Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 01 MARCH 2020

::NATIONAL::

VP claims next 10 years to be decade of youth in India

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu has said the next ten years would be the decade of the youth in India. He gave an extramural lecture in the IIT, Madras on the topic, 'India 2020 to 2030: GenY's Vision for the Decade,' this evening.
In his address, he said, India’s population is among the youngest in an ageing world. He said the strategy and vision for the education of the youth will decide how successful India will be in converting the country’s demographic advantage into a rich dividend.
The Vice President said a resurgent India is being witnessed today, driven by the dreams and aspirations of the youth. He expressed confidence that through their collective efforts, the dream of an India that is prosperous, inclusive, peaceful and harmonious can be realised.
He said India’s greatest asset is its tremendous diversity, adding, the time-tested bonds of unity are deeply rooted in it. He observed that there is a growing tendency to use technology irresponsibly to spread fake information or hate messages.
The Vice President stressed that the nation's timeless values of empathy with the people, harmony with nature, tolerance, non-violence and peaceful co-existence must be promoted.

Experts suggests need of protocol for introduction of wild animals

Days after the Supreme Court green-lighted the introduction of cheetahs in India, the top scientist at the laboratory for saving extinct species says it will be a challenge.
The court recently gave the nod to the National Tiger Conservation Authority to re-introduce African cheetahs, nearly 10 years after the plea was made.
“The background extinction rates are over 100 to 1,000 times due to reasons like hunting, destruction of habitat and human intervention. Species die out naturally but when a species becomes extinct unnaturally, it is like murder,” said Mr.Vasudevan,an expert.
Mr.Vasudevan said India would need a protocol to introduce wild animals in the country. “The International Union for Conservation of Nature has a protocol. It has reintroduction specialist groups. It has template guidelines, but we need to adapt them to our needs and we have to develop for our own species,” he said.
There is a need to create provisions under the Wildlife Protection Act for a policy on introduction of wild animals. Otherwise, citing this [cheetah introduction], many things can be done. We need to safeguard the interests of other species,” he said.
One of the successful efforts of Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species(LACONES)has been the reintroduction of mouse deer in the wild with its captive breeding programme in collaboration with the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad.

::ECONOMY::

In terms of invoicing, India is amongst the most dollarized countries

India is among the most dollarised countries as far as invoicing is concerned, and by all these measures of internationalisation, the dollar is largely ahead of other currencies with euro as a distant second, Professor Hélène Rey, Lord Bagri Professor of Economics, London Business School, said.
Ms. Rey was speaking at the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India’s 35th Commencement Day Annual Lecture in Mumbai on ‘financial globalisation and international financial markets’.
“One can also see the U.S. as an insurer, since the value of its external dollar liabilities such as Treasury bills and U.S. government bonds held by the rest of the world tend to appreciate in bad times, thereby insuring the people holding them,” she said.
As a result, the U.S. gets seigniorage as people from different countries use dollars, she said, adding that India was one of the most dollarised countries in the world, following Brazil, Pakistan and Indonesia, in the share of imports and exports invoiced in dollars.
Ms. Rey said that according to a survey by the European Central Bank, the dollar dominated 62.2% international debt, 56.3% international loan and 62.7% global exchange reserves, whereas the euro had acquired much less global market.
“The dollar is becoming more unstable over time as the relative size of the U.S. shrinks in the world economy while the stock of dollar liabilities in the rest of the world keep growing,” she added.

New Zealand to expand trade with India if the latter does not join RCEP

New Zealand on Thursday said it will look forward to a bilateral trade agreement with India in case New Delhi does not join the China-backed mega trade deal RCEP.
The NarendraModi-led government in November decided not to join Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal as negotiations failed to satisfactorily address New Delhi's "outstanding issues and concerns".
However, the possibility of India joining the trade pact is open provided its concerns are addressed by the member nations.
Responding to issues concerning the opening of domestic dairy sector, he said New Zealand appreciates the concerns of the Indian dairy industry but expressed hope that some solutions could be arrived at through negotiations.
Observing that New Zealand was disappointed after India did not join the conclusion of the RCEP negotiations, Parker said the disappointment was not only for lost bilateral opportunities but also because the nation believes there is a strategic benefit for India of being on the table when the regional trade rules are made.
The RCEP negotiations were launched by leaders from 10 ASEAN member states and six other countries -- India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand during the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh in November 2012.

Click Here for Study Material for SSC CGL Exam

SSC CGL (Tier-1) Exam Crash Course

::INTERNATIONAL::

India welcomes U.S-Taliban deal on Afghanistan

India has welcomed the deal between the US and the Taliban in Afghanistan. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, New Delhi support all opportunities that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan and end violence, cut ties with international terrorism and lead to a lasting political settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan controlled process.
He said India noted that the entire political spectrum in Afghanistan, including the Government, the democratic polity and civil society, has welcomed the opportunity and hoped for peace and stability generated by these agreements.
Mr Kumar said India will continue to extend all support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in realising their aspirations for a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future where the interest of all sections of Afghan society are protected.
US and Taliban signed a peace deal in Doha yesterday. India attended the historic event as Observer. The agreement will pave the way for phased withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
As part of the deal, the Taliban are required to initiate a dialogue with the Afghan government and other civil society and political groups for a permanent ceasefire and power-sharing in post-war Afghanistan.

Turkey threatens to allow refugees towards Europe

Turkey today threatened to allow tens of thousands of refugees to leave for Europe.
At the Turkish border, Greek police clashed with several thousand migrants who were already gathered at the entrance into EU territory. Turkish President RecepTayyipErdogan raised the stakes today and vowed to allow refugees to travel to Europe from Turkey which he said can not handle new waves of people fleeing Syria.
He said 18,000 migrants have crossed Turkish borders into Europe after the country opened the doors for them to travel. Turkey's decision followed a deadly attack on Turkish troops by Syrian government forces in northern Syria this week.
At least 33 Turkish soldiers were killed in a bombardment in Idlib, the last Syrian province where Syrian rebel groups hold significant territory.
Syrian government forces, supported by Russia, have been trying to retake Idlib from jihadist groups and Turkish-backed rebel factions.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Evidence of colistin resistant bacteria in the gut found in Indian patients

A small study involving 65 stool samples taken from patients from a single hospital in Chennai found 51% of them harbour colistin-resistant bacteria. This reflects the presence of such bacteria in the gut as stool samples represent gut colonisation.
This is the first study from India which has found indirect evidence of colistin-resistant bacteria in the gut and was published in the journal Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease.
Colistin is the last-resort antibiotic used to treat highly drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Colistin-resistant bacteria can be of hospital origin or food origin. Colistin-resistant bacteria of hospital origin do not respond to any of the antibiotics, including carbapenem while colistin-resistant bacteria of food origin will respond to carbapenem.
The main cause of colistin resistance in food is due to the rampant use of colistin in poultry. Since poultry litter is used as manure to grow vegetables, colistin-resistant bacteria are found in vegetables as well.
In clinical practice, it is the mutation in the mgrB gene or other chromosomal genes that confers colistin resistance to Klebsiella bacteria. In their 2018 study, the authors found mgrB gene mutation in food Klebsiella bacteria.
Till date, there is no evidence to suggest that the mgrB gene mutation spreads from food to human Klebsiella bacteria. The only colistinresistance mechanism that is known to spread from food to human Klebsiella bacteria is through mcr gene transfer.
In light of that, the finding that a large number of individuals carry colistin-resistant bacteria of food origin in the gut is therefore worrying.