Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 15-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. USA – Donald Trump impeached for second time – Donald Trump has become the first president in US history to be impeached twice, after being charged with "incitement of insurrection" over last week's deadly storming of Congress. The House of Representatives accused Mr Trump of encouraging violence with his false claims of election fraud. He now faces trial in the upper chamber, the Senate, but not before he leaves office. Senators can vote to bar him from ever holding public office again. The FBI has warned of possible armed protests planned for Washington DC and all 50 US state capitals in the days before Joe Biden, a Democrat, is inaugurated as the new US president.
2. Corporate World – Top four unicorns account for half of combined valuation – Indian unicorns rustled up a combined valuation of $128.9 billion in 2020 with 11 new players joining the exclusive club last year, according to a report by BofA Global Research. It’s an impressive figure given that Reliance, the country’s largest company in terms of market cap, is pegged at around $181 billion and the second largest, Tata Consultancy Services, is $165 billion. Unicorns are companies that have a valuation of $1 billion and above based on their last round of fund-raising.
3. Indian Economy – WPI Inflation eases, but core spikes – In tandem with its retail counterpart, wholesale inflation rate softened to a four-month low of 1.22 per cent in December from 1.55 per cent in November as food items entered the deflationary zone. However, core inflation (which does not include food and fuel items) rose to a two-year high of 4.2 per cent on metal and commodity prices that may not allow the monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India to go for any further rate cut in February. This was despite consumer price inflation rate declining to a 15-month low of 4.6 per cent.
4. Covid-19 – WHO team arrives In Wuhan to investigate – A team of 13 World Health Organization scientists have now arrived in Wuhan, China, where they will investigate the origins of the coronavirus that has caused a global pandemic. Nearly 2 million people have died due to COVID-19, with more than 92 million infections, according to Johns Hopkins University. Members of the team began the process of traveling to China more than a week ago, after discussions between the WHO, China's government and other countries the scientists would travel through on their way to Wuhan. The WHO announced the trip had begun on Jan. 5. But that same day, the international health agency was told that Chinese officials had not given final permissions for the team to arrive and begin their work.
5. Archaeology – 45,500-year-old pig painting is the world’s oldest animal art – Some 45,500 years ago, on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, ancient humans ventured into a cave and sketched out the rotund form of a native pig, complete with a bristly back and face warts. Archaeologists now believe this portly swine marks the oldest drawing of a creature yet discovered anywhere in the world. In a study published this week in Science Advances, an image of the drawing shows the animal apparently looking at two other pigs mid-squabble. The outlines of two human hands are positioned near the rump of the pig, and a bristly patch in the center of the mix might hint at a fourth creature. The painting, made with strokes of red ocher on the interior cave walls, was discovered in December 2017 by local archaeologist Basran Burhan, currently a Ph.D. student at Australia's Griffith University.
6. Social – NIC and CBSE to sign MOU for “CollabCAD Software Support and Training for Students and Faculty of Engineering Graphics in CBSE affiliated Schools” – National Informatics Centre (NIC), MeitY along with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Ministry of Education is jointly launching CollabCAD Software, a collaborative network, computer-enabled software system, providing a total engineering solution from 2D drafting & detailing to 3D product design for students and faculty of Engineering Graphics Curriculum. National Informatics Centre (NIC), CBSE, and Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog will also jointly release a comprehensive e-book on CollabCAD 3D modeling. This e-book 1.0 is ready for public release through the CollabCAD portal and will guide CAD students, beginners, and professionals in understanding and using CollabCAD Software. It is designed and authored by the CollabCAD Group of NIC, New Delhi.
7. World – Estonia’s PM resigns over corruption scandal in his party – Estonia’s prime minister has resigned over a corruption scandal in his Centre Party that led to key party officials resigning overnight, and talks began among political parties about forming a new ruling coalition. The move automatically prompts the resignation of Estonia’s three-party coalition government but does not automatically mean a new election. Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas said on his Facebook page that he would step down as “the suspicion expressed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office …. does not mean that someone is definitely guilty but they will inevitably cast a serious shadow over all those involved.”.
8. Environment and Ecology – SC takes cognizance of pollution in Yamuna river – Taking cognisance of pollution in the Yamuna, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Haryana Government after the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) alleged that water containing high pollutants was being released into the river from the state. The Bench appointed senior advocate Meenakshi Arora as amicus curiae to assist it in hearing the case and posted the matter for further hearing on January 19.
9. Defence – BSF finds 150-metre cross-border tunnel along Jammu and Kashmir border – A 150-m tunnel constructed along the International Border (IB) to facilitate infiltration of terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan was detected by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district. This is the third tunnel unearthed by alert border guards along the IB in the twin districts of Samba and Kathua in Jammu region over the past six months and ninth in the past decade.
10. India and the World – United States says India's digital services tax is discriminatory – The US has determined that India's Digital Services Tax is discriminatory and has an adverse impact on American commerce and is actionable under the trade act. At the same time, the outgoing Trump administration has left the onus of taking any action against India under Section 301 of the US Trade Act to the incoming Biden administration. India had adopted the operative form of its Digital Services Tax or DST on March 27, 2020. The DST imposes a two per cent tax on revenue generated from a broad range of digital services offered in India, including digital platform services, digital content sales, digital sales of a company's own goods, data-related services, software-as-a-service, and several other categories of digital services. India's DST only applies to non-resident companies. The tax applies as of April 1, 2020.

 

Important Exam Notifications
S. No	Institution	Exam or Post Name	Vacancies or Seats	Qualification	Last Date to Apply	Link for Details
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 CBDT launches e-portal for filing complaints related to tax evasion, benami properties 

 

Highlights –

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes, CBDT has launched an automated dedicated e-portal on the e-filing website of the Department to receive and process complaints of tax evasion, foreign undisclosed assets as well as complaints regarding benami properties.
• The public can now file a Tax Evasion Petition through a link on the e-filing website of the Department.
• The facility allows for filing of complaints by persons who are existing PAN and Aadhaar holders as well as for persons having no PAN and Aadhaar.
• After an OTP based validation process, the complainant can file complaints in respect of violations of the Income- tax , Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Assets and Income) Imposition of Tax Act and Prevention of Benami Transactions Act in three separate forms designed for the purpose.
• Upon successful filing of the complaint, the Department will allot a unique number to each complaint and the complainant would be able to view the status of the complaint on the Department’s website.
• This e-portal is yet another initiative of the Income Tax Department to bring about enhanced ease of interaction with the Department, while strengthening its resolve towards e-governance.

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

3.1 Woolly rhino from the Ice Age found in Russia

 

• A well-preserved Ice Age woolly rhino with many of its internal organs still intact has been recovered from permafrost in Russia's extreme north.
• Russian media reported on December 30, 2020 that the carcass was revealed by melting permafrost in Yakutia in August.
• It’s among the best-preserved specimens of the Ice Age animal found to date.
• The carcass has most of its soft tissues still intact, including part of the intestines, thick hair and a lump of fat.
• Its horn was found next to it.
• The carcass was found on the bank of the Tirekhtyakh river in the Abyisk district, close to the area where another young woolly rhino was recovered in 2014.
• Researchers dated that specimen, which they called Sasha, at 34,000 years old.

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

4.1 Estonian PM resigns 

 

Highlights – 

• Estonia's prime minister has resigned over a corruption scandal involving a key official of his Center Party suspected of accepting a private donation for the party in exchange for a political favor on a real estate deal, prompting new talks on forming a new ruling coalition.
• The resignation of Prime Minister Juri Ratas, who is also the Center Party's leader, automatically triggers the resignation of Estonia's three-party coalition government, but doesn't automatically mean a new election.
• After Ratas' announcement, parties immediately started talks on cobbling together a new government. Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid said she would propose that Kaja Kallas, chairwoman of the main opposition, center-right Reform Party, which emerged as the winner of the 2019 general election, to form the new Cabinet.
• Ratas has led a majority coalition of his left-leaning Center Party, the nationalist EKRE party and the conservative Fatherland party since April 2019. He has held the post of prime minister of the Baltic country of 1.3 million since November 2016.
• There are currently five political parties represented at Estonia's 101-seat Riigikogu legislature, or Parliament.
• Only a limited number of combinations exist for a majority coalition, particularly as the Reform Party has ruled out cooperation with the populist EKRE, Estonia's third-largest party, which runs largely on an anti-immigration and anti-European Union agenda.
• Estonia's security police said it was investigating the offices of state credit agency KredEx over suspicions of corruption regarding a 39 million-euro ($48 million) loan granted to the Porto Franco real estate complex in the harbor district of the capital, Tallinn.
• Estonia is a member of the European Union and NATO since 2004.

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

5.1 West Bengal: “Paray-Paray Samadhan” scheme launched

• Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on December 28, 2020 announced a new scheme titled “Paray-Paray Samadhan [Resolving problems in neighbourhoods]” to address small grievances at the community level. The new scheme would begin on January 2 and run till February 15 to address small infrastructural gaps.

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• 6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

6.1 News Round-up – Defence  

• Army to procure 12 high-performance patrol boats for surveillance - The Indian Army has finalised procurement of 12 high-performance patrol boats to enhance its surveillance of large water bodies, including the Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh where India and China are locked in a bitter border standoff since early May. The Army said it inked a contract with Goa Shipyard Ltd, a state-run public sector undertaking, for 12 fast patrol boats for surveillance and patrolling of large water bodies, including those in high altitude areas. Delivery would commence from May 2021.  
• Army creates a new Major General-led human rights cell - The Indian Army has created a new human rights cell headed by a Major-General for “greater transparency and probity” in its functioning in disturbed areas like Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast. Major General Gautam Chauhan, who was commissioned into the Gorkha Rifles, has taken charge as the first additional director general (human rights) at the Army headquarters in New Delhi.
• DRDO, Indian Navy conduct trial of SAHAYAK-NG - Defence Research and Development Organisation, DRDO along with Indian Navy conducted the successful maiden test trial of SAHAYAK-NG India’s first indigenously designed and developed Air Dropped Container from IL 38SD aircraft of Indian Navy off the coast of Goa. Objective of SAHAYAK-NG is to provide critical engineering stores to ships which are deployed more than 2000 kilometres from the coast. It reduces the requirement of ships to come close to the coast to collect spares and stores.
• Indian Army inducts indigenously made short span bridges - In continuation of efforts towards self-reliance and in close coordination with the private industry and DRDO, the Indian Army has inducted three sets of 10-metre short span bridges, which were formally handed over on December 29, 2020 at the Talegaon (Maharashtra) facility of Larsen and Toubro Ltd. This will meet the important requirement of providing mobility to own forces by speedy bridging of gaps during operations.
• Cabinet approves export of Akash Missile System - As part of efforts to boost defence exports, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on December 30, 2020 approved the export of the indigenously developed and manufactured Akash short-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM) system. It also approved the high-level committee formed to expedite clearance of such exports. Akash is a Surface-to-Air Missile with a range of 25 Kms. The missile was inducted in 2014 in Indian Air Force (IAF) and in 2015 in Indian Army.
• CBI completed 800 cases in 2020 - About 800 cases were disposed of last year despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 outbreak, CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla said on January 1, 2021.

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• 7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

7.1 News Round-up – Indian Politics

• “Disability compensation” has been extended to all serving central government employees who get disabled in the line of duty and are retained in service in spite of such disablement, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on January 1, 2020. This will particularly provide relief to central armed police force (CAPF) personnel of CRPF, BSF, CISF, etc since disability in performance of duties is generally reported in their case.
• Digital channels of Prasar Bharati have registered more than 100% growth in 2020, with Pakistan being the second highest digital audience for Doordarshan (DD) and All India Radio (AIR), the government said on January 3, 2021. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said the channels across Doordarshan and Akashvani clocked over a billion digital views and over six billion digital watch minutes in the year.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 30, 2020 chaired the 34th PRAGATI interaction and discussed progress of several projects. PRAGATI is the ICT based multi-modal platform for Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation, involving Central and State governments.
• Colonel Narinder ‘Bull’ Kumar (Retd.), instrumental in the Army launching Operation Meghdoot and securing the dominating heights of Siachen Glacier in 1984, died in New Delhi at the age of 87 on December 31, 2020.
• Laparoscopic surgeon J.A. Jayalal has taken charge as President of the Indian Medical Association for 2020-21. He was installed at IMA’s 95th annual national conference on December 28, 2020.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 351-km New Bhaupur- New Khurja (both in UP) section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) at Prayagraj on December 29, 2020 through video conference. The newly opened section passes through Kanpur Dehat, Auraiya, Etawah, Firozabad, Hathras, Aligarh and Bulandshahr districts. It has been built at a cost of ₹ 5,750 crore and has been funded by the World Bank. The entire EDFC is over 1800-km long and will run from Ludhiana in Punjab to Dankuni near Kolkata, traversing Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on December 30, 2020 signed a $10 million project readiness financing (PRF) to help finance piloting activities, and design and capacity building for an ensuing project that aims to expand horticulture production and farm household income in Himachal Pradesh.
• A meteorological centre was inaugurated in the Union Territory of Ladakh on December 29, 2020 which would provide localised weather forecasts thus strengthening weather-related early warning system for the region. At 3,500 metres, this meteorological centre is the highest such facility in India, Union Earth Sciences Minister Harsh Vardhan said at the inauguration of the facility.
• India's first Pollinator Park inaugurated in Uttarakhand - Sprawling across four acres, India's first pollinators park was inaugurated on December 29, 2020 at Haldwani in Nainital district of Uttarakhand.
• The park has around 50 different pollinator species, which include various species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and other insects.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of AIIMS Rajkot through a video conference on December 31, 2020. Union Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, Governor Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Gujarat, Vijay Rupani were present on the occasion.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a USD 231-million loan to augment electricity generation capacity in Assam through construction of a 120-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric power plant. ADB and the Government of India signed the loan agreement on December 30, 2020.
• The government on December 30, 2020 said it has approved a Rs 3,000 crore project to turn Paradip Port into a world-class port by setting up a dock. The decision was announced by Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.
• The Karnataka government on January 2, 2021 permitted all shops and commercial establishments in the state employing ten or more people to be open on 24x7 basis on all days for a period of three years with some conditions. The employer will have to appoint additional staff in order to allow every employee to avail one day holiday in a week on rotation basis.  

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

8.1 FSSAI slashes limit for transfat levels in foods

• The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations. The FSSAI notified the amendment on December 29, 2020.
• The revised regulation applies to edible refined oils, vanaspati (partially hydrogenated oils), margarine, bakery shortenings and other mediums of cooking such as vegetable fat spreads and mixed fat spreads.
• Transfats are associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and death from coronary heart disease.
• According to the World Health Organization, approximately 5.4 lakh deaths take place each year globally because of the intake of industrially produced trans fatty acids.

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

9.1 News Round-up – World of Science

• Pharma company Zydus Cadila on January 3, 2021 said it has received DCGI approval to initiate Phase III clinical trials of its COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D. ZyCoV-D was found to be safe, well-tolerated and immunogenic in phase I and II clinical trials, it added.
• India has successfully cultured the new coronavirus strain, which was first reported in the U.K., the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said on January 2, 2021. The ICMR claimed that no country had yet reported successful isolation and culture of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2. Culture is the process by which cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside their natural environment.
• Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on December 28, 2020 inaugurated India’s first pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) named Pneumosil developed by the Serum Institute of India Private Limited (SIIPL) in collaboration with partners like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.    
• The joint US-European Solar Orbiter spacecraft has completed its first of many gravity-assist flybys of Venus, to start bringing it closer to the Sun and tilting its orbit in order to observe our star from different perspectives. The spacecraft’s closest approach to Venus took place at 12.39 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on December 27, 2020.

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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 -

• International Universal Health Coverage Day celebrated on Dec 12.
• Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare was observed by UN on November 30.
• Rajnath Singh is the Indian counterpart of Ngo Xuan Lich of Vietnam.
• Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) is located at Pune.
• Built by Larsen and Toubro Shipbuilding Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship C-452 was commissioned in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra in Nov 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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