Highlights |UPSC Exam Current Affairs 20-02-2020
UPSC exam current affairs 20-02-2020 The following article contains all the updated events and news for IAS Preparation. Our daily IAS Current Affairs and News cover the most important topics to give precise information to the reader and IAS Aspirants.
- Bar ‘shocked’ by Collegium decision
- Swachh Bharat Mission second phase
- Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill proposes a national registry of clinics
- Economy
- Science & Tech
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UPSC Exam Current Affairs 20-02-2020 are followed in the part below:
UPSC Exam Current Affairs and News Analysis (20-02-2020)
Bar ‘shocked’ by Collegium decision
Part of: GS Prelims –Polity and GS-II- Judiciary
In News:
- The Collegium drove by Chief Justice of India prescribed the exchange of Justice S. Muralidhar, who is third in the request for a position in the Delhi High Court, alongside two other exchange suggestions of judges.
From Prelims point of view:
Collegium System
- A framework under which arrangements/height of judges/legal counsellors to Supreme Court and moves of judges of High Courts and Apex Court are chosen by a discussion of the Chief Justice of India and the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court.
- There is no notice of the Collegium either in the first Constitution of India or in progressive alterations.
- The suggestions of the Collegium are official on the Central Government; if the Collegium sends the names of the judges/attorneys to the administration for the subsequent time.
Serum Institute hopes to offer COVID-19 vaccine
Part of: GS Prelims –Sci & Tech and GS-III- Health
In news:
- Serum Institute of India, Pune, may start the human preliminaries for an antibody for COVID-19
From Prelims point of view:
- World Health Organization (WHO) has named the new coronavirus sickness as ‘Covid-19’.
- Taken from the words “crown”, “infection” and “sickness”, with 2019
- The most recent strain has been assigned ‘Extreme Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Swachh Bharat Mission second phase
Part of: GS Prelims –Polity and GS-II- Govt Policy
In news:
- The Center will start actualizing the second period of its Swachh Bharat Mission in country territories
- Concentrating on strong and fluid waste administration and the supportability of the abrogation of open crap.
- Financial limit for 2020-21 had dispensed ₹9,994 crores for the primary year of the crucial’s II.
- The plan will be actualized by the States, with a reserve sharing example of 60:40 between the Center and the States.
- In the north-eastern and Himalayan states, the Central offer will be 90%.
From Prelims point of view:
Swachh Bharat Mission
- The Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) entered its fifth and last year of execution.
- Plan to accomplish Swachh Bharat by 2019, as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary.
- SBM is an interest-driven model.
- It centres around conduct change to create interest for sanitation benefits by the provincial populace which is then trailed by supply.
Progress
- Country sanitation inclusion from 39% in October 2014 to 95% in 2018.
- 8.7 crore family unit toilets have been built
- 93.4% of the family units in-country India who approach a can utilize it
Centre to form new law Commission
Part of: GS Prelims –Polity and GS-II- Law
In news :
- The Union Cabinet gave its endorsement to set up the 22nd Law Commission.
- The new board will have a three-year term. director, four full-time individuals, Law and Legislative Secretaries in the Law Ministry will be ex-officio individuals from the commission.
- A resigned Supreme Court judge or Chief Justice of a High Court will head the commission.
From Prelims point of view:
Law Commission
- Exhorts the administration on complex lawful issues.
- The term of the past law board finished last August.
- Initially framed in 1955, the commission is reconstituted at regular intervals thus far, 277 reports have been submitted to the legislature.
- Past Law Commission, under Justice B.S. Chauhan (retd.), upheld concurrent decisions.
- Law Commission of India is neither a protected body nor a statutory body, it is an official body built up by a request for the Government of India.
- The Commission is built up for a fixed residency and functions as a warning body to the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Assisted Reproductive Technology Bill proposes a national registry of clinics
Part of: GS Prelims –Sci & Tech and GS-II- Health
In news:
- Association Cabinet affirmed the Assisted Reproductive Technology Regulation Bill, 2020
Bill proposes to:
- Screen clinical techniques used to help individuals to accomplish pregnancy.
- Accommodates a national Board which will set out implicit rules to be seen by those working facilities
- Plan least principles for lab and indicative gear and practices to be trailed by HR utilized by centres and banks.
- The States and Union Territories will likewise need to frame State Boards and State specialists inside a quarter of a year of the warning of the proposed enactment.
Database: A national library and enlistment authority will keep up a database to help the National Board to play out its capacities,
Discipline: Proposes stringent discipline for the individuals who practice sex choice, enjoy the offer of human undeveloped organisms or gametes and the individuals who work rackets.
Security: Ensure secrecy of meaning couples and ensure the privileges of the kid
(MAINS FOCUS)
Economy
Topic: General Studies 3:
- Indian Economy and issues identifying with arranging, activation, of assets, development, improvement and business.
LPG prices have seen a sharp rise
Context
LPG costs which are reexamined on a month to month premise rose strongly in February, most elevated since Jan 2014. The rate for unsubsidised 14.2 kg chambers rose by ₹144.50 – ₹149 in metro urban communities.
Comparison of Price rise
- Before this round, the legislature had raised LPG chamber costs by ₹62, beginning from August 2019 – Indicating less inclination for endowment justification
- Be that as it may, the cost had expanded by just ₹82 more than five years to mid-2019 – showing the retail cost has been profoundly sponsored given the populist conclusion appended to it.
Who will the price rise affect?
- The cost increment will influence retail customers who have surrendered the endowment.
- For the individuals who benefit endowment, the expansion would be generally consumed by the ascent in appropriation. For Ujjwala buyers, the sponsorship would go up from ₹174.86 to ₹312.48 per chamber.
- Of the 27.76 crore retail customers, 26.12 crore shoppers benefit LPG endowment.
Implications for the broader economy
- When customer request, by and large, for products and ventures in the nation has drooped, more money in the hands of the retail purchaser may have helped spike request
- The value ascent of LPG sucks away significantly increasingly discretionary cashflow from those customers who pay advertising rates for LPG.
- Thus, family spending plans will undoubtedly go up, particularly for those not benefiting the appropriation.
- The expansion in LPG cost could prod swelling considerably further. The January expansion metric was the most noteworthy since May 2014, when the figure was at 8.33%.
What influences LPG prices in India?
- Local costs of LPG depend on a recipe — the import equality value (IPP), which depends on worldwide LPG costs.
- Saudi Aramco’s LPG value goes about as the benchmark for the IPP and remembers the free-for board value, sea cargo, customs obligations, port contribution and so forth.
- This dollar-named consider is changed over along with rupees before neighbourhood costs are included – packaging, advertising, edges for organizations and assessment
- This enables the legislature to show up at the retail selling cost for LPG
The administration resets the LPG value each month relying upon universal costs and the rupee-dollar swapping scale in the previous weeks.
Reason for the recent steep hike in LPG Prices
- Raw petroleum costs will in general influence Saudi Aramco’s Propane cost
- Attributable to ascend in unrefined petroleum costs in December and early January, Saudi Aramco had raised its propane costs to $565 per metric ton in January ($440 a metric ton in December)
- This expansion in propane costs prompted an increment in LPG value climb in February
- Be that as it may, the conversion scale been inside the scope of ₹71-₹72 to the dollar
What is the future outlook?
- The coronavirus (COVID-19) malady episode and fears of a worldwide stoppage have pushed oil costs down through January, put something aside for a couple of spikes.
- With global rough costs on the downtrend, it is conceivable the LPG costs also would see a droop.
- Aramco has brought down its propane cost for February to $505 per metric ton.
- Accepting very few changes on swapping scale front, conditioning of LPG costs in the residential setting might be normal.
Did You Know?
- LPG – a blend of propane and butane – is a vitality rich fuel source with a higher calorific worth for every unit than other generally utilized fills, including coal, petroleum gas, diesel, oil.
- The carbon impression of LPG is 20% lower than that of fuel oil and a half lower than coal.
- LPG is non-harmful and has no effect on soil, water and underground springs
- It is utilized in transportation, in business, industry, cultivating, residential warming and cooking
Connecting the dots!
- PAHAL Scheme – direct money move of sponsorship for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) utilized in family unit cooking.
- Surrender it Campaign of LPG
Science & Tech
Topic: General Studies 3:
- Science and Technology – advancements and their applications and impacts in regular day to day existence
- Mindfulness in its fields
Inflight Wi-Fi
Context
Local plane carrying warship Vistara will be the first to offer inflight Wi-Fi by March-end. Starting at now, just information administrations will be offered and voice calls could be presented later
What is in-flight connectivity?
- In-flight availability basically permits that locally available aeroplane to get to voice, video and information benefits after the aeroplane has achieved a height of 3,000 meters.
- In-flight availability for aeroplane flying over Indian airspace was endorsed by the DoT in May 2018.
How does in-flight connectivity work?
- It relies on the onboard antenna as well as satellites for Internet and mobile communications.
- Onboard Antenna
- Here, signals are picked from the nearest tower on the ground.
- However, the connection does become an issue after a certain altitude if the aircraft is passing over an area with no towers, say a large water body.
- Through Satellite
- It works in a manner similar to how satellite TV signals are transmitted.
- So, an onboard router, which connects to the plane’s antenna transmits data to a personal electronic device.
- The signals are then transmitted to ground station via satellites and is redirected to a billing server for calculation of the data consumption.
- Finally, the signal is relayed to the World Wide Web.
Onboard Wifi
- While the telecom commission has permitted Internet administrations installed, the telecom administrator has said it will be made accessible when gadgets are utilized distinctly on flight mode.
- Internet providers, thus, must be utilized through locally available WiFi starting at now.
Cost of in-flight connectivity
- The aircraft are allowed to choose the levy, as the DoT has not managed that perspective
- Internationally, given the significant expense of satellite network, the internet providers accessible locally available aeroplane are charged including some built-in costs over what is accessible something else
- The carriers should cause the significant expense of introducing hardware, remembering the establishment of radio wires for aeroplane, expanded fuel cost because of additional weight-all these extra expenses could discover a path into ticket costs.
What about mobile communication Services?
- Indeed, even as the procedure to streamline broadband administrations locally available flights have been started, versatile correspondence on aircraft (MCA) may at present set aside some effort to be a reality.
- The TRAI, had, nonetheless, suggested that both broadband and MCA ought to be permitted over Indian airspace.
- A few partners had raised worries over giving MCA to travellers referring to a complex administrative system with issues, for example, impedance, meandering, and range use.
- Likewise, with in-flight broadband network permitting informing administrations and voice calling, there is a little prerequisite to accelerating MCA
Notwithstanding, a portion of the difficulties as to inflight availability incorporates
- Relatively slow speeds of Internet
- Security risks due to possible interference with flight communication systems.
- Expensive service which may increase the flight ticket price
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE)
Model questions: (You can now post your answers in the comment section)
Q1. Consider the following statements:
- The mode of removal of a Judge of a High Court in India is the same as that of removal of a Judge of the Supreme Court.
- After retirement from the office, a permanent judge of a High Court cannot plead or act in any court or before any authority in India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Q 2. Which of the following is an unusual feature of the replication cycle in coronaviruses?
- The RNAs all terminate in a common 3´ and produce nested set transcripts
- They take advantage of recombination with the long CGNA genome
- Both a & b
- They use capped cellular DNAs
Q 3. Which of the following coronaviruses has caused thousands of deaths around the world as an ’emergent’ virus?
- MERS
- SARS
- OC43
- HIV