Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 09-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 09-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. World – Democrats introduce article of impeachment against Trump – Democrats in the House of Republicans introduced an article of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump — the “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the attack on the Capitol. The House could vote on this charge on January 6. House Republicans blocked a measure on asking Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment, a statute by which the President can be removed on grounds of incapacitation. The measure will go to the full House floor for a vote. On January 10, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi articulated a plan to go ahead with the impeachment of Mr. Trump if Vice-President Mike Pence did not invoke the 25th Amendment. There are ten days left in Mr. Trump’s term and if impeached, he will the first President to be impeached twice. If convicted in the Senate, Mr. Trump could be barred from running for office again in the future.
2. Covid-19 – WHO experts to visit China to trace origins of COVID-19 – A team of experts from the WHO will arrive in China on January 6 to study the origins of COVID-19. China’s Foreign Ministry said during the visit, “The international experts will hold exchanges with Chinese scientists and medical experts over scientific cooperation in origin-tracing.” Investigations into the origins of the coronavirus have already become politicised. The WHO has been criticised, particularly by the United States, for its response to the pandemic and was described by President Donald Trump as being “China-centric” and “a puppet of China”.
3. Law & Constitution – HC nod to terminate 28-week pregnancy – The Delhi HC has granted permission to a woman to terminate her 28-week pregnancy after AIIMS medical board said her foetus can be aborted as it suffered from anencephaly, a condition where the skull bone is not formed. On January 7, the court had asked AIIMS to constitute a medical board to examine the woman and give a report on the feasibility of terminating her pregnancy. The woman stated that an ultrasonography at the gestational age of 27 weeks 5 days found that the foetus suffered from anencephaly, making it incompatible with life. In India, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act stipulates a ceiling of 20 weeks for termination of pregnancy, beyond which abortion of a foetus is statutorily impermissible.
4. Agriculture – Farmers reject court’s proposal – Farmers groups have rejected the SC’s suggestion to appoint a committee to resolve the ongoing crisis over three farm reform laws. They say the Centre’s attitude in court makes it clear that the government will not agree to discuss farmers’ demand for repeal of the three laws in such a committee. They expressed “respect” and “gratitude” for the Court’s “understanding of the problem and comforting words” but regretted that the unions were unable to accede to its suggestions, as millions of farmers across the country were demanding a full repeal of the laws. They expressed disappointment that the Court would pronounce its order without further consultations.
5. Covid-19 – 96 infected so far with mutant U.K. strain, says Health – The total number of persons found infected with the mutant U.K. strain of COVID-19 is 96. India has also reported fewer than 170 daily COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, after 229 days. The country reported 161 case fatalities in the past 24 hours, with six States and Union Territories accounting for 69.57% of them. Maharashtra saw the most casualties of 34, followed by Kerala with 23 and West Bengal with 19. Data released by the Ministry said the total active case load had fallen to 2.25 lakh (2,22,526) currently, and that the present active case load consisted of 2.13% of the total positive cases. 16,959 people had recovered and were discharged in the last 24 hours. The total recovered cases stood at 10,092,909.
6. Polity & Governance – Panel clears Parliament project – The Union government’s proposal to construct a new Parliament building has been approved by the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC), whose clearance was mandated by the Supreme Court in its January 5 judgment allowing the project. The court ordered that the permission of the HCC, which is headed by an Additional Secretary of the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and includes government officials primarily, should be obtained before any work starts on the ground. The panel looked at the preservation of heritage as per the Unified Building Bylaws, 2016. Permission was not sought earlier as the Ministry, whose Central Public Works Department is carrying out the project, felt there was no heritage involved. The new building was proposed to be built adjacent to the existing Parliament, which was built in the 1920s. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri said the timeline for the completion was 2022, the 75th year of Independence.
7. Agriculture – SC ‘intends’ to stay farm laws – The Supreme Court on January 11 said it intended to stay the implementation of the controversial agricultural laws while proposing to form an independent committee chaired by a former Chief Justice of India to “amicably resolve” the stand-off between the farmers and the Union government. A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, underlined its “disappointment” at the Centre’s handling of the protest, including the string of failed talks, States “up in rebellion”, suicides among protesters and the sight of aged farmers, women and children suffering in the biting cold amid the pandemic.
8. Covid-19 – Centre orders 11 mn doses of Covishield – PM Modi has announced that the State governments would not have to pay for vaccinating the priority group of three crore healthcare and frontline workers, stating that the Centre would bear the cost. The announcement came as the Central government placed a purchase order with the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) for 11 million doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, at a cost of ₹210 per dose (including GST). The Health Ministry is also slated to sign a purchase order with Bharat Biotech for its vaccine, Covaxin. “Meetings for this are under way.”
9. People & Personalities – Author Ved Mehta passes away in the U.S. – Celebrated Indian-American author Ved Mehta, who overcame blindness and became widely known as the 20th century writer most responsible for introducing American readers to India, died in the U.S. on January 9. Mehta was born in pre-Partition Lahore into a well-off Punjabi family in 1934. He lost his eyesight at the age of three from meningitis. He is best known for his 12-volume memoir, which focused on the troubled modern history of India and his early struggles with blindness. Mehta brought out 24 books that included volumes of reportage on India, among them Walking the Indian Streets (1960), Portrait of India (1970) and Mahatma Gandhi and His Apostles (1977), as well as explorations of philosophy, theology and linguistics.
10. Economy – Next round of commercial coal mining auction ‘soon’ – Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi has said the next tranche of commercial mines auction will be unveiled this month and stressed that further rounds would continue thereafter. The Coal Minister said the single-window clearance portal is in the spirit of minimum government and maximum governance. It would be a milestone for ease of doing business in the country's coal sector. Presently, about 19 major approval or clearances are required before starting a coal mine in the country.

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
1	National Jalma Inst. for Leprosy & Other Mycob	Project Technician – III, Project Assistant	7	12th Class, Degree, PG (Relevant Disciplines)	09-01-2021	https://www.jalma-icmr.org.in/pdf/Online%20application%20are%20invited%20for%20various%20pot%20under%20NTM%20Project-merged.pdf
2	CMTI	Project Asst-I, Project Fellow I & II	13	ITI (Engg), B.E/ B.Tech, M.E/ M.Tech (Engg)	29-01-2021	http://cmti-india.net/themes/zeropoint/pdf/Rec_062021.pdf
3	ICAR-CIRCOT	Young Professional-I	11	Diploma, Any Degree, B.Com	15-01-2021 – Walk in	https://circot.res.in/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/YP-I-Advertise.pdf
4	ICMR – NRCL	Young Professional I & Project Asst cum Data Analyst	10	Degree (Relevant Discipline), Typing Knowledge	25-01-2021	https://www.nrclitchi.org/uploads/recruitments/Application%20Format%20for%20Young%20Professional%20&%20Project%20Assistant%2006-01-2021.pdf
5	Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax	Inspector of Income-tax, Tax Assistant, MTS	38	Matriculation, Any Degree	17-01-2021	https://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/Lists/Recruitment%20Notices/Attachments/12/SPORTS_QUOTA_Notice_5_1_21.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 MP, AP to get additional financial assistance  

 

 

Highlights –

• Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh have become the first states to complete three out of four citizen-centric reforms stipulated by the Ministry of Finance.
• The two states have completed the One Nation, One Ration Card reforms, Ease of Doing Business reforms, and Urban Local Bodies reforms.
• The Department of Expenditure has decided to provide additional financial assistance of Rs 1,004 crore to these states under the newly-launched scheme of 'Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure.'
• Andhra Pradesh will get an additional amount of Rs 344 crore while Madhya Pradesh has become entitled to receive Rs 660 crore for capital projects.
• The scheme was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on October 12, 2019as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat package.
• The additional financial assistance for the capital expenditure is in addition to the permission of Rs 14,694 crore issued to these states for extra borrowings for completing the reforms.
• The scheme of 'Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure' is aimed at boosting capital expenditure by state governments which are facing difficult financial environment this year due to shortfall in tax revenue arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Important details –

• Capital expenditure has a higher multiplier effect, enhancing the future productive capacity of the economy and results in a higher rate of economic growth.
• The scheme has got a good response from state governments. So far capital expenditure proposals of Rs 9,880 crore of 27 states have been approved by the Ministry of Finance.
• The capital expenditure projects have been approved in diverse sectors like health, rural development, water supply, irrigation, power, transport, education and urban development.
• The scheme has three parts. Part one covers north-eastern and hill states under which Rs. 200 crore is allocated to each of the seven north-eastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura) and Rs 450 crore is allocated to each of the hill states (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand).
• In view of the higher population and geographical area, Assam has been provided with an enhanced allocation of Rs 450 crore.
• Part two is for all other states not included in part one. Part three of the scheme is aimed at pushing various citizen-centric reforms in states with an allocation of Rs 2,000 crore.
• The four reforms relate to One Nation One Ration Card, Ease of Doing Business, Urban Local Body/Utility and Power Sector.

2.2 News Round-up – Indian Economy

• PM Modi on December 25, 2020 released the seventh instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) through video conferencing. Under the PM-KISAN Scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to small and marginal farmers, payable in three equal four-monthly installments of Rs 2,000 each.
• The government approved the National Security Directive on the telecommunication sector on December 23, 2020. The move to create a secured national network would restrict the use of Chinese equipment by telecom operators in future 5G networks.
• National Farmers’ Day, or Kisan Diwas, was celebrated across the country on December 23, 2020. The day is celebrated every year to honour India’s farmers and mark the birth anniversary of India’s fifth prime minister, Choudhary Charan Singh.
• The government on December 23, 2020 launched a technology contest to invite solutions from IT companies and start-ups to strengthen digital platform CoWIN, which will be used for rolling out and scaling up COVID vaccine distribution across the country. The government is enhancing use of the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) system, which provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and storage temperatures across all cold chain points in the country.
• The government has introduced mandatory physical verification of business premises for the purposes of obtaining GST registration. The GST Council Secretariat said that the move, aimed at controlling the menace of GST fake invoice frauds, was recommended by the Council’s law committee.
• The Union Transport Ministry on December 27, 2020 extended the validity of motor vehicle documents like Driving Licence, Registration Certificate book and permits till March 31, 2021, in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

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

3.1 Human-wildlife conflict

 

  

Highlights – 

• The central government has issued an advisory to the state governments for better management of the human-wildlife conflicts in the country.
• Among the measures suggested by the government include empowering the Gram Panchayats to deal with the problematic wild animals, utilising the funds of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana for crop damage by wild beasts and arranging fodder and water sources within the forest areas among others.
• The empowerment of the Gram Panchayats to deal with the increasing human wildlife conflict was the main highlight of the advisory in accordance with the section 11 (1) (b) of Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• The government board said that utilising the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to compensate the farmers who have suffered crop damage due to the wild animals and arrangement of fodder and water within the forest areas are some vital steps that could reduce the number of human wildlife conflicts.
• In the wake of many human wildlife conflict cases resulting in the death of people and serious injury, the board recommended that some portion of the ex-gratia compensation should be handed over to the victim or victim’s family in less than 24 hours after the occurence of the incident.
• Among other measures recommended by the board are the adoption of early warning systems, creation of barriers, toll-free hotline numbers for emergency situations among others.
• The board also advised the state governments to identify the hotspots where frequent human-wildlife conflicts take place.
• The incidents related to the entry of wild animals in the human residential areas have increased in recent years with several videos of big cats, elephants, and other wild life animals causing havoc doing rounds on social media.
• Wildlife experts have highlighted the shrinking space for the wildlife animals as the main reason for the human-wildlife conflicts.

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

4.1 Alexander Ellis – the new British high commissioner to India

 

 

Key points –

• Career diplomat Alexander Ellis has been appointed British high commissioner to India and will take up the key role later this month (January 2021).
• Ellis, 53, has held several posts, including deputy national security adviser in the cabinet office, director-general in the department for exiting the European Union, and the British ambassador to Portugal.
• Ellis, who succeeds Philip Barton, is expected to be in the post during the visit of UK PM Boris Johnson, who will be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day parade on January 26, 2021.
• In August 2020, Barton was promoted as permanent undersecretary in the UK’s newly formed foreign, commonwealth and development office.

4.2    News Round-up – International Affairs

• The plight of 23 crew members of Indian ship Jag Anand continues as Chinese govt on December 23, 2020 reiterated its unwillingness to allow a crew change citing epidemic control requirements at ports. Laden with huge consignment of Australian coal, the ship is stuck at a Chinese port since June as Beijing is not allowing the ship to unload the cargo from Australia with which it is locked in a political tussle.
• External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on December 23, 2020 held a virtual meeting with his Spain counterpart Arancha González. Both Ministers exchanged notes on the pandemic situation.  During the meeting, there was detailed review of bilateral relations including cooperation in energy, climate change and infrastructure.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on December 22, 2020 spoke to his Japanese counterpart Kishi Nobuo and discussed issues relating to bilateral defence and security cooperation.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi held Virtual Summit with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 21, 2020. The two nations signed seven new agreements on areas such as defence, scientific research, nuclear and renewable energy, petrochemicals and other diverse subjects like cancer treatment.
• Indian and Vietnamese Navy on December 27, 2020 concluded the two-day passage exercise in the South China Sea as part of efforts to boost maritime cooperation between the two countries.
• PM Modi on December 21, 2020 addressed the 6th Indo-Japan Samwad Conference via videoconferencing. He proposed setting up of a library in India dedicated to traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures.
• India and Israel on December 21, 2020 signed an agreement to cooperate in the fields of health and medicine, including sharing of expertise in building climate resilient infrastructure and support to ‘green healthcare’. The agreement was signed between Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabi Ashkenazi, and India’s Ambassador to Israel, Sanjeev Singla, on behalf of the Indian government. The new pact replaces the previous one signed in 2003.

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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 Not Available Today

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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 Online exam on cow science to be held in India

 

Key points –

• Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA), the government body set up for cow welfare has announced that it will hold a countrywide online examination on ‘gau vigyan’ (cow science) on February 25. This exam will be held annually.
• There will be no fee for the examination and the syllabus as well as other literature and reference books on cows, which will be recommended on the website of the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, will help the examinees prepare for the exam.
• Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar Prasar Exam will be an online exam with 100 multi-choice questions in Hindi, English and 12 regional languages. The duration will be one hour and there will be 4 categories.
• The exam will be conducted in four categories --Primary level up to 8th standard, Secondary level from class 9th to class 12th, College level after 12th+ and fourth category will be for the general public.
• RKA comes under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. It was set up by the Centre in February 2019, and is aimed at “conservation, protection and development of cows and their progeny”.

8.2 LASI Wave-1, India Report

 

Key point –  

• Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr.Harsh Vardhan has released INDIA REPORT on Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (LASI) Wave-1 on the virtual platform.

Important details –

• LASI is a full–scale national survey of scientific investigation of the health, economic, and social determinants and consequences of population ageing in India.
• The National Programme for Health Care of Elderly, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has undertaken the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India, through International Institute for Population Sciences, (IIPS), Mumbai in collaboration with Harvard School of Public Health, University of Southern California,USA, Dte.GHS, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and National Institute on Ageing.
• The LASI, Wave 1 covered a baseline sample of 72,250 individuals aged 45 and above and their spouses including 31,464 elderly persons aged 60 and above and 6,749 oldest-old persons aged 75 and above from all States and Union Territories (UTs) of India (excluding Sikkim).
• LASI data are likely to assist in addressing the broad aims of the Decade of Healthy Ageing and will lead to convergence within various national health programs and also promote inter-sectoral coordination with other line Departments/Ministries.

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

9.1 News Round-up – World of Science

• International Science Literature Festival – VIGYANIKA organized - CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES) and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA) jointly organised the inaugural session of Vigyanika-International Science Literature Festival on the opening day of IISF 2020 on the virtual platform to mark the birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan on December 22, 2020.
• New species of sun rose found in the Eastern Ghats - Botanists have discovered a new species of wild sun rose from the Eastern Ghats in India. The new species, named Portulaca laljii, discovered from Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh has unique features such as a tuberous root, no hair in its leaf axils, a reddish pink flower, prolate-shaped fruits, and copper brown seeds without lustre. These morphological features distinguish the species from other species of genus Portulaca. The details of the discovery have been published in the Journal of Asia Pacific Biodiversity.

 

• New species of Indian Muraingrass discovered from Western Ghats - Researchers from the Pune-based Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), in collaboration with their counterparts from University of Goa, have discovered a species of Indian Muraingrass along the Western Ghats. Besides being of economic significance as it is commonly used as fodder, this species, named Ischaemum janarthanamii, has fought harsh conditions to survive in this ecologically-sensitive region, researchers say.

 

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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 -

• Famous Wrestler Bajrang Punia bagged the men’s sportsperson of the year award at the FICCI India awards.
• Indian Navy’s submarine ‘Vagir’ was launched on November 12, 2020 was built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.
• According to the Epidemic Diseases (Amendment) Ordinance 2020, the maximum fine for acts of violence against healthcare personnel is Rs. 5 lakhs.
• The Union Cabinet in March 2020 approved the Production-Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing..
• MEIS is Merchandise Exports from India Scheme.

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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