Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 14-12-2020

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 14-12-2020

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Farmers Protests – Halted from going to Delhi, farmers block Jaipur highway - Many farmers from Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and a few different States, including Maharashtra and Gujarat, arranged a protest on the Delhi-Jaipur Interstate. They obstructed the carriageway towards the public capital after they were halted by the Haryana police at the fringe with Rajasthan. Driven by Narmada Bachao Andolan's Medha Patkar and Swaraj India public president Yogendra Yadav, among others, the farmers were gone to Delhi under the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a joint front of rancher associations. With the Delhi-Jaipur Thruway likewise now obstructed, all expressways prompting the public capital from Haryana now have ranchers on dharna looking for a cancelation of the three late homestead laws. Tending to the ranchers, Rakesh Tikait of the Bharatiya Kisan Association said farmers should remain caution and guarantee that no undesirable or wrong components engaged in the fomentation. Tending to the demonstrators on the Haryana-Rajasthan fringe, Ms. Patkar asked the public authority for what reason minimum support price couldn't be ensured under the law.
2. Covid-19 Updates – First shipments of Pfizer's Coronavirus immunization left Michigan – The primary shipments of Pfizer's Coronavirus antibody left Michigan for dissemination focuses across the US to check a pandemic guaranteeing more than 2,400 lives every day. The primary pokes are set to be given in the coming week; 100 million individuals, or about 30% of its populace, are required to be covered before the finish of Spring. India's groundwork for inoculations is additionally going on.
3. Covid-19 Updates - Kerala tops rundown by level of populace requiring immunization - The public authority is planning to inoculate about 19.5% of the populace making up the 50 or more age gathering. This will mean about 26.5 crore individuals, other than the 1 crore wellbeing staff and 4 crore diabetics in the underneath 50 age gathering. The dispersion of antibodies will, thusly, be weighted towards states with more seasoned populaces. Notwithstanding, Uttar Pradesh, where just 15% of individuals are matured more than 50, will in any case get the biggest portion of immunizations because of the sheer size of its populace. Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, in a specific order, are next as far as their 50 or more populace. 3.6 crore individuals are qualified for need immunization in UP, Maharashtra follows with 22% of its populace, or 2.7 crore individuals, beyond 50 years old years. It additionally has a high extent of people with diabetes and hypertension, which would add to the numbers who should be immunized.
4. Environment and Ecology - Rare Myristica swamp treefrog found in Thrissur - Myristica swamp treefrog, a rare arboreal species endemic to the Western Ghats that bears the scientific name Mercurana myristicapalustris, has been recorded for the first time north of the Shencottah gap in the Vazhachal Reserve Forest in Kerala’s Thrissur district. The call of these frogs was identified during an exploration study by Sujith V. Gopalan, research scholar, University College, Thiruvananthapuram, near the road at Sukthae pocket swamp in the Vazhachal forest division in 2018. The exploration study lasted two years and the recording has been published in the December issue of Reptiles & Amphibians, an international journal dedicated to the studies of amphibians and reptiles. The frog was first spotted in 2013 in the Myristica swamps of Arippa, near the Kulathupuzha Reserve Forest, in the western foothills of Agasthyamalai, in Kollam district. The current species was spotted by Mr. Gopalan 170 km north of Arippa.
5. World - Violence erupts at pro-Trump rallies in U.S. - Four people were stabbed and one shot as rallies backing President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud led to clashes in major U.S. cities. Scuffles broke out in many places between rally-goers and counter-protesters who turned up to criticise the President, who lost the Nov 3 election to Democrat Joe Biden but is yet to concede. In the U.S. capital, DC Fire and EMS Department communications chief Doug Buchanan told AFP that four people had been stabbed and were now hospitalised “with serious injuries.” There was no indication of whether any of the victims had been involved in the protests, on either side of the divide. The day had begun with a festive atmosphere as thousands of red-hatted protesters filled Washington’s streets to support the President, undeterred by the U.S. Supreme Court’s rejection of what may have been his last chance to overturn the results. Similar events took place in Olympia, Atlanta and St. Paul, Minnesota, as well as in smaller towns in Nebraska, Alabama and elsewhere.
6. Agronomics - States with stressed groundwater top in cereal trade: Study - A link between cereal production and depleting water tables has been noticed by a recent study. Cereals are a staple food and are important sources of nutrients in both developed and developing countries. Not only are cereals beneficial for health, but they're also affordable. Approximately 39% of the groundwater is deployed in producing and trading cereals among states. 41% of cereal trade within India comes from states which are categorized as critically low groundwater reserves. The six states with 'semicritical' to 'critical' groundwater status export around one-fifth of the domestic cereal production. Highly water-intensive crops, their intake of groundwater have left the water tables depleting to new lows.
7. Economy - Lottery, gambling and betting are taxable under the  GST Act, 2017 - The SC has held that lottery, gambling and betting are taxable under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, 2017. The SC passed the order in a batch of pleas filed by various lottery dealers who argued that the Central government had wrongfully classified lottery as goods. The SC gave judgment that Lottery, betting and gambling are actionable claims and come within the definition of goods under Section 2 (52) of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017. The levy of GST on lotteries does not amount to hostile discrimination. As per Schedule III of CGST Act 2017, actionable claims (a claim to any debt other than a debt secured by mortgage of immovable property or hypothecation or pledge of movable property) other than lottery, betting and gambling are neither treated as supply of goods nor a supply of services.
8. Polity and Governance -  Caste in the census - A commission has been appointed to collect data on caste-wise particulars of its population by the Tamil Nadu state govt. The first census in 1881 to 1931 had caste as one of the metrics. In 1941 census for the first time the caste was excluded from the census. The rationale behind the same was that it causes a deep entrenchment of the caste system in Indian society. It was said that the first census in free India in 1951 did not want to burden itself with questions related to caste, tribes etc, but still, it collected important material concerning 'special groups' such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, Anglo-Indians, and certain castes treated as 'backward' for the purpose of the census. The honourable Supreme Court has expressed its displeasure on several occasions about caste being the sole criteria for reservation. The SC has also noted that there should be quantifiable data for a caste to find it's name in the backward classes list, along with under-representation in services.
9. Science and Technology – China moon probe heads back to Earth - A Chinese spacecraft carrying rocks and soil from the moon has begun its journey back to Earth, putting China on course to become the first country to successfully retrieve lunar samples since the 1970s. Engines on the Chang'e-5 probe were ignited 230 km from the lunar surface, before being shut down after 22 minutes with the craft on a trajectory towards Earth. A successful landing in Inner Mongolia would make China only the third country to have retrieved lunar samples after the United States and the Soviet Union. The plan was to collect 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of samples, although it has not been disclosed how much was actually gathered. The Chang'e-5 was launched on Nov. 24 and a lander vehicle touched down on the moon on Dec. 1. The mission was expected to take around 23 days in total.
10. Corporate World – Tatas bid for AI after 1953 exit - Tata Group, India’s largest conglomerate, is believed to have submitted an expression of interest for the beleaguered national carrier Air India over the weekend. It is learnt that the vehicle used to file the interest in AI is AirAsia India, where Tata Sons has a significant majority stake. A group of 200 Air India employees too is expected to place an expression of interest. The group claims to have a financial investor onboard. Ajay Singh of SpiceJet too is eyeing AI but the domestic carrier declined to comment. Unlike May 2018 when the first attempt to sell AI ended with no suitors, this time around, there are multiple interests. The Tata Group - which founded AI as Tata Airlines in October 1932—is being seen as the most likely winner. The government took control of AI in 1953.
    

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	UPSC	Asst Legal Adviser, Medical Physicist, Pub Prose. and AE (Elect.)	34	Degree (Law), Degree (Elect Engg), PG	31-12-2020	https://www.upsc.gov.in/sites/default/files/AdvtNo-16-2020-Engl.pdf
2	C-DAC, Kolkata	Project Officer, Project Support Staff	6	B.Com, CA/ LLM/ CS	31-12-2020	https://cdac.in/index.aspx?id=ca_job_kol_11_12_20
3	SACON	Information Officer, Research Biologist, Technical Asst	7	Diploma (Computer Software), PG	04-01-2021	http://www.sacon.in/careers/
4	Indian Institute of Geomagnetism	Prof, Reader, Fellow, Sr Tech. Asst, Sr Hindi Translator, Driver	11	SSC, PG	15-01-2021	http://iigm.res.in/sites/default/files/ADVT.2020.pdf
5	BHEL	Young Professional	7	PG Degree/ Diploma	31-12-2020	https://careers.bhel.in/lateral2020/static/Advertisement%20for%20Young%20Professional%20-%20CE05-2020.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 of India (RBI) in Dec 2020 announced the introduction of risk-based internal audit norms for large urban cooperative banks (UCBs) and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), as part of measures aimed at improving governance and assurance functions at supervised entities. The RBI also moved to harmonise the guidelines on appointment of statutory auditors for commercial banks, UCBs and NBFCs in order to improve the quality of financial reporting. Observing that the growing significance of NBFCs and their interlinkages with different parts of the financial system had made it imperative to enhance the sector’s resilience, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said, it had been decided to put in place transparent criteria for the declaration of dividends by different categories of NBFCs.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has directed India’s largest private sector lender, HDFC Bank, to stop issuing new credit cards as well as the launch of new digital business, according to a company filing with the stock exchanges. The order has come after a rise in the number of outages of its online services over the last two years.
• State Bank of India (SBI), National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Japan's JCB International Co in Dec2020 announced the launch of 'SBI RuPay JCB Platinum Contactless Debit Card'. It will enable customers to perform both contact and contactless transactions in India and abroad.
• The Banks Board Bureau (BBB), the headhunter for state-owned banks and financial institutions, on December 5, 2020 recommended S Ramann and Shivendra Tomar for the posts of CMD and MD of SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) and IFCI, respectively.

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

3.1 National Energy Conservation Day 2020    

 

 

Highlights – 

• Energy Conservation Day is observed every year on December 14.
• The day focuses on making people aware of global warming and climate change and promotes efforts towards saving energy resources.
• Energy conservation emphasises the judicious use of energy to minimise wastage and to save sources for the future. Energy conservation also advocates the importance of non-renewable resources.
• Most of the energy sources we use in our daily lives are 'non-renewable' they cannot be reused and renewed. It is said that our energy resources may last only for another 40 years or so.
• Therefore, every individual must include energy conservation in their behaviour and to make energy conservation plan more effective.

History –

• In India Energy Conservation Act was implemented by the Energy Efficiency Bureau (BEE) in 2001.
• Energy Efficiency Bureau (BEE) is a constitutional body which works under the Government of India and helps in the development of policies and strategies to reduce the use of energy.
• On this day, a large number of events such as discussions, conferences, debates, workshops, and competitions, etc are held across the country to observe the day.

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

4.1 Weekly Round-up – Foreign Affairs - II

 

• Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed said that military operations in the northern Tigray region have been completed, shortly after he announced federal troops had seized full control of the regional capital of Tigray on November 28, 2020.
• Russia in Nov 2020 successfully test-fired a Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile in the Arctic. The missile was fired from a frigate in the White Sea and hit a naval target 450 km away in the Barents Sea at a speed of over Mach 8.
• Scotland in Nov 2020 made sanitary products free to all women, becoming the first nation in the world to take such a step against “period poverty.” The measure makes tampons and sanitary pads available at designated public places such as community centres, youth clubs and pharmacies.
• The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority will be renamed to Saudi Central Bank under a new law approved by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The Saudi Central Bank will continue to use the acronym "SAMA" due to its historic significance and relevance locally and globally.
• Azerbaijan said in Nov 2020 its forces had entered the Kalbajar district, the second of three to be handed back by Armenia as part of a deal that ended recent fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia agreed to hand over three districts around Karabakh — Aghdam (ceded on Nov 20), Kalbajar and Lachin (be handed over by Dec 1).
• Foreigners opening a company in the United Arab Emirates no longer need an Emirati shareholder or agent under changes to UAE company law.
• As many as 74% people in Asia believe that government corruption is one of the biggest problems plaguing their countries, according to a survey of nearly 20,000 respondents in 17 countries. Nearly one in five people (19 per cent) paid a bribe when accessing public services in the last 12 months, found the report released on November 24, 2020 by Transparency International.
• The Asian Development Bank has approved a $300 million policy-based loan to Pakistan to help promote macroeconomic stability in the cash-strapped country. The announcement came a week after Pakistan secured $800 million worth of debt freeze deals from 14 members of the G20.
• International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was observed on November 25, 2020 with its theme as: “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”. This year’s International Day will mark the launch of 16 days of activism that will conclude on 10 December 2020, which is International Human Rights Day.
• The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was observed on November 29, 2020. On November 29, 1947, the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine.
• Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudan’s last democratically elected prime minister and leader of National Ummah Party, the country’s largest political party, died of COVID-19 on November 26, 2020 in the United Arab Emirates at the age of 84.
• Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an Iranian scientist that Israel alleged led the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program until its disbanding in the early 2000s, was “assassinated” in Nov 2020 in Absard city of Iran.
• Pat Quinn, a co-founder of the social media ALS ice bucket challenge, which has raised more than $200 million worldwide for Lou Gehrig’s disease research, died on November 22, 2020 at the age of 37 in US. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 2013.
• Bruce Carver Boynton, a civil rights pioneer from Alabama who inspired the landmark ‘Freedom Rides’ of 1961, died in Nov 2020 at the age of 83. Boynton was arrested 60 years ago for entering the white part of a racially segregated bus station in Virginia and launching a chain reaction that ultimately helped to bring about the abolition of Jim Crow laws in the South.

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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 International Mountain Day 2020

 

 

Highlights –

• The International Mountain Day is celebrated on December 11 every year. The day aims to encourage sustainable development in mountains. The day was announced by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003.
• The increasing attention to the importance of mountains led the UN to declare to 2002 the UN International Year of Mountains. The first international day was celebrated for the first time in 2003.
• The day gives us an opportunity to spread awareness about protecting the mountain biodiversity as these delicate ecosystems are under tremendous pressure from climate change, overexploitation, and pollution.
• Mountains loom large in some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes. Their unique topography, compressed climatic zones, and isolation have created the conditions for a wide spectrum of life forms.

Theme –

• Mountain biodiversity is the theme of this year’s International Mountain Day.

Important details –

• Mountains are home to 15% of the world´s population and host about half of the world's biodiversity hotspots. They provide freshwater for everyday life to half of humanity. Their conservation is a key factor for sustainable development and is part of Goal 15 of the SDGs.
• Unfortunately, mountains are under threat from climate change and overexploitation. As the global climate continues to warm, mountain people — some of the world’s poorest — face even greater struggles to survive.
• The rising temperatures also mean that mountain glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, affecting freshwater supplies downstream for millions of people.
• Nearly 70% of mountain land is used for grazing and provides manure that enhances soil fertility. Livestock not only produces food items such as milk, butter and meat, but also valuable by-products, such as some of the most precious yarns, like cashmere wool.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Weekly Round-up - I 

• The Central Council of Indian Medicine, a statutory body set up under the AYUSH Ministry to regulate Indian systems of medicine, issued a gazette notification on November 20, 2020 allowing postgraduate (PG) Ayurvedic practitioners to receive formal training for a variety of general surgery, ENT, ophthalmology and dental procedures. The decision follows the amendment to the Indian Medicine Central Council (Post Graduate Ayurveda Education) Regulations, 2016, to allow PG students of Ayurveda to practise general surgery.
• The centre in Nov 2020 asked states to step up measures to contain the spread of coronavirus cases, suggesting they strictly enforce restrictions in containment zones, step up contact tracing and encourage “COVID-appropriate” behaviour. States cannot impose local lockdowns without consulting the centre, but they can enforce restrictions like “night curfew”, according to guidelines issued by the Home Ministry that will be effective from December 1 to 31.
• Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Nov 2020 launched the India Climate Change Knowledge Portal. The portal will have all the major steps the Government is taking at both national and international levels to address the climate change issues.
• A national portal to help transgender community members in applying for a certificate and an identity card online was launched by Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot on November 25, 2020. Gehlot also e-inaugurated a ‘Garima Greh: A Shelter Home for Transgender Persons’ in Vadodara which will be run in association with Lakshya Trust.
• PM Modi chaired the PRAGATI meeting on November 25, 2020. It marked Prime Minister’s thirty-third interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State governments.
• PM Modi reviewed the coronavirus vaccine development process at the Zydus Cadila research centre in Ahmedabad. Later he visited the Serum Institute of India in Pune where inspected the vaccine production process.
• The Union Cabinet in Nov 2020 approved equity infusion of Rs 6,000 crore in NIIF Debt Platform sponsored by National Investment and Infrastructure Fund.
• Starting Jan 15, 2021 all consumers trying to dial a mobile number using landline phones will need to prefix the mobile number with the numeral 0, the Department of Telecom (DoT) said.
• 11th National Organ Donation Day was observed on November 27, 2020. Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan said all adult citizens of India to visit the NOTTO (National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation) website to pledge to donate their organs online.
• The Constitution Day was celebrated on November 26, 2020 to mark the adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949. The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950. Constitution Day was first celebrated in 2015.

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

8.1 ADB launches $9 billion COVID-19 vaccine initiative for developing member countries

Highlights –

• ADB has launched a USD 9 billion vaccine initiative the Asia Pacific Vaccine Access Facility (APVAX) offering rapid and equitable support to its developing members as they procure and deliver effective and safe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines.
• More than 14.3 million positive cases have been identified in Asia and the Pacific, causing more than 2,00,000 deaths.
• As the pandemic persists, economic growth in developing Asia is projected to contract by 0.4 per cent in 2020 the first regional gross domestic product contraction since the early 1960s.
• APVAX is likely to play a critical role in helping our developing members meet these challenges, overcome the pandemic, and focus on economic recovery.
• The Asian Development Bank is also making available a Covid-19 vaccine import facility to help countries secure safe and effective vaccines.

8.2 Time’s Person of the Year

 

 

Highlights –  

• US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have been named as Time magazine’s 2020 ‘Person of the Year’.
• Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were chosen ahead of three other finalists: frontline health care workers and Anthony Fauci, the racial justice movement, and President Donald Trump.
• US President-elect Joe Biden beat incumbent Donald Trump in a historic presidential election that saw record-breaking turnout.
• Essential workers -- nurses, doctors, delivery people, grocery-store employees and others who risked their lives on the frontlines during the Covid-19 pandemic earlier won TIME's 2020 Person of the Year Reader Poll.

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

9.1 Weekly Round-up – Science and Technology

• The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), an array of thirty parabolic radio telescopes of 45-metre diameter in Pune, has been selected as a ‘Milestone’ facility by the U.S.-based Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The IEEE Milestones programme honours significant technical achievements which have global or regional impact. This is only the third such IEEE ‘Milestone’ recognition for an Indian contribution. 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. The formal proposal was submitted, in cooperation with the Pune-based National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), to the IEEE early in 2020.
• The CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) got permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to commercially use the “game-changing technology” of dry swab RNA-extraction-free testing method for COVID-19 on November 27, 2020. Developed by an in-house research team, it will help the authorities scale up testing at a fraction of the current cost of conventional RT-PCR tests and also give results more quickly.bIn the conventional testing method, nasopharyngeal — nose or oropharyngeal — throat swab samples are collected from suspected COVID-19 patients. These are transported to testing centres, sometimes even hundreds of kilometres away. The samples are generally placed in a liquid called Viral Transport Medium (VTM), and to avoid leakage, they are packed heavily, which adds to sample processing times. Researchers found that the VTM can be avoided. The dry swab technique also does not require the RNA-extraction process, and can be directly used for RT-PCR testing with sensitivity and specificity similar to the current standard.
• The Government of India (GOI) has announced the third stimulus package of Rs. 900 Crore for the Mission COVID Suraksha - The Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission. This grant will be provided to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) for Research & Development of Indian COVID-19 vaccines.

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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 -

• Former and longest (2001 to 2016) serving CM of Assam Tarun Gogoi died in Nov 2020 at the age of 86.
• Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Nov 2020 launched the India Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
• The Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA) was inaugurated at Jamnagar recently.
• The 18th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO was held via video conference in Oct 2020.
• Four Asian countries Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Nepal and China were elected to the 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council 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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