Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 06-01-2021

• [message]
• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Economy – Global, India output set to expand in FY22: World Bank – Global economic output is projected to grow by 4% in 2021 assuming widespread roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine throughout the year. This projection is still 5% below pre-pandemic levels. India is expected to grow at 5.4% in fiscal year 2021-22 and 5.2% in fiscal 2022-23 after an expected contraction of 9.6% in fiscal 2020-21. India’s expected contraction in the current fiscal is due to a sharp decline in household spending and private investment. There was severe income loss in the informal sector which accounts for four-fifths of employment. However, recent data indicated that recovery in manufacturing and services was gaining momentum. In 2021, the rebound from the low base is expected to be countered by subdued private investment growth due to financial sector weakness.
2. Polity & Governance – SC clears Centre’s plan to build a three times bigger Parliament – The Supreme Court has given its go-ahead to the multi-crore Central Vista redevelopment project, which proposes to build a new Parliament three times bigger than the existing 93-year-old heritage building and modify the use of 86.1 acres of land, home to India’s power corridor in the national capital. The court brushed aside allegations that the government committed foul play and illegally carved out the Parliament project from the Central Vista project. The court said it cannot order the government to desist from spending money on one project and use it for something else. It said the government did not act against public trust. The majority opinion said the project did not involve any “radical” change in land use. The proposed change in landscape would not limit “recreational spaces” for the public.
3. Covid-19 – Pune hub to track vaccine chain across 41 key cities – A command and control centre set up at the Centre’s aviation cargo wing, AAICLAS, will monitor the movement of COVID-19 vaccines across a network of 41 airports, with Pune — where vaccine manufacturer Serum Institute of India is located — as the hub. The 41 airports or cities where transportation efforts will be focused include Karnal, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, each of which has a Government Medical Stores Depot (GMSD) of the Central government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Once vaccines dispatched by the manufacturers arrive at these four big depots, they will be further distributed across 37 State depots. Thereafter, they will be sent to district depots and finally to the primary health care centres.
4. Polity & Governance – States on alert as fear of bird flu grows – Several States have sounded an alert to contain avian influenza, or H5N8, while Kerala began culling of thousands of ducks. Nearly 2,000 migratory birds were found dead in Himachal Pradesh, while Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh reported deaths of several hundred birds. In Haryana, the “unusual” deaths of four lakh poultry birds have been reported in the past 10 days, but there is no confirmation on whether they died of avian influenza. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, both neighbouring Kerala, put their Animal Husbandry and Forest Departments on alert as fears of the bird flu spreading grew.
5. World – Georgia goes to polls for key Senate runoffs – After an unprecedented campaign that mobilised Donald Trump and his White House successor Joe Biden, Georgians went to the polls on January 5 for two closely-watched U.S. Senate runoffs that could shape the first years of the new Democratic presidency. For nearly 20 years, Georgia has voted reliably Republican in the presidential election and Senate contests. But Mr. Biden pulled off a shock victory in Georgia in November, one of the several States that he flipped to win the White House, and the races for the Senate have come down to the wire in the biggest, most expensive congressional runoffs in U.S. history. A staggering $832 million has been spent on the two contests, including spending in the primary and general elections. If Democrats flip both seats, they win back the Senate, effectively handing Mr. Biden all the levers of political power in Washington and helping him enact his ambitious legislative agenda.
6. Economy – Government launches hackathon for toys – The Centre has launched a hackathon for students, teachers and start-ups to design and develop toys and games “based on Indian culture and ethos, local folklore and heroes, and Indian value systems.” The goal of the “toycathon” is to promote India as a global toy manufacturing hub. Though the toy market in India is worth $1 billion, 80% toys are imported. In August 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann ki Baat address spoke about developing India as a toy hub. The Toycathon has nine themes, including fitness and sport and rediscovering traditional Indian toys.
7. Polity & Governance – PM inaugurates Kochi-Mangaluru LNG pipeline – PM Modi has said that as part of efforts to make India a natural gas-based economy, 10,000 more CNG (compressed natural gas) stations would be opened and several lakh PNG (piped natural gas) household connections given in the coming days. The PM said the government would make substantial investments in coal and gas sectors. The plan was to increase the share of natural gas in the energy sector from the present 6% to 15% by 2030. Giving out statistics on efforts to boost the alternative energy sector, Mr. Modi said while 15,000 km of LNG pipeline was laid between 1978 (when the first inter-State pipeline was commissioned) and 2014, work on 16,000 km that started in 2014 would be completed in the next four years.
8. World – Gulf leaders sign deal to end years-long dispute – Gulf leaders have signed a “solidarity and stability” deal after leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar publicly embraced, bringing Doha back into the regional fold after a three-year-long rift. Saudi Arabia had led a coalition of countries in the Gulf and beyond to cut ties and transport links with Qatar in June 2017, charging that it was too close to Iran and backed radical Islamist groups — allegations that Doha denied. Those countries, along with Oman and Kuwait, which have mediated between the two sides, signed a deal in Al-Ula, after Riyadh overnight re-opened its land, sea and air borders to Doha.
9. Polity & Governance – Union Budget set to be presented on Feb. 1 – The Budget session of Parliament is expected to begin on January 29, with the Budget being presented as per schedule on February 1. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs or CCPA, but an official announcement has not been made so far. As is the norm, the Budget session will be conducted in two phases. The first, beginning on January 29, will conclude on February 15. The second phase will run from March 8 to April 8.
10. Covid-19 – India third country to record more than 1.5 lakh deaths – India on January 6 became the third country to record 1.5 lakh fatalities from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). The country recorded 264 fresh fatalities in the last 24 hours which took the death toll to 1,50,114. US has the highest number of fatalities - 3,65,620 - followed by Brazil with 1,97,777 deaths due to the disease. The number of fatalities, along with daily caseload, has been steadily falling over the last few weeks in India. The country recorded 16,375 new cases of Covid-19 on January 5, the lowest in over six months. The active caseload remained below three lakh for the 16th consecutive day on January 6. India’s active caseload stands at 2,27,546. 

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	IPIRTI	Project Scientist, Project Asst – 5 Posts	5	Diploma (Engg)/ B.Sc (Relevant Disciplines), ME/ M.Tech or Ph.D	22-01-2021	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2021/01/Notification-IPIRTI-Project-Scientific-Asst-Posts.pdf
2	NPCIL	Scientific Asst, Leading Fireman, Assistant & Other – 11 Posts	11	Diploma, Any Degree	25-01-2021	https://img.freejobalert.com/uploads/2021/01/Notification-NPCIL-Scientific-Asst-Fireman-Other-Posts.pdf
3	Press Council of India	Assistant Section Officer, Junior Translation Officer – 5 Posts	5	–	01-02-2021	http://www.barc.gov.in/careers/vacancy512.pdf
4	BARC	Stipendiary Trainee & Technician/ B – 60 Posts	60	SSC, HSC, Diploma (Engg), B.Sc (Chemistry)	22-01-2021	https://www.rrljorhat.res.in/jobs/Advt-43-2020-HRD.pdf
5	NEIST	Sr Project Associate, Project Associate & Asst, Field Worker – 77 Posts	77	Any Degree, Degree, PG, Ph.D (Relevant Discipline)	08 to 25-01-2021	http://www.incometaxbhopal.in/Document/Recruitment_of_Meritorious_Sportspersons_English.pdf

 

• [message]
• SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

• [message]
• 1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 SC asks Centre to change rules on confiscation of animals

 

 

Key points – 

• The SC has said that a provision in the 2017 rule notified by the Centre, allowing the confiscation of the animals of traders and trans porters during the pendency of trials in cases under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, is contrary to the latter’s provisions which allow such confiscation only in case of conviction.
• It has asked the government to either change the rule or face a stay from the court.
• Highlights –
• The 2017 rules allow a magistrate to forfeit the cattle of an owner facing trial under the Act and send them to infirmaries, gaushalas etc.
• The bench pointed out that Section 29 of the Act says that a person tried for an offence under the Act can be deprived of the ownership of the animal only upon conviction.
• Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Jayant K Sud informed the court that the 2017 rules had been notified as it had come to light that atrocities were being committed on animals.
• The court gave the Centre one week’s time to file a reply and posted the matter for hearing again on January 11.
• The petitioners contended that the Rules were being used to forcibly deprive even legitimate owners of their cattle and that it had emboldened “anti-social elements” to take matters into their own hands and loot cattle traders.

• [message]
• 2. ECONOMY (Prelims, GS Paper 3, Essay paper

2.1 Google employees form labour union in US

 

 

Highlights –

• More than 200 employees and contractors at Google parent Alphabet Inc in the United States and Canada have formed a labour union to promote workplace equity and ethical business practices.
• The "Alphabet Workers Union" wil  l collect dues of 1% of total compensation from members, according to its website. The funds will cover paid organizers, events, legal support and wages for members in the event of a labour strike.
• Unlike many budding unions, the newly formed group does not expect to collective bargain with Alphabet over pay and working conditions any time soon. Instead, it aims to create a more formal structure to organize future protests.
• The group's formation builds on unprecedented protests by Google workers in recent years.
• While the tech industry has seen minimal union activity and worker pushback historically, thousands of people at Alphabet had banded together to publicly criticize Google's handling of sexual harassment complaints, its work with the U.S. military and other issues.
• Parul Koul is the executive chair of the Alphabet Workers Union, and Chewy Shaw vice chair.
• Google has been under fire from the US labour regulator, which has accused the company of unlawfully questioning several workers who were then terminated for protesting company policies and trying to organize a union. Google has said it was confident it acted legally.
• Alphabet Workers Union members will be part of the Communications Workers of America Local 1400, which also includes employees from Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc.

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

3.1 Not Available Today

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

4.1 Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act

 

 

Key points –

• The US Congress assed the "Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act" which will expand the number of scholarships available to Pakistani women to receive higher education under a merit and needs-based programme.
• Passed by the House of Representatives in March 2020, the bill was passed by the US Senate by a voice vote on January 1. The bill now heads to the White House for US President Donald Trump to sign into law.
• The bill requires the US Agency for International Development to award at least 50 per cent of scholarships under a Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme to Pakistani women, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and in accordance with existing eligibility criteria.
• The bill also requires USAID to consult with and  leverage investments by the Pakistani private sector and Pakistanis residing in the US to strengthen and expand access to education programmes in Pakistan.

Important details –

• On October 10, 2014, Malala shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi for her "struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education".
• In October 2012, Malala was shot in the head by Pakistani Taliban on her way home from school.
• In late 2008, she began making the case for access to education for women and girls despite objections from the Pakistani Taliban.
• Since 2010, the USAID has awarded more than 6,000 scholarships for young women to receive higher education in Pakistan. The bill expands this programme.

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

5.1 Not Available Today

• [message]
• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Not Available Today

• [message]
• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 Not Available Today

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

8.1 World Braille Day 2021

 

Highlights – 

• Every year, World Braille Day is observed on January 4th to raise awareness about how Braille plays a significant role in the complete realization of human rights in the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
• One billion people worldwide suffering from different disabilities have lower chances to access health care, education, employment and are prone to poverty, violence, neglect and abuse.

Importance –

• During the Covid-19 lockdown, visually impaired people who are dependent on the use of touch for communication have made realize the importance of essential infrastructure in terms of Braille and audible formats.
• Alternatively, it can pose a higher risk of contamination due to a lack of access to guidelines and precautions to protect and reduce the spreading of a pandemic.
• Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the UN has implemented many good practices in order to promote a disability-inclusive response to the Covid-19 and disseminate information in Braille.

What is Braille –

• Braille is a tangible representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols in which letters and numbers are represented using six dots. It is even used in the depicting musical, mathematical and scientific symbols.
• Braille is named after Louis Braille, who invented it for blind and partially sighted people in 19th century, France.
• Braille is considered important in terms of education, freedom of expression and opinion, as well as social inclusion, as reflected in article 2 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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

9.1 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica

  

Highlights –

• The 40th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (ISEA) departed for the South Pole from Mormugao Port, Goa with 43 members on board, January 5, 2021.
• This Indian expedition marks four decades of the country's scientific endeavour to the southern white continent.
• The chartered ice-class vessel MV Vasiliy Golovnin will make this journey and will reach Antarctica in 30 days.
• After leaving behind a team of 40 members, it would return to India in April 2021.
• The team comprises scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians and is led by three polar veterans, said Javed Beg, group director (Antarctic Operations and Infrastructure) at the National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR) in Goa.
• On return, it will also bring back the winter team of the preceding trip.

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

10.1 Not Available Today

 

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Indian Army appoints Major General to head its new Human Rights Cell
• UK PM Boris Johnson cancels trip to India for Republic Day 2021
• Hemant Kumar Pandey wins DRDO's Scientist of the Year award
• Trifed and Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram sign MoU to set up TRIFOOD parks in MP
• MP government to start world’s largest floating solar project by 2023.

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!

• [message]
• SECTION 3 - MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions)

Solve the online quiz given, right now. Check scores, and relative performance!

---