Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 01-12-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 01-12-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Farmer’s protests – Centre invites farmers’ unions for talks – Farmer unions from Punjab, which have been protesting at key entry points to Delhi against the recent farm sector laws, have been invited for talks with the Centre. Farmer leaders said they would meet decide their response to the invitation. The unconditional invitation for dialogue came after a day of hard talk from their leaders, who said it was time for the Prime Minister to listen to the “mann ki baat” of the farmers or pay a heavy price for not doing so. Their demand for the repeal of the Centre’s three agricultural reform laws is non-negotiable, they insisted, on the fifth day of their protest.
2. Arts, Culture and History –  Buddhist philosophy connects SCO nations – A virtual exhibition on the shared Buddhist heritage of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries was launched by Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu during the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting held via video-conference. Buddhist philosophy and art of Central Asia connects SCO countries to each other. This presents an excellent opportunity for visitors to appreciate and compare Buddhist art antiquities from SCO countries on a single platform and from the comfort of their home. The exhibition includes Buddhist treasures from India, including from the Gandhara and Mathura schools, Nalanda and Sarnath, in 3D format. Objects depicting the life of Gautam Buddha from Karachi, Lahore, Taxila, Islamabad, Swat and Peshawar museums are also included.
3. Covid-19 Updates – India’s Covid count in Nov lowest in four months – India recorded 12.8 lakh new Covid-19 cases in November, the lowest count in four months, while deaths from the virus were the least in five months since June. The death toll fell sharply in November, with 15,494 fatalities recorded in the month, down from 23,472 in October. The November toll was the lowest since 11,988 deaths reported in June, as per data collated from state governments. Covid cases dropped by 32% in November compared with the previous month, when some 18.8 lakh fresh infections were recorded. This was the second straight month of falling Covid cases after India registered a peak of 26.2 lakh cases in September.
4. Covid-19 Updates – Govt launches 'Mission Covid Suraksha' to help accelerate vaccine candidates – The mission is launched to help accelerate the development of approximately 5-6 vaccine candidates and ensure that these are brought closer to licensure and introduction in the market. The mission envisages Covid-19 vaccine development with end-to-end focus from preclinical through clinical development and manufacturing and regulatory facilitation. Earlier this month, the government had announced a package of Rs 900 crore for vaccines.
5. Polity and Governance – EPFO extends time limit  for Pensioners – PM Modi inaugurated six-lane widening project of the Varanasi - Prayagraj section of NH-19 today in Varanasi. Farmers would benefit greatly when modern connectivity expands in the area. Efforts have been made to create infrastructure like cold storage alongwith modern roads in the villages. A fund of 1 lakh crore rupees has also been created for this.
6. Miscellaneous – 'Pandemic' chosen as the top word of 2020 by Merriam-Webster dictionary – The word took on urgent specificity in March, when the coronavirus crisis was designated a pandemic, but it started to trend up on Merriam-Webster.com as early January and again in February when the first US deaths and outbreaks on cruise ships occurred. On March 11, when the World Health Organisation declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, lookups on the site for pandemic spiked hugely.
7. World – Biden names top economic advisers as Arizona, Wisconsin certify vote results –  U.S. President-elect Joe Biden named several women to his top economic policy team, including former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary nominee, setting the stage for diversity and a focus on recovery from the pandemic. The advisers, several of whom would need to be approved by the U.S. Senate, come from liberal research organizations and worked in previous Democratic administrations. Their aim will be to set policies that can help people and businesses recover from the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 267,000 people in the United States and cost millions of jobs.
8. World – Moderna asks US,  Europe for emergency approval  of vaccine – The drugmaker Moderna said it would apply to the FDA to authorise its coronavirus vaccine for emergency use. The first injections may be given as early as Dec 21 if the process goes smoothly and approval is granted, said Stephane Bancel, the firm’s chief executive. Moderna’s application is based on data that it announced showing that its vaccine is 94.1% effective, and that its study of 30,000 people has met the scientific criteria needed to determine whether the vaccine works. The new data also showed that the vaccine was 100% effective at preventing severe disease from the coronavirus.
9. Indian Economy  – S&P Retains India's Forecast At 9% Contraction For 2020-21 – S&P Global Ratings retained its forecast of 9 per cent contraction in the Indian economy for the current fiscal year, saying even though there are now upside risks to growth but it will wait for more signs that COVID infections have stabilised or fallen. S&P, in its report on Asia Pacific, projected the Indian economy to grow at 10 per cent in the next fiscal. The Indian economy recovered faster than expected in the September quarter as a pick-up in manufacturing helped GDP clock a lower contraction of 7.5 per cent. Indian economy had contracted 23.9 per cent in April-June.
10. Corporate World  – First Indian to become Bata CEO -  For the first time in Bata’s 126-year history, an Indian will lead the firm. Sandeep Kataria, 49, who is currently Bata India’s CEO, has been elevated as global CEO of the company, as the current incumbent, Alexis Nasard, moves on. Kataria is in distinguished company. Other Indians at the helm of global organisations include Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Alphabet, Ajay Banga of Mastercard, Arvind Krishna of IBM, Laxman Narasimhan of Reckitt Benckiser, Ivan Menezes of Diageo and Vasant Narasimhan of Novartis. 

Important Exam Notifications
S. No.	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	ITI Limited	Diploma Engineer	10	High School with Diploma in Eng	08-12-2020	https://www.itiltd.in/Careers/Diploma%20Engineers%20Recruitment%20Advertisement%20FINAL.pdf
2	NTPC Limited	Diploma Engineer	70	Diploma	DEC-12-2020	https://www.freejobalert.com/ntpc-recruitment/17710/#DiplomaEngineer
3	NIAB	Sr Scientist, Jr Scientist & Technical Officer	8	M.Sc, Ph.D (Life Science)	08-12-2020	http://www.niab.org.in/Notifications/Advt_22_2020/Notification_22_2020.pdf
4	Min. of Env., Forest & Climate Change	Legal Asst, MTS, LDC/ UDC, Technical Officer, Scientist C, D	7	Matriculation, 12th Class, Degree, PG	DEC-26-2020	http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/NIC_Contractual-Staff_IRO_19.11.2020.pdf
5	Dr. YSR Aarogyasri HCT, Nellore	Aarogya Mithra & Team Leader	8	B.Sc, M.SC (Nursing), B Pharma, B.Sc	NOV-25-2020	https://cdn.s3waas.gov.in/s39c82c7143c102b71c593d98d96093fde/uploads/2020/11/2020112141.pdf
6	NPS Trust	Officer Gr E & D (General Manager & Dy General Manager)	6	Degree (Law, Engg), PG	21-12-2020	http://npstrust.org.in/sites/default/files/Final%20Recruitment%20Notification%20Garde%20D%20and%20E%2020112020.pdf
7	Indian Air Force	Airmen (Group Y – Non-Technical Trades)	-	Intermediate / 10+2	DEC-22-2020	https://airmenselection.cdac.in/CASB/img/upcoming/rally/PUDUCHERRY%20RALLY%20GP%20'Y'.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 Not Available Today

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

3.1 Alarming rise death rate of Leopard in Maharashtra  

 

 

News – 

• Maharashtra has witnessed alarming leopard deaths from 110 in 2019 to 172 by November-end this year, a jump by 57%.

Details -

• The state forest department has proposed to prepare an action plan with the help of a technical study group to address this issue.
• The increase in conflict leading to leopard deaths and loss of human life due to leopards have to be addressed in a more holistic manner considering the ecological as well as social aspects of the problem.
• Of the 172 leopard deaths in 2020, 86 were natural, 34 road/rail hits, 25 drowning, 17 poaching and 3 due to other reasons.
• The deaths due to road hit, poaching and drowning have almost doubled compared to last year.
• The deaths due to road hits are due to the widening of state and national highways without any mitigation measures across the state.
• Over 10,000km of roads are being constructed and widened in the state.
• In 2019, 17 animals died in road hits while it was 34 in 2020. Similarly, 25 died due to drowning this year, while the number was 10 last year.
• At least 9 leopards died due to poaching last year. The figure was 17 in 2020.
• Deaths due to electrocution also increased from 1 to 7.
• A maximum 12 deaths have been recorded in Nashik circle.

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

4.1 Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare observed by UN on November 30

 

• The Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, at its 20th Session, decided that a memorial Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare would be observed on 30 November each year or, when appropriate, on the first day of the regular session of the Conference.
• This commemoration provides an opportunity to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare, as well as to reaffirm the commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons, thereby promoting the goals of peace, security, and multilateralism.

Background -

• Chemical weapons were used on a massive scale during World War I, resulting in more than 100,000 fatalities and a million casualties.
• Chemical weapons were not used on the battleground in Europe in World War II.
• Following World War II, and with the advent of the nuclear debate, several countries gradually came to the realisation that the marginal value of having chemical weapons in their arsenals was limited, while the threat posed by the availability and proliferation of such weapons made a comprehensive ban desirable.
• Adopted in 1993, the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force on 29 April 1997.
• It determined, “for the sake of all mankind, to exclude completely the possibility of the use of chemical weapons.” (Preamble)
• On November 11, 2005, during the last day of the United Nations' Tenth Session of the Conference of the State Parties, the members of the UN officially recognised the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare, following a suggestion by Rogelio Pfirter, Director-General of the Secretariat. In addition, Pfirter's proposal to erect a monument at the Hague commemorating all victims of chemical warfare was approved. April 29 was chosen as the date for the event's celebration because the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force on that day in 1997.
• Although the majority of the world has either given up or destroyed their stockpiles of chemical weapons as of 2013, several nations have yet to do so. Four of these, Egypt, Israel, South Sudan and North Korea, have not ratified the convention and are suspected to possess chemical weapons.
• Syria is also known to possess a sizeable stockpile and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted this in his 2013 speech, condemning the nation for its alleged exploitation of chemical weapons in its ongoing civil war.

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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

• Mexico passed the 1,00,000 mark in COVID-19 deaths, becoming the fourth country after United States, Brazil and India to do so.

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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 Data provided by states to the Supreme Court committee on road safety  

Key Features -

• After registering a sharp decline in road fatalities during the total lockdown period (March 24 to May 31).
• Road deaths increased in the July-September quarter as vehicular traffic went up with the lifting of lockdown norms.
• For the last quarter shows that during these three months, 33,281 people were killed in road crashes, 4.3% less compared with the corresponding period last year but the total reduction in road deaths during this year till September is 22% (24,900 less deaths), primarily because of the total lockdown when limited numbers of vehicles were allowed on the roads and economic activities too had declined. During the lockdown period, fatalities had reduced by 62%.
• Road crashes claimed 1.14 lakh lives from January to September in 2019 compared to 89,500 this year.
• The road traffic deaths between July and September this year were in absolute numbers down 1,500 from the corresponding period in 2019. This is worse than what the first three months’ data (January to March 2020) had indicated when the country saw 8% (3,089) reduction in such deaths.
• Traffic violations have almost doubled in recent months.
• That is because of two reasons first, there is an urgency among commuters to reach quickly and there is also a fear of Covid among them. Second, the focus of traffic policing has shifted from catching traffic rule violators to those who are not wearing face masks.
• The government has notified a ban on non-BIS certified two-wheeler helmets from June 1 next year.

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

9.1 GMRT, Pune third country-based facility to bag IEEE milestone

 

News –

• The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) has been selected as a ‘Milestone’ facility by the U.S.-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology in all areas related to electrical and electronics engineering.

Details -

• The IEEE Milestones programme honours significant technical achievements which have global or regional impact.
• The previous two Indian IEEE Milestones were for the pioneering work done by Sir J.C. Bose to demonstrate the generation and reception of radio waves in 1895 (recognised in 2012), and for the Nobel Prize-winning (in 1930) ‘scattering of light’ phenomenon observed by Sir C.V. Raman in 1928.

Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) -

• It is an array of thirty fully steerable parabolic radio telescopes of 45 metre diameter, observing at metre wavelengths. National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune has set up a unique facility for radio astronomical research using the metre wavelengths range of the radio spectrum.

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

10.1 US Air Quality Index

• Pakistan's cultural capital Lahore has once again topped the list of world's most polluted cities.
• It reported a particulate matter (PM) rating of 423.
• Pakistan's financial capital Karachi ranked at 7 on the AQI.
• New Delhi came in second with a PM of 229, while Nepal's capital Kathmandu ranked the third-worst city with a PM of 78.
• The United States Environmental Protection Agency regards air quality satisfactory if the AQI is under 50.
• According to environmental experts and an earlier report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the cause of smog remains years-long pollution caused mostly by the transport sector and industries, and not just crop burning.
• Trans-boundary pollution is also not the main reason as the Met Department has confirmed that Punjab primarily experiences a westerly wave during winter.

 

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• IDEAS by EXIM Bank stands for Indian Development and Economic Assistance Scheme.
• Maulana Abul Kalam Azad the first Education Minister of independent India.
• Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra was elected to the U.N. Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) recently.
• RBI in Oct 2020 fixed the minimum Net Owned Fund (NOF) size for housing finance companies (HFCs) at Rs 25 crore.
• Indian Army organised the Inauguration Ceremony of Joginder War Memorial in Arunachal Pradesh in Oct 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!

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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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