Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 17-11-2020

Daily Current Affairs,DCA-CS,November 2020,

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Covid-19 – Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5% effective – Drugmaker Moderna has announced that its coronavirus vaccine was 94.5% effective, based on an early look at the results from its large, continuing study. Researchers said the results were better than they had dared to imagine. But the vaccine will not be widely available for months, probably not until spring. Moderna is the second company to report preliminary data on an apparently successful vaccine, offering hope in a surging pandemic that has infected more than 53 million people worldwide and killed more than 1.2 million. Pfizer, in collaboration with BioNTech, was the first, reporting a week ago that its vaccine was more than 90% effective. Moderna also said its vaccine has a longer shelf life under refrigeration and at room temperature than previously reported, which should make it easier to store and use.
2. Polity & Governance – Winter session of Parliament unlikely amid rising COVID cases – The winter session of Parliament that usually commences by last week of November is unlikely to be held due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi. As per parliamentary records, there have only been three instances in the past of the winter session not being held — in 1975, 1979 and 1984. The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) meets to decide the dates for the session and the announcement has to be made giving Members of Parliament at least two weeks’ notice. So far, the CCPA has not met and the government is mulling over combining the Budget session of Parliament, which usually begins on February 1, and the winter session.
3. Economy – A day after RCEP, Jaishankar slams trade pacts, globalisation – India has allowed other countries ‘unfair’ trade and manufacturing advantages “in the name of openness”, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar asserted in a speech criticising globalisation on November 16. Speaking just a day after the 15-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was signed, Mr. Jaishankar was particularly scathing of trade agreements. Without directly referring to the RCEP, the trading bloc that India decided to walk out of a year ago, Mr. Jaishankar said that the government had decided to move away from trading arrangements, towards an “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India) policy where India could decide the rules and consolidate “comprehensive national power”.
4. Economy – ‘China factory output faster than expected’ – China’s factory output rose faster than expected in October and retail sales sped up, as the recovery from its COVID-19 slump gathered momentum. Industrial production climbed 6.9% in October from a year earlier, in line with September’s gain and faster than the 6.5% rise expected in a Reuters poll of analysts. China’s industrial sector has staged an impressive turnaround from the pandemic paralysis seen earlier this year, helped by resilient exports. Now, with the coronavirus largely under control in China, consumers are opening up their wallets again in a further boost to activity.
5. Survey/Research – ‘Made-in-China items find favour with 29% buyers’ – Chinese products continued to find favour among more than a fourth of Indian households as they offered higher ‘value for money’ even as a majority of respondents chose to skip products made in China. In a survey by LocalCircles, which registered 14,000 responses, 71% respondents said that they “consciously did not buy made-in-China items”, while 29% said they had bought made-in-China products this festival season. Asked what prompted them to choose Chinese products, 66% respondents who purchased made-in-China products said they did so because they found the products offered ‘value for money’, while 13% chose them for their “uniqueness”. Though 71% consumers did not buy made-in-China products this festive season, many of those who did, ended up doing so because of lower prices.
6. Economy – Power demand grew 7.8% in first half of Nov. – India’s power consumption grew 7.8% to 50.15 billion units (BU) in the first half of November 2020, signalling a rise in economic activity. Power consumption was recorded at 46.52 BU during November 1-15 in 2019. For all of November 2019, power consumption was 93.94 BU. Thus, the extrapolation of half-month data clearly indicates that power consumption may witness year-on-year growth for the third month in a row, according to experts. Diesel sales in the country fell 5% in the first half of November from a year earlier, after rising for the first time in eight months in October. However, diesel sales was 7% higher month-on-month. Between November 1 and 15, diesel consumption was 2.86 million tonnes, down from 3.01 million tonnes a year earlier but higher than the 2.65 million tonnes in the first half of October.
7. Economy – WPI quickens to 8-month high – India’s wholesale price inflation quickened to the highest level in eight months, reaching 1.48% in October 2020 as per provisional data, compared with 0% in October 2019 and 1.32% in September 2020. The WPI Food Index inflation slowed from 6.92% in September 2020 to 5.78% in October, 2020, with vegetables inflation cooling down to 25.23% from 36.5% in September. Inflation in potato prices touched 107.7%, while onions registered 8.5% inflation in October. The WPI for August has been revised upwards from 0.16% as reported earlier to 0.41%. October’s numbers suggest that this trend has strengthened with manufactured group inflation hitting a 19-month high of 2.1%, and core inflation accelerated to the highest level in 18 months at 1.7%.
8. Economy – BPCL gets 3-4 bids; Reliance skips, no big players in race – The government has received ‘multiple’ bids for buying out its stake in India’s second-biggest fuel retailer BPCL. However, billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries as well as supermajors Saudi Aramco, BP and Total did not make a bid. Reliance Industries, which was considered a potential bidder as BPCL would have added 22% fuel market share to its fledgling retail business and made it the nation’s number one oil refiner. However, it did not put in an expression of interest (EoI) at the close of the deadline.
9. World – Islamabad blocked off over anti-France protest – Pakistan authorities sealed off a major road into Islamabad for a second day on November 16 as a far-right religious party held fresh anti-France protests. Around a thousand protesters gathered at the roadblock preventing them from entering the capital, a day after 5,000 people rallied in neighbouring Rawalpindi. Pakistan has seen small and scattered protests in recent weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the beheading of a teacher by an extremist at a school near Paris.
10. World – Sri Lanka to unveil crucial budget today amid virus – Sri Lanka’s ruling Rajapaksa administration will present its maiden Budget on November 17, amid a relentless second wave of COVID-19 that hit the island nation in October. PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, also the Minister of Finance, will unveil the Budget for the year 2021 in Parliament. The Budget assumes significance, coming amid a devastating global pandemic. Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves are under enormous strain in the wake of mounting external debt — the government recently repaid $4.2 billion for this year — while its export and tourism sectors, and worker remittances from abroad, have been severely impacted. The budget comes a year after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa rose to power, and at a time when analysts have warned of a GDP contraction of possibly up to 10%, a low that the country did not experience even during its civil war years.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	NRFMTTI	Multi Tasking Staff (Technical)	6	ITI (Relevant Trade)	30 DAYS	http://nerfmtti.nic.in/Recruitment/Filling%20up%20of%20posts%20of%20Multi%20Tasking%20Staff%20(Technical)%20in%20FMT&TIs%20by%20Direct%20recruitment.pdf
2	TRIFED	Procurement Executive	40	12th Class with Comp. knowledge	17 to 25-11-2020 Walk in	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2020/11/Notification-TRIFED-Procurement-Executive-Posts.pdf
3	IIT, Guwahati	SRF, Associate Pro. Eng., Pro. Scientist	14	B.Tech, PG, Ph.D	NOV-16-2020	https://iitg.ac.in/ckfinder/userfiles/files/NANOSPNxDIT00041xxAC011_Rev%20(16-11-20).pdf
4	BEL	Trainee Eng -I, Pro. Eng. -I & Trainee Eng -II	385	B.E/ B.Tech/ B.Sc/ MCA	NOV-21-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/bel/16294/#Trainee-Engineer
5	BEL	Trainee Eng. I, Officer I, Project Eng. I, Officer I	549	B.E/ B.Tech/ B.Sc (Engg), PG/ PG Dip.	NOV-25-2020	http://www.freejobalert.com/bel/16294/#Engineer-Officer
6	Deputy Comm., Bongaigaon	Junior Assistant	8	Any Degree	NOV-27-2020	https://niyukti.assam.gov.in/bongaigaon_ja/files/advertise.pdf
7	IIT, Guwahati	SRF, Associate Pro. Eng, Project Scientist	14	B. Tech, PG, Ph. D	NOV-16-2020	https://iitg.ac.in/ckfinder/userfiles/files/NANOSPNxDIT00041xxAC011_Rev%20(16-11-20).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 

• The Reserve Bank in Nov 2020 came out with a Co-Lending Model (CLM) scheme under which banks can provide loans along with NBFCs (including HFCs) to priority sector borrowers based on a prior agreement. The objective is to improve the flow of credit to the unserved and underserved sector of the economy. However, NBFCs shall be required to retain a minimum of 20 per cent share of the individual loans on their books.
• The government has extended the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by a month till Nov 30 until the entire Rs 3 lakh crore made available under the scheme is sanctioned. Announced as part of the Atma Nirbhar Baharat package in May to support micro, small and medium enterprises, the scheme provided fully guaranteed and collateral-free loans for amounts up to 20% of outstanding loans as of Feb 29.

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

3.1 We need integrated joint approaches to combat climate change

 

• Highlights – 

• The UN Environment Program (UNEP) has called for integrated approaches to help save nature and combat climate change.
• In a recently released report, the UNEP has said that climate change and biodiversity loss are twin crises that should be tackled together, with ambition and integrated action.
• The report shows that coordinating priority areas to conserve both biodiversity and carbon stocks is key to meeting ambitious goals for both nature and climate.
• The report highlights areas where global conservation action can deliver the most to achieve biodiversity goals and mitigate climate change.
• The study shows that when prioritizing areas for conservation, accounting for biodiversity and carbon together can secure 95 per cent of the biodiversity benefits and nearly 80 per cent of the carbon stocks that could be obtained by prioritizing either value alone.
• It finds that conserving 30 percent of land in strategic locations could safeguard 500 gigatonnes of carbon stored in vegetation and soil and reduce the extinction risk of nearly nine out of 10 threatened terrestrial species.
• The findings show that greater ambition and action are needed to bend the curve of biodiversity loss and greenhouse gas emissions.

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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 – Polity and Governance   

• The Ministry of AYUSH and M/s Invest India will form a collaboration to set up a “Strategic Policy & Facilitation Bureau" to facilitate planned and systematic growth of the Ayush sector. This Bureau will support the Ministry in strategic and policy making initiatives that shall help pave the way to reach the full potential of the Sector and stimulate growth and investment. Invest India would deploy resources to implement and execute the plans of the Ministry of AYUSH.
• The government on October 27, 2020 unveiled a set of guidelines for recognising and regulating awarding bodies and assessment agencies, to improve the outcomes and standardise the processes under the Skill India Mission. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with its unified regulator National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), unveiled the guidelines and operation manuals.
• In a significant step towards affordable medical education, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has notified the Minimum Requirements for Annual MBBS Admissions Regulations (2020). The notification replaces the “Minimum Standard Requirements for Medical Colleges, 1999 of the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI).
• Union Minister Jitendra Singh on October 26, 2020 said male government employees who were single parents were now entitled to child care leave. “Single male parent” included employees who were unmarried or widower or divorcee and might therefore be expected to take up the responsibility of caring for a child single-handedly, he said.
• The SC on Oct 26, 2020 decided to “keep in abeyance” its Oct 16 order appointing former Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B. Lokur to a one-man committee to monitor/prevent stubble-burning in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab. The decision to put on hold its Oct 16 order came soon after SG T Mehta informed the court that the Centre had “proposed a legislation to tackle the problem” which occurs annually and chokes the Capital.
• Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on October 27, 2020 launched the virtual festival of ‘Parampara Series 2020-National Festival of Music and Dance’ organized by Natya Tarangini in partnership with the United Nations.
• PM Modi on October 31, 2020 launched a seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. The 19-seater plane carrying Modi landed on the waters of Sabarmati Riverfront in around 40 minutes after covering a distance of around 200 kms. The flight was operated by SpiceJet's fully-owned subsidiary, Spice Shuttle.
• On October 30, 2020 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Ekta Mall’, a special store constructed near the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya in Gujarat where tourists can buy handloom and handicraft products belonging to different states under one roof. He also inaugurated Arogya Van, Children’s Nutrition Park and Sardar Patel Zoological Park/ Jungle Safari.  
• Rashtriya Ekta Diwas parade was held on the occasion of 145th birth anniversary of Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel at the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat on October 31, 2020.
• The Government has notified new rules that allow any Indian citizen to buy land in Jammu & Kashmir. Before repeal of Article 370 and Article 35-A in August 2020, non-residents could not buy any immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that the amendments did not allow transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists.
• The Centre on October 27, 2020 amended the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, 1970 for setting up an industrial development corporation for establishment, growth and development of industries in the union territory. The corporation can acquire and hold such property, both movable and immovable, for the performance of any of its activities, and to lease, sell, exchange or otherwise transfer any property held by it.
• Chhattisgarh Assembly passed an amendment Bill to negate the Centre’s recently-notified agriculture legislations in a day-long special session. The Chhattisgarh Krishi Upaj Mandi (Amendment) Bill 2020 which gives powers to the state government to regulate all agricultural produce markets,
• Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on October 29, 2020 launched the 'Green Delhi' mobile application using which citizens can bring pollution causing activities to the government's notice.      
• A 200-km walkathon aimed at promoting 'fit India' was flagged off by Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju from a desert location along the India-Pakistan International Border in Rajasthan on October 31, 2020. The fast march is being organised by ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) and will conclude on November 2 in the Thar desert in Jaisalmer.
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on November 1, 2020 launched a special 10-day campaign to identify people suffering from tuberculosis (TB) in the state. Health workers will identify those suffering from TB, screen them and help them avail treatment at no cost.
• The Supreme Court October 26, 2020 rejected the plea seeking implementation of 50% Other Backward Classes (OBCs) reservation in Tamil Nadu medical colleges on seats contributed to the All-India Quota (AIQ) by the State. The Tamil Nadu government, ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had approached the apex court after the Centre had said that it was not possible to extend 50% OBC reservation this year.
• The Telangana government launched its State Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage Policy on October 30, 2020 to promote sales of electric vehicles. The policy offers 100% exemption of road tax and registration fee for the first two lakh electric two-wheelers purchased and registered within the state.
• Andhra Pradesh government on October 27, 2020 distributed Rs 1,115 crore to 50 lakh farmers under YSR Rythu Bharosa-PM Kisan scheme, along with an additional Rs 136 crore for compensating crop loss due to heavy rain in the state.
• Kerala on October 27, 2020 became the first state to fix the floor price for vegetables, which would be 20 per cent above the production cost, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram. The scheme would come into effect from November 1. The floor price was being fixed for 16 varieties of vegetables produced in Kerala.
• Former Gujarat chief minister Keshubhai Patel (92) died in Ahmedabad on October 29, 2020. He was CM in 1995 and again during 1998-2001. He quit the BJP in 2012 and floated the Gujarat Parivartan Party, which merged with the BJP in 2014. Born in Visavadar town of Junagadh district in 1928, Patel joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1945 as a pracharak. He started his political career as a worker for the Jan Sangh.
• Tamil Nadu Agriculture Minister R. Doraikkannu, a Covid-19 patient, died on October 31, 2020 at the age of 72 in Chennai. He was elected from the Papanasam assembly constituency.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Government extends Enforcement Directorate Chief’s tenure

 

 

Highlights –

• The Union government has extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra by a year after modifying his appointment order that was issued in 2018.
• Mr Mishra, 60, is a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service officer of the Income Tax cadre and was appointed the Enforcement Directorate chief on November 19, 2018.
• This is the first that an ED director will serve a three-year term instead of two years.
• The ED is a central investigative agency that enforces two central laws-- the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
• These laws were enacted to curb money laundering, terror financing, black money and hawala or illegal financial transactions that have cross-border ramifications.
• The appointment of director at the ED is governed by Section 25 of CVC Act, 2003.
• As per the law, no person below the rank of Additional Secretary to the government is eligible for appointment as the director, and the person appointed has a fixed term of not less than two years.
• As the ED director, Mishra has been overseeing a number of sensitive cases, including Augusta Westland, Sterling Biotech, case of Congress leader and former Karnataka minister D K Shivakumar, Yes Bank, and the case of Deepak Kochhar, husband of former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar.

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

8.1 International Day for Tolerance 2020

 

Highlights –

• The International Day for Tolerance is an annual observance day declared by UNESCO in 1995 to generate public awareness of the dangers of intolerance. It is observed on 16 November every year.
• Debates and speeches for the evaluation of tolerance and abolition of oppression and injustice are a part of tolerance day.
• The theme of tolerance day is discussed thoroughly in educational institutes, social forums, media and civil societies, for the execution of the message of tolerance.
• Human rights organizations and activists catch this day as a golden opportunity for the fulfillment of laws regarding basic human rights such as injustice, minorities, discrimination and hate crimes.
• Respect and recognition of the beliefs and rights of others is the sign of tolerance. Counseling of students about the basic rights of other people can play far-flung effects in society.

History –

• It was started by the UN General Assembly, with the goal of getting educational institutions and the general public to see tolerance as a staple of society. And it came after the United Nations declared a Year for Tolerance in 1995.
• In 1995, UNESCO created the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance as a way to define and provide awareness of tolerance for any and all governing and participating bodies. That day in 1995 was November 16.
• Additionally, UNESCO created an award to recognize those with great achievements in promoting the spirit of tolerance or non-violence in fields such as science, culture, and the arts.
• The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize and the UNESCO International Day for Tolerance both recognize that tolerance is a universal human right.

Theme –

• “Tolerance is respect, acceptance, and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human.” – this is the basic theme of International Tolerance Day.

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

9.1 ICRISAT to use drones for agricultural research

• Highlights –

• The government has allowed Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute (ICRISAT) to use drones for agricultural research activities.
• Granting the institute a conditional exemption from some of the rules applicable for deployment of drones, the Civil Aviation Ministry said the institute can gather data for agricultural research activities within the ICRISAT research field using remotely piloted aircraft systems or drones.
• The exemption is valid for six months from the date of issuance of permission or until the full operationalization of Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1), whichever is earlier.
• The exemption will be valid only if all conditions and limitations are strictly adhered to.
• Drones are expected to play a big role in the agriculture sector in India especially in areas like precision agriculture, locust control and improvement in crop yield.
• The government is urging young entrepreneurs and researchers to look at ruggedized low-cost drone solutions for the over 6.6 lakh villages in India. 

9.2 SpaceX, NASA send FOUR astronauts to space in milestone flight

 

Highlights – 

• Four astronauts reached orbit on a SpaceX rocket after lifting off from Florida, in the company’s first regular NASA mission to the International Space Station.
• The Sunday (November 15) launch appeared to go as planned as the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
• The rocket’s first stage successfully landed on a drone ship about nine minutes after lift off.
• The Dragon will ferry the astronauts to the space station on SpaceX’s first operational trip following a test flight with a two-person crew that returned from the orbiting lab three months ago.
• The latest launch, known as the Crew-1 mission, comes 18 years after Elon Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corp. with the ultimate goal of populating other planets.
• The Crew-1 mission marks a crucial milestone in the development of a space industry in which private-sector companies provide business and tourism services in low-earth orbit.
• Following the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011, NASA awarded SpaceX and Boeing Co. nearly $7 billion in contracts to build new transport systems to the space station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew program.

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

10.1 Kerala is best governed State in Public Affairs Index-2020

 

Highlights –

• Kerala was adjudged the best governed State in the large States category, while Uttar Pradesh ended at the bottom, in the Public Affairs Index-2020 released by the Public Affairs Centre (PAC) in Bengaluru on October 30, 2020.
• PAC is headed by former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Kasturirangan. States were ranked on governance performance based on a composite index in the context of sustainable development.
• Kerala (1.388 PAI Index point), Tamil Nadu (0.912), Andhra Pradesh (0.531) and Karnataka (0.468) stood in the first four ranks in the large State category in terms of governance. Uttar Pradesh (-1.461), Odisha (-1.201) and Bihar (-1.158) were at the bottom of the ranking.
• In the small State category, Goa ranked first with 1.745 points, followed by Meghalaya (0.797) and Himachal Pradesh (0.725). The worst performers with negative points were Manipur (-0.363), Delhi (-0.289) and Uttarakhand (-0.277).
• Chandigarh emerged at the top in the category of Union Territories with 1.05 PAI points, followed by Puducherry (0.52) and Lakshadweep (0.003). Dadar and Nagar Haveli (-0.69), Andaman, Jammu and Kashmir (-0.50) and Nicobar (-0.30) were the worst performers.
• According to the PAC, the governance performance is analysed in the context of sustainable development defined by the three pillars of equity, growth and sustainability.

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• International Day of Living Together in Peace was observed on May 16.
• In financial year 2019-20, in India in volume terms 34.35 billion digital payments were there.
• NGARM Rudram-1 missile was successfully flight-tested on October 9, 2020 by DRDO.
• The LEMOA for cooperation between defence forces of US and India is Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement.
• Sustainable Shipping for a Sustainable Planet was the theme of the 2020 World Maritime Day.

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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