Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 14-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 14-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Agriculture – No clarity on tomorrow’s talks, a day after SC stay on farm laws – As thousands of protesting farmers burned copies of the three contentious farm reform laws to mark the festival of Lohri, the Central government was yet to decide whether to hold its next round of negotiations with farm unions on January 15. Farmers completed 50 days of continuous protest on the borders of Delhi. They have been demanding the repeal of the three laws, as well as a legal guarantee that all farm produce would be sold at minimum support prices. So far, eight rounds of talks have failed to resolve the crisis. Following the Supreme Court’s order to suspend the implementation of the laws and form a committee on the same issues, the Centre held internal consultations on the way ahead.
2. World – Donald Trump on verge of second impeachment – A week after Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. House of Representatives gathered on January 13 to impeach the President for his role in an assault on American democracy that stunned the nation and left five dead. At least five Republicans have said they would join Democrats to impeach Mr. Trump for the second time, just seven days before he is due to leave office and President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20. A vote of the House majority to impeach would trigger a trial in the still Republican-controlled Senate, although it was unclear whether such a trial would take place in time to expel Mr. Trump from the White House.
3. Law & Constitution – Publication of notice of marriage not mandatory, says Allahabad HC – The Allahabad High Court has ruled that the provision of publication of notice of intended marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, is not mandatory. The court, in a significant judgment delivered on January 12, said making such publication mandatory “would invade the fundamental rights of liberty and privacy, including within its sphere the freedom to choose for marriage without interference from state and non-state actors, of the persons concerned”. A Bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary mandated that while giving notice under Section 5 of the Act, it shall be optional for the parties to the intended marriage to make a request in writing to the marriage officer to publish or not to publish a notice under Section 6 and follow the procedure of objections as prescribed under the Act.
4. Covid-19 – AAP govt. to provide free COVID vaccination if Centre doesn’t: CM – The Delhi government will provide free COVID-19 vaccination to residents of the Capital if the Centre fails to do so, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on January 13. His comment came following a visit to the family of Dr. Hitesh Gupta, employed with the Delhi government, who lost his life after contracting the virus in the line of duty. The government announced financial assistance of ₹1 crore to the family. The Delhi government has sent a list of 600 sites, including schools and government offices, to the Centre for the first phase of the vaccination drive which aims to cover 51 lakh citizens.
5. Defence – CCS approves 83 Tejas fighters for Air Force – In the biggest indigenous defence deal, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has approved the manufacture of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of around ₹47,000 crore. The indigenous content of the LCA-Tejas was 50% in the MK-1A variant and it would be enhanced to 60% by the end of the programme. The MK-1A would have over 40 modifications over the MK-1 variant, including some major ones like an electronic warfare system, advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, beyond visual range (BVR) missiles and a network warfare system comprising software defined radio (SDR). The modifications would be incorporated on the LCA concurrently along with the production once the deal is signed. The Cabinet also approved infrastructure development by the IAF under the project to enable them to handle repairs or servicing at their base depot so that the turnaround time is reduced for mission critical systems, which would lead to increased availability of aircraft for operational exploitation.
6. World – Kremlin critic Navalny to fly to Russia despite risk – Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has said that he would fly back to Russia on January 17 from Germany, where he has been recovering after being poisoned, shrugging off potential legal risks that could see him jailed. Mr. Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putin’s leading critics, was airlifted to Germany for treatment in August 2020 after collapsing on a plane in what Germany and other Western nations say was an attempt to murder him with a nerve agent. Russian authorities deny any involvement in the incident. His announcement came a day after court documents showed Russian authorities had asked a court to jail him for allegedly breaking the terms of a suspended sentence, which he calls a politically-motivated conviction.
7. Economy – Kerala allowed to borrow ₹2,261 cr. more – The Finance Ministry has enhanced Kerala’s borrowing limit by ₹2,261 crore, after the State joined seven others in completing reforms to improve the ease of doing business as stipulated by the Centre. States have so far been granted an additional borrowing limit of about ₹23,100 crore linked to this aspect of the conditional reform-linked borrowings permitted this year. The reforms for meeting the additional borrowing grant include the completion of first assessment of ‘District Level Business Reform Action Plan’, elimination of the requirements of renewal of registration certificates and licences obtained by businesses under various laws, and implementation of a computerised central random inspection system for allocation of inspectors. In May, the Centre had allowed States to avail of enhanced borrowing limits of 2% of their Gross State Domestic Product, citing the COVID-19 pandemic.
8. Polity & Governance – Polio immunisation drive postponed – The Union Health Ministry has postponed the polio immunisation drive scheduled from January 17 till further notice, citing unforeseen activities. While the COVID-19 vaccination starts on January 16, the National Immunisation Day (NID), commonly known as Pulse Polio Immunisation programme, was scheduled for January 17 across India.
9. Law & Constitution – Adultery law must stay for military: govt. – The Supreme Court has admitted a petition filed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) seeking to exempt armed forces personnel from the ambit of a Constitution Bench judgment of 2018 that decriminalised adultery. One of the chief reasons given by the government for seeking exemption is, incidentally, that “there will always be a concern in the minds of the Army personnel who are operating far away from their families under challenging conditions about the family indulging in untoward activity.” A three-judge Bench led by Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman said the plea had to be considered by a Constitution Bench because the original verdict, striking down Section 497 (adultery) of the IPC, was pronounced by a five-judge Bench in September 2018.
10. Education – Delhi schools to reopen for classes 10, 12 – Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has said that the Delhi government has allowed the reopening of schools for students of Classes 10 and 12 so that they may complete their studies ahead of the CBSE board examinations, the dates of which have already been announced. The government said that physical attendance is not compulsory and students will attend schools only with the consent of parents and issued a standard operating procedure for all schools to follow. Schools in the Capital have been closed since March 19, 2020.

Important Exam Notifications
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1	Cochin Shipyard Ltd	Jr Technical Asst, Storekeeper, Operator, Welder Cum Fitter	10	SSLC, ITI, Diploma (Engg), Any Degree, PG Diploma	02-02-2021	https://cochinshipyard.com/uploads/career/1e8506e4c87d513e150280b8b87b0d50.pdf
2	CEERI	Apprentice	41	10th Class, 10+2	19 & 20-01-2021 – Walk in	https://www.ceeri.res.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Advt_No._01_2021_Advertisement_for_the_Engagement_of_Apprentice_12012021-1.pdf
3	NIHFW	Pharmacist, Receptionist, Stenographer & Other	20	Matric, Higher Secondary, Diploma (Pharmacy)	26-02-2021	http://www.nihfw.org/Doc/Revised%20Draft%20Advt.-Gp.%20C%20&%20MTS%20posts-final.pdf
4	NIHFW	Steno, Librarian, Staff Nurse, Technical Asst & Other	8	Matric, GNM, 10+2, DMLT/ BMLT, Degree/ PG (Library Science), PG	26-02-2021	http://www.nihfw.org/Doc/Detailed%20advertisment%20of%20Group%20B%20posts.pdf
5	SAIL IISCO Steel Plant	Operation Theatre Technician, Dresser & Other	50	10th Class, 10+2, ANM, Diploma, B.Sc, Any Degree	18-01-2021	https://www.sailcareers.com/media/uploads/Required_Qualifications_and_Experience.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 No entertainment tax for theatres in Kerala 

 

Highlights –

• In a move to help the film industry in the state, the Kerala government has decided to waive entertainment tax for theatres from January to March 2021 along with 50 per cent reduction in the fixed charges on electricity during the lockdown period since March 2020.
• Apart from that, the property tax, which should have been paid to local bodies before March 31, 2020, can be paid in monthly installments. The government also informed that it cannot take any decision on the professional tax.
• Earlier, the state government had lifted restrictions on theatres and said it could be opened from January 5 with only 50 per cent occupancy and adhering to strict COVID-19 guidelines.
• However, the Kerala Film Chamber Of Commerce (KFCC) decided to keep the theatres shut in defiance until their demands were met by the government.
• Now that KFCC’s crucial demands to resume film exhibition have been granted by the government, theatres are expected to reopen soon.
• Efforts are also on to sort the payment issues between the distributors and exhibitors. As per reports, theatre owners owe about Rs 16 crore to producers over films that were released before the pandemic.

2.2    News Round-up – Indian Economy

 

• The Union Cabinet on December 30, 2020 approved a modified scheme for interest subvention for ethanol production, expanding the scheme to include grain-based distilleries and not just molasses-based ones. The decision would encourage ethanol production from grains like barley, maize, corn and rice. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the scheme would boost production and distillation capacity to 1,000 crore litres and help in meeting the goal of 20% ethanol blending with petrol by 2030. The government would bear interest subvention for five years including one-year moratorium against the loan availed by project proponents from banks @ 6% per annum or 50% of the rate of interest charged by banks whichever is lower.
• Four separate surveys on migrant workers, domestic workers, employment generated by professionals, and the transport sector, would be started in March 2021 and completed by October, Labour and Employment Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar said on December 30, 2020. Gangwar was speaking at the release of a stamp commemorating the centenary of the Labour Bureau, which will carry out the surveys.
• Contracting for the ninth consecutive month, the output of eight core infrastructure sectors dropped by 2.6% in November. Barring coal, fertiliser and electricity, all sectors -- crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, steel and cement -- recorded negative growth in November 2020.
• Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on December 31, 2020 launched upgraded e-Ticketing Website and Mobile App for booking of online Railway Tickets. Train search and selection has been simplified by putting the information on one page to reduce the time used by passengers and enhancing the booking experience.
• Agriculture Minister inaugurates Virtual Agri-hackathon 2020 - Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on December 31, 2020 inaugurated the Virtual Agri-hackathon 2020 in New Delhi. The hackathon will accept innovations and ideas on farm mechanization, precision agriculture, supply chain and food technology, waste to wealth and green energy.
• The Labour Ministry has decided to notify 8.5% rate of interest on employees’ provident fund (EPF) accounts of over 6 crore subscribers of retirement fund body EPFO (Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation) for 2019-20 after receiving the finance ministry’s approval.
• To avoid inconvenience to people on account of the mandatory rollout of FASTag from January 1, 2021, hybrid lanes at toll plazas on National Highways will remain operational till February 15. Payments can be made through FASTag as well as cash at the hybrid lanes. In FASTag lanes, payment of fees will continue to be through FASTag only.
• The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has updated its mobile application “My FASTag” with a new feature to check balance status by simply entering the vehicle number. FASTag will be mandatory on toll plazas from January 1.
• India decided on December 28, 2020 to lift a ban on onion exports from Jan. 1, as prices have fallen sharply in the last few weeks on expectations of a big crop.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 28, 2020 flagged off the 100th “Kisan Rail” carrying vegetables and fruits from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal via video-conferencing. Under the “Kisan Rail” scheme, the Centre provides 50% subsidy on the transportation of notified fruits and vegetables. The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali in Maharashtra to Danapur in Bihar on August 7, which was further extended up to Muzaffarpur.

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

3.1 Not Available Today

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

4.1 UK: Parliament approves Brexit deal with the European Union  

• House of Commons, the lower house of parliament in United Kingdom, voted resoundingly on December 30, 2020 to approve a trade deal with the European Union, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the U.K.’s years-long Brexit journey.
• Lawmakers voted 521-73 in favour of the agreement sealed between the U.K. government and the EU recently.
• It became British law after passage through the upper house called House of Lords and formal royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II.
• The European Parliament is required to approve the agreement.
• The U.K. left the EU almost a year ago, but remained within the bloc’s economic embrace during a transition period that ended on December 31, 2020.
• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel signed the final Brexit agreement in Brussels on December 30.
• The deal was then signed by UK’s PM Boris Johnson.
• The agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation EU can continue to trade in goods without tariffs or quotas.
• It has been four-and-a-half years since U.K. voted 52% to 48% to leave EU which it had joined in 1973.

4.2 News Round-up – International Affairs

• Australia has changed one word in its national anthem to reflect what the prime minister Scott Morrison called the spirit of unity and the country’s Indigenous population. The second line of the anthem, Advance Australia Fair, has been changed from ‘For we are young and free’ to ‘For we are one and free.’
• Turkey’s parliament approved a law on December 27, 2020 that would increase government monitoring of civil society groups. Newly introduced articles on associations and foundations, included in the bill on “Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction,” allow the annual inspection of nongovernmental organizations, ostensibly to combat terrorism financing.
• Britain on January 1, 2021 became the latest country to abolish the so-called “tampon tax,” eliminating sales taxes on women's sanitary products.
• Iran has told the United Nations nuclear watchdog it plans to enrich uranium to 20% purity, a level it achieved before its 2015 accord, at its Fordow site. The move is the latest of several recent announcements by Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency that it plans to further breach the deal, which it started violating in 2019 in retaliation for Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement and the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions against Tehran.
• Fifty journalists and media workers were killed in connection with their work in 2020, the majority in countries that are not at war, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on December 29, 2020. The figure shows an increase in the targeting of reporters investigating organised crime, corruption.

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

5.1 CoWIN to form foundation of Covid-19 vaccination drive

 

 

Highlights –

• The Centre has said Co-WIN, an online platform for monitoring COVID-19 vaccine delivery, shall form the foundation for the anti-coronavirus inoculation drive which shall be citizen-centric so that the vaccine is available anytime and anywhere.
• India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.
• India had recently granted emergency use authorisation to two vaccines, Oxford's Covishield being manufactured by Serum Institute in India and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin.
• After vaccinating healthcare and frontline workers, priority will be given to those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, together numbering around 27 crore.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 Sea Vigil-21 begins from January 12  

 

Highlights –

• The Navy will coordinate the second edition of the coastal defence exercise on January 12 and 13. It will be undertaken along the entire coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India.
• Billed as India’s largest coastal defence exercise, it will involve all the 13 coastal states and Union Territories along with other maritime stakeholders
• As per reports, the scale and conceptual expanse of the exercise are “unprecedented” in terms of the geographical extent and the number of stakeholders involved, units participating and objectives to be met.
• The exercise is a build-up towards the major theatre level exercise TROPEX which Indian Navy conducts every two years.
• Sea Vigil and TROPEX together will cover the entire spectrum of maritime security challenges, including the transition from peace to conflict.

 6.2 Commander Abhilash Tomy retires from Indian Navy

 

Highlights –  

• Celebrity sailor Commander Abhilash Tomy has announced his decision to retire from the Indian Navy after serving the force for 20 years and six months.
• He said he is taking premature retirement to prepare for the round-the-world sailing race Golden Globe Race (GGR) in 2022.
• In 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind had conferred the Nao Sena Medal on Commander Tomy, who had participated in the Golden Globe navigation race in 2018, but was injured after his sailing vessel was battered by violent winds and waves in the high seas.
• He was hailed for his bravery after surviving a near-fatal injury when his yacht was damaged in a storm during the Golden Globe Race in 2018 off Western Australia.
• Tomy's boat was damaged during the Golden Globe in 2018 when he was 82 days into the race and was in 3rd position.

6.3 News Round-up – Corporate World  

 

 

• Capital markets regulator SEBI on January 1, 2020 imposed penalties on Reliance Industries Ltd, its Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani as well as two other entities for alleged manipulative trading in the shares of erstwhile Reliance Petroleum Ltd (RPL) back in November 2007. Fines of ₹25 crore and ₹15 crore have been imposed on Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and Ambani, respectively. Besides, Navi Mumbai SEZ Pvt Ltd has been asked to pay a penalty of ₹20 crore and Mumbai SEZ Ltd has been directed to pay ₹10 crore.  
• In the calendar year (CY) 2020, Tata Sons surpassed the government of India as the promoter with largest market cap of listed companies. Tata Sons’ stake in group listed companies increased by 34.4% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 9.28 lakh crore. In the same period, the government’s stake in listed entities on the bourses decreased by 19.7% YoY to Rs 9.27 lakh crore. M-cap is referred to as a measure of a company’s size by measuring its worth the open market.  It is calculated by multiplying the total number of a company's outstanding shares by the current market price of one share.
• Bajaj Auto Ltd. has become the first Two-wheeler company globally to cross a market capitalization of Rupees 1 lakh crores, the company announced. The share price of Bajaj Auto Ltd, closed at Rs 3479 per share on NSE on January 1, 2021 making its market capitalization Rs1,00,670.76cr at this price.
• The Solar Energy Corporation of India has awarded a 600 MW wind-solar hybrid power project to Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL). The tariff has been fixed at ₹2.41 per kilowatt-hour for 25 years. The project is expected to be commissioned in a duration of 18 months from the date of signing a power purchase agreement.
• The Adani Group on December 30, 2020 commissioned a 100 MW solar power project in Kutch, increasing its operational renewable power capacity to 2,950 MW. The Adani Solar Energy Kutchh Two Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Adani Green Energy Limited, has commissioned the 100 MW solar project at Khirsara in Kutch.
• Software major Adobe has discontinued its iconic Flash Player as major internet browsers shut it down on January 1, 2021 and Microsoft blocked it in most versions of Windows. Flash was shut down due to its diminished usage and the availability of better, more secure options such as HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly.
• Private lender IDBI Bank has concluded the sale of 23% stake in IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company Ltd (IFLI) to Ageas Insurance International NV for a consideration of Rs 507 crore. With this, Ageas will hold 49% stake in insurance venture, which is now being rebranded as Ageas Federal Life Insurance Company. Following the stake sale, IDBI bank would hold 25% stake in company.
• Malaysian budget airline AirAsia Group Bhd said it plans to sell 32.67% of its stake in its Indian operations to majority shareholder Tata Sons for $37.7 million. The airline currently owns 49% of AirAsia India as part of a joint venture with the Indian conglomerate.
• VoltUp, a start-up which provides lithium-ion battery swapping solutions for two-wheelers and three-wheelers, said it has partnered with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) to open battery swapping centres across India. As part of the partnership the company unveiled two such centres in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
• Soma Mondal has taken over as the new Chairperson of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) from January 1, 2020 following the retirement of the incumbent Anil Kumar Chaudhary.
• Former Eastern Railway general manager Suneet Sharma was on December 31, 2020 appointed the new Railway Board Chairman and CEO upon the completion of the term of incumbent V. K. Yadav.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 IFFI Goa 2021

 

Highlights –

• The 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has announced the slate of 12 foreign films that will be screened under the Kaleidoscope section of the upcoming movie gala.
• Three films from France have made it to the section, including Night of the Kings by Philippe Lacote, filmmaker Emmanuel Mouret’s romantic-comedy Love Affair(s) and the drama-comedy The Big Hit, helmed by Emmanuel Courcol.
• Every year, the Kaleidoscope section showcases handpicked films, representing the best of the world cinema.
• Filmmaker Alex Piperno's "Window Boy Would also Like to Have a Submarine" from Uruguay; Columbia's "Forgotten We'll Be" by director Fernando Trueba; filmmaker Mohanad Hayal's Iraqi drama "Haifa Street"; "We Still Have the Deep Black Night" by Gustavo Galvao (Brazil, Germany); and director Mantas Kvedaravicius' "Parthenon" (Lithuania) will also be screened in this segment.
• Other features include "Apples" by Christos Nikou, which is Greece's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards; Stephanie Chuat and Veronique Reymond's "My Little Sister" (Switzerland); Dani Rosenberg's Israeli title "The Death of Cinema and My Father Too"; and "Valley Of The Gods" by Lech Majewski from Poland.
• IFFI, which takes place in Goa from November 20-28 every year, was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and will now be held from January 16 to January 24.
• A total of 224 films will be screened under different sections at the 51st edition, which will be organised in a hybrid format in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.. 

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

8.1 Air India’s longest flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru

 

Highlights –

• In a historic moment for Indian aviation, Air India's longest direct route flight, with all women crew landed at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on January 11.
• The flight took off from San Francisco on Sunday, January 10 going over the North Pole and took the Atlantic route, covering a distance of 16,000 km to reach Bengaluru.
• Captain Zoya Agarwal, Captain Papagiri Thanmei, Captain Akanksha, and Captain Shivani are the four women pilots who scripted history. They were joined by the airline's executive director of flight safety, captain Nivedita Bhasin.
• Captain Zoya Aggarwal, leading the crew, has more than 8,000 flying hours under her belt, including 10 years' command and 2,500 hours on the Boeing 777.
• Air India claims to have the highest ratio of female employees of any airline in the world.
• According to Air India, the AI176 flight flew at an altitude of 37,000 feet at a speed of 557 knots/1032 kmph.  
• The flight was operated by a 12-year-old Boeing 777-200LR, registration VT-ALG and marked with the name 'Kerala' on the exterior and painted with the Mahatma Gandhi motif.
• The plane has a seating capacity of 238 seats, with eight in first class, 35 in business class, and 195 in the economy. Besides the cockpit crew, there were 12 cabin crew on board.
• Till now, Air India operated non-stop flights from Delhi to New York, Newark, Washington DC, San Francisco and Chicago and from Mumbai to Newark and New York.
• The state-run carrier is also planning to start its first-ever non-stop service between Hyderabad and Chicago on January 15, 2021.

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

9.1 Not Available Today

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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 -

• Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju flagged off the 917 km long “Brahmaputra Aamantran Abhiyaan” river rafting expedition in Dec 2020.
• Vigyanika is the International Science Literature Festival organised during the India International Science Festival (IISF) in Dec 2020..
• Infant mortality declines in India but malnutrition gets worse: fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).
• Essential workers, people who risked their lives on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic, win TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year Reader Poll.
• The World Soil Day is observed on December 5 every year. It is the birth anniversary of the former monarch of Thailand H.M. King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

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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