Author: Shivali Varshney, Vidhyarthi Darpan

CURRENT AFFAIRS
07 JULY 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:  

 

A) 1.4 lakh families reach MGNREGA’s annual work limit. 

At least 1.4 lakh poor rural households have already completed their quota of 100 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the first three months of the year, and will not be eligible for further benefits under the scheme for the rest of the year. Another seven lakh households have completed 80 days and are on the verge of running out of work as well, according to the scheme’s database.

As per a provision in the scheme of MGNREGA,  the districts that are affected by drought or any other natural disasters can request an expansion of the scheme to allow for 150 days of work per household. Since the pandemic of novel coronavirus was declared a national disaster, activists have demanded that this period shall be increased to 200 days. Till now, 23 lakh households have already completed 60 days of their work.

B) Final year exams by September-end: UGC. 

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided that the final year university examinations may be postponed until the end of September, but must be conducted in either online or offline mode.  Students who will not be able to give these examinations will be given an opportunity to appear for special examinations which will be conducted afterwards. In a letter to the Ministry of Human Resources Development, the Home Ministry has given its approval for the conduct of the pending examinations and directed that the final term exams must be compulsorily conducted as per the guidelines issued by the UGC. 

C) Oil PSUs implementing ₹3.57 lakh-cr. Projects. 

As per the Petroleum Ministry, oil public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as IOC and ONGC are implementing about ₹3.57 lakh crore worth of projects across the entire hydrocarbon value chain which will enhance energy accessibility, create jobs and boost the economy further. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has told in a twitter post that ₹3.57 lakh crore will spent on 859 projects and more than ₹60,000 crore will be invested during the fiscal year 2020-21. While Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is busy to implement projects to upgrade oil refineries and to expand the pipeline network to take fuel to every corner, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is exploring for oil and gas from deserts to the deep sea. Out of this, more than 3.5 crore man-days of employment is expected to be generated in fiscal year ending March 2021 itself. 

D) Reopened monuments wear a deserted look on first day. 

Monuments that reopened to the public on Monday after being closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic wore a deserted look on the first day, with more media persons than visitors at the sites. Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel had announced on July 2 that all Centrally protected monuments of the Archaeological Survey of India that were located outside containment zones would open starting Monday, subject to the guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Health and Family Welfare Ministry.

Keeping in view the safety of visitors and staff, the ASI had announced online-only ticket booking for restricted number of slots at each monument. The ASI’s ticket booking platform showed that only a handful of visitors booked for major tourist attractions like Qutub Minar etc. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) PLA pulls back from Galwan clash site. 

After three weeks of the worst military clashes in decades, India and China have begun the process of disengagement at contentious locations along the disputed Line of Actual Control (LAC). The disengagement is in process and it is commenced after Special Representatives of Indian and China Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, were assigned the work to find a solution to the boundary dispute. They spoke over telephone on July 5 in the evening. 

The Chinese troops have moved back some distance and dismantled their tents at some locations along the LAC. In the Galwan Valley, the Chinese troops have shifted about 2 kilometers from the site of the clashes held on Juje 15. Some tents had also been removed by the PLA in the Finger 4 area of Pangong Tso.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
06 JULY 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:  

 

A) China doubles down on claims on eastern boundary of Bhutan. 

Some days after Bhutan sent China a demarche protesting against Chinese claims to the Sakteng wildlife sanctuary in eastern Bhutan, Beijing has doubled down, including eastern sectors of Bhutan to the boundary dispute between the two countries for the very first time. The Minister of Foreign affairs in China said that the boundary between China and Bhutan has never been delimited. For a long time, there have been disputes over the eastern, central and western sectors. So far, the talks have been about three specific areas, including Jakarlung and Pasamlung in the north, and the Chumbi Valley, where Doklam is situated, in west Bhutan.The negotiations have not been held since the Doklam stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017. 

B) The Embassy and Bhutan Government declined to comment on the issue with China. 

Bhutan has always maintained a silence on its boundary negotiations with China. It does not have any formal diplomatic relations with Beijing as well. Bhutan had issued a demarche to the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi in June, protesting against the Chinese statement at the Global Environmental Facility meeting that decides on global grants for various projects. The Sakteng sanctuary has in the past, too, received such grants, including in 2018-2019 for a project on preventing soil erosion, without any objection from China.

C) Vaccine trials take 6 to 9 months: WHO Chief Scientist. 

Days after the Indian Council of Medical Research issued a letter calling for fast-tracking the trial process of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization, Soumya Swaminathan said that a vaccine trial usually takes at least six months to complete. On the specific question of whether Phase-3 trials can be skipped for making the vaccine available for public use in light of the pandemic, Dr. Swaminathan said that any vaccine must demonstrate efficacy and safety on a sizeable number of participants. The WHO has published target product profiles for a COVID vaccine and immunogenicity data alone would be insufficient for a vaccine use policy. It is possible to have protocols which flow seamlessly from Phase-2 to Phase-3 based on interim analysis of data. Experts globally have been saying it would take at least 12 to 18 months to launch a vaccine for COVID-19. Bharat Biotech has got an approval to conduct only the Phase-1 and Phase-2 trials.

D) Students in limbo as UGC yet to decide on final year exams. 

The Centre had asked the UGC to review its guidelines eleven days ago. Eleven days after the Centre asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to review its guidelines on final year university examinations, there is still no clarity for many anxious students across the country. Seven States have cancelled their college and university examinations — Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal — without waiting for the UGC’s fresh guidelines. However, some private universities will continue to conduct online examinations in these States.

E) Food grain offtake by States rises sharply. 

Relief measures being implemented in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have paved the way for States and Union Territories in the country to draw more than double the quantity of rice for distribution during April to June this year, compared to the corresponding period last year. In the corresponding three months of 2019, the total amount of rice lifted by the States and Union Territories from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the Centre’s various schemes was 90.71 lakh tonnes. This year the figure was 192.34 lakh tonnes. After the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central government had announced that Priority Household (PHH) and Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cardholders in the country, regarded as the poor, would receive free additional entitlement of 5 kg per person per month, initially for three months (April to June) and now up to November. This was in addition to their entitlement under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

F) Issue compulsory licences for generic Remdesivir: CPI(M).

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) on Sunday said the government should issue compulsory licences for the manufacture of a generic version of remdesivir, an anti-viral drug being used to treat COVID-19 patients. In a statement, it said the government should invoke Clause 92 of the Patent Act that allows it to issue compulsory licences so that Indian manufacturers can produce a more affordable generic version. “Gilead Sciences’ anti-viral drug Remdesivir has shown efficacy in treating COVID-19 patients. Media reports indicate that the U.S., which is hoarding all drugs found to be useful in combating the pandemic, has bought the entire stock of Remdesivir from Gilead for the next three months. It will therefore not be available for the rest of the world,” the statement said. The statement said while the price of the drug was ₹2.25 lakh or $3,000 in the U.S., Indian companies were in talks for manufacturing under a Gilead’s licence for sale at ₹30,000-₹35,000.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
05 JULY 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:  

 

A) Vaccine deadline meant to cut unnecessary tape :ICMR

In a statement 4 July, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that a letter sent earlier  the Director General Balram Bhargava on a vaccine for COVID-19, was meant to cut unnecessary red tape and to speed up recruitment of participants. Dr. Bhargava’s letter sent on Thursday to clinicians at 12 hospital sites selected to test a potential vaccine sparked controversy after it was seen as exhorting scientists to speed up the processes and enable the vaccine to be made available for “public health use by August 15”. This not only presumes that Covaxin, the candidate vaccine developed by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Ltd and set to enter clinical trials, will be successful but also that trials, which ordinarily take several months, can be compressed to a little over a month. Government scientists and independent experts have said this is an impossibly short time-frame to test it on people.

B) India set for more talks on LAC. 

One day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise visit to LAC in Ladakh, the government is preparing for the next round of meeting of the special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Line as it looks for military and diplomatic measures to ease the tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh.  India’s Special Representative who is also the National Security Adviser of India, Ajit Doval, met the Chinese counterpart lastly in New Delhi on December 21, 2019. It was agreed agreed in that meeting that an early settlement of the boundary question serves the fundamental interests of both countries. PM Modi spent a day in Ladakh on 3 July, firstly after the Galwan incident on 15 June which killed 20 soldiers, had a one-on-one with Lt. Gen. Harinder Singh, GOC XIV ‘Fire and Fury’ Corps. Lt. Gen. Singh 9f India is leading the Corps Commander level talks with the Chinese troops. He had three meetings with his Chinese counterpart since the build-up and the violent face-offs began in April-May on the LOC.

C) CIL-NLC JV to spend nearly ₹12,000 crore on solar power assests.

Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and NLC India will jointly develop solar power assets of 3,000 MW with a likely investment of about ₹12,000 crore. A solar JV is already in process of formation with an initial capital of ₹10 lakh. Once the company is formed, the respective company boards will decide the final contours of the project. At present, solar capex for each MW is around ₹4 crore. The government plans to impose 20% basic customs duty duty on imported solar panels to boost the domestic industry. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Amid Ladakh standoff, China, Pakistan hold talks. The “deteriorating” situation on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir came up for discussion between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday, according to statements from Islamabad and Beijing. The phone call between them creates an image that China and Pakistan are presenting a common front in the stand-off between the Indian Army and PLA troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the eastern part of Ladakh. This may require India to prepare for a two-front war with both the countries if the action increases at the LoC as well.

B) Super Dan  hangs up his racquet. 

On July 4, the two-time Olympic champion of China  the greatest badminton player of all time, Lin Dan announced his retirement. Presently his age is 36 years. The end of Lin’s glorious career comes just over a year after the retirement of his great rival and friend, Malaysian star Lee Chong Wei. The duo reigned over badminton for more than a decade and relinquished that hold only in recent years as their powers waned. Lin, who had something of a “bad boy” reputation during his younger days and sports several tattoos — unusual for Chinese athletes — ends with 666 singles wins and a glut of medals. “My family, coaches, teammates and fans have accompanied me through many peaks and difficult troughs,” he said in a post on China’s social media platform Weibo. “Every forceful jump was a desire for victory. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS
04 JULY 2020

NATIONAL NEWS:  

A) Age of expansionism over,’ says Modi in Ladakh visit. 

In a surprise visit to address troops on July 3, at Nimu in Ladakh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the age of expansionism is over and the countries were united against expansionism and were oriented towards an age of open competition and development. “The age of expansionism is over; we are now in an age of development and open competition. PM Modi was accompanied  by the Chief of Defence Staff and Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat and Gen MM Naravane. Meanwhile, Beijing reacted sharply to PM Modi’s remarks. The spokesperson of the Chinese embassy Ji Rong said that it is groundless to view China as ‘expansionist’, exaggerate and fabricate its disputes with neighbors. No party should engage in any action that may complicate the situation at this point.  

B) ICMR looks at launching its first indigenous vaccine by mid-August. 

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) is planning to launch the country’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine latest by August 15, 2020, after completion of all clinical trials. The ICMR said it has partnered with Bharat Biotech International Limited (BBIL) to fast-track clinical trials. Bharat Biotech had recently received a nod for a clinical trial of its vaccine, named Covaxin. “This is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India and it is being monitored at the topmost level of the government. 

C) Coronavirus Update : Numbers and developments. The Union Health Ministry has said that early detection and timely clinical management of Covid-19 cases have resulted in increasing daily recoveries, with the recovery rate of coronavirus patients crossing 60% today. This is one positive figure to take heart from even as India’s coronavirus cases soared by over 20,000 a day for the first time, taking the country’s total number of positive cases to 6,25,544 and death to 18,213. With inputs from the States, the number of confirmed cases at the time of publishing this newsletter stood at 6,44,577, with the death toll at 18,598. The number of recovered persons was 3,90,262.

D) In view of students’ safety, JEE, NEET were postponed to September. 

JEE and NEET exams have been postponed to September due to the Covid-19 situation. JEE-Main will now be held from 1-6 September, JEE-Advanced will be held on 27 September 2020, and NEET will be held on 13 September 2020, said Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Originally, the medical entrance exam NEET was to be held on 26 July , the JEE (Mains), for admission in engineering colleges, was scheduled from  18-23 July, and JEE (Advanced), for admission to IITs, was scheduled for 23 August. The Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Nishank Pokhriyal, said that this decision was taken by keepingKeeping in mind the safety of students and to ensure quality education we have decided to postpone JEE & NEET examinations. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Quarantine free international travel to countries in the green zone : U. K. 

The U.K. on July 3,said it would allow quarantine-free international travel to some low-risk countries falling in its green zone list of 50 nations. U.K. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the U.S. fell within the red zone. India’s classification is yet to be confirmed. Countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy have  confirmed that they are within the green zone. The list of 50 low risk countries is going to be released soon. 

B) Ban on International flights extended.

International scheduled commercial passenger flights will not be allowed to operate to and from India till July 31, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on July 3. The ban was originally in place till July 15. These include Dutch airlines KLM, Emirates, and Qatar Airways. Qatar is hoping that by mid-July its airlines network will expand to 430 weekly flights covering 65 international destinations.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
03 JULY 2020

NATIONAL NEWS: 

A) Amid China tension, India ramps up defence procurement

Between the ongoing tensions of India with China, a defense deal worth ₹38,900 crore was approved by the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), which is headed by the Defence Minister of India Mr. Rajnath Singh.  This includes procurement of 21 MIG-29 fighter jets for the Indian Air Force, up-gradation of 59 among them and the procurement of 12 Su-30 MKI aircraft as well. Further deals include Pinaka ammunition, armored vehicle BMP armament upgrades and Software Defined Radio (SDR) , long range land attack missile systems of over a range of 1,000 km, and Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missiles. All of these will be procured domestically.

B) Postal ballot allowed for people over 65. 

In a major change to voting rules, the Election Commission has said people over the age of 65 years will be able to vote by postal ballot in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls in the view of the corona virus pandemic. The Bihar polls are expected to be held in October-November. This facility will also be extended to people infected by the corona virus and to those in quarantine on account of being probable carriers of the infection. The postal ballot facility had so far been reserved only for two groups: those over the age of 80, and people in essential services who are not posted in their home State.

C) Ban on Chinese apps a ‘digital strike’. 

On July 2, Union Minister for Communications Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad said that India wants peace, but if someone casts an evil eye on India, we are capable of giving a befitting reply. He address the ban on Chinese apps as a digital strike. If our country has lost 20 soldiers, the toll is double on the Chinese side, he asserted. India believe in peace and knows to solve problems through discussion, but if somebody casts an evil eye on our country, we will give a befitting reply to that person. Our 20 soldiers have sacrificed their lives, then the toll is double on the side of China. He said all this in a virtual rally conducted by him on July 2.

D) Delhi govt. launches India’s first plasma bank at ILBS Hospital. 

On July 2, 2020, the Delhi Government had inaugurated India’s first plasma bank which is located at ILBS Hospital in Vasant Kunj, Delhi. This was done to systematically search for plasma donors across the country. The Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the persons who have recovered from COVID-19 to come forward and donate their plasma in order to help others for recovering from this disease. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal said that it was very difficult for the people to get plasma and the situation is getting more worse by each passing day in Delhi. Through this plasma bank, he hope that the situation will improve in the upcoming days. 

E) Annual Independence Day Celebration cancelled due to Corona-virus.

Due to the pandemic, the annual Independence Day celebration at the city’s Red Fort will be a bit muted this year. This decision was taken in order to maintain the social distancing norms. “There will be limited numbers of chairs at the ramparts of the Red Fort for VVIP guests. The final decision over the entry of general public has to be taken at a meeting of all security agencies,” said a senior police officer.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

 A) Face coverings not mandatory to curb the spread of covid19 : Trump. 

In a long-awaited change of tone on mask-wearing, US President Donald Trump said he is “all for masks” and they make him look like the Lone Ranger. However, the BBC reported that Trump also maintained that face coverings do not need to become mandatory to curb the spread of Covid-19. Trump again predicted that the infection would “disappear” even as the US hit a record high of 52,000 virus cases in a day.

B) India cannot prosecute Italian marines: International tribunal. 

An international arbitration court has ruled that it is Italy and not India that has the right to prosecute the two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012. Ruling that India must stop its prosecution of the marines, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration determined that they have immunity from Indian prosecution. It, however, ordered Italy to prosecute the two marines and pay compensation to India for the loss of life, material damage and “moral harm” suffered by the surviving crew of the fishing vessel. It also asked the two countries to engage in talks and arrive at a financial settlement. India had accused Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre, two Italian marines on board the MV Enrica Lexie, an Italian-flagged oil tanker, of shooting dead two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012. The marines had been on anti-piracy duties on the Italian ship. As India detained the two marines and claimed jurisdiction in the case, Italy took the case to the international court. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS
02 JULY 2020

TOP HEADLINES:

A) Modi quits Chinese social media site. 

Shortly after the ban on 59 Chinese apps came into force, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exited the Chinese social media platform Weibo. His account on Weibo went blank on Wednesday after his photo, posts, and comments were removed from the handle. He had 115 posts there and 113 posts were deleted manually. The two posts which have the pictures of Indian PM Mr. Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping were not deleted. 

B) CRPF jawan, civilian killed in J&K’s Sopore. 

A CRPF jawan was killed and three others were injured following a militant attack in north Kashmir’s Sopore area on Wednesday. A civilian also died in the attack. The  militants had opened indiscriminate fire on a CRPF patrol party in Model Town area of Sopore in the morning. During the attack, a 3 year old boy who was the grandson of the civilian who was died in attack was also rescued. The daughter of the civilian who was died in the attack alleged the security forces for the death of his father. 

C) Third round of talks on LAC promises more talks. 

On the third round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China, both the sides have emphasized the need for an expeditious, phased, and step-wise deescalation as a priority in order to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. They also agreed to hold more meetings to arrive at “a mutually agreeable” solution. This is in accordance with the agreement between the External Affairs Minister and the Chinese counterpart, during their conversation on June 17, as per which the overall situation can be handled in a very responsible manner, and  both the sides would sincerely implement the disengagement understanding of June 6. More meetings are expected, both at the military and the diplomatic level. 

NATIONAL NEWS: 

A) No Chinese companies for highway projects: Gadkari

The Union Minister of India, Mr. Nitin Gadkari has said that India will not allow any Chinese company to work in highway projects, not even the companies with joint ventures. Gadakri also said the government will ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in sectors critical for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Coming close on the heels of a ban on 59 Chinese mobile apps, the move seems to be another step toward a partial economic blockade. With regard to existing tenders and future bids, Gadkari said re-bidding would be done in the case of Chinese joint ventures. “We have taken a decision to relax norms for our companies to ensure that they qualify in the bidding for large projects. I have directed the Highways Secretary and NHAI Chairman to hold a meeting for relaxing technical and financial norms so that our companies can qualify. 

B) Coronavirus Updates : Numbers and developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases in the country stood at 6,03,533 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 17,831. India on Wednesday recorded the biggest one-day increase in coronavirus deaths, with 507 new casualties reported.

The  most famous Ganpati idol of Mumbai, Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal,  has also announced that the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration will be cancelled for this year because of the global pandemic of novel coronavirus. It is  the first time this has happened in its 84-year history. 

C) Six killed in another boiler blast at Neyveli. 

Six persons were killed and 16 injured and 11 of them are critical after a boiler exploded at Unit V of the Thermal Power Station-II, in NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) in Neyveli on Wednesday. Contract workers and permanent staff were active at the 210 MW unit when the accident occurred. The blast happened at around 10 am. This is the second accident at TPS-II. 

D) GST revenues plunge 41% in first quarter. 

According to the Finance Ministry data, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for the April to June quarter stood at ₹1.86 lakh crore, a 41% drop in comparison to the ₹3.14 lakh crore collected in the same period last year. Revenues plunged during the lockdown but showed recovery by June. 

E) Manohar steps down as ICC chief. 

Shashank Manohar will step down as the first independent chairman of the International Cricket Council after his term came to an end on Wednesday. According to a media release sent by the ICC, Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja will take over as interim chairman till the election process is set in motion.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS:

A) Boris Johnson offers refuge for 2.9 million Hong Kongers. 

Denouncing the new security law that has been passed in Hong Kong as a violation of China’s treaty with Britain, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the House of Commons on Wednesday that he will introduce a new five-year visa scheme that could pave the way for British citizenship for as many as 2.9 million Hong Kong citizens who enjoy a British national (overseas) status. He asserts that the new security law imposed by China violates Hong Kong’s autonomy and threatens the freedoms and rights protected by the Sino-British joint declaration.