VISION IAS www.visionias.in CURRENT AFFAIRS MAY 2020 Copyright © by Vision IAS All rights are reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of Vision IAS. 1 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS Table of Contents 1. POLITY & CONSTITUTION _______________4 8.2. Purandara Dasa _____________________ 64 1.1. One Nation, One Ration Card ___________ 4 8.3. Geographical Indication (GI) tag ________ 65 1.2. Government Advertisements on Social Media 9. ETHICS _____________________________ 66 Platforms _______________________________ 5 9.1. Social Media Platforms as Arbiters of Truth 2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ____________7 ______________________________________ 66 2.1. India- China Border Dispute _____________ 7 10. NEWS IN SHORT ____________________ 68 2.2. India -Taiwan ________________________ 9 10.1. Diamer-Basha Dam ___________________ 68 2.3. Indo-Nepal Territorial Dispute __________ 11 10.2. United Nations Relief and Works Agency 2.4. Gilgit Baltistan Issue __________________ 12 (UNRWA) _______________________________ 68 2.5. Non-Aligned Movement ______________ 13 10.3. Provisioning of Loans __________________ 68 10.4. CHAMPIONS Portal ___________________ 68 2.6. World Health Assembly (WHA) _________ 14 10.5. For the first time, India has more rural net users 2.7. New Security Law In Hong Kong ________ 15 than urban ______________________________ 68 2.8. Open Skies Treaty ___________________ 16 10.6. Unified Mobile Application for New-age 3. ECONOMY _________________________ 16 Governance (UMANG) _____________________ 69 3.1. Atmanirbhar Bharat: What, Why and How? 10.7. Industry Status to Sports _______________ 69 ______________________________________ 17 10.8. Amery Ice Shelf (AIS) __________________ 69 3.2. Status Paper on Government Debt ______ 18 10.9. Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin 3.3. SARFAESI Act _______________________ 21 Released ________________________________ 69 3.4. TRIPS Flexibilities ____________________ 22 10.10. Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) Halved from 2000 to 2017_____________________________ 69 3.5. Labour Law Reforms _________________ 24 10.11. “Lost at Home” Report Published by UN 3.6. Impact of Energy Efficiency Measures for the Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ___________________ 70 Year 2018-19 Report _____________________ 25 10.12. 600 Universities, 25,000 Colleges are not 3.7. Energy Transition Index Report _________ 28 Accredited in India ________________________ 70 3.8. Sugar Industry in India ________________ 29 10.13. National Migrant Information System (NMIS) 3.9. Draft National Fisheries Policy 2020 _____ 32 _______________________________________ 70 3.10. Rice Export Promotion Forum _________ 33 10.14. Suraksha Store Initiative ______________ 71 4. SECURITY __________________________ 35 10.15. GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) Programme 4.1. Border Infrastructure and Shekatkar _______________________________________ 71 10.16. Khudol (gift) Initiative in Manipur _______ 71 Committee Recommendations _____________ 35 10.17. Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme __ 71 4.2. Indian Army Proposes Tour of Duty _____ 36 10.18. Operation Samudra Setu (Sea Bridge) ____ 71 4.3. Integrated Battle Groups ______________ 37 10.19. Vande Bharat Mission ________________ 71 5. ENVIRONMENT _____________________ 39 10.20. Earth’s Magnetic field between Africa and 5.1. Locust Attack _______________________ 39 South America is Weakening ________________ 72 5.2. Super Year for Biodiversity ____________ 41 10.21. New Simulation Code Helps Study Electric Field 5.3. UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration ___ 44 Structure in Earth’s Magnetosphere __________ 72 5.4. Gas Leak at Vizag ____________________ 46 10.22. Venusian Atmosphere Rotates Faster than the 5.5. State of the World’s Forests Report 2020 _ 48 Planet Itself ______________________________ 72 10.23. Artemis Accords'' for Responsible Space 5.6. India’s First Dolphin Observatory _______ 50 Exploration ______________________________ 73 5.7. Cyclone Management in India __________ 51 10.24. National Biomedical Resource Indigenization 5.8. Climate Adaptation and Resilience for South Consortium (NBRIC) _______________________ 73 Asia (CARE) Project ______________________ 53 10.25. Project CARD _______________________ 73 6. SOCIAL ISSUES ______________________ 54 10.26. Government Response Stringency Index __ 73 6.1. COVID 19 and Mental Health ___________ 54 10.27. COBAS 6800 Testing Machine __________ 73 6.2. E-Learning __________________________ 56 10.28. Operation Warp Speed _______________ 74 6.3. Global Nutrition Report 2020 (GNR) _____ 58 10.29. African Swine Fever (ASF) _____________ 74 7. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ___________ 60 10.30. National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) Launches Pai _____________________________ 74 7.1. Blockchain Bill of Rights _______________ 60 10.31. National Artificial Intelligence Portal 7.2. Security issues with Aarogya Setu App ___ 61 (www.ai.gov.in) __________________________ 74 7.3. Private Sector in Space Activities _______ 62 10.32. EventBot Mobile Banking Trojan ________ 74 8. CULTURE __________________________ 64 10.33. GARUD (Government Authorisation for Relief 8.1. World War 2 ________________________ 64 Using Drones) Portal _______________________ 74 10.34. Rht14 and Rht18 ____________________ 74 2 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS 10.35. Thrissur Poorama ____________________ 74 12.4. Industrial Sectoral reforms announced in 10.36. Florence Nightingale __________________ 74 the package ____________________________ 82 10.37. Iran’s New Currency __________________ 75 12.4.1. Significant Measures Announced _______ 83 11. GOVERNMENT SCHEMES IN NEWS ____ 76 12.4.2. Policy Reforms Announced for Other Sectors 11.1. Atal Pension Yojana ___________________ 76 _______________________________________ 85 11.2. Prime Minister’s Employment Generation 12.5. Measures Announced for Businesses in Programme (PMEGP) _______________________ 76 General (including MSMEs)________________ 86 12. APPENDIX: ATMANIRBHAR BHARAT ___ 77 12.5.1. Significant Measures Announced _______ 86 12.1. Measures taken for Health and Education in 12.5.2. Reforms and Enablers Announced for Ease of the package ____________________________ 77 Doing Business ___________________________ 86 12.2. Measures announced for Migrants and 12.6. Measures Announced Exclusively for MSME Urban Poor ____________________________ 78 Sector _________________________________ 87 12.3. Measures Announced for Rural 12.6.1. Significant Measures Announced _______ 87 Development, Agriculture and Allied Sectors _ 79 12.7. General Policy Reforms Announced as Part 12.3.1. Steps taken so far____________________ 79 of the Economic Package _________________ 89 12.3.2. Significant Measures Announced in the 12.7.1. Significant Measures Announced _______ 89 Package _________________________________ 79 12.7.2. Other Policy Measures _______________ 90 12.3.3 Other Initiatives Announced in the Package 82 3 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS 1. POLITY & CONSTITUTION 1.1. ONE NATION, ONE RATION CARD Why in news? As part of the Economic relief package amid COVID 19 outbreak, the Central government has announced the national rollout of a ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ system in all states and Union Territories by March 2021. About One Nation, One Ration Card Scheme About Ration Card • Under this ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ • It is a document issued under an order or authority of system, beneficiary will be able to buy State Government, as per PDS, for purchase of essential commodities from FPS at subsidized rates. subsidized food grains from any FPS across • State Governments issue distinctive Ration Cards to APL, Country using their existing/same ration card BPL and Antyodaya families and conduct periodical that is Aadhaar linked. review and checking of Ration Cards. • Under present Public Distribution System • Proof of identification: It has become an important tool (PDS), a ration cardholder can buy food grains of identification when applying for other documents like only from Fair Price Shop (FPS) that has been Domicile Certificate, for inclusion in Electoral Rolls, etc. assigned in the locality in which he/she lives. • Partha Mukhopadhyay Working Group on Migration recommended for portability of Public Distribution System and its benefits in 2017. • Subsequently, Government launched Integrated Management of Public Distribution System (IM-PDS) in April 2018. (see box) Integrated Management of Public Distribution System • The new system will identify beneficiary through (IMPDS) Scheme biometric authentication on electronic Point of Sale • IMPDS is central sector scheme, implemented (ePoS) devices installed at FPS. under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public • Under this, a migrant will be allowed to buy Distribution. maximum of 50% of family quota. This is to ensure • Objectives that the individual, after shifting to another place o Implementation of nation-wide portability in does not buy the entire family quota in one go. food grains distribution under National Food • Once 100 per cent of Aadhaar seeding and 100 per Security Act 2013. cent installation of ePoS devices is achieved, national o Creation of national level data repository for portability of ration cards will become a reality. de-duplication of beneficiary data (Aadhaar based). Currently, it is enabled in 17 States and UTs. o Use of advanced data analytics techniques to Benefits bring