy and M. R. Shah
• Syed Kalbe Jawad vs Union of India: SC refuses permission to hold Muharram procession; says possibility of entire community being targeted for spreading virus; pan India general direction cannot be issues.
• SC refuses to entertain plea against Madras HC DB stay on order restarting Patanjali Ayurved from using ‘Coronil’ trademark. CJI S. A. Bobde, Justices A. S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian.
• Usha shetty seeks contempt under section 15 of contempt of court’s Act after Attorney Genral’s refusal to grant consent to initiate contempt against Swara Bhaskar, Solicitor General declines consent too.

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

2.1 Not Available Today

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

3.1 CSIR-CMERI develops world’s largest solar tree

• Key point – 

1. In a bid to promote the usage of Solar energy, CSIR’s Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute have developed world’s largest 'solar tree' which is installed at its residential complex in Durgapur in West Bengal. 

• Important details –

1. The solar tree has been designed in a manner to ensure maximum exposure of each solar photovoltaic (PV) panel to sunlight and also creation of the least amount of shadow area beneath.
2. The installed capacity of the Solar Tree is above 11.5 kWp (kilowatts peak). It has the annual capacity to generate 12,000-14,000 units of Clean and Green Power. There are a total of 35 Solar PV Panels in each tree with a capacity of 330 wp (watts peak) each.
3. Each Solar Tree has the potential to save 10-12 tons of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere as Greenhouse Gases when compared with fossil fuel fired energy generation.
4. Besides, the surplus generated power can be fed into an Energy Grid.
5. Each Solar Tree can cost Rs 7.5 lakhs and can be a boon for rural economy as it can be aligned with the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evem Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM KUSUM) Scheme for farmers, for developing a Renewable Energy based Energy Grid.
6. Each solar trees can be customized for widespread usage in agricultural activities.
7. The solar tree has the capability to incorporate IOT based features, i.e. round-the-clock CCTV surveillance in agricultural fields, real-time humidity, wind speed, rainfall prediction and soil analytics sensors.
8. The institute has also developed solar powered e-Suvidha Kiosks may also be connected to the Solar Trees for real-time access to the vast majority of agricultural database as well as to the eNAM i.e. National Agricultural Market Place for instant and real-time access to an unified online market.
9. Solar Tree is a Quantum leap towards making an energy reliant and carbon negative India.

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

4.1 Indian-origin Pritam Singh formally recognised as first leader of opposition in Singapore

• Key point –

1. Pritam Singh, who became Singapore’s first Indian-origin Leader of the Opposition (LO) in July General Election, scripted history on August 31 as Parliament conferred the duties and privileges to him.

• Highlights –

1. According to reports, Singh’s Worker’s Party had won 10 parliamentary seats out of the 93 it contested, making it the biggest opposition presence in Singapore’s parliamentary history.
2. On Monday (August 31), as the House began proceedings, Singh was formally recognised as the country’s first Opposition leader.
3. Now that Singh is an officeholder, the House passed a motion to double his speaking time from 20 minutes to 40 minutes.
4. In the chamber, the 43-year-old leader took the seat directly opposite Singapore’s PM Lee, a practice similar in other countries that formally recognises the role of the Leader of the Opposition.
5. While there have been de facto leaders of the Opposition, it was noted that this was the first time that the position is being recognised officially.

• Pritam Singh’s duties –

1. Singh will now be given an office in Parliament, staff support and resources, as well as additional allowance.
2. The Leader of the Opposition will generally be given the right to first response among MPs to ask the lead the question to ministers on policies, bills and motions in Parliament. This will, however, be at the discretion of the Speaker and subject to existing conventions.
3. Moreover, Singh’s duties include leading and organising the Opposition’s parliamentary business.
4. He may also take on other duties such as attending state functions and taking part in visits and meetings with members of the Government and the public service.
5. From time to time, he will also reportedly receive briefings by the government on confidential issues and the matters to be briefed will be determined by the government.

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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 – International Relations

• Round Table of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) held - The Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Foreign Ministry of Thailand organized the 6th Round Table of ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks (AINTT) on August 20-21, 2020. The theme of the 2-day Round Table, which was conducted through video conferencing, was ‘ASEAN-India: Strengthening Partnership in the Post COVID Era’.
• The Round Table was jointly inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand Don Pramudwinai on August 20. ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi also addressed the inaugural session. More than 400 people from academia, industry, government and diplomatic community attended the Round Table.
• The ASEAN-India Round Table comprising think tanks, policy makers, scholars, media and business representatives was established at the 7th ASEAN-India Summit in Thailand in 2009 to provide policy inputs to Governments on future direction of cooperation.
• India, Israel sign cultural agreement to further boost people-to-people ties - India and Israel signed a cultural agreement that outlines a three-year programme of cooperation to promote greater people-to-people exchanges. The agreement was signed by Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and India’s Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla, at the foreign ministry in Jerusalem. 

• The major areas of cooperation identified to promote cultural ties include the exchange of culture and art experts, encouraging cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage and archaeology with the help of Israel Antiquities Authority (IIA) and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and organising literary fests and book fairs while promoting the translation of famous works in each other’s languages.
• It also includes student exchanges through scholarships, encouraging the participation of films and film-makers in each other’s international film festivals, devising youth exchange programmes and encouraging sports-related interaction among youth.
• India 5th largest ‘requestor’ among countries for removing content on Twitter - India was the fifth largest ‘requestor’ among countries for removing content on Twitter and Periscope during July-December 2019 behind Japan, Russia, Turkey and South Korea. The microblogging platform’s latest transparency report revealed data on matters such as legal demands on content removal made by countries and account information requests received from government and law enforcement agencies.
• 5th World Conference of Speakers of Parliament held on August 19-20 - Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the inaugural ceremony of the Fifth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament (5WCSP) organised jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Geneva and the Parliament of Austria with the support of the United Nations (UN) on August 19-20, 2020.
• Bangladesh PM discusses 2-year road map with Indian Foreign Secretary - India and Bangladesh on August 18, 2020 discussed a two-year road map for bilateral ties. The discussion was held during a meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla who was on a two-day visit to capital Dhaka.
• Supply Chain Resilience Initiative initiated by India, Japan, Australia - India, Japan and Australia have begun discussions on launching a trilateral Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI) to reduce dependency on China, necessitated by Beijing’s aggressive political and military behaviour. The initiative, first proposed by Japan, is now taking shape.
• Nepal, India hold talks on progress made on various India-aided projects - India and Nepal on August 17, 2020 held a virtual meeting to review the progress made on various India-aided developmental projects being implemented in the Himalayan nation. Nepalese Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra led the delegations representing their respective countries.   
• UK launches £3 mn innovation challenge in India to tackle Covid-19 pandemic - The UK government has launched a £3 million innovation challenge fund in India to find solutions to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. The fund has invited tech innovators with connections to the AI-Data cluster in Karnataka and the future mobility cluster in Maharashtra to submit R&D proposals for tackling Covid-19 or which promote a greener planet.
• US Senate condemns China’s aggression against India, calls for diplomacy - A bipartisan US Senate resolution has condemned China’s use of military force to change the status quo at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India and called for a diplomatic solution to the issue. Indian and Chinese troops have been locked in a bitter standoff in several areas along LAC in eastern Ladakh since May 5. The situation deteriorated after the June 15 Galwan Valley clashes in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, 30 August

• Key point –

1. The International Day of the Disappeared, on August 30 of each year, is a day created to draw attention to the fate of individuals imprisoned at places and under poor conditions unknown to their relatives and/or legal representatives.
2. Each year the UN and Amnesty International join forces to raise awareness for victims of enforced disappearances. Many activists share stories of missing friends and relatives. Through the media and public events, these activists share how enforced disappearances affect their lives and their communities.

• Cause of concern –

1. There is cause for alarm. The sheer number of people who become victims of enforced disappearances dictates it. Involuntary disappearances are often the result of false arrests and abductions.
2. After being arrested, the captors often imprison their victims in places under poor conditions. Some of them are stranded in foreign countries or hospitalized.
3. Specific groups of people are especially vulnerable. These include children and people with disabilities.
4. Other targets include human rights defenders and lawyers. During the investigation of such disappearances, witnesses are often harassed or intimidated. Some of the witnesses disappear as well.
5. The perpetrators of enforced disappearances often use it as a tool to spread terror in the immediate society.
6. In the country of Kosovo alone, more than 6,000 persons have been missing as a result of enforced disappearances since 1999. Another area of concern is Iran. There, thousands of political dissidents are believed to be either missing or dead as a result of the 1988 prison massacres in that country.
7. Iranian authorities are still concealing their fates and whereabouts. As a result, family members of the missing continue to live out the ongoing nightmare.
8. Other countries where enforced disappearances happen include Syria, Sri Lanka, Argentina, and Zimbabwe. Through the years, the total number of missing people from these four countries has reached over 200,000.

• History –

1. In 2007, activists and family members of victims of enforced disappearances in the Philippines declared August 30th as the International Day of the Disappeared.
2. One year later, the International Coalition against Enforced Disappearances joined hands for a global campaign.
3. On December 21, 2010, the United Nations expressed its concern over the increasing numbers of involuntary disappearances throughout the world.
4. In 2011 during the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, the UN declared August 30th of each year to be International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearance.

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

8.1 September to be observed as ‘Nutrition Month’: PM Modi

•  Key point – 

1. September would be celebrated as the nutrition month and schools should have not just report cards but also nutrition cards and nutrition monitors along with class monitors, OM Modi said on Sunday (August 30).  

• PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat–

1. In his monthly radio broadcast “Mann Ki Baat”, the PM also called on teachers to involve students in finding out the stories of the unsung heroes of the country’s freedom struggle.
2. In this campaign towards nutrition, the participation of the public is important; attempts were being made to spread its awareness.
3. Modi said a Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh was being developed to provide information about food produced in every district of the country.
4. School students could be involved in spreading information about the unsung heroes of Independence and this should be the central theme of this year’s Teachers’ Day programme on September 5.
5. The PM pointed out that this time of the year is usually festive, but the situation is different this year because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
6. He said there has been unprecedented restraint and simplicity in festivals this year. He said many Indian festivals celebrate nature and cited the Bihar’s Tharu tribe as its worshipper and also Onam, a harvest festival, in Kerala.
7. Modi lauded farmers because the sowing of kharif crops had seen an uptick, as compared to last year, despite the Covid-19 outbreak.
8. The PM said he had held talks with various ministries on how students and children should spend their time during nationwide lockdown restrictions that were enforced from March 25 for 68 days in a bid to prevent the spread of the pandemic.
9. He urged India to emerge as a hub for toy production. The global toy industry is over Rs7 lakh crore, but the nation’s share is insignificant and India would need to increase it.
10. Some areas are being developed as toy clusters, he said. The best toys are those that encourage the creativity of children, he said. He suggested start-ups to produce local toys.
11. The PM also emphasised on making progress in the gaming industry. At present, most of the games are based on foreign themes. Make games in India and also about India, he said.
12. He also singled out the role played by two Indian Army dogs – Sofi and Vida – who were feted for protecting the country. He said dogs of Indian breeds were being inducted in Indian armed forces and urged the public to adopt them as pets.

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

9.1 Weekly Round-up

• Govt. launches contest to develop tech products using Indian microprocessors - IIT Madras and Center for Development of Advance Computing (CDAC) have developed two microprocessors named SHAKTI (32 bit) and VEGA (64 bit) under the aegis of Microprocessor Development Programme of Ministry of Electronics and IT. Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the ‘Swadeshi Microprocessor Challenge - Innovate Solutions for AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ that invites innovators, startups and students to use SHAKTI and VEGA to develop various technology products. Under the Challenge, 100 shortlisted companies will win a grant of total Rs 1 crore, while 25 finalists will win Rs. 1 crore each. The top 10 teams entering the finale will get the seed fund of total Rs 2.30 crore and 12 months of incubation support.
• SCTIMST & IIT Madras start-up set up portable hospital infrastructure for COVID - Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in collaboration with ‘Modulus Housing’, a start-up incubated by IIT Madras, has set up portable hospital infrastructure for COVID -19. It can be easily transported and erected in just two hours with the help of four persons.
• Chandrayaan-2 completes a year around Moon: ISRO - India’s second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 completed one year in orbit around the moon on August 20, 2020 and all instruments are currently performing well and there is adequate onboard fuel to keep it operational for about seven more years, space agency ISRO said. Chandrayaan-2 was launched on July 22, 2019 and inserted into the lunar orbit on August 20, 2019.

 

• Woolly flying squirrel, considered extinct 70 years ago, spotted in Uttarakhand - Woolly flying squirrel, that was thought to be extinct some seventy years back, was spotted at Gangotri National Park in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, informed Forest Research Institute, Dehradun on August 17, 2020. This squirrel uses its furry claws as a parachute to fly. 

 

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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 -

• RBI announced that it will introduce a mechanism of Positive Pay for cheques above Rs 50,000 to reduce instances of frauds occurring on account of tampering of cheque leaves.
• Ministry of Education is the new name of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• The Indian Navy on August 13, 2020 inked a deal with the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority to set up a “centre of excellence” in the state’s defence corridor.
• Mahinda Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s PM in Aug 2020.
• A tripartite MOU was signed between TRIFED, IIT Delhi and Vijnana Bharati in July 2020 to introduce tribals to newer processing technologies, product innovation and mentorship.

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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