Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 27 April 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 27 April 2021

::NATIONAL::

Google and Microsoft announce funding for India to tackle COVID-19

SundarPichai, the head of Google and parent company Alphabet, said he was "devastated" by events and the firm would provide $18m (£13m) in funding.
Microsoft boss SatyaNadella said he was "heartbroken" and would help India with its shortage of oxygen supplies.
Both chief executives of the technology giants were born in India.
MrPichai, who was born and schooled in the southern Indian city of Chennai, announced Google's funding move in a tweet on Sunday, linking to a statement by vice-president of Google India, Sanjay Gupta.
Mr Gupta said he wanted to help ensure Indian families and communities "get the information and support they need" through Google's technology services - such as using search and Google Maps to locate testing and vaccination centres - and through the provision of grants.
The aim would be to "provide cash assistance to families hit hardest by the crisis to help with their everyday expenses", he said, adding that there was also a need "to help get urgent medical supplies, including oxygen and testing equipment, to where it's needed most".

::INTERNATIONAL::

International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day observed on 26 April

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, 26 April 1986 - A routine 20-second shut down of the system seemed to be another test of the electrical equipment. But seven seconds later, a surge created a chemical explosion that released nearly 520 dangerous radionuclides into the atmosphere.
The force of the explosion spread contamination over large parts of the Soviet Union, now the territories of Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. According to official reports, thirty-one people died immediately and 600,000 “liquidators,” involved in fire-fighting and clean-up operations, were exposed to high doses of radiation. Based on the official reports, nearly 8,400,000 people in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine were exposed to the radiation, which is more than the population of Austria.
About 155,000 sq. km of territories in the three countries were contaminated, which is almost half of the total territory of Italy. Agricultural areas covering nearly 52,000 sq. km, which is more than the size of Denmark, were contaminated with cesium-137 and strontium-90, with 30-year and 28-year half-lives respectively. Nearly 404,000 people were resettled, but millions continued to live in an environment where continued residual exposure created a range of adverse effects.
No reports were released until the third day after the Chernobyl explosion. Then, Swedish authorities correlated a map of enhanced radiation levels in Europe with wind direction and announced to the world that a nuclear accident had occurred somewhere in the Soviet Union. Before Sweden’s announcement, the authorities were conducting emergency fire-fighting and clean-up operations but had chosen not to report the accident or its scale in full.

::ECONOMY::

Reserve Bank of India limits the tenure of MDs, CEOs of banks to 15 years

The Reserve Bank of India on Monday capped both the tenure and age limit for senior management including that of chairmen in all private banks. While the cap for non-executive directors, and chairman is set at 75 years, their tenure is fixed for 8 years. They can rejoin after 3 years, if found fit.
Likewise, the posts of Managing Director (MD), Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as well as Whole Time Directors (WTD) are capped at not more than 15 years.
These new norms will be applicable for all private sector banks including small finance banks and wholly-owned subsidiaries of foreign banks. However, foreign banks with branches are excluded.
Banks have to implement this by October, 1. The upper age limit is fixed at 70 years. Besides, MDs & CEOs or WTDs who have already completed 12 or 15 years by October 1, are allowed to complete their current term.
The circular is an outcome of the discussion paper issued last June to review the framework for governance in commercial banks to address a few operative aspects.

Oxford Economics cuts India's 2021 GDP growth forecast to 2%

Oxford Economics has revised India’s GDP growth forecast downwards for calendar year 2021 to 10.2 per cent from its earlier projection of 11.8 per cent, citing the country’s escalating health burden, faltering vaccination rate and lack of a convincing government strategy to contain the pandemic.
It further stated that it expects GDP to contract sequentially in the June 2021 quarter. Notwithstanding the likelihood of further mobility restrictions, Oxford Economics expects India’s targeted lockdown approach, less stringent restrictions and resilient consumer and business behaviour to mitigate the economic impact of the second wave.

:: SCIENCE AND TECH::

DRDO develops critical crystal blade technology for aero engines

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed single crystal blades technology and supplied 60 of these blades to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as part of their indigenous helicopter development program for helicopter engine application.
It is part of a program taken up by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL), a premium laboratory of DRDO, to develop five sets (300 in number) of single crystal high pressure turbine (HPT) blades using a nickel-based super alloy. The supply of remaining four sets will be completed in due course.
Helicopters used in strategic and defence applications need compact and powerful aero-engines for their reliable operation at extreme conditions. To achieve this, state-of-the-art Single Crystal Blades having complex shape and geometry, manufactured out of Nickel based superalloys capable of withstanding high temperatures of operation are used. Very few countries in the world such as USA, UK, France and Russia have the capability to design and manufacture such Single Crystal (SX) components.
The DMRL undertook this task based on its expertise gained during the development of such a technology for an aero-engine project earlier. Complete vacuum investment casting process to realise the blades, including die design, wax pattering, ceramic moulding, actual casting of components non-destructive evaluation (NDE), heat treatment and dimensional measurement, has been established at DMRL.
Special ceramic composition had to be formulated for making strong ceramic moulds which can withstand metallostatic pressure of liquid CMSX-4 alloy at 1500°C and above during casting operation. The challenge of maintaining the required temperature gradient has also been overcome by optimising the casting parameters. A multi-step vacuum solutionising heat treatment schedule for complex CMSX-4 superalloy to achieve the required microstructure and mechanical properties has also been established.Further, a stringent non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methodology for the blades along with the technique for determining their crystallographic orientations has been developed.

::SPORTS::

India won three gold medals and one bronze in Archery World Cup Stage 1 in Guatemala City

Star archer DeepikaKumari led the show with supreme authority to grab a hat-trick of gold medals as India made an unprecedented clean sweep at the World Cup Stage 3 here on Sunday for a perfect build-up to the Tokyo Olympics in less than a month's time.
In the absence of the world number one Korea, the Indians faced little challenge to win the women's individual, team and mixed pair events with Deepika a constant in each of them, playing back-to-back four matches in less than five hours.
Having secured Olympic qualifications, Korea, along with other Asian heavyweights like China and Chinese Taipei, skipped all the World Cups in the build up to the Tokyo Games.