Daily NEWS Analysis | 11th March | UPSC 2020

1. COVID-19 cases surge in the country.

India has recorded 61 positive cases till date in one of the worst epidemics that has hit and gripped the whole world.In Kerala alone,8 people have tested positive, thus surging the national toll of those infected with the virus.

Context

14 more people tested positive for the Covid-19 with 8 cases coming up alone from Kerala and 3 each from Karnataka and Maharashtra and thus has now taken the toll of the nation to 61 of those infected with virus.Those infected in Kerala had visited virus-hit Italy recently.This includes relatives of the family members who concealed their visit and didn't get their test done even weeks after their return and thus might have exposed many to the virus till now.The health team in Kerala is working and monitoring very closely more than 3,000 people who might have been in contact with these infected people.

According to an official statement,637 people in Kerala have been under observation for the virus since the time the country had its first three positive cases of the virus.They were the medical students studying in Wuhan.

The outbreak has already taken more than 3,000 lives till now with infecting more than a lakh of people throughout the world.

Meanwhile as a precautionary measure,India has temporarily closed its doors for nationals from France, Germany and Spain and has cancelled the visas of all the nationals from these countries.This includes the ones who have not yet entered the country.

The Indians stuck in Iran were also airlifted and evacuated by the C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air force.

2. Yes Bank affect in Maharashtra: State cautions departments to work with nationalised banks only

The Maharashtra government has directed all its departments, civic bodies and semi-government corporations to not transact with private banks for the time being and focus only on nationalised banks.

The government will steer clear of all private banks, in the wake of the Yes Bank collapse.

Context:

Finance minister Ajit Pawar gave these directions in a meeting with senior officials, including the chief secretary. They have directed these departments not to initiate any new transaction with a private bank for now.

Certain schemes in Maharashtra may have been impacted by the Yes Bank episode. These include the Mahatma Phule Crop Loan waiver scheme as a few co-operatives had their deposits with the bank. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, the Mumbai and Thane fire brigades too had their accounts with the bank, apart from the City and Industrial Development Corporation’s home loan account, and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited.

3. Jyotiraditya Scindia quits, leaves political vacuum in congress

Jyotiraditya Scindia, a known youth face of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh quit the party on March 10, ahead of Holi. Scindia will now join the BJP and has met PM Modi and home minister Amit Shah for the same.

Context

Jyotiraditya Scindia’s move has triggered a resignation of 22 MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, leading the Kamal Nathgovernment in MP to the brink.Out of these 22,17 MLAS are already from the Scindia camp while 5 more joined them including the one brought back from Bengaluru.The resignations have already been taken to the speaker NP Prajapati.

If the resignations get accepted,then the Congress will be reduced to 92 members in assembly while BJP could claim to form the government with 107 MLA'S.The BJP leader Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan who has already served as CM of the state for the 3 times could take over the seat then for the 4th time too. The crisis has hit the Kamal Nath government on the 75th Birth Anniversary of Jyotiraditya's father Madhavrao Scindia.CM Kamal Nath is still claiming that he holds majority in the 230 member Assembly.

Jyotiraditya was with congress for 18 years and quit the party.He was unhappy with not only the CM Kamal Nath but also with party presidents.One big reason was he was not considered for the CM after the MP assembly election and instead Kamal Nath was chosen over him despite the assurance from Rahul Gandhi.Sonia Gandhi even kept the post of deputy leader of Lok Sabha vacant for 2 years after 2017 which Scindia was very keen to join.

4. Global Coronavirus updates: 168 dead in Italy,the highest single day toll

Italy has recorded its highest toll in a single day from the Coronavirus that claimed 168 lives alone in a single day.This is the highest one in the country since the start of the outbreak. Till now,631 people have lost their life to the infectious disease in Italy.

Context

Italy, with 10,000 infected persons, lost 168 people in a single day (24 hrs) which is the highest one till date after the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. The entire country has been put under quarantine even as the government takes steps to tackle the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile in New York, a ‘containment area’ set in New Rochelle, will see the National Guard move in to scrub clean surfaces, reduce contamination and deliver food into the zone. Schools, houses of worship and large gathering places will be shuttered for two weeks to clean the zone. This area has seen the largest concentration of coronavirus affected people.

700 people have been affected by the virus in USA and 27 have died so far.

Iran recorded 54 deaths in the last 24 hours, their highest single-day toll so far. These deaths have raised the toll in the country to 291. The number of infected persons here are officially at 8,042. The country claims that 2,731 people have recovered here so far.

Globally 4,000 people have lost their lives so far, 3,000 from China alone.According to WHO,113,000 cases of those infected with virus have been confirmed and 64,000 people have already recovered from it.

India has recorded 61 cases so far. People have been asked to reconsider large gatherings and social events, including Holi celebrations to avoid chances of outbreaks and epidemics.

Air Canada, meanwhile, has suspended all its flights to and from Italy sensing the outbreak of the epidemic and looking into the ongoing health and safety concerns.

5. 254 Kashmiri Pandits in govt. jobs since 2015

In a recent revelation, the Home Ministry has told a parliamentary panel that 254 Kashmiri Pandits have joined the government service in J&K after a special package for the community was unveiled here in 2015.

PM Modi’s Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) in 2015 had approved creation of 3000 jobs for the community in the state at a cost of Rs. 1,080 crore.

Context:

Earlier, the Manmohan Singh government had announced a similar employment package for 1,474 state government jobs for migrant youth.

The ministry was replying to a question raised in the parliament. It said that appointment orders had been issued to 528 candidates, out of whom 254 had joined their jobs. It also confirmed community numbers as 64,827 registered migrant families comprising 60,489 Hindu families, 2,609 Muslim families and 1,729 Sikh families. It said that the state was providing relief and rehab packages to all registered migrants, irrespective of their religion.

Cash relief is given to the families at a rate of Rs 3,250 per person with a ceiling of Rs 13,000 per family in a month. 849 flats are available as transit accommodation for them, while 560 flats were under construction.

6. PIB - New list of nuclear power plant projects

The department of Atomic energy has released a list of new sanctioned nuclear power projects. These include new projects under construction in Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu - KAPP 3&4 (Kakrapur, Gujarat), RAPP 7&8 (Rawatbhata, Rajasthan), GHAVP 1&2 (Gorakhpur, Haryana), KKNPP 3&4 and PFBR (Kudankulam and Kalapakkam, Tamil Nadu).

Other projects have been approved and sanctioned in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Haryana.

7. PIB - No sedition case against people for venting on social media in J&K

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri G Kishan Reddy, in a written reply in Rajya Sabha to a question regarding the filing of sedition cases against persons in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for using social media said that no case against any person under sedition law has been filed for using social media platforms in Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir since its formation till date.