Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 09-11-2020

Daily Current Affairs,DCA-CS,November 2020,

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

• COVID-19 – 47,116 new cases and 489 deaths reported on Sunday – On Sunday (November 8), India recorded 47,116 fresh cases and 489 deaths. As has been the case for most of the week, fresh cases on Sunday were slightly higher than the number recorded last Sunday (46,253). Delhi led the national tally of cases for the second time in the past three days, reporting 7,745 fresh infections on Sunday, the highest single-day tally in the state. At 77, deaths from the virus too were ominously on the rise in the capital. Tamil Nadu reported 20 Covid-19 deaths on Sunday, the lowest single-day toll since June 11. So far, 11,344 people in Tamil Nadu have succumbed to the disease, third highest in the country next to Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• World – With 9-ft statue, UK to honour Saragarhi heroes – A nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Havildar Ishar Singh, who led 20 Sikh soldiers valiantly fighting to their last breath while defending their signal post during the Battle of Saragarhi against more than 10,000 Afghan tribesmen in September 1897, is set to become the first monument in Britain specifically honouring the fallen heroes. The 21 soldiers from the 36th (Sikh) Regiment of Bengal Infantry made a valiant last stand fighting for over six hours to the bitter end, leaving around180 to 200 Pathan tribesmen dead. The memorial to the battle, the subject of 2019 Bollywood blockbuster ‘Kesari’ starring Akshay Kumar, will be unveiled next to the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton in September 2021. The gurdwara congregation has so far raised £50,000 (Rs 48 lakh) of the £100,000 (Rs 97 lakh) total costs.
• World – As Myanmar goes to polls, Suu Kyi is expected to win – Myanmar voted in a general election on Sunday (November 8) seen as a referendum on a fledgling democratic government that remains popular at home but which has seen its reputation collapse overseas amid allegations of genocide. Leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) is expected to win a second term, following a 2015 landslide that ended more than a half-century of military and military-backed rule. She has the support of a population that largely sees her as a heroine of democracy for her struggle against dictatorship, though her win will likely be narrower than the victory that propelled her to power.
• Polity & Governance – Joe Biden elected 46th President of the United States – Democratic candidate Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., was elected the 46th President of the United States late on Saturday (November 7) morning, beating incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump, by securing more than the required 270 of the 538 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. Mr. Biden’s running mate, Kamala Devi Harris, a U.S. Senator from California, will become the first woman and the first Indian and African American Vice-President of the country. Mr. Biden will inherit, from President Trump, a deeply divided country, battered by the coronavirus pandemic, facing high levels of unemployment and fraying race relations.
• Science & Technology – India successfully launches earth observation satellite EOS-01 – India successfully launched its latest earth observation satellite EOS-01 and nine international customer spacecraft on board a Polar rocket from the spaceport on November 7, in its first mission this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C49) injected EOS-01, intended for applications in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, and other satellites, one by one in orbit, around 20 minutes after lift-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), about 110 km from Chennai, at 3.12 p.m. This is ISRO’s first mission in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic induced lockdown disturbed 10 missions planned by the agency. The nine customer satellites are from the United States, Lithuania and Luxembourg.
• Science & Technology – Ancient skeleton offers clues on prehistoric era – German researchers are piecing together the life of a prehistoric woman who died more than 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic period, after her skeleton was found when excavating for wind turbines. The “Lady of Bietikow,” as she has been named, was found near a village of the same name in northeastern Germany's Uckermark region. Investigations have shown that she was between 30 and 45 years old and died more than 5,000 years ago. That means that she lived during the same period as Oetzi the Iceman, the stunningly preserved corpse found by tourists in the Alps in the 1990s. It was during the Neolithic period that humans first introduced grains into their diet, since they could be stored more easily than meat and could also be used as a means of payment, according to anthropologist Bettina Jungklaus.
• Business – SEBI allows new fund category – The Securities and Exchange Board of India has introduced a new category of mutual funds that can invest freely across large-, mid- and small-cap stocks, less than two months after a rule change sparked fears that some funds could be forced to reallocate their holdings. SEBI has announced ‘flexi-cap’ schemes that would have to invest a minimum of 65% of total assets in equity, and allowed fund houses to rename existing schemes to the new category. SEBI in September sought an equal allocation of 25% for large-, mid- and small-cap shares in so-called multi-cap funds that manage assets worth about $20 billion in a bid to make their investments true to the name of the scheme.
• Economy – China’s Oct. exports surge, imports rise – China’s exports grew at the fastest pace in 19 months in October, while imports also rose, official data showed on Saturday, as the world’s second-largest economy continued to recover after being hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis earlier this year. Exports rose 11.4% from a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations of a 9.3% increase and quickening from a solid 9.9% increase in September. The surge in exports pushed the trade surplus for October up to $58.44 billion, compared with the poll’s forecast for a $46 billion surplus and a $37 billion surplus in September.
• Constitution and Law – UAE set to overhaul Islamic laws – The UAE has announced a major overhaul of the country’s Islamic personal laws, allowing unmarried couples to cohabitate, loosening alcohol restrictions and criminalising so-called “honor killings.” Changes include scrapping penalties for alcohol consumption, sales and possession for those 21 and over. The announcement follows a historic U.S.-brokered deal to normalise relations between the UAE and Israel, which is expected to bring an influx of Israeli tourists and investment. The broadening of personal freedoms reflects the changing profile of a country that has sought to Bill itself as a Westernised destination for tourists, fortune-seekers and businesses despite its Islamic legal code that has previously triggered court cases against foreigners and outrage in their home countries. The reforms aim to boost the country’s economic and social standing and “consolidate the UAE’s principles of tolerance.” The changes also reflect the efforts of the Emirates’ rulers to keep pace with a rapidly changing society at home.
• World – Ethiopia vows to replace Tigray govt. – Ethiopian lawmakers have voted to replace the current government of the federal state of Tigray, after the Army launched air strikes to destroy military assets in the region in a worsening internal conflict. Fears are mounting over the prospect of civil war after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed despatched federal troops and launched air strikes in the region.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	Municipal Coop Bank Ltd	Dy General Manager, Asst General Manager	8	M.Com, MBA, CA/ ICWA/ CS	NOV-13-2020	https://municipalbankmumbai.com/files/vacancy/201013160206_0001.pdf
2	Institute for Plasma Research	Graduate & Technician Apprentice	18	Diploma, B.Tech/ B.E (Engg.)	NOV-22-2020	http://www.ipr.res.in/documents/Advt-07-2020_Apprentice.pdf
3	NIEPMD	Consultant, Jr. Consultant, DEO	6	Any Degree, PG, Typing	NOV-13-2020	http://www.niepmd.tn.nic.in/documents/Employment_not_3420_041120.pdf
4	NIVEDI	SRF, JRF, Young Professional-II, Laboratory Assistant	7	Degree, PG with CSIR, UGC, NET	NOV-8-2020	https://www.nivedi.res.in/sites/default/files/2020-11/ADDENDUM%20%282%29.pdf
5	ITI, Raipur	Guest Lecturer	29	10+2, ITI	NOV-18-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s30584ce565c824b7b7f50282d9a19945b/uploads/2020/11/2020110436.pdf
6	Goa Medical College	Jr Resident, Sr Resident, Lower Division Clerk, Pharmacist	13	Higher Sec., Dip. (Pharma), MBBS, PG Deg/ Dip	10 & 11-11-2020	http://www.gmc.goa.gov.in/images/Site_Images/photos/public_noticies/vacancy/Recruitment_Cell/04-11-2020/WalkinInterview_Adv_No_04-11-2020.pdf
7	SDAU	Field Investigator	8	Degree (Agriculture)	NOV-18-2020	http://www.sdau.edu.in/Content/sdau.edu.in/Download/743Field%20Investigator.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 NPCI gives green signal to WhatsApp to launch UPI payment

 

 Highlights –

• The National Payments Corporation of India has given its nod to WhatsApp to ‘Go Live’ on UPI in a graded manner.
• The instant messaging platform has been testing the payment method for over two years but the expansion was stalled due to privacy concerns.
• NPCI has given permission to WhatsApp to ‘Go Live’ on UPI in the multi-bank model after the data localisation requirements have been met.
• WhatsApp is able to expand its UPI user base in a graded manner starting with a maximum registered user base of twenty (20) million in UPI.
• The announcement was made immediately after NCPI said that with UPI reaching 2 billion transactions a month and with potential for future growth, it has issued a cap of 30% of total volume of transactions processed in UPI, applicable on all Third Party App Providers (TPAPs).
• The new cap will come into effect from 1 January, 2021. The organization believes that this move will help to address the risks and protect the UPI ecosystem as it further scales up.
• The cap of 30% will be calculated basis the total volume of transactions processed in UPI during the preceding three months (on a rolling basis).

Important details –

• The current TPAPs exceeding the specified cap, will have a period of two years from January 2021, to comply with the same in a phased manner.
• Presently, Google Pay and Phone Pe are two of the biggest players in the market with each commanding a market share of around 40%.
• WhatsApp will be using ICICI Bank as its partner bank in providing UPI services. Other popular UPI applications like Google Pay and Phone Pe have two banking partners.
• As per RBI rules, payments data, information on payments or settlement transactions, customer data, among other information, has to be stored in India for the platform to get approval.

2.2 Weekly Round-up – Banking and Finance

• The Reserve Bank has launched the latest round of surveys to capture consumer confidence and inflation expectations of households, which are useful inputs for its monetary policy. The central bank has been regularly conducting Consumer Confidence Survey and Inflation Expectations Survey of Households (IESH).
• The Reserve Bank on October 27, 2020 asked all lending institutions, including non-banking financial companies, to implement the waiver of interest on interest for loans up to Rs 2 crore for the six months moratorium period beginning March 1, 2020. On October 23, the government had announced the scheme for grant of ex-gratia payment of difference between compound interest and simple interest for six months to borrowers in specified loan accounts.

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

3.1 Not Available Today

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

4.1 India-Italy virtual summit

 

Highlights –

• Diversification of supply chains was the top focus of the India-Italy virtual summit on November 6, the 5th such virtual summit attended by PM Modi amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The virtual summit between Indian PM Modi and Italian PM Giuseppe Conte also witnessed both sides discussing the COVID-19 crisis and G20 summit, given Italy will host the summit in 2021 and India in 2022.
• India, Australia, and Japan are working on alternate supply chains, and the focus is such that more countries should join the initiative.
• Actually, there was one virtual summit with Denmark's PM and the focus on the diversified supply chain.  
• Currently, global supply chains are China dominated and amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, an aggressive Beijing necessitated alternate supply chains by like-minded countries like--India, the US, Japan, Australia.
• The joint statement after the summit saw both sides stressing on the importance of the Indo-Pacific region as a fundamental area for connecting Asia and Europe and stated their countries’ willingness to support all connectivity initiatives based on internationally recognized norms and standards, good governance, rule of law, inclusiveness, transparency and a level playing field.
• 15 MoUs were signed between the 2 sides on trade, technology, shipping, energy.

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

5.1 OROP scheme

 

 Highlights –

• PM Modi greeted armed forces veterans on the fifth anniversary of BJP-led NDA government's decision to implement OROP.
• The PM believes that One Rank One Pension scheme (OROP) was a historic step to ensure the well-being of soldiers.
• On November 7, 2015, the government issued an order notifying the OROP scheme and had stated that it would be effective from July 1, 2014.

What is OROP –

• The OROP was implemented to bridge the gap between the pensions of current and past ex-servicemen at periodic intervals.
• It brought considerable benefits to soldiers on retirement and put to rest the various demands they had been making over the years.
• The outgo in terms of expenditure on this scheme has been heavy on the national exchequer.
• Before OROP, ex-servicemen used to get pensions as per the Pay Commission's recommendations of the time when they had retired.

Expenditure on OROP –

• The central government has disbursed more than Rs 42,700 crore to 20.6 lakh retired defence personnel under the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme.
• The ministry stated that Rs 10,795 crore has been disbursed to 20.6 lakh defence force pensioners or family pensioners as arrears due to implementation of the OROP.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Weekly Round-up – Accidents, Natural and Manmade Disasters

• At least 10 people died and three others were missing after Typhoon Goni, the world’s strongest typhoon this year, barrelled through the south of the Philippines’ main island of Luzon on November 1, 2020.
• 35 people were killed in Vietnam as Typhoon Molave hit the country’s coastal regions on October 28, 2020. The typhoon left at least 16 people dead in the Philippines before moving across the South China Sea to Vietnam.
• A strong earthquake struck on October 30, 2020 between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, collapsing several buildings in Turkey’s western Izmir province and leaving at least four people dead.
• A knife-wielding attacker shouting “Allahu Akbar” beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a suspected terrorist attack at a church in the French city of Nice on October 29, 2020.

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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 Cancer Awareness Day 

 

Highlights –  

• Every year, in India, National Cancer Awareness Day is observed on November 7 to educate people about cancer.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second-deadliest disease which causes death among people.
• The condition of people dying by cancer is India is a serious threat to the nation. In 2018, 1.5 million people from India, died of cancer.

History –

• Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan first announced National Cancer Awareness Day in September 2014.
• He launched the state-level movement on cancer control, and encouraged people to report to municipal clinics for free screening
• A booklet on early symptoms of cancer and how to avoid getting it, was also distributed.

Important fatcs –

• A woman dies of cervical cancer every eight minutes.
• Tobacco chewing has been directly linked to cancer, leading to most deaths in the year 2018.
• While male are prone to dying by cancer of oral cavity and lungs, women could die of breast cancer and oral cavity cancer.

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

9.1 Not Available Today

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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 -

• The govt. approved launch of STARS (Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States) project in Oct 2020 for improvement in school education system.
• Costume Designer Bhanu Athaiya, India’s first Oscar winner, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 91 in Oct 2020.
• The first edition of Sushma Swaraj Lectures were organised by the government in New Delhi in Oct 2020.
• The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was founded in Oct 1945.
• Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation in September 2020 was 1.32%.

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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