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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 29 September 2020

::NATIONAL::

Nation pays tribute to Bhagatsingh on his birth anniversary

Nation pays homage to the revolutionary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh on his 113th birth anniversary today.
It was on this day in 1907, Bhagat Singh was born in Banga village of Lyallpur district of undivided Punjab province.He fought against British rule for the country's independence and was hanged in Lahore jail at the age of 23, along with Rajguru and Sukhdev.
Prime Minister NarendraModi paid tribute to Bhagat Singh and highlighted his contributions to India's freedom struggle.In his Mann Ki Baat programme on Sunday, Mr Modi described the great freedom fighter as symbol of bravery and courage.
The Prime Minister said another beautiful aspect of ShaheedBhagat Singh's life was that he very well understood the importance of teamwork, be it dedication towards LalaLajpatRai, or his attachment with Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev and Rajguru and other freedom fighters.
Prime Minister NarendraModi paid tributes to ShaheedBhagat Singh on his birth anniversary today. In a tweet, Mr Modi said, his saga of valor will continue to inspire the countrymen for ages.
Home Minister Amit Shah paid tributes to freedom fighter ShaheedBhagat Singh on his birth anniversary. In a tweet, Mr Shah expressed his gratitude to ShaheedBhagat Singh who gave new direction to freedom struggle through his revolutionary ideas and supreme sacrifice and awakened resolve of independence among youth of the country. Home Minister said,Bhagat Singh will always remain a source of inspiration for everyone.

Report finds around 20000 manual scavengers missing government aid

Out of 63,246 persons identified as manual scavengers between 2013 to March 31 this year, one time cash payment of Rs 40,000, as a rehabilitation measure stipulated under law, could be paid to only 43,407 as in case of the rest details like bank accounts and addresses provided by the states have been found to be incomplete.
These facts find space in the response of the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment (MSJE) in the report of the parliamentary standing committee which was tabled in Parliament in the recently concluded monsoon session.
Based on the information shared on other rehabilitation measures the committee also notes that a “small fraction” of just 9,563 manual scavengers or their dependents have so far opted for skill development training. The MSJE has said it plans to provide training to 15,000 beneficiaries during 2020-21.

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::ECONOMY::

RBI decides to extend borrowing facility to banks till March 2021

Amid the ongoing economic woes created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Reserve Bank has decided to extend by six months the enhanced borrowing facility provided to banks to meet the shortage of liquidity till March 31, 2021.
As a temporary measure, the RBI had increased the borrowing limit for scheduled banks under the marginal standing facility (MSF) scheme from 2% to 3% of their net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) with effect from March 27, 2020.
The facility, which was initially available up to June 30, 2020 was later extended up to September 30, 2020 in view of the disruptions caused by the pandemic.
“With a view to providing comfort to banks on their liquidity requirements as also to enable to continue to meet LCR requirements, it has been decided to continue with the MSF relaxation for a further period of six months, i.e., up to March 31, 2021,” the RBI said in a statement.
This dispensation, it added, provides increased access to funds to the extent of ₹1.49 lakh crore, and also qualifies as high-quality liquid assets (HQLA) for the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR).
Under the MSF, banks can borrow overnight at their discretion by dipping into the statutory liquidity ratio (SLR).

SEBI prescribes time frame for liquidation of defaulter-members’ assets

Markets regulator SEBI on Monday asked exchanges and clearing corporations to initiate measures for liquidating assets of defaulter members within six months of declaring the entities concerned as defaulters.
The watchdog directed that required measures be taken before the appropriate court of law to liquidate moveable and immoveable assets not in possession of stock exchanges and clearing corporations.
The recovery of assets would help in meeting the obligations of clients, stock exchanges and clearing corporations, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said in a circular.
A recognised stock exchange acts as a first-level regulator in the securities market, insofar as trading on its platform by its members is concerned.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Government initiates probe into dumping of pharma materials from China

Government has initiated a probe into alleged dumping of a pharma raw material, Ceftriaxone Sodium Sterile, from China. Nectar Life Sciences and Sterile India have filed an application before the Commerce Ministry's investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) .
The domestic manufacturers sought a probe into matter. The applicants have contended that material injury is being caused to the domestic industry due to dumped imports from China. They requested imposition of anti-dumping duty on the import.
AIR correspondent reports, the directorate will determine the existence, degree and effect of alleged dumping in respect of the product from China. If DGTR finds that there is dumping of the product which is impacting domestic manufacturers, it will recommend the amount of anti-dumping duty.
While DGTR recommends the duty, the Finance Ministry imposes it. In international trade parlance, dumping happens when a country or a firm exports an item at a price lower than the price of that product in its domestic market.

India and Japan agree to extend strategic cooperation

Prime Minister NarendraModi and his Japanese counterpart SUGA Yoshihide have expressed mutual intention to further strengthen the Indo-Japan relationship based on principles of trust and shared values.
Both the leaders agreed that the bilateral Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries have made great advances over the last few years. Interacting over a phone call Prime Minister congratulated Mr.Yoshihide on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Japan and wished him success in achieving his goals.
The two leaders concurred that the partnership between the two countries is even more relevant in today’s times given the global challenges, including that of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They emphasized that the economic architecture of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region must be premised on resilient supply chains, and in this context, welcomed cooperation between India, Japan and other like-minded countries.
Appreciating the progress made in the economic partnership between the two countries, the two leaders welcomed the finalization of the text of the agreement pertaining to specialized skilled workers. Mr.Modi extended an invitation to Prime Minister Suga to visit India for the Annual Bilateral Summit, after improvement of the situation caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Scientists find evidence on virus feeding microorganisms

Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that two groups of ecologically important marine microorganisms could be eating viruses -- catching their "prey" and engulfing them, an advance that may lead to a better understanding of the flow of organic matter in the oceans.
The scientists explained that the predominant model of the role of viruses in the marine ecosystem is that of the "viral shunt," where microbes infected with viruses lose a substantial fraction of their chemicals back to the pool of dissolved organic matter.
However, the current study noted that the viral shunt could be complemented by a link in the marine microbial food web which may constitute a "sink of viral particles in the ocean."
The tiny single-celled organisms were first discovered twenty years ago, and until now, their food sources were a puzzle, as their feeding apparatus is too small for bacteria, but ample for viruses, the researchers said.
In the current research, they found that every single one of the choanozoan and picozoan genomes were associated with viral sequences from bacteria-eating viruses called phages, but mostly without any bacterial DNA.
"Future research might consider whether protists that consume viruses accumulate DNA sequences from their viral prey within their own genomes, or consider how they might protect themselves from infection," Dr.Brown said.

::SPORTS::

SAI approves support to MirabhaiChanu

Sports Authority of India’s Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Monday sanctioned ₹40 lakh for weightlifter MirabaiChanu’s two-month training in Kansas, USA.
The decision was taken during MOC’s virtual meeting, held to discuss financial proposals of over ₹1.5 crore in six sports — shooting, badminton, boxing, para sports, weightlifting and hockey which are part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
The committee also approved the proposal of shooters to procure ammunition so that they can train at their home ranges. AnjumMoudgil and Mairaj Ahmad Khan’s proposals for equipment and training were also cleared.

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