Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 07-01-2021

Useful compilation of Civil Services oriented - Daily Current Affairs - Civil Services - 07-01-2021

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• SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. Law & Constitution – SC to study anti-conversion laws of Uttarakhand and U.P. – The SC has agreed to examine the constitutional validity of laws enacted by States, such as Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand that criminalise religious conversion via marriage and mandate prior official clearance before marrying into another faith. The court, however, did not stay the implementation of the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020 and the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018, despite fervent pleas by petitioners that “rampaging mobs are lifting off people in the middle of wedding ceremonies,” buoyed by the enactment of the laws.
2. World – Democrats set to win Senate as Georgia results come in – Democrats inched closer to taking control of the U.S. Senate on January 4 as African American pastor Raphael Warnock defeated incumbent Republican candidate Kelly Loeffler — a former businesswoman — in one of two run-off elections in Georgia. Mr. Warnock became the first black Senator elected from the southern State. The other run-off race was too close to call with incumbent David Perdue, a Republican, trailing his challenger, Jon Ossoff, by over 16,000 votes with 98% reporting on January 6. Both run-offs were necessary because no candidate had won more than 50% of the vote in the November elections. If Mr. Ossoff wins the race, the Senate would be split 50-50 between the two parties. Democrats would also have Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris’s vote in the case of a tie. If Republicans win the second run-off, they will control the Senate 51-49. The high-stakes races consequently broke fundraising records and compelled Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden to campaign for the candidates earlier this week.
3. Law & Constitution – ‘Using God’s name to sell articles illegal’ – The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court has declared that advertisement of any article using the name of any God and claiming that it has supernatural qualities, is “illegal” and falls under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act. The court was hearing a petition filed by Rajendra Ambhore, a teacher, seeking a direction and injunction to prevent advertisements on television channels that promote the sale of articles like Hanuman Chalisa Yantra.
4. World – China denies entry to WHO experts – The WHO has said it was “very disappointed” that China had not allowed a team of international experts to go ahead with a visit to study the origins of COVID-19 that was planned for the current week. China’s decision to not permit the trip appeared to come at the last minute and catch the WHO by surprise, with some of the experts already having left home and in transit when told the visit would not take place. The comments marked a rare instance of the WHO head expressing some displeasure with China’s government, which he has consistently praised from the start of the pandemic. Beijing has defended its decision to delay the visit. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said the issue of origin-tracing was “very complicated”. The WHO, however, said in December it had been granted permission for a visit of a team of 12-15 experts in January 2021 to study the origins of the outbreak.
5. World – Hong Kong acts again to crack down on dissent – China’s crackdown in Hong Kong escalated on January 6 with police arresting more than 50 opposition figures in their largest operation since a draconian security law was imposed on the financial hub. The sweep is the latest salvo in Beijing’s battle to stamp out dissent in the semi-autonomous city after millions hit the streets in 2019 with huge pro-democracy protests. Police confirmed 53 people — including a U.S. citizen — were arrested for “subversion” in an early morning operation that involved about 1,000 officers. The charges were sparked by an attempt by opposition groups last year to win a majority in the city’s partially-elected legislature. Hong Kong’s security chief John Lee described the arrests as “necessary” and aimed at a group of people who tried to “sink Hong Kong into an abyss” and “overthrow the government”.
6. Economy – China surging ahead, says NITI Aayog – At a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance headed by BJP MP Jayant Sinha to discuss the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, trade flows and financial markets, NITI Aayog officials said China continued to outstrip India and, in fact, had managed to narrow the gap with the U.S. in the post-pandemic scenario. The officials did not give any specific details about the current economic state of India. As per reports, the global economy was at the same stage as it was in 1918 after the First World War. The officials said China had been closing the gap between it and the U.S. This could very well be a flashpoint between the two big economies of the world. China had readjusted faster than the other economies in the post COVID-19 world. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant equated the 2020 reforms with the 1991 opening of the Indian economy.
7. Polity & Governance – Foundation stone laid for ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ – Karnataka CM B.S. Yediyurappa has laid the foundation stone for the ‘New Anubhava Mantapa’ in Basavakalyan, the place where 12th century poet-philosopher Basaveshwara lived for most of his life. He promised the completion of the ₹500 crore project within two years on a 7.5 acre area and said it would be inaugurated by PM Modi. The New Anubhava Mantapa project is expected to bolster Mr. Yediyurappa’s image as an undisputed Lingayat strongman, especially when a leadership issue has emerged prominently within the BJP and there is one-upmanship to claim the community’s support.
8. Covid-19 – 15 more test +ve for new UK Covid strain, total 73 – With 15 more people testing positive for the new UK variant of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the total number of UK returnees having tested positive for the mutant virus in the country has reached 73. The results are based on the genome sequencing of positive samples released by the Indian Sars-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium labs that the Centre has specifically created for the purpose of monitoring any kind of mutations in the virus. India added 18,088 coronavirus cases on January 6, placing its overall number at 1.03 crore cases.
9. Education – Punjab govt. to reopen all schools from today – The Punjab government has decided to reopen all government, semi-government and private schools from January 7. The students from Classes V to XII will be allowed to attend physical classes across the State. State School Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla has said that on persistent demand of the parents, the government has decided to reopen the schools from January 7. The Minister said the school managements have been asked to strictly comply with the directives of the government, especially the advisory issued by the State Health department, to avert the threat of contraction of COVID-19.
10. Agriculture – Tractor rally today likely to disrupt traffic on Delhi outskirts – Traffic is likely to be disrupted on the outskirts of Delhi on the 43rd day of farmers’ agitation as the protesters plan to carry out a tractor march on January 7, converging on the eastern and western peripheral expressways that form a ring around the national Capital. This is likely to affect commuters on Kundli-Manesar-Palwal highway, Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the National Highway-9. The tractor march comes a day ahead of another round of talks with the government over farmers’ demand for repeal of the three farm laws passed by Centre in September. Recently, agitating farmers had announced that Thursday’s (January 7) tractor march would be a ‘rehearsal’ of their march on Rajpath on January 26, Republic Day.

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

 

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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 Section 67 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act

 

News -

• The Supreme Court has ruled on a question of law on whether     statements recorded under Section 67 of the Narcotics Drugs and 
• Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act can be admissible as confessional statements during criminal trials.
• The judge ruled that statements recorded by officers under the 
• NDPS Act cannot be treated as confession

Observations by the Supreme Court -  

• According to court confessional statements made before an officer under section 53 of the NDPS Act if held as the basis to convict a person would be “a direct infringement” of constitutional  guarantees”.
• The court also held that when a reference is made to “police    officers”, it does not only mean a police officer belonging to a state police force but includes officers who may belong to other departments.

NDPS ACT, 1985

• This act prohibits a person the production/manufacturing/cultivation, possession, sale, purchasing, transport,
• storage, and/or consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance.
• The Narcotics Control Bureau was set up under the act.
• The bureau was come with into effect from March 1986.
• The Act is designed to fulfil India's treaty obligations under the – 1. Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, 2. Convention on
• Psychotropic Substances, 3. United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

Section 67 of the NDPS Act

• According to section 67 of NDPS Act, any officer authorized by the centre of the state may during an investigation, call for information from any person to examine whether there was any violation of the act.

Arguments -

• Since the officers under Section 53 of the NDPS Act are not defined as “police officers” but are given the powers of an “officer-incharge of a police station”, confessions given to them should be admissible in evidence.
• The officers in the specialised anti-drug probe agency, NCB, can be deputed from various departments of the government including Central Excise, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Customs.
• The contrary opinion states that safeguards available for accused in international and Indian law, including the Constitution, also extend to accused under the NDPS Act.
• This includes any statement given by a person to a police officer cannot be considered as a confession and cannot be enough to prove guilt

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

2.1 Centre approves revised cost of Polavaram project in AP

 

Highlights –

• The revised cost of the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) at the 2017-18 price level (₹55,548.87 crore) was approved by the Ministry of Jal Shakti as per the report on its year-end review published by the Press Information Bureau on Decembe  r 26, 2020. PIP was declared a national project under Section 90 of the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014.

Project Details –

• The project, with 2,454 m of earth-cum-rock fill dam and a 1,128.40 m-long spillway, is aimed at irrigating 2.91 lakh hectares in East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, West Godavari and Krishna districts, besides ensuring several other benefits. The Centre is funding 100% of the remaining cost of the irrigation component, and the government of Andhra Pradesh is executing it.

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

3.1 Tristan da Cunha

 

 News -

• The isolated UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha, which is home to the world’s most remote human settlement,
• declared the largest fully protected marine reserves in the Atlantic Ocean.
• This will close over 90 percent of their waters to harmful activities such as bottom-trawling fishing, sand extraction and deep-sea mining.

What is Tristan da Cunha

• Tristan da Cunha, inhabited by less than 300 humans is a small chain of islands over 6,000 miles from London in the  South Atlantic and the water around the islands are considered to be the richest in the world.
• The mountainous archipelago Tristan da Cunha is home to tens of millions of seabirds and several unique land birds.
• Some of its seabirds that are not found anywhere else in the world face threats including illegal and unregulated fishing activities, overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change.
• The island group is also home to the World Heritage Site of Gough and Inaccessible Islands, which is one of the most important seabird islands in the world.

Blue Belt Programme of United Kingdom -

• The programme protects the overseas territories of the country. It aims to achieve sustainable management of their marine environment.

It was launched in 2017.

• After joining the UK’s Blue Belt Programme, it will become the largest no-take zone in the Atlantic and the fourth largest on the planet.
• This means fishing, mining and any such activities will not be allowed. 

 

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

4.1 Sichuan-Tibet Railway

 

News -

• Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the construction of the new railway project connecting the country’s southwest Sichuan province to Linzhi in Tibet close to the Indian border in Arunachal Pradesh.

Importance –

• It would play a key role for China in safeguarding stability in the border areas.
• It will accelerate and enhance the overall economic development of the Tibet region.

Details –

• The Sichuan-Tibet Railway will be the second railway line into Tibet after the Qinghai-Tibet Railway project.
• It will go through the southeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the world's most geologically active areas.
• It starts from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province and travels through Ya'an and enters Tibet via Qamdo, shortening the journey from Chengdu to Lhasa from 48 hours to 13 hours.
• Linzhi, also known as Nyingchi, is located close to Arunachal Pradesh border.
• The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control, the defacto border between the two countries.
• Linzhi also has an airport which is one of the five airports built by China in the Himalayan region.

Border dispute between India and China -

• China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of south Tibet which is firmly rejected by India.

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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 M. S. Dhoni is captain of ICC’s ODI and T20I teams-of-the-decade

 

Captain of team-of-the-decade –

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of ICC’s ODI and T20 International teams-of-the-decade, while Virat Kohli was voted skipper of the Test team.
• The teams-of-the-decades were announced by the ICC ahead of the
• Awards-of-the-Decade ceremony, to be held in virtual mode on December 28, 2020.

Men’s teams-of-the-decade –

• T20I: M.S. Dhoni (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, A.B. de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Kieron Pollard,
• Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga.
• ODI: Dhoni (Capt.), Rohit, David Warner, Kohli, de Villiers, Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Imran Tahir  and Malinga.
• Test: Kohli (Capt.), Alastair Cook, Warner, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Stokes, R. Ashwin, Dale Steyn,
• Stuart Broad and James Anderson.

Captain of team-of-the-decade –

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of ICC’s ODI and T20 International teams-of-the-decade, while Virat Kohli was voted skipper of the Test team.
• The teams-of-the-decades were announced by the ICC ahead of the Awards-of-the-Decade ceremony, to be held in virtual mode on December 28, 2020.

Men’s teams-of-the-decade –

• T20I: M.S. Dhoni (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli, A.B. de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Kieron Pollard,
• Rashid Khan, Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga.
• ODI: Dhoni (Capt.), Rohit, David Warner, Kohli, de Villiers, Shakib Al Hasan, Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Imran Tahir and Malinga.
• Test: Kohli (Capt.), Alastair Cook, Warner, Kane Williamson, Steve Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Stokes, R. Ashwin, Dale Steyn,
• Stuart Broad and James Anderson.

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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 Not Available Today

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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 -

• PM inaugurates 306-km Rewari-Madar section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor
• Farmers protesting against Centre's farm laws hold tractor rallies around Delhi
• India gets 7 new healthcare, pharma billionaires in pandemic-hit 2020
• Biden, Harris' win in US Presidential election officially confirmed by Congress
• Total cryptocurrency market value crosses $1 trillion for the 1st time.

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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