DAILY DIGEST for 01-05-2020 - USEFUL FOR ALL COMPETITIVE EXAMS || PT's IAS Acedamy

PART 1 - Daily Current Affairs + MCQ quiz to solve

 

SECTION 1 - TEN NEWS HEADLINES

1. COVID-19 update: Recovery rate rises to 25% – India reported 1,823 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of cases to 33,610 with 8,373 recoveries. An additional 71 deaths have now taken the total number of fatalities to 1,074. The deaths include 32 from Maharashtra, 16 from Gujarat, 11 from Madhya Pradesh and three from Uttar Pradesh. According to Ministry data, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 9,915, followed by Gujarat at 4,082, Delhi at 3,439, Madhya Pradesh at 2,660, Rajasthan at 2,438, Uttar Pradesh at 2,203 and Tamil Nadu at 2,162. The number has gone up to 1,403 in Andhra Pradesh and 1,012 in Telangana. The country is currently recording a total recovery rate of 25.19% up from 13% about two weeks ago.
2. Indian Economy: March core sector output slumps 6.5% – Output at India’s core sector contracted by 6.5% in March, reflecting the early impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent nationwide lockdown. The index of eight core sector industries, which form 40% of the weight of items included in the broader Index of Industrial Production (IIP), reflected a contraction in key parts of the economy in March. Analysts warned that the core sector data signalled a much sharper contraction in the wider IIP, especially in April, as several core sector industries were actually exempted from the lockdown. Leading the contraction at the core industries were a 13% decline in steel output, and a 7% fall in electricity generation. The two sectors account for almost 40% of the index. Cement production crashed 25%, while natural gas production slid 15%, the data showed. Fertiliser production also fell 12%, while crude oil production slipped 5.5%. Coal was the only core sector which saw some growth, with output up 4%. The largest component of the index — refinery production — also dipped by only 0.5%.
3. Parliament project gets panel nod – The government’s plan to construct a new Parliament building was approved by the Central Vista Committee at a meeting on April 23 with the suggestion that the design be “in sync” with the existing Parliament House, according to the minutes of the meeting sent to its members.
4. Rishi Kapoor passed away – One of Indian cinema’s leading stars, much loved for his youthful musical romances, Rishi Kapoor, passed away after being on ICU support for a week at the Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai. He died after a two-year battle with leukaemia. Kapoor is survived by wife Neetu Kapoor, and children Ranbir Kapoor and Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. He was last seen in Jeethu Joseph’s The Body. The second son of legendary actor-director Raj Kapoor, and Krishna Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor showed his acting genes in his debut film Mera Naam Joker (1970) for which he won the National Award for the Best Child Artiste. His first film as a leading man, Bobby (1973), was a superhit and established him as a youthful, romantic icon. All through the 1970s and 80s he kept setting the hearts flutter with his musical romances and the trademark dance moves in many a catchy film song.
5. India’s crossover star Irrfan Khan passes away – One of Indian cinema’s leading actors and its most recognised face internationally, Irrfan Khan passed away in Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. He was admitted for a colon infection and died because of resultant complications. Mr. Khan is survived by his wife, screenwriter Sutapa Sikdar and two sons, Babil and Ayan. His last rites took place at the Versova Kabrastan in Mumbai in the presence of his family, close relatives and friends, including filmmakers Vishal Bhardwaj, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Abhinay Deo Born in Jaipur, Mr. Khan started his illustrious innings in acting with a stint at New Delhi’s National School of Drama. While Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988) is credited as his debut, he had to struggle long and hard to make space for himself in the world of films. He acted in a lot of television shows through the 1980s and the 1990s, including the popular Banegi Apni Baat.
6. Virus was not manmade: U.S. agencies – U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the new coronavirus was “not manmade or genetically modified” but say they are still examining whether the origins of the pandemic trace to contact with infected animals or an accident at a Chinese lab. The statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the clearinghouse for the web of U.S. spy agencies, comes as President Donald Trump and his allies have touted the as-yet-unproven theory that an infectious disease lab in Wuhan.
7. Banks borrow Rs. 2,000 crore from RBI for mutual funds – Commercial banks have borrowed Rs. 2,000 crore from the liquidity window that was offered by the Reserve Bank of India for mutual funds (MFs), so far, latest data released by the central bank showed. The RBI had announced a special window of Rs. 50,000 crore for mutual funds in view of the redemption pressure that the fund houses are facing. Funds availed under this facility will be used by banks exclusively for meeting the liquidity requirements of MFs, RBI had said. The scheme was made available from April 27, 2020 till May 11, 2020 or up to utilisation of the allocated amount, whichever is earlier.
8. COVID-19 – Side Effects – There will be 11,000 fewer deaths in European countries under coronavirus lockdown due to a sharp drop in fossil fuel pollution in April, according to research released. Measures to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed the region’s economies to a crawl, with coal-generated power falling by nearly 40%, and oil consumption by a third.
9. Anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg dies – South African anti-apartheid activist Denis Goldberg has died at his home near Cape Town, aged 87. Mr. Goldberg was a prominent member of the now-ruling African National Congress and stood trial alongside Nelson Mandela. He spent 22 years in prison for his involvement with the ANC’s fight against apartheid, the racist system of oppression imposed by the white minority government. When his fellow accused were sent to Robben Island, as a white prisoner Mr. Goldberg was separated from them and imprisoned in the capital, Pretoria.
10. Germany extends ban on Hezbollah – German police raided five sites linked to the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah, as authorities announced that they were banning activities by its political wing in Germany. The raids, intended to prevent evidence about possible front organisations being destroyed, took place at mosques and community centres in Berlin, Bremen, Muenster, Recklinghausen and Dortmund.

SECTION 2 - DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. CONSTITUTION AND LAW (Prelims, GS Paper 2, Essay paper)

1.1 The Supreme Court has held that bribery and corruption in a deemed university can be tried under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 

• The Supreme Court said that
• Individuals, authorities connected to a deemed university come under the definition of ‘public servant’ and can be tried and punished under the anti-corruption law. 

1. The officials of a deemed university do not perform any less of a public duty than their counterparts in other universities.
2. Deemed universities come within the ambit of the term ‘university’ in Section 2(c)(xi) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.
3. A deemed institution under the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act of 1956 has the same common public duty like a university to confer academic degrees, which are recognised in the society.
4. The object of the PC Act was not only to prevent the social evil of bribery and corruption, but also to make the same applicable to individuals who might conventionally not be considered public servants.

• Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988 - Section 2(c)(xi) of the Prevention of Corruption Act states that a “public servant” includes “any person who is a vice­-chancellor or member of any governing body, professor, reader, lecturer or any other teacher or employee, by whatever designation called, of any university.
• Deemed University - The status of deemed-to-be-university is awarded in accordance with the Section 3 of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act, 1956. An Institution of Higher Education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in a specific area of study, can be declared by the Central Government on the advice of the UGC as an Institution ‘deemed-to-be-university’. Institutions that are ‘deemed-to-be-university’ enjoy academic status and privileges of a university.

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

 

2.1 The eight core sector industries contracted by 6.5% in March, 2020

 

 

• Data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• The cumulative growth of eight core sector industries during 2019-20 was 0.6%. 
• In February, 2020, the eight core sector industries recorded a growth of 5.5%.
• Seven core sectors contracted in the month of March.
• Coal was the only core sector which saw growth.
• Although several of the core sector industries were given exemptions under the lockdown but the movement of goods faced major restrictions due the nationwide lockdown, resulting in reduced demand which led to reduced production.
• The March core sector data also reflected the cut in capital expenditure by both state and central governments in order to make up for falling tax revenues.
• The capital expenditure is defined as the money spent on the acquisition of assets like land, buildings, machinery, equipment, as well as investment in shares.
• Core Sector Industries - The eight core sector industries include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertiliser, steel, cement and electricity. The core industries comprise 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
• Index of Industrial Production - The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is an indicator that measures the changes in the volume of production of industrial products during a given period. It is compiled and published monthly by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

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

 

3.1 The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change attended the 11th Petersberg Climate Dialogue

 

• The dialogue was held virtually. It was the first time it was held virtually. It was co-chaired by Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) and was attended by about 30 countries including India.
• The UK is the incoming Presidency of the 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• COP 25 was held at Madrid, Spain in December 2019.
• This year’s dialogue was crucial because of the efforts to contain coronavirus as well as countries preparing to move into the implementation phase of the Paris Agreement 2015 in the post-2020 period.
• Petersberg Climate Dialogue - It has been hosted by Germany since 2010 to provide a forum for informal high-level political discussions, focusing both on international climate negotiations and the advancement of climate action.
• India’s Contributions  - 
• Expressed solidarity with the world as it combats the Covid-19 pandemic 
• Emphasised on adopting more sustainable consumption
• Suggested having climate technology as an open source available to all countries at affordable prices
• Stressed on climate finance and urged to plan for 1 tn US $ in grants to the developing world immediately.
• Paris Agreement 2015 –
• Parties to UNFCCC agreed to strive to limit the rise in global warming to well under 2 degrees Celsius, over pre-industrial levels, by 2100, under Paris Agreement 2015.
• Nationally determined contributions (NDCs) were conceived to prepare, communicate and maintain successive NDCs that it intends to achieve.
• Paris Agreement replaced earlier agreement to deal with climate change, Kyoto Protocol.
• Kyoto Protocol – 
• It was an international agreement linked to the UNFCCC, which committed its parties by setting internationally binding emission reduction targets. It was adopted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 and entered into force in 2005.
• The detailed rules for the implementation of the Protocol were adopted at COP-7 in Marrakesh, in 2001 and are referred to as the Marrakesh Accords.
• Kyoto Protocol Phase-1 (2005-12) gave the target of cutting down emissions by 5%.
• Phase-2 (2013-20) gave the target of reducing emissions by at least 18% by the industrialized countries.

 

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

 

4.1 United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide US $ 3 million to India’s Partnerships for Affordable Healthcare Access and Longevity  (PAHAL) project to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

• To date, USAID has provided $5.9 million to assist India in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. 
• This assistance will help India slow the spread of COVID-19, provide care for the affected, disseminate essential public health messages to communities, and strengthen case finding and surveillance.
• Through the PAHAL project, USAID will support the National Health Authority to establish a financing facility that can mobilize resources from the private sector to assist over 20,000 health facilities enrolled under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), India’s health insurance scheme for 500 million poor and vulnerable people.
• For decades, the United States has been the world’s largest provider of bilateral assistance in public health.  In India, the U.S. Government, through USAID and Department of Health and Human Services agencies, including the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, has provided more than $1.4 billion in health assistance and nearly $2.8 billion in total assistance over the last 20 years.
• Since 2009, American taxpayers have generously funded more than $100 billion in health assistance and nearly $70 billion in humanitarian assistance. 
• Because an infectious-disease threat anywhere can become a threat everywhere, the United States calls on other donors to contribute to the global effort to combat COVID-19.

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

5.1 The Centre has decided to utilize the forthcoming monsoon season to expand its water conservation efforts under the Jal Shakti Abhiyan

 

•  The Jal Shakti Abhiyan was launched by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2019.
• It is a campaign for water conservation and water security in the country through a collaborative effort of various ministries of the Government of India and state governments.
• The focus of the campaign is on water stressed districts and blocks.
• The important water conservation interventions are Water conservation and rainwater harvesting, Renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, Reuse of water and recharging of structures,
• Watershed development and Intensive afforestation.
• Last year Jal Shakti Abhiyan covered 256 water stressed districts across the country.
• More than seventy- five lakh traditional and other water bodies and tanks were renovated and around a crore water conservation and rainwater harvesting structures were created.
• Jal Jeevan Mission is a central government initiative under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, aims to ensure access of piped water for every household in rural India. Government of India has restructured and subsumed the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) into Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household i.e., Har Ghar Nal Se Jal (HGNSJ).

 

6. MISCELLANEOUS (Prelims, Various GS Papers)

 

6.1 Not Available Today

 

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7. POLITY (Prelims, GS Paper 2)

 

7.1 Famed chronicler of Delhi Ronald Vivian Smith passed away at 81 

• Smith was suffering from age-related ailments for the past four months.
• Smith was born in Agra in 1938 and studied at St Peter's College and St John's College, before shifting to Delhi as a young journalist in the 1950s.  
• His career in journalism, including stints at the Press Trust of India and The Statesman, spans nearly four decades.
• Smith has written as many as a dozen books.
• The notables include The Delhi That No One Knows, Delhi: Unknown Tales of a City, Capital Vignettes and Lingering Charm of Delhi: Myth, Lore and History.
• Besides, he was a regular contributor for many leading publications such as The Statesman, The Hindu and Outlook.

 

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

 

8.1 Ramayan creates world record for Highest Viewed Entertainment Programme Globally

• According to the latest Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) ratings, the acclaimed series has achieved another massive milestone. Ramayan now has the world record of being the most viewed entertainment program globally.
• It amassed a massive 7.7 crore (170 million) viewers on 16 April.

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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 Reports/ Rankings – Open Budget Survey by International Budget Partnership (IBP)

• India was ranked 53rd among 117 nations in terms of budget transparency and accountability by 
• The survey was conducted by International Budget Partnership (IBP)
• Th survey gave India’s Union Budget process a transparency score of 49 out of 100
• New Zealand tops the chart with a score 87.

10.2 Daily dose of  FIVE Facts -

• Manipur government commemorated ‘Khongjom Day’ on April 23, 2020?.
• Zarina Hashmi died in London at the age of 83 on April 25, 2020. She was a famous Painter.
• Headquarters of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is at Jeddah.
• According to the government, India accounts for 70% of annual global production of Hydroxychloroquine which is recommended in treatment of coronavirus.
• The Asian Development Bank’s growth forecast for Indian economy in 2020-21 is 4%.

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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