Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 31-10-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 31-10-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Covid-19 Updates – Active cases fall below six lakh after 85 days – India’s active COVID-19 caseload has fallen below six lakh for the first time in nearly three months (85 days) with 5.94 lakh active cases. The active caseload was 5.95 lakh on August 6. 57,386 patients had recovered in the last 24 hours whereas the new confirmed cases were 48,648. The national recovery rate has progressed to 91.15%. Of the new recovered cases, 80% are concentrated in 10 States and UTs. Kerala contributed the maximum with more than 8,000 to the single-day recoveries, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka with over 7,000 recoveries each. Kerala was still reporting a very high number of new cases with an average of over 7,000 cases daily, followed by Maharashtra and Delhi with over 5,000 cases each. A total of 563 case fatalities had been reported in the past 24 hours.
2. India Politics – Farooq ‘not allowed’ to attend Friday prayers – National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah was prevented by the authorities from attending a Friday congregation in Srinagar on the occasion of Id-e-Milad, the birth anniversary of prophet Muhammad. The National Conference alleged that Dr. Abdullah’s residence was blocked by the security forces since Friday morning and termed it an “infringement of the fundamental right to pray.” Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said the move “exposes the Government of India’s deep paranoia and their iron fist approach towards J&K.”
3. Environment and Ecology – CPCB flags pollution control at rail stations – The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has insisted that the Ministry of Railways devise a modern environmental management plan to control air, water and noise pollution at major railway stations. The CPCB had called for the formation of a joint committee comprising Railway and State government/local body officials to ensure basic civic amenities and improve environment conditions at Class-I stations. The move follows a high-level meeting convened by the CPCB involving top officials of the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Housing & Urban Development. The Railways in turn requested the CPCB to assign due weightage to different components/parameters in the template for environment performance based on rating of railway stations that are currently under review by the CPCB. However, the central agency insisted on developing a modern environmental plan to address issues relating to air, water and noise pollution in each of the 720 stations taken up for assessment across the country.
4. Polity and Governance – Sainik schools to implement 27% OBC quota from next year – The defence ministry announced that 27% reservation for Other Backward Classes will be introduced in the 31 Sainik Schools in the country with effect from the 2021-22 academic session. The announcement was made by defence secretary Ajay Kumar through Twitter, even as defence minister Rajnath Singh was busy campaigning in Bihar for the assembly polls. The move led to some criticism in the defence circles, with a few officers calling it a “retrograde step that will sow the seeds of caste discrimination in the armed forces in the long run”.
5. Constitution and Law – Religion change just for sake of marriage is unacceptable: HC – Observing that religious conversion only for the purpose of marriage is unacceptable, the Allahabad high court has dismissed a writ petition filed by an interfaith couple seeking directions to police and the girl’s father not to interfere in their married life. In the petition, the couple had stated that they had married in July, but the girl’s family members were interfering in their life. The court gave its decision on Sept 23. Rejecting their plea saying the HC was not inclined to interfere in the matter under Article 226 (writ jurisdiction) of the Constitution of India, the judge relied upon a previous judgment given by the same court in 2014 in which it was observed that conversion just for the purpose of marriage was unacceptable.
6. Economy – Soaring high: In a first, a desi airline to get a female boss – Breaking the glass ceiling in the country’s aviation industry, a woman has become the CEO of a scheduled Indian passenger carrier for the first time with the Centre appointing Harpreet A De Singh to the position in Air India’s regional subsidiary Alliance Air. Singh is currently AI’s executive director (flight safety). Captain Nivedita Bhasin, one of AI’s most senior commanders, currently flying Boeing 787 Dreamliner, will be the new ED (flight safety).
7. US Presidential Elections – US elections 2020: ‘Hindu Americans for Biden’ follows shifting South Asian identities –  As the Republican nominee, Donald Trump had made a point of courting a new bloc, the Hindu American vote, in 2016. In 2020, for the first time ever, a US Democratic presidential campaign has an official Hindu American coalition, taking a leaf out of the Republicans’ book. Murali Balaji, the head of Hindu Americans for Biden, said the creation of his organisation is a “recognition by the Democratic Party that you can’t take these coalitions for granted”. Alongside Indian Americans for Biden and the campaign’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Outreach, Hindu Americans for Biden comes in a long line of ever-shifting campaign categorisations, reflecting ongoing identity contestations in the community.
8. World – Anti-France protests in Muslim countries – Thousands of Muslims, from Pakistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian territories, poured out of prayer services to join anti-France protests, as the French President’s vow to protect the right to caricature Prophet Muhammed continues to roil the Muslim world. Demonstrations in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad turned violent as some 2,000 people who tried to march toward the French Embassy were pushed back by police firing tear gas and beating protesters with batons. A few hundred demonstrators in Lebanon’s capital Beirut flocked toward the Palais des Pins, the official residence of the French Ambassador to Lebanon, but found their way blocked by lines of police officers in riot gear.
9. World – Second arrest after France knife attack – Mourners lit candles and prayed silently to honour the three people killed in a French church by a young Tunisian extremist, as France heightened security at potential targets at home and abroad amid geopolitical tensions around published cartoons mocking the Prophet of Islam. Meanwhile, investigators detained a second suspect in the recent attack, a 47-year-old man believed to have been in contact with the assailant the night before. The attacker, Ibrahim Issaoui, was seriously wounded by police and hospitalised in life-threatening condition.
10. Economy – Import barriers will not be perpetual – Any tariff protection to promote local manufacturing in India will come with an in-built sunset clause, NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar said, asserting that the country’s self-reliance mission must not be equated to it becoming a ‘protectionist’ and closed economy. The government is set to extend the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for manufacturing pharmaceuticals, medical devices and electronics announced under the AtmaNirbhar Bharat package to six more sectors.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	-	CDS Exam (I) 2021	345	Deg, Deg (Engg.)	NOV-17-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/upsc-cds-1/10551/#CDS-I-2021
2	CSMCRI	Apprentice	36	ITI, Dip. (Mech., Civil Eng.)	NOV-20-2020	https://www.csmcri.res.in/jobs/engagement-apprentice-under-apprentice-act-1961-csir-csmcri-bhavnagar
3	CIIL	Sen. Resource Person, Junior Resource Person	5	M.A./ Ph.D (Linguistics)	2 Weeks	https://www.ciil.org/Download/AdvtOrthographyDevelopment.pdf
4	NIELIT, Shimla	Clerk cum DEO, Junior Officer, Consultant	11	ITI, 10+2, B. Tech, B. Com, M. Sc, MCA	NOV-6-2020	http://beta.nielit.gov.in/shimla/shimla/content/walk-interviewskill-test-various-contractual-posts-himachal-pradesh
5	NIT, Srinagar	Sr. Scientific/ Tech. Officer, SAS Officer, Asst. Librarian	45	Dip. (Eng), Degree, PG	NOV-30-2020	https://www.nitsri.ac.in/uploaded_files/Advertsisemnet_NF_Detailed_22102020.pdf
6	NICPR	Contract Tech., Tech. Officer, Unskilled Staff	19	High School, Degree, PG	02 & 03–11-2020	http://nicpr.icmr.org.in/images/HTL-rectt--2-3-11-2020-27-Oct-2020-16-39-17-1.pdf
7	DRDO-DMRL	Jr. Research Fellow/ Research Associate	21	BE, B. Tech, M. Sc, ME	JAN-2,2021	https://www.drdo.gov.in/sites/default/files/career-vacancy-documents/DMRL_JRF_AD.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 Cabinet increases ethanol price, jute packaging now compulsory for all food grains

 

 

Key point –

• The Union Cabinet has raised the price of ethanol for doping in petrol by 5-8 per cent.
• The move is likely to help farmers get remunerative price while also cutting down oil imports.
• As much as 10 per cent ethanol is doped in petrol.
• The move also controls pollution as ethanol is environment-friendly.

Good news for jute industry –

• To help the jute industry, the government has also decided that 100 per cent food grains and 20 per cent sugar will be mandatorily packaged in jute bags.
• The government has expanded the scope of mandatory packaging norms under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987.
• In case of any shortage or disruption in supply of jute packaging material, the textile ministry can relax these provisions further.
• The decision is expected to benefit about 400,000 workers engaged in the jute sector along with thousands of farmers.
• Jute is primarily grown in West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh.

2.2    Quality control norms for leather footwear

 

Key point –

• The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has come out with quality control norms for different leather footwear including anti-riot shoes with a view to contain imports and production of sub-standard products in the country.

Highlights –

• According to the notification, the products must conform to the specified standards and bear the standard mark under a licence from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
• The items are not allowed to be produced, sold/traded, imported and stocked unless they bear BIS mark.
• The order has come into force from October 27, 2020.
• The order -- the Footwear made from leather and other materials (Quality Control) Order, 2020 -- shall not apply to goods or articles meant for export purpose.
• The department has also issued quality control norms for other goods including certain steel items and cables and pressure cooker.
• Products included in the order include leather safety boots and shoes, canvas shoes rubber sole, sports footwear and derby shoes.
• The quality control order for footwear made from all-rubber and polymeric material and its components has also been released by DPIIT. These goods include industrial and protective rubber knee and ankle boots; PVC sandal; rubber hawai chappal; rubber microcellular sheets, among others.

Note –

• The move comes at a time when the government is working to formulate technical regulations, which include safety and quality standards, for over 350 products with a view to curtailing imports of those non-essential items.

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

3.1 CCEA approves dam rehabilitation project

 

Key point – 

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project Phase II & Phase III.

Cost and other important details –

• The project will get the financial assistance from the World Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
• The aim is to improve safety and operational performance of selected dams across the country.
• The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 10,211 crore. The project will be implemented over a period of 10 years.
• The share of external funding is Rs 7,000 crore of the total cost, and balance Rs 3,211 crore is to be borne by the concerned Implementing Agencies.  
• The contribution of Centre is Rs 1,024 crore as loan liability and Rs 285 crore as counter-part funding for Central Component.
• The scheme envisages comprehensive rehabilitation of 736 existing dams across India in two phases, each of six-years duration, with two years overlapping from April 2021 to March 2031.

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

4.1 Not Available Today

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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 – Sports 

• 9 States/UTs selected for upgradation to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence - Nine States and Union Territories have been selected for upgradation to Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE). The States and UTs include Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Tripura and Jammu and Kashmir. The centres have been selected based on their past performances, quality of infrastructure, management and sports culture in the State.
• Alexander Zverev wins men’s singles title at Cologne Indoors tennis - Germany’s Alexander Zverev won the men’s singles title at Cologne Indoors tennis on October 18, 2020 by beating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final 6-3, 6-3 at Cologne, Germany.
• I-League trophy for 2019-20 presented to Mohun Bagan - The Hero I-League trophy for the year 2019-20 was officially handed over to champion Mohun Bagan in Kolkata on October 18, 2020. Mohun Bagan has since then moved into ISL after merging with ISL champion ATK.
• Cricket commentator Kishore Bhimani dies at 81 - Cricket commentator Kishore Bhimani died at the age of 81 in Kolkata on October 15, 2020. After completing his education, Bhimani joined The Statesman newspaper where he first worked as a beat reporter and then switched to sports reporting.
• John R. Reid, who captained NZ in first Test win, dies - John R. Reid, who captained New Zealand to their first Test victory in 1956 at Auckland against West Indies, died aged 92. After making his debut aged 19 on the 1949 tour of England, Reid played 58 Tests, scoring 3,428 runs at an average of 33.28, while taking 85 wickets at 33.35.
• Pakistan bowler Umar Gul retires - Pakistan bowler announced retirement on October 17, 2020. In his 17-year cricket career, Gul took 163 Test, 179 ODI and 85 T20I wickets.
• Former India football captain Carlton Chapman dies at 49 - Former India football captain and mid-fielder Carlton Chapman died on October 12, 2020 at the age of 49 in Bengaluru. Chapman played for India between 1995 and 2001 and the country won the 1997 SAFF Cup under his captaincy.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Not Available Today

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

8.1 National Unity Day 2020

Key point –

• Every year, since 2014, National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Diwas is celebrated on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• Popularly known as the “Iron Man of India”, Sardar Patel has played a crucial role in the unification of India.

Important details –

• The day provides an opportunity to re-affirm the inherent strength and resilience of our nation to withstand the actual and potential threats to the unity, integrity, and security of our country.
• On this day in 2018, PM Modi unveiled a 182m-tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• The Statue of Unity is situated on the bank of Narmada River in the Kevadiya colony, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam near the city of Vadodara.
• On this day, various programmes are organised in schools, colleges, and workplaces across the country to create awareness of his contributions.
• In 2020, people will celebrate the 145th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, who strived hard to bring 562 princely states into the fold of the Union of India.
• Sardar Patel fought against the British Empire and became the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India.
• This year, Prime PM Modi will participate in a series of events in Gujarat's Kevadia to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• PM Modi will inaugurate various projects, including a seaplane service connecting the "Statue of Unity" with the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad.
• Mr. Modi will also unveil the website of Statue of Unity in all the UN official languages besides launching the Kevadia App, at the Unity Glow Garden.

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

9.1 Weekly Round-up – Science and Technology

• 3 astronauts reach International Space Station - A three-person crew comprising NASA's Kate Rubins and Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos reached the International Space Station on October 14, 2020 after a 3-hour journey of the Soyuz spacecraft following the launch from Baikonur space launch facility in Kazakhstan.
• Spacecraft BepiColombo makes first Venus fly-by on way to Mercury - European-Japanese spacecraft BepiColombo bound for Mercury swung by Venus on October 15, 2020, using Earth's neighbour to adjust its course on the way to Mercury – the solar system's smallest and innermost planet. The spacecraft was launched in 2018.

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

10.1 Ease of doing business in India

 

 

 

Doing Business in India Report 2020 –

• Regulatory uncertainty remains a significant challenge. Legal and regulatory barriers are the most frequently cited obstacle to business, as outlined by 51 per cent of respondents.
• Foreign exchange regulations, GST process issues, high import tariffs, lack of alignment with international standards remain the top four regulatory irritants.
• Improving bureaucratic processes with greater accountability, increasing regulatory certainty, simplification of the GST processes, improving the quality of infrastructure and making single window clearance effective are the most sought-after reforms by UK businesses, in that order.
• Nearly two-thirds of the UK businesses surveyed in India believe it is getting easier to do business in the country, owing to progressive reforms and improvements in the availability of support and service providers, skilled labour, and supply chain.
• India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission is considered by the UK firms as an opportunity to do more business in the country, leveraging UK's innovation for manufacturing in India.
• Regardless of new challenges to business such as Brexit, COVID-19, and the global economic slowdown, UK companies not only remain deeply committed to India, but many are optimistic of expanding their business footprint in India.
• For the 3rd year running, Maharashtra emerged as the state with the maximum incremental improvement, followed by Karnataka, Delhi, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu, in that order.
• Next in sequence were Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh and Haryana to complete the top ten.

To view complete pdf visit here – https://www.doingbusiness.org/content/dam/doingBusiness/country/i/india/IND.pdf

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Ashima Goyal, Shashanka Bhide and Jayanth Varma were appointed external members of RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) recently
• The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said that more than 66 lakhs individual household toilets have been constructed since the launch of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban in 2014.
• Lok Sabha passed the Major Port Authorities Bill, 2020 in Sept 2020.
• The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Sept 2020 signed the Abraham Accord to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
• India’s Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash Jonnalagadda won the gold medal at the Mind Sports Olympiad in London.

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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