(FREE) UPSC Current Affairs 2024 PDF

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 18 September 2020

::NATIONAL::

Centre asks Supreme court to bring in digital media guidelines to prevent fake news

The Union government on Thursday said the Supreme Court should frame guidelines drawing the line between journalistic freedom and responsible journalism for digital media first rather than mainstream electronic and print media.
The government was responding to a proposal by the court to frame guidelines against communal and derogatory content in mainstream media. The court had mooted the idea while staying the broadcast of the show, BindasBol, on Sudarshan TV on September 15. The show is accused of “vilifying” members of the Muslim community who join the civil services.
The government said web-based news portals, YouTube channels as well as Over The Top (OTT) platforms had huge potential to become viral. Unlike mainstream publication and telecast, digital media was perpetually widening its viewership, like in a loop, through multiple web and social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook.
Hence, what was written or shown in digital media had “serious impact and potential”, the government said.
In a separate affidavit, Mr.Chavhanke justified the content of his programme. He maintained that “there is no statement or message in the four episodes broadcast that members of a particular community should not join UPSC”.
The Centre’s 33-page affidavit is not limited to Sudarshan TV. It focuses on the larger aspect of framing of media guidelines. It said digital media should not be overlooked at any cost.

Loksabha clears revolutionary agricultural reform bills

The LokSabha has passed the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 with Voice Vote.
Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar in his reply after the discussion on the two bills said that the Centre is committed to protect the rights of farmers and has taken series of reformative measures to strengthen the agrarian economy. He said the government raised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of farm produce in the country by 1.5 times in consonance with the report of Swaminathan Commission.
Earlier,the Agriculture Minister moved the two farm sector legislations in the LokSabha. The bills will replace the synonymous ordinances promulgated on 5th June this year. Terming the bills as historic, Mr.Tomar said they will bring revolutionary changes in the life of farmers in the country.
The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 also permits the electronic trading of farmers’ produce and allows setting up of transaction platforms for facilitating direct online buying and selling of farm products.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CURRENT AFFAIRS (Only for Course Members)

::ECONOMY::

India’s human capital index increases slightly

India has been ranked at the 116th position in the latest edition of the World Bank's annual Human Capital Index that benchmarks key components of human capital across countries.
However, India's score increased to 0.49 from 0.44 in 2018, as per the Human Capital Index report released by the World Bank on Wednesday.
The 2020 Human Capital Index update includes health and education data for 174 countries - covering 98 per cent of the world's population - up to March 2020, providing a pre-pandemic baseline on the health and education of children, with the biggest strides made in low-income countries.
The analysis shows that pre-pandemic, most countries had made steady progress in building human capital of children, with the biggest strides made in low-income countries.
The impact of COVID-19, on developing countries particularly has been hard, Malpass said adding that there is the collapse of the formal and informal market, and also there is a very limited social safety net. The World Bank, he said, estimates a 12 per cent drop in employment.
There has been major decline in remittances and total income is going down by 11 or 12 per cent. All this, he said is likely to have a disproportionate effect on the poor and on women. India, he said is having "severe impact" of COVID-19.

MSME releases guidelines to support various small sectors

Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME, had announced expanding and doubling the support to Artisans who might be interested in making Agarbatti few days ago.
Taking the efforts further, the Ministry has now come out with new guidelines for two more schemes which include Pottery Activity and Beekeeping Activity.
These new initiatives of the Ministry with beneficiary oriented Self-Employment schemes, are aimed at rejuvenating the grass root economy contributing to Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.
For Pottery Activity Government will provide assistance of pottery wheel, Clay Blunger, Granulator etc.
It will also provide Wheel Pottery Training for traditional pottery artisans and Press Pottery training for pottery as well as non-pottery artisans in Self- Help Groups.
There is also provision to provide Jigger-Jolly training programme for pottery as well as non-pottery artisan in Self-Help Groups.
A total of 6,075 Traditional and others non-traditional pottery artisans, Rural Un-employed youth, Migrant Labourers will get benefitted from this Scheme.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CURRENT AFFAIRS (Only for Course Members)

JOIN Full Online Course for UPSC PRE Exam

UPSC IAS Exam Complete Study Materials

::INTERNATIONAL::

Pakistan decides to elevate status of GilgitBaltistan province

Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan’s status to that of a full-fledged province, a Pakistani media report on Thursday quoted a senior Minister as saying.
India has clearly conveyed to Pakistan that the entire union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of the country by virtue of its fully legal and irrevocable accession.
India has said the Government of Pakistan or its judiciary has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it.
India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Instead, Pakistan should immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation, the Ministry of External Affairs said in May while protesting Islamabad’s efforts to bring material change in Pakistan occupied territories.
Minister for Kashmir and Gilgit-BaltistanAffairs,Mr. Gandapur also said that work on the Moqpondass Special Economic Zone would begin under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is the flagship project of Beijing’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure and other projects under construction throughout Pakistan since 2013.

OECD claims global recession not as deep as expected

The global recession this year will not be as deep as expected as a result of countries' efforts to counter the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the OECD said on Wednesday.
But the recovery next year will also be more modest than anticipated, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said, projecting a contraction of 4.5 percent in global economic output this year and a return to growth of roughly 5.0 percent in 2021.
In its previous set of forecasts in June, the Paris-based OECD had been expecting the global economy to shrink by 6.0 percent in 2020 and return to growth of 5.2 percent next year.
Global trade collapsed, declining by over 15 percent in the first half of 2020, and labour markets were severely disrupted by reductions in working hours, job losses and the enforced shutdown of businesses.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CURRENT AFFAIRS (Only for Course Members)

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

World Ozone day celebrated globally

The World Ozone Day is also called the International Day for the preservation of the ozone layer. The day is being celebrated since 1994.
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed September 16 as World Ozone Day to commemorate the signing of Montreal protocol in 1987. The Protocol aims to reduce usage of substances that deplete ozone layer.
The Montreal Protocol was framed at the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer. This year, 2020 marks the 35 years of Vienna Convention. Till date, Montreal Protocol is the only UN treaty that has been ratified by every country on the earth (197 members of the UN).
This year, the day is celebrated with the following theme of“Ozone for life: 35 years of ozone layer protection”.
Ozone is a form of oxygen with a chemical formula O3..90% of Ozone is found in stratosphere at a height of about 10 km to 40 km. While the rest of 10% is found near the earth’s surface and is called surface ozone.
The Surface ozone is a health hazard to people living. Increased amounts of Ozone in the atmosphere, close to earth’s surface will affect breathing process and will aggravate asthma. Surface Ozone are considered as a pollutant.

::SPORTS::

Australia wins ODI series against England

Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey hit brilliant hundreds as Australia sealed a dramatic series win over England in the third ODI at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Australia, chasing a target of 303, was all but out of the game at 73 for five when Maxwell came to the crease. But an Australia record sixth-wicket stand of 212 between Carey (106) and Maxwell (108) helped give the tourists a 2-1 victory.

CLICK HERE FOR FULL CURRENT AFFAIRS (Only for Course Members)