Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 19-10-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 19-10-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Covid-19 Updates – India past COVID peak - DST panel – India passed its COVID peak in Sept and, if current trends continue, there will be “minimal cases” by Feb 2021. These are the findings of a modelling study by a seven-member expert panel on the future course of the pandemic, commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology. According to the study, India’s COVID burden is expected to be capped at 106 lakh symptomatic infections by early next year, with less than 50,000 active cases from Dec 2020. There were over 75 lakh confirmed cases as of Oct 18, of which about 7,74,000 are active infections but this is premised on no spikes being triggered by festivals or mutations in the virus aiding its spread in winter. There would be no gains from lockdowns or from measures harsher than those in place now.
2. Economy – GST cess will stay - finance panel chief – Chairperson of the Fifteenth Finance Commission N.K. Singh has said that the levy of compensation cess on Goods and Services Tax (GST) may have to be extended for quite a few years, perhaps till as late as 2025-26, to pay off the States’ GST dues. The Commission’s report on the devolution of funds between the Centre and the States for the five-year period of 2021-22 till 2025-2026, will be submitted to the government soon. It will factor in unpaid compensation dues while working out States’ revenue flow calculations beyond 2022. Mr Singh asserted that the Centre has at no point backtracked from the fact that the States will get compensation for the first five years.
3. Elections in Covid times – Distancing norms of EC go for a toss in Bihar – India’s first full-fledged Assembly election amid the COVID-19 pandemic is under way in Bihar, and the Election Commission of India’s guidelines for campaigning are clearly being observed only in the breach. In indoor public meetings where the crowd is not to exceed 200 and social distancing of at least six feet is expected in rallies, the rules are visibly being violated. At Chapra, during a Janata Dal (United) meeting held by candidate Chandrika Rai (ex-father-in-law of Tej Pratap Yadav), the stage collapsed as there were too many people crowding it. In Gaya, the local administration has lodged an FIR against organisers of an event where BJP national president J.P. Nadda was present for violating social distancing norms. When Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Tejaswi and Tej Pratap Yadav filed their nomination papers, they too took out a mini-road show, violating norms.
4. India and its neighbourhood  – Pak likely to stay on FATF grey list: Official – Pakistan’s failure to fulfil six key obligations of the FATF, including action against two of India’s most wanted terrorists Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, and the sudden disappearance of more than 4,000 terrorists from its official list will most likely lead to its continuation in the ‘grey list’ of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. The virtual plenary of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), to be held on October 21-23, will take the final call on Pakistan’s continuation on its grey list after a thorough review of Islamabad’s performance in fulfilling the global commitments and standards in the fight against money laundering and terror financing. The FATF had given Pakistan a total of 27 action plan obligations for completely checking terror financing of which so far it has cleared 21 but has failed in some of the key tasks.
5. Social – ‘Not just income, use education and housing to define poverty’– The future definition of poverty line cannot be the subsistence level income required by an individual but will have to factor in living standards that encompass facilities like housing, education and sanitation among others, a working paper on poverty released by Union rural development ministry notes. Besides, the paper says that corona pandemic has “underscored the criticality of certain essentials — access to quality healthcare, education and awareness, water and sanitation facilities, adequate nutrition and the need for living spaces where social distancing can be practiced.” Interestingly, it says that World Bank has classified India as a lower middle-income country with poverty line at the consumption level of Rs 75 per person per day— a figure higher than India’s present marker.
6. US Presidential Elections – Trump slams anti-American radicals – President Trump stepped up attacks on the Democratic Party as he accused the “left” of trying to “destroy the American way of life” in a late re-election pitch to voters in Michigan and Wisconsin — two Midwestern states that were instrumental to his 2016 victory but may now be slipping from his grasp. In back-to-back rallies, Mr. Trump accused the “left” of wanting to “erase American history” and “purge American values.” He claimed, with no basis, that Democratic rival Joe Biden would put communities at risk. Mr. Trump offered the dark message as he faces headwinds not only in national polling, which shows Mr. Biden leading, but also in key battleground surveys. His comments come after his campaign, with far less cash than Mr. Biden’s, largely retreated from TV advertising in the Midwest, shifting much of its money to Sun Belt states such as Florida, North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia, as well as Pennsylvania.
7. India – Assam-Mizoram border tense after clash – Tension prevailed on the Assam-Mizoram border after a violent clash took place between the people of the two States. The situation is now under control in the area, which is on the border between the Kolasib district of Mizoram and Cachar district of Assam. A meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla between the two States will be held to take stock of the situation. The Chief Secretaries of the two States will be present in the meeting.
8. China – China passes law to safeguard national security, sensitive tech – China has passed a new law restricting sensitive exports to protect national security, a move that adds to policy tools it could wield against the U.S. as tensions — especially in technology — continue to rise. The law, which China’s top legislature passed, comes into effect on Dec 1 and allows Beijing to “take reciprocal measures” against countries that abuse export controls and pose a threat to national security. Technical data related to items covered will also be subject to export controls, according to the published text of the law. Beijing’s measure gives it more room to hit back in U.S. President Donald Trump’s war on Chinese tech firms, with the White House moving against popular platforms and major companies — including apps TikTok and WeChat, tech giant Huawei and chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.
9. World – Armenia, Azerbaijan report truce violations – Despite a second attempt at a ceasefire, Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations of violating the new truce in their conflict over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The latest truce, which was announced Oct 17 and took force at midnight, came after a week-old Russian-brokered ceasefire failed to halt heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces that broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept 27. The fighting and shelling has killed hundreds of people — both combatants and civilians — and marks the biggest escalation of a decades-old conflict over the region in more than a quarter-century. The recent fighting, involving heavy artillery, rockets and drones, has continued despite repeated calls for cessation of hostilities coming from around the globe. The escalation of fighting raises the spectre of a wider conflict that could draw in Russia and Turkey and threaten Caspian Sea energy exports.
10. World  – Thousands rally in Paris to pay tribute to beheaded teacher – Thousands of people rallied in central Paris in a defiant show of solidarity with a teacher beheaded for showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad. Demonstrators on the Place de la Republique held aloft posters declaring: “No to totalitarianism of thought” and “I am a teacher” in memory of murdered colleague Samuel Paty. Some in the crowd chanted “I am Samuel”, echoing the “I am Charlie” cry that travelled around the world after Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in 2015 for publishing caricatures of the Islamic prophet. Between bursts of applause, others recited: “Freedom of expression, freedom to teach.” Paty was brutally murdered on his way home from the school on Oct 16. Depictions of the Prophet are widely regarded as taboo in Islam.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Supreme Court of India	Supreme Court of India	7	Degree, PG	NOV-6-2020	https://main.sci.gov.in/pdf/recruitment/15102020_153235.pdf
2	Western Coalfields Ltd	Computer Operator & Programming Asst	6	ITI	NOV-24-2020	http://www.westerncoal.in/sites/default/files/userfiles/notice_HRD_50.pdf
3	MSME Tool Room, Hyd.	Stipendiary Trainee	10	B.Tech/ BE/ PGDM	NOV-31-2020	http://www.citdindia.org/images/pdfs/Vacancy-Circular-Stipendary-Trainees.pdf
4	National Inst. of Epidemiology	Project Jr Nurse, Project Scientist, Project Tech. Officer	9	ANM, Degree, PG, Ph.D	28-10, 3 & 4-11-2020 Walk in	http://nie.gov.in/images/careers/Adv_Oct_2020_-_13_174.pdf
5	ESIC Med. College & Hosp	Prof., Asst Prof., Asso. Professor	45	MD, MS, MDS, DNB	20-10-2020 – Walk in	https://www.esic.nic.in/attachments/recruitmentfile/0d65828ff3efefdb98e050dc69b9ad5b.pdf
6	Health & Family Welfare Dept, Chhattis.	Medical Officer	300	MBBS	OCT-31-2020	http://cghealth.nic.in/ehealth/2020/DHS/Adv-300-20_All_14102020.pdf
7	Supreme Court of India	Branch Officer & Junior Court Assistant	7	Degree, PG	NOV-11-2020	https://main.sci.gov.in/pdf/recruitment/15102020_153235.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 Weekly Round-up – Banking and Finance

 

• Digital payments rise at 55% CAGR by volume in five years to FY20: RBI data - The volume of digital payments has jumped manifold in the past five years, the latest data from the RBI showed. Between 2015-16 and 2019-20, digital payment volumes have grown at a compounded annual growth rate of 55.1 per cent - from 5.93 billion transactions in the year to March 2016 to 34.35 billion transactions in the year to March 2020. In value terms, they have grown from Rs 920.38 trillion to Rs 1,623.05 trillion during this period, clipping at an annual compounded rate of 15.2 per cent.
• Can’t extend loan moratorium as it may affect credit discipline: RBI to SC - The Reserve Bank of India, in an affidavit, filed before Supreme Court in the loan moratorium case, said that it would not be possible to give more time as a relief for sectors hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The Centre made it clear that further relief is not possible beyond waiver of interest-on-interest for certain categories of loan account having borrowing up to Rs 2 crore.
• RBI fixes sovereign gold bond issue price at Rs 5,051 per gram - The issue price for the sovereign gold bond has been fixed at Rs 5,051 per gram of gold, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement on October 9, 2020. The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2020-21-Series VII will be opened for subscription from October 12 to October 16. The minimum investment limit for Sovereign Gold Bond is 1 gram of gold, while the maximum limit of subscription is 4 kg for individual, 4 kg for HUF and 20 kg for trusts and similar entities, as notified by the government from time to time. The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option after completion of five years.
• RBI to move to NGTA for managing foreign exchange and gold reserves - In a bid to improve its functioning, the Reserve Bank has decided to move to the Next Generation Treasury Application (NGTA) for managing the country’s foreign exchange and gold reserves. NGTA would be a web-based application.  
• Indian Bank launches ‘MSME Prerana’ to support small businesses - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on October 6, 2020 launched Indian Bank’s mentoring programme in Chennai to support entrepreneurs across India in small businesses. Padmaja Chunduru, MD & CEO of Indian Bank, said ‘MSME Prerana’ gives inputs without jargon and in local languages.
• HDFC Bank and Apollo Hospitals launch The HealthyLife Programme - In a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, HDFC Bank and Apollo Hospitals have joined hands to launch The HealthyLife Programme, a holistic healthcare solution which makes healthy life accessible and affordable on Apollo’s digital platform, Apollo 24|7.
• Centre releases Rs. 100 coin to mark birth centenary of Vijaya Raje Scindia - The Union government released a commemorative coin of Rs 100 on October 12, 2020 to mark the birth centenary of Vijaya Raje Scindia. She was a Jana Sangh leader and one of the founding members of the BJP. She was born on October 12, 1919. Her daughter former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje and grandson Jyotiraditya Scindia (MP) are BJP leaders.
• 3 external members appointed to RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee - The government has appointed three external members to RBI’s panel that decides interest rates. The three new members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) -- Ashima Goyal, member of Economic Advisory Council of Prime Minister, Shashanka Bhide, senior advisor at National Council for Applied Economic Research and Jayanth Varma who is a professor in Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.  
• Dinesh Khara appointed Chairman of State Bank of India - The government on October 6, 2020 gave its nod to the Banks Board Bureau’s recommendation, thereby appointing Dinesh Khara as the Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI) - country’s largest public sector bank. Khara was one of the four Managing Directors at SBI.
• Government appoints Rajeshwar Rao as RBI Deputy Governor - The government said on October 7, 2020 that it has appointed Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Executive director Rajeshwar Rao as the deputy governor of the central bank. The position had been lying vacant after N.S. Vishwanathan retired on March 31.

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

3.1 India is home to 62 species of skinks

 

•  A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) reveals that India is home to 62 species of skinks and says about 57% of all the skinks found in India (33 species) are endemic.
• The publication, Skinks of India, was released earlier this month by Union Minister of State, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change Babul Supriyo.
• Other authors of the publication are Achyuthan Srikanthan from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and three other ZSI researchers — Sujoy Raha, Probhat Bag and Sudipta.
• The publication is a result of four years of work and study of over 4,000 specimens in all 16 regional centres of ZSI and also at the Bombay Natural History Society, Indian Institute of Science, Wildlife Institute of India, and the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology & Natural History.
• The book also gives a phylogenetic and bio-geographical analysis of distribution of these species in all the 11 bio-geographic zones of India and a detailed account on the historical studies on this group of lizards from the British era to the present.
• Skinks are highly alert, agile and fast moving and actively forage for a variety of insects and small invertebrates.
• The reduced limbs of certain skink species or the complete lack of them make their slithering movements resemble those of snakes, leading people to have incorrect notion that they are venomous. This results in several of these harmless creatures being killed.
• 1,602 species of skinks across the world, making it the largest family of lizards, their occurrence in India is less than 4 % of the global diversity.
• Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) – Founded – July 1, 1916; HQ – Kolkata; Director - Kailash Chandra.

 

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

4.1 Greece, Cyprus call for tougher EU response o Turkey’s natural gas exploration

 

Highlights –

• Greece and Cyprus have pushed for a tougher European Union response to Turkey’s natural gas exploration in the contested Mediterranean waters at an EU summit held on Oct 16.
  French President Emmanuel Macron said after the summit that leaders had reaffirmed support for Greece and Turkey, but were also open to talks with Ankara.
  This came after Ankara restarted operations of a survey ship it withdrew in September 2020.
  Two weeks after their last summit where leaders discussed economic sanctions, the EU has so far failed to persuade Ankara to stop exploring in waters disputed by Greece and Cyprus.
  Cyprus is frustrated that, in addition to the Turkish exploration ship off a Greek island, Turkey has sent another vessel to Cyprus’s economic zone to conduct seismic surveys.
  EU member Cyprus is also furious that Turkish Cypriot authorities have partially reopened the beach town of Varosha, a former resort area fenced off and abandoned in no-man’s land since a 1974 Turkish invasion that split the island.
  France and Germany have earlier said that Turkey must revise its stance and stop the explorations in the contested waters.

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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 – Accidents and Natural Disasters

• Tunisia: Wreck of 1917 French submarine found in Mediterranean Sea - Divers in Tunisia discovered a French submarine wreck from World War I, the Ariane, which was sunk by a German submarine in 1917. The craft was spotted off Cap Bon in the Mediterranean Sea.
• US: Hurricane Delta hits the states of Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi - Hurricane Delta made landfall in the US Gulf Coast leaving more than 700,000 homes and businesses without electricity across the states of Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Indian government approves 14th tranche of electoral bonds

 

Highlights –   

• Ahead of the Bihar election, the government has approved the 14th tranche of electoral bonds which will be open for sale between October 19 to October 28.
• The Election Commission of India (ECI) had accorded 'no objection' from the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) angle on October 15 with certain conditions.
• According to the ECI, no political functionary shall make any reference in this regard during any public speech or communication to the press or public in the constituencies going for poll; and the relevant provisions of Model Code of Conduct issued by the Election Commission shall be strictly followed.
• The three-phased Bihar election will be held on October 28, November 3 and November 7. Counting of votes will take place on November 10.
• Electoral bonds have been considered as an alternative to cash donations made to political parties as part of efforts to bring transparency in political funding.
• The sale of the first batch of electoral bonds took place from March 1-10, 2018.
• As per the scheme, electoral bonds can be purchased by a person who is a citizen of India or entities incorporated or established in India.
• Registered political parties that have secured at least 1 per cent of the votes polled in the last election of the Lok Sabha or legislative assembly are eligible to receive electoral bonds.
• SBI is the only authorised bank to issue such bonds.
• An electoral bond will be valid for 15 days from the date of issue. No payment would be made to any payee political party if the bond is deposited after expiry of the validity period.

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

8.1 International Day for Eradication of Poverty 2020 

 

Key points –

• Every year, October 17 is celebrated as the 'International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.'
• On this day people across the world spread the message of peace and love.
• As of 2020, around 1.89 billion people or nearly 36% of the world's population is living in extreme poverty.
• Nearly half of the population in developing countries have been living on less than $1.25 a day.
• What is poverty and how is it measured –
• Although poverty is often discussed in terms of dollar amounts, quality of life is also an important part of the conversation. A life of poverty is a life of struggle and deprivation.
• Children living in poverty lack access to quality education and don’t get enough nutrition, thus diminishing both their economic opportunities and life expectancy.
• Impoverished families often send their children to work, as a result, child labour becomes an increasingly difficult challenge to overcome.
• In impoverished countries many people lack access to clean water and sanitation, hence, many still die to preventable diseases due to unhygienic conditions of living.
• Historically, poverty was calculated based on a person’s income and how much he or she can buy with that income, but it is more holistic than that. Poverty data is measured by each country’s government, by conducting household surveys of their own population.

COVID-19 and Poverty –

• In impoverished countries many people lack access to clean water and sanitation, hence, many still die to preventable diseases due to unhygienic conditions of living.
• While the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unknown, the World Bank has estimated that an additional 88 million to 115 million people will fall into extreme poverty in 2020. With this, the global total will rise to as many as 150 million by 2021.

Theme 2020 –

• Acting together to achieve social and environmental justice for all.

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

9.1 Mercury-bound BepiColombo spacecraft’s first Venus fly-by

Highlights –

• BepiColombo, the spacecraft which is heading to Mercury passed Venus on Thursday (October 15). The European-Japanese probe managed to capture a black-and-white snapshot of Venus from a distance of 17,000 kilometres.
• BepiColombo is on a seven-year trip to Mercury. It was launched in October 2018.
• To complete its journey, the spacecraft needs nine ‘planetary gravity assists’ that would allow it to adjust its course on the way to the innermost planet of the solar system.
• The first of these ‘planetary gravity assists’ was recorded around Earth in April of this year while the second, around Venus, took place on Thursday (October 15).
• Its third such 'planetary gravity assist' will also be around Venus while the remaining six will be around Mercury itself.
• The BepiColombo probe has been described as one of its most challenging missions yet. The mission is estimated to cost USD 1.5 billion and is expected to reach Mercury by 2025.
• As per reports, once the BepiColombo spacecraft reaches Mercury, it will split in two. This will lead to the release of a European orbiter 'Bepi'. The orbiter will enter Mercury's inner orbit while the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's 'Mio' will continue to gather data from a distance.

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

10.1 Global Hunger Index 2020

 

 

Key points – 

• India has ranked 94 among 107 nations in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2020 and continues to be in the ‘serious’ hunger category.
• In 2019, India’s rank was 102 out of 117 countries.

Data analysis –

• The Global Hunger Index data showed that 14 per cent of India’s population was undernourished. The country also recorded a 37.4 per cent stunting rate among children under five and a wasting rate of 17.3 per cent. The under-five mortality rate stood at 3.7 per cent.
• The neighbouring Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan ranked higher than India in this year’s hunger index. While Bangladesh ranked 75, Myanmar and Pakistan are in the 78th and 88th position.
• 17 nations, including China, Belarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, bagged the top rank with GHI scores of less than five.

GHI –

• The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels.
• GHI scores are based on the values of four component indicators: undernourishment, child wasting, child stunting, and child mortality.
• Based on the values of the four indicators, the GHI determines hunger on a 100-point scale where 0 is the best possible score (no hunger) and 100 is the worst.
• Each country’s GHI score is classified by severity, from low to extremely alarming.

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Maharashtra has launched 'My Family-My Responsibility' initiative against Covid-19.
• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached assets worth ₹225.17 crore in a case of cheating against the Sree Kanva Souharda Co-Operative Credit Limited (SKSCCL), Karnataka.
• PM Modi in Sept 2020 launched ₹20,050 crore-Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana to boost production and exports in the fisheries sector.
• University of Oxford topped Times Higher Education’s (THE) World University Rankings 2021.
• SAARC nation Sri Lanka recently announced that it will scrap the 19th Amendment of the Constitution that curtailed powers of the President.

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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