Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 20-10-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 20-10-2020

• [message]
• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Covid-19 Updates – Pandals become no-entry zones – According to the Calcutta High Court ordere, no visitors will be allowed inside Durga puja pandals across West Bengal, and the puja mandap will be treated as a “containment zone” this year. A Division Bench of Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Arijit Banerjee said only organisers of the puja committees can enter the pandals in numbers ranging from 15 to 25. Hearing a public interest litigation petition on the issue of Durga pujas being allowed in the State during the COVID-19 pandemic, the court observed that the police does not have enough resources to control the crowd if people descend on the streets. The court also directed that the names of the puja organisers allowed inside the pandal be displayed outside the pandal, and this cannot be changed every day. The order assumes significance as about 37,000 Durga pujas are being organised across the State, despite warnings from doctors that crowding during the festival can worsen the pandemic.
2. Defence – Chinese soldier who strayed across LAC held in Ladakh – A Chinese soldier was apprehended in the Demchok sector in eastern Ladakh after he strayed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier has been identified as corporal Wang Ya Long. As per established protocols, he will be returned to Chinese officials at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point after the completion of formalities. An official source said that as per procedure, there would be interrogation on the circumstances of the crossing, and also a medical examination. Both countries have deployed thousands of troops and equipment along the LAC since the beginning of the stand-off in May after PLA troops made ingress at several locations in eastern Ladakh.
3. Constitution and Law – HC asks Zee News to disclose source of report on Delhi riots – The Delhi High Court directed Zee Media Corporation Limited to submit an affidavit disclosing the source of its news report on an alleged disclosure statement of a Jamia Millia Islamia student, Asif Iqbal Tanha, who was arrested in a case related to the February riots. Justice Vibhu Bakhru questioned how Zee News got the documents, which even the accused did not have. The judge remarked that the officers who have taken out (documents) are going to face vigilance inquiry. 19(1)(a) is not an unrivalled right in our country that has no limitations. The court also declined the plea of advocate Vijay Aggarwal, appearing for Zee News, who argued that pressing for disclosure of source would amount to interfering with the freedom of press.
4. Covid-19 Updates – Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Odisha lead slowdown in Covid cases – In the 30 days since Covid-19 cases peaked in India, the growth rate of infections has more than halved - from 92% in the month prior to Sept 18 to 42% since then thanks to declining numbers in the worst-affected regions and turnarounds in many other states. Chhattisgarh has seen the sharpest fall of 291 percentage points (pp)—97% growth rate now, compared to 388% during August 18-September 18—followed by Punjab (-132pp) and Odisha (-109pp). Among the 4 worsthit states, AP had the sharpest drop in growth rate (-70pp).
5. International Relations – India ranks second in migration to OECD nations and getting their citizenship – India has emerged as the second largest source country both in terms of the ‘total’ inflow of new migrants to OECD countries during 2018 and as regards the number of Indians acquiring citizenship of these countries. While China continued to retain its top slot (for over a decade) as the largest source country of new immigrants, India replaced Romania as source country at second spot. During 2018, about 4.3 lakh Chinese migrated to the 37-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, accounting for nearly 6.5% of the total migration inflows. However, there was a slight decline of 1% over the previous year. On the other hand, immigration from India to OECD spiked by 10% to 3.3 lakh. Migration from India represents about 5% of the overall migration to OECD countries.
6. Education – 61 of 100 JEE toppers choose IIT-B, 30 Delhi – The top 100 JEE rankers seem to have made two clear choices: IIT Bombay, where 61 of them blocked a seat, and IIT Delhi, which 30 others picked. Seven signed up for IIT Madras while two, Chirag Falor (rank 1) and Muhender Raj (4), have chosen to pursue education in the US. Options exercised by the top 100 rankers show Kharagpur and Kanpur, once considered amongst the best, have dropped in popularity. Last year, 64 of the top 100 opted for IIT-Bombay and 33 Delhi. About 30 years ago, IIT-Kharagpur was the pre-eminent centre for engineering. The oldest of the IITs, it did not receive a single student from the top 100 this year.
7. India and its neighbourhood – Sharif’s son-in-law arrested in Pak a day after opposition rally – Pakistani police arrested the son-in-law of the country’s exiled former premier Nawaz Sharif after he led a crowd in chanting against the military at the tomb of the country’s founder. The arrest of Muhammad Safdar comes after Mr. Sharif’s akistan Muslim League (PML-N) joined a series of nationwide protests against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. His arrest drew condemnation from the Opposition, which said authorities wanted to target Mr. Sharif’s family. Police detained Mr. Safdar at a Karachi hotel room where he was staying with his wife Maryam Nawaz, who addressed a large anti-government rally.
8. World – Thailand to probe media outlets as thousand again defy protest ban – Thailand’s embattled premier called for a special session of Parliament as protesters planned more rallies to demand his resignation, the release of jailed activists, and reforms to the monarchy. Tens of thousands of mostly young protesters have taken to the streets in the past week in defiance of an emergency decree banning gatherings of more than four people. Police said around 20,000 people protested across the capital, although activists and local media estimated much bigger crowds. As they prepared to rally again on Monday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said Parliament — currently in recess — would be recalled to discuss how to reduce tensions.
9. US Presidential Elections – Candidates woo voters in key States as election day looms – With just over a fortnight to go until Election Day, U.S. President Donald Trump and his opponent Democratic nominee Joe Biden continued to woo voters in ‘battleground states’. However, the commonalities mostly stopped there — the two candidates delivered sharply contrasting messages on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. economy and questions of policing and racial justice. Mr. Biden held a drive-in campaign event in Durham, North Carolina, while Mr. Trump flew to a rally in Sun City, Nevada, after campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan.
10. Economy  – China GDP growth accelerates to 4.9% – China’s economic growth continued to gain momentum in the third quarter, with the GDP expanding 4.9% from a year earlier in the July-September period. The pace of expansion was faster than the preceding quarter’s 3.2% and underlined the rebound in the world’s second-largest economy at a time when other major economies are struggling to recover from contractions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns to combat it. Growth was, however, slower than the 5.2% pace forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll. The IMF has forecast China’s economy will expand by 1.9% in 2020, making it the only major economy to register growth in a pandemic-hit year.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Northern Coalfields Ltd	Apprentice	480	10th, 12th Class	NOV-15-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/ncl-singrauli/28732/#Apprentice2020
2	SPMCIL	Asst Manager	16	Degree (Engg, Law), MBA	NOV-18-2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/10/Notification-SPMCIL-Asst-Manager-Posts.pdf
3	NSIC	General Manager	7	Degree(Engg, Law), MBA, CA/ ICWA	NOV-9-2020	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/10/Notification-NSIC-General-Manager-Posts.pdf
4	National School of Drama	Librarian, Asst Director, LDU, UDC & Other	26	10th, 10+2, Diploma/ Degree, PG	NOV-6-2020	https://recruitment.nsd.gov.in/2020/Posts-Details.pdf
5	IIT, Hyderabad	Work Inspector (Civil, Electrical)	10	Diploma, B.E/ B.Tech	NOV-5-2020	https://project.recruitment.iith.ac.in/advt/Advertisement-cmd-2020.pdf
6	ESIC Model & Super Speciality Hospital, Kollam	Full/ Part Time Specialist, Super Specialist, Sr Resident	20	PG Degree/ Diploma, DM/ MCh	NOV-3-2020	https://www.esic.nic.in/attachments/recruitmentfile/0c0c78d85c1149811dd406821f962082.pdf
7	NEIGRIHMS	Project Manager, Research Fellow & Other	10	12th Class, Degree, PG	04 & 05-11-2020 – Walk in	http://neigrihms.gov.in/Latest%20News/Other/2020/Advertisement%20for%20the%20Walk%20in%20interview%20for%20BIRAC%20project.pdf

 

• [message]
• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

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

1.1 Not Available Today

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

2.1 Not Available Today

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

3.1 Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has allowed use of H-CNG (18% mix of hydrogen) in CNG engines

 

• A notification for amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, for inclusion of H-CNG as an automotive fuel has already been published. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has also developed specifications (IS 17314:2019) of Hydrogen enriched Compressed Natural Gas (H-CNG) for automotive purposes, as a fuel. The blending of hydrogen with CNG provides a blended gas termed as HCNG. It can be used in place of gasoline, diesel fuel and propane (C3H8) / LPG and its combustion produces fewer undesirable gases.
• Advantages of HCNG - HCNG reduces emissions of CO up to 70%. Enables up to 5 % savings in fuel. First step towards future Hydrogen economy. Engines can be calibrated to release lower amounts of NO. Engines need minimum modification to run on HCNG. Ideal fuel for high load applications and heavy-duty vehicles. Better performance due to higher Octane rating of H2.
• Disadvantages of using HCNG - Determining the most optimized H2/ NG (Natural Gas) ratio. It requires new infrastructures for preparing HCNG. Many steps need to be taken for commercializing it at a large scale. Current cost of H2 is more than the cost of Natural Gas. So, HCNG’s cost is more than CNG.

3.2 Neuro-toxins in water produced by cyanobacteria killed more than 300 African elephants in the Okavango delta region, Botswana, South Africa

 

 

• Cyanobacteria - They are blue-green algae. They are found naturally in soils and all types of water. These organisms use sunlight to make their own food. In warm, nutrient-rich (high in phosphorus and nitrogen) environments, cyanobacteria can multiply quickly. Toxic blue-green algae are occurring more frequently as climate change drives up global temperatures.
• The African elephant - It is the largest animal walking the Earth. Their herds wander through 37 countries in Africa. IUCN Status: Vulnerable. African elephants in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe: CITES Appendix II.
• Botswana - It is a landlocked country of southern Africa. The semi-arid Kalahari Desert covers about 70% of Botswana’s surface. It is home to mostly different types of acacia trees; animals like lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, antelopes, meerkats, as well as many birds species and reptiles. It is also home to the tribes like- San people (Bushmen), Tswana, Kgalakgadi, and Herero people.
  

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

4.1 SLINEX-20

 

 

Highlights –

• The Eigth edition of the annual Indian Navy (IN) - Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) bilateral maritime exercise SLINEX-20 is scheduled off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka from October 19 to 21.
• The Sri Lanka Navy will be represented by SLN Ships Sayura (Offshore Patrol Vessel) and Gajabahu(Training Ship) led by Rear Admiral Bandara Jayathilaka, the Flag Officer Commanding Naval Fleet, Sri Lanka Navy.
• Indigenously built ASW corvettes Kamorta and Kiltan under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, will represent the Indian Navy.
• In addition, Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Chetak helicopter embarked onboard IN ships, and Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft will also be participating.
• The previous edition of SLINEX was conducted off Visakhapatnam in September 2019.
• SLINEX-20 aims to enhance inter-operability, improve mutual understanding and exchange best practices and procedures for multi-faceted maritime operations between both navies.
• SLINEX series of exercise focuses on the deep engagement between India and Sri Lanka which has strengthened mutual cooperation in the maritime domain.
• The exercise is being conducted in a non-contact ‘at-sea-only’ format in the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic, the Defence Ministry added.

4.2 Iran is free from travel, arms embargo now

 

 

Highlights –

• The Iranian government has announced that the UN Security Councils (UNSC) arms embargo against Tehran has been terminated in line with the 2015 landmark nuclear deal.
• The longstanding UN ban on the sale of arms from/to Iran is terminated under the terms of the UNSC Resolution 2231.
• The government has said that as of October 18, the Islamic Republic may procure any necessary arms and equipment from any source without any legal restrictions, and solely based on its defensive needs, and may also export defensive armaments based on its own policies.
• The government has made it clear that "the lifting of arms restrictions and the travel ban were designed to be automatic with no other action required".
• On August 14, US President Donald Trump's administration failed to renew the Iranian arms embargo through a resolution at the UNSC. Russia and China voted against the motion and the remaining 11 council members, including France, Germany and the UK, abstained.

• [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 – Arts and Culture

 

• Online lecture series to mark the centenary of the discovery of the Harappan civilization at Mohenjo-Daro - The India Study Centre Trust (core focus in the fields of archaeology, geology and biodiversity) in collaboration with the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Maharashtra, organised it from Oct 5, 2020.
• Harappan civilization is also known as Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) for being situated on and around the banks of the Indus river flourished around 2,500 BCE in the western part of South Asia, in contemporary Pakistan, western India and parts of Afghanistan. It was home to the largest of the four ancient urban civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China. In the 1920s, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) carried out excavations in the Indus valley wherein the ruins of the two old cities, viz. Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were unearthed.

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

7.1 India test-fires naval version of BrahMos missile

 

 

Highlights –   

• A naval version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile has been successfully test-fired from an indigenously built stealth destroyer of the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea.
• The missile has been fired from INS Chennai, a stealth destroyer, and it hit the target with pin-point accuracy after performing “extremely complex” manoeuvres.
• BrahMos Aerospace, an India-Russia joint venture, produces the supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or from land platforms.
• In the last few weeks, India has test fired a number of missiles including a new version of the surface-to-surface supersonic cruise missile BrahMos and anti-radiation missile Rudram-1.
• India has also carried out successful test firing of a laser guided anti-tank guided missile and nuclear capable hypersonic missile ‘Shaurya’.
• The successful test firing of Rudram-1 is seen as a major milestone as it is India’s first indigenously developed anti-radiation weapon.
• The flight testing of the missiles came in the midst of India’s bitter border row with China in eastern Ladakh.
• In May 2019, the Indian Air Force successfully test fired the aerial version of the BrahMos missile from a Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft.
• On September 30, India successfully test fired a new version of the surface-to-surface version of the BrahMos.
• The range of the new land attack version of the missile has been extended to 400 km from the original 290 km.
• India has already deployed a sizeable number of the original BrahMos missiles and other key assets in several strategic locations along the de-facto border with China in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.

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

8.1 Yoga event of officials from member States of SCO in Beijing

 

Key points –

• Indian Embassy organised a yoga event which was attended by the officials from the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisations in Beijing.
• This event marks the beginning of India's Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in 2020.
• India will be hosting the meeting of SCO Premieres on November 30, 2020.

Important details –

• The SCO is comprised of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
• Diplomats from all the SCO countries, including Pakistan, took part in the cultural events which included a demonstration of Chinese martial art Tai Chi and cultural events of member countries besides Yoga.
• The SCO events are assuming significance as the virtual summit of the SCO Heads of the State being hosted by Russia is scheduled to be held on November 10 in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to take part.

Theme 2020 –

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

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

9.1 Not Available Today

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

10.1 Asia Power Index 2020

 

Key points – 

• China is closing in on the U.S. as the most powerful country influencing the Asia-Pacific, as America’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic tarnishes its reputation.
• The index measures power using 128 indicators including economic relations, defence spending, internal stability, information flows and projected future resources.

The report –

• China is closing in on the U.S. as the most powerful country influencing the Asia-Pacific, as America’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic tarnishes its reputation.
• While America retained its place as the region’s top superpower, its 10-point lead on China two years ago has been halved, according to the Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index for 2020, which ranks 26 nations and territories.
• The U.S. “lost prestige” due to its poor response to the pandemic, multiple trade disputes and President Donald Trump’s moves to withdraw from multilateral deals and agencies.
• The U.S. economy could take until 2024 to recover to pre-pandemic levels. In contrast, China’s economy has rebounded from the virus and is the only large economy forecast to recover in 2020. This could give it an advantage against neighbours over the next decade.
• China stayed firmly in second place for the third year running, despite seeing a “crucial fall” in diplomatic clout after facing accusations of withholding information about the severity of the Wuhan outbreak.
• India, the fourth most powerful nation on the index after Japan, lost economic growth potential in the pandemic and is also ceding strategic ground to Beijing.
• Lowy estimates that India will reach 40% of China’s economic output by 2030, compared with the 50% estimate last year.
• As many as 347.4 million people in the Asia-Pacific region could fall below the $5.5 a day poverty line because of the pandemic.
• Overall, Asia’s economy now faces a perfect storm of public health, economic and strategic challenges due to the pandemic.
• Third-placed Japan has been described as a “smart power” for using limited resources to wield broad influence in the region, gained the most points in terms of its defence diplomacy — which spans a country’s defense dialogues to joint military exercises and procurement of arms — overtaking South Korea on this measure.
• Russia, Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia round out the top 10.
• Taiwan was among the few places to gain relative power this year, alongside Australia and Vietnam.
• Australia climbed by one spot to 6th, overtaking South Korea.
• Apart from the U.S., Russia and Malaysia posted the biggest losses on the index.
• To download complete pdf vist here - https://power.lowyinstitute.org/downloads/lowy-institute-2020-asia-power-index-key-findings-report.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Nihal Sarin won the 2020 Junior Speed Online Championship organised by Chess.com.
• 'Protect a Generation: Climate security for India's children', a report jointly prepared by PwC India and NGO Save the Children India, was released recently.
• International Day for Universal Access to Information was celebrated by UNESCO in Sept 2020.
• Sunil Sethi is the Chairman of the Fashion Design Council of India.
• Naomi Osaka won the women’s singles title at the US Open tennis in September 2020.
• Cristiano Ronaldo became the second player to score 100 international goals in football in Sept 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!

271000

---

>