Daily Current Affairs 2 September 2020 | UPSC Current Affairs 2020

 Current Affairs Of Today Are

1) Indian Astronomers discover one of the farthest Star galaxies in the universe.

• As a landmark achievement in Space missions, Indian Astronomers have discovered one of the farthest Star galaxies in the universe. 
• India’s first Multi-Wavelength Space Observatory "AstroSat" has detected extreme-UV light from a galaxy located 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth. The galaxy called AUDFs01 was discovered by a team of Astronomers
• The importance and uniqueness of this original discovery can be made out from the fact that it has been reported in the leading international journal “Nature Astronomy” published from Britain. India's AstroSat/UVIT was able to achieve this unique feat because the background noise in the UVIT detector is much less than one on the Hubble Space Telescope of US-based NASA.
• Pertinent to mention that India’s first Space Observatory AstroSat, which has made this discovery, was launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on September 28, 2015, during the first term of the Modi Government. It was developed by a team led by ShyamTandon, Ex Emeritus Professor, IUCAA with the full support of ISRO.

Source: PIB

2) Indra 2020

• Amid high operational alert by the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) due to the ongoing stand­off with China in Ladakh, India and Russia are scheduled to hold the bilateral naval exercise, Indra 2020, in the Andaman Sea, close to the strategic Strait of Malacca later this week.
• Three Russian Navy ships will take part in the exercise on September 4 and 5 along with an equal number from the Indian Navy, along with some aircraft
• This is also the first bilateral naval exercise since all such engagements were suspended due to the COVID­-19 pandemic
• The timing of the exercise coincides with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Russia for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting. It also comes just after India withdrew from the Kavkaz­2020 multinational exercise in Russia that is scheduled for later this month. 
• While the stated reason for the withdrawal was the COVID­-19 pandemic, defense sources had said that it was due to the participation of Chinese troops.
• So instead of exercising with Chinese troops in Kavkaz 2020, we would exercise with Russian Navy near the mouth of Malacca
• In July, frontline warships of the Indian Navy conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Nimitz strike group in the same area near the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) islands as it was transiting the Indian Ocean. 
• USS Nimitz was returning from the South China Sea through the Malacca Strait where it undertook freedom of navigation operations.

Source: The Hindu

3) Negative GDP growth of Q1

• As per the National Statistical Office (NSO), April-June 2020-21 Quarter GDP growth at constant prices (i.e. Real GDP)  is -23.9% as measured from the same quarter previous year 2019-20. All the sectors have shown negative growth except agriculture where the growth was 3.4%.  
• India will face negative growth in the present quarter (July to Sept) also measured from July-Sept 2019-20, for which data will be released on 30th Nov 2020.  And once a country faces two consecutive quarters of negative real growth (measured from the same quarter previous year), then it is declared recession. India is also expected to see a full-year contraction in real GDP in the present year by around 5%.
• No need at all to look into the various sector's growth data, it is not at all relevant for your exam. But you need to know when in past India has faced a recession. 
• India till now has faced recession four times in 1957-58 ( -1.2%)  (drought)  , 1965-66 (-3.66%) (drought), 1972-73 (-0.32%) (Oil crisis) and 1979-80 (-5.2%) (oil crisis/drought).

RECESSION/SLOWDOWN

• RECESSION/SLOWDOWN in the economy can be triggered by any of the two ways:
• It may be possible that first Demand decreased (there can again be several reasons for the decrease in demand) in the economy and then production was decreased to match the reduced demand resulting in recession/slowdown. [OR];
• It may be possible that the first production was halted/stopped/decreased (due to LOCKDOWN) then people lost jobs, and then the demand from the people/consumer decreased, and then the production by the businesses decreased resulting in in recession/slowdown.
• And try to understand that when production by the businesses decreases then their demand for capital goods and raw materials/intermediate goods also decreases in the economy.
• As you all know that the DEMAND for GDP in the economy comes from four sectors:
• *Household (Consumption, C)
• *Private Sector (Investment, I)
• *Government (Consumption + Investment represented by G)
• *Export-Import (X-M)
• These sectors demand/purchase consumption & capital goods which are produced by people/businesses/government. 
• In the PRESENT SCENARIO, the recession has been triggered by the 2) factor. So, basically because of LOCKDOWN production was stopped then people lost jobs and their (consumer) demand decreased, and then the businessmen reduced production, and then their demand for capital goods/raw material/ intermediate goods decreased.
• Now you see the todays data which I am providing from Indian Express, which shows that the demand for Household (consumption) and Private sector (Investment) decreased in the economy. No. need to go into detailed data but just see the change.

Source: Indian Express

5) Loan moratorium is extendable to two years

• RBI allowed a Moratorium on loans for 6 months from 1st March to August 31 in light of the Covid crisis.   It was up to the banks to give moratorium to borrowers or not (actually it was not binding on banks and a case was also filed in SC and no need to go into it).   So, in this period of 6 months even if a borrower/debtor did not pay interest/principal then it would not be considered DEFAULT (and will not be declared NPA). Now, that the moratorium period is over and RBI is not extending it further, so the borrowers will have to pay interest & principal (EMI). 
• The moratorium was only a temporary reprieve to borrowers affected by the pandemic and it was not extended because a longer moratorium period exceeding six months can impact the credit behavior of borrowers and increase the risks of defaults post resumption of scheduled payments.
• But still, the economy has not recovered and a lot of borrowers are facing serious issues. So, RBI is planning to allow one-time RESTRUCTURING of loans. For retail loans (housing, home, personal, auto), the banks the bank Board (of directors) will provide a  restructuring plan and for Corporate loans, RBI will provide the guidelines.
• RESTRUCTURING (definition of RBI) is an act in which a lender (for economic or legal reasons) relating to the borrower's financial difficulty, grants concessions to the borrower. The restructuring would normally involve modification of terms of the loans, which would generally include, among others, alteration of payment period / payable amount / the number of installments/rate of interest; rollover of credit facilities; sanction of additional credit facility/ release of additional funds for an account in default to aid curing of default/enhancement of existing credit limits; compromise settlements.
• A loan MORATORIUM is a legal authorization to borrowers to postpone payment of either interest or principal or both. It essentially defers repayment for a fixed period to provide some relief to borrowers facing liquidity issues.
• DEFAULT means non-payment of debt when whole or any part or installment of the debt has become due and payable and is not paid by the debtor/borrower
• NPA: If either the principal or interest has become due and the borrower did not pay for 90 days (generally) then the loan is declared NPA.
• Stressed assets = NPAs + Restructured loans + Written off assets
• "Written-off" Assets is an accounting term.  It means that the lender doesn't count the money you owe them as an asset of the company anymore and it removes it from the balance sheet. The bank's write-off loan when they are sure that they won't be able to recover the money. They're required to write off certain bad loans so as not to mislead investors. But you still owe the money.
• A ROLLOVER loan/credit facility is a type of loan which is automatically renewed when it is not repaid in full within a predefined loan term. Instead of entering into default, as would be the case with other types of loans, the debt is simply carried over to a new loan. The terms and conditions of the new loan may be different from those of the original loan.

Source: The Hindu

6) Reservation to In-service Doctors in PG: SC

• Recently, the Supreme Court has allowed states to grant the benefit of reservation of seats to in-service doctors in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) postgraduate degree courses.
• The five-judge Constitution Bench of the apex court also held that the Medical Council of India (MCI) has no power to provide or not provide reservation for in-service doctors in admission to PG courses.
• MCI is a creation of a statute under Entry 66 of List-I of the Constitution and its role is to coordinate and determine the standards of medical education.
• Entry 66 of List-I: Coordination and determination of standards in institutions for higher education or research and scientific and technical institutions.
• The Bench held that MCI regulations barring such reservations are unconstitutional and arbitrary and that the state legislature has the authority to provide reservation for in-service doctors.
• It held that a State has the legislative competence and authority to provide for a separate source of entry for in-service candidates seeking admission to postgraduate degree/diploma courses in the exercise of powers under Entry 25 of List-III.
• Entry 25 of List-III: Education, including technical education, medical education and universities, subject to the provisions of entries 63, 64, 65 and 66 of List I; vocational and technical training of labour.
• The Constitution provides for a three-fold distribution of legislative subjects between the Union and the states, which are List-I (the Union List), List-II (the State List) and List-III (the Concurrent List), described in the seventh schedule.
• It has asked states to formulate a scheme for rural/remote service by in-service doctors after completing PG degree and the doctors must sign a bond for five years in service in such areas.

Background:

• Doctors from Kerala, Maharashtra, and Haryana filed a petition challenging the validity of the Postgraduate Medical Education Regulations 2000, framed by the MCI.
• 50% seats in PG diploma courses are reserved for medical officers in the government service but the MCI regulations barred it in PG degree courses.
• All the admission to PG degree courses are conducted through the NEET and 50% seats are filled through all India quota and the remaining 50% from state quota.
• Doctors held that granting reservation benefits would encourage those working in government hospitals and rural areas.
• The in-service candidates, due to their work, hardly find time to study and it becomes tough for them to compete with the general merit candidates.
• The Central government and the MCI opposed the plea contending that granting reservations or a separate source of entry for in-service candidates would directly impinge on the authority of MCI and its regulations.

Source: The Hindu

7) Inscription from Renati Chola Era

• A rare inscription dating back to the Renati Chola era has been unearthed in a remote village of Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.
• The inscription was found engraved on a dolomite slab and shale, which are part of a fragmentary pillar excavated from a farmer’s field.
• Dolomite is a sedimentary carbonate rock composed mostly of calcium magnesium carbonate.
• Shale or mudstone is a fine-grained sedimentary rock that forms from the compaction of silt and clay-size mineral particles.
• The inscription was written in archaic Telugu. It was assigned to the 8th Century AD, when the region was under the rule of Chola Maharaja of Renadu.
• Text: The inscription seems to throw light on the record of a gift of six Marttus (a measuring unit) of land to a Brahmin Priest. Some lines are indicative of the priority given to morality in those days.
• In July 2020, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had found the exact location of Renati Cholas’ capital in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh.
• ASI deciphered two inscriptions of Renati Cholas belonging to the 7th century. The first inscription speaks of their capital Erikal in Kamalapuram region in Kadapa, while the other speaks about the battle of Renati Cholas and Banas.

Renati Cholas:

• The Telugu Cholas of Renadu (also called as Renati Cholas) ruled over Renadu region, the present day Kadapa district.
• The earliest of this family was Nandivarman (500 AD).
• Renandu Cholas were the feudatories of the Chola dynasty.
• These kings claimed that they belonged to Karikala Chola's dynasty.
• They are said to be the first kingdom to use Telugu in administration and inscriptions, instead of Sanskrit.

Chola Dynasty

• The Cholas controlled the central and northern parts of Tamil Nadu from around the 8th-12th century AD.
• Their core area of the rule was the Kaveri delta, later known as Cholamandalam. Their capital was Uraiyur (near Tiruchirapalli town) and Puhar or Kaviripattinam was an alternative royal residence and chief port town.
• Tiger was their emblem.
• The Cholas also maintained an efficient navy.
• King Karikala was a famous king of the Sangam Cholas.
• Many Sangam poems mention the Battle of Venni where he defeated the confederacy of Cheras, Pandyas and eleven minor chieftains.
• Trade and commerce flourished during his reign.
• He founded the port city of Puhar (identical with Kaveripattinam) and constructed 160 km of an embankment along the Kaveri River.
• Recently, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched ‘Project Digital Poompuhar’ to recreate the Chola Dynasty port city (Poompuhar) in Tamil Nadu.
• Recently, the consecration (Kumbhabhishekam) ceremony was held at the Brihadisvara Temple after 23 years in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The temple was built by Chola emperor Raja Raja Chola I (985-1014 AD) between 1003 AD and 1010 AD.

Source: The Hindu

8) African Baobab Tree

• A recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports has found that the tree 'African Baobab' has 168 chromosomes. Previous studies estimated that the tree has between 96 and 166 chromosomes.
• The study will be useful in genetic conservation efforts.
• Type of Trees: Baobabs are deciduous trees ranging in height from 5 to 20 meters.
• Deciduous forest is a vegetation composed primarily of broad-leaved trees that shed all their leaves during one season.
• Found in: The African baobab (Adansonia digitata) is one of the nine species of baobab and is native to mainland Africa. They are also found in African Savannah.
• The African savanna ecosystem is a tropical grassland with warm temperatures year-round and with its highest seasonal rainfall in the summer.
• It is characterized by grasses and small or dispersed trees that do not form a closed canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the ground.
• Oldest Known Angiosperm Tree: Carbon-14 dating places the age of a specimen of African baobab in Namibia at about 1,275 years.
• Tree of Life: As African baobab is a succulent, which means that during the rainy season it absorbs and stores water in its vast trunk, enabling it to produce a nutrient-dense fruit in the dry season when all around is dry and arid.
• Uses: Baobab trees can live for more than a thousand years and provide food, livestock fodder, medicinal compounds, and raw materials.
• Threat: Since 2005, 9 of the 13 oldest African baobab specimens and 5 of the 6 largest trees have died or suffered the collapse and death of their largest or oldest stems, that may have been caused by the effects of climate change.

Angiosperms

• Angiosperms are a taxonomic class of plants in which the mature seed is surrounded by the ovule (e.g. apple). This group is often referred to as hardwoods.
• Angiosperms are trees that have broad leaves that usually change color and die every autumn. Oaks, maples and dogwoods are examples of deciduous trees. Some angiosperms that hold their leaves include rhododendron, live oak, and sweetbay magnolia.
• Gymnosperms are a taxonomic class that includes plants whose seeds are not enclosed in an ovule (like a pine cone). Gymnosperm means ‘naked seed’. This group is often referred to as softwoods.
• Gymnosperms usually have needles that stay green throughout the year. Examples are pines, cedars, spruces and firs. Some gymnosperms do drop their leaves - ginkgo, dawn redwood, and bald cypress, etc.

Carbon-14 Dating

• Also called radiocarbon dating, it is a method of age determination that depends upon the decay to nitrogen of radiocarbon (Carbon-14).
• Carbon-14 is continually formed in nature by the interaction of neutrons with nitrogen-14 in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• The neutrons required for this reaction are produced by cosmic rays interacting with the atmosphere.

9) Assam Firm on NRC Re-verification

• The Assam government remains firm on its demand of 10-20% re-verification of the nationality claims made by some of the people included in the final National Register of Citizens (NRC), published in 2019.
• The state government’s plea for the re-verification is lying pending in Supreme Court (SC) for more than a year and the apex court is yet to stamp its approval on it.
• The NRC 2019 is yet to be approved by the Registrar General of India.

National Register of Citizens

• NRC is a register prepared in respect of each village, showing the houses or holdings in a serial order and indicating against each house or holding the number and names of persons staying therein.
• The register was first prepared after the 1951 Census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently.
• It has been updated in Assam only for now and the government plans to update it nationally as well.
• Purpose: To separate “illegal” immigrants from “legitimate” residents.
• Nodal Agency: Registrar General and Census Commissioner India.

Background:

• In 2018, the SC mentioned the prospect of sample re-verification in an order, saying that it could consider re-verifying 10% of the names included in the NRC.
• In July 2019, the state government gave an affidavit in the SC seeking a re-verification of 20% included names in the districts bordering Bangladesh and 10% in the rest of the districts.
• However, it was dismissed after the erstwhile coordinator of the NRC submitted that re-verification was already done.

Current Scenario:

• The state government of Assam has provided the latest data regarding ‘foreigner’ detection in the state.
• 1,36,149 people have been declared ‘foreigners’ by the state’s 100 functioning Foreigners’ Tribunals, whereas only 227 ‘foreigners’ have been deported from 13th March 2013 to 31st July 2020.
• A total of 425 people are currently lodged in the six detention centres in the state.
• There is a need for re-verification because people of Assam want a correct NRC.
• Also, there has been a delay in issuing the rejection slips to the over 19 lakh excluded people so that they can move court to claim nationality.
• Officials have cited the Covid-19 pandemic and the floods in the state as reasons for the delay.
• The rejection slips would carry the reason of rejection, which would differ from person to person and based on the reason they would be able to challenge their exclusion in the Foreigners’ Tribunals.
• Every individual, whose name does not figure in the final NRC, can represent his/her case in front of the Foreigners Tribunals.

Source: Indian Express

10) Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2020

Air Force Sports Control Board was conferred with ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2020’ for the outstanding contribution in helping sportspersons to excel in their respective disciplines and implement robust sports welfare measures.

Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar:

• The Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar scheme was introduced by the government in 2009 to encourage involvement of corporates and sports promotion boards in the development of sports in the country.
• The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has revised the Scheme of Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar in the year 2015.
• According to the revised plan, this award is given in the following four categories:
• Identification and nurturing of budding/young talent.
• Encouragement of sports through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
• Employment of sportspersons and sports welfare measures.
• Sports for Development.

Sports Development in Armed Forces:

• Air Force Sports Control Board
• Air Force Sports Control Board (AFSCB) is the apex body for the planning and conduct of sports activities within the Indian Air Force and at the Inter-Services level.
• Army Sports Institute: Army Sports Institute, Pune was raised as part of the Indian Army’s “Mission Olympics” programme in 2001.
• Aim: To train the vast reservoir of talent in the Army with an ultimate aim of winning medals at the Olympics in selected seven disciplines including Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Diving, Fencing, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
• The institute draws its sportsmen from the Army as well as from young raw and proven talent in ‘Boys Sports Companies’ (8-14 years age).
• In the last three years, the sportsmen trained at ASI have won 450 International and 1118 National medals.

Government Initiatives for Sports Development

• The Khelo India Scheme aims to encourage sports all over the country, thus allowing the population to harness the power of sports through its cross-cutting influence, namely holistic development of children & youth, community development, social integration, gender equality, healthy lifestyle, national pride and economic opportunities related to sports development.
• The National Sports Development Fund helps sportspersons excel by providing them opportunities to train under coaches of international repute with technical, scientific and psychological support and giving them exposure to international competitions.
• The National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) Scheme is being implemented to scout sports talent in the age group of 8-14 years from schools and nurture them into future medal hopes by providing scientific training.
• Sports Authority of India Training Centres Scheme (STC) - for Junior level trainees: The main objective was to make it possible for the Central Government and State Governments to work together for sports development efforts, through the integration of various Schemes.
• The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports of Government of India for the development of sport in India.
• Special Area Games (SAG) Scheme: It aims at scouting natural talent for modern competitive sports and games from inaccessible tribal, rural and coastal areas of the country and nurturing them scientifically for achieving excellence in sports.

Source: PIB