Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 04 APRIL 2020

::NATIONAL::

The Supreme Court has expressed concern over the plight of migrant workers, especially in the unorganised sector, during the lockdown and asked the Union government to respond by April 7 to a petition demanding that Central and State governments pay them minimum wages.
The petition said the Centre and the States should, either jointly or severally,take responsibility to pay migrant workers at least a week’s wages for their sustenance.
However, shortly after the lockdown declaration, a mass exodus of panicked migrant workers was witnessed. They were moving from the metros, where they had come for work, to their home towns.

Taking note of the problems faced by the homeless, the unemployed and the weaker sections of society during the COVID-19 crisis, President Ram NathKovind said on Friday that the country would have have to be extra sensitive towards their needs and ensure nobody is left hungry.
Stating that people had set an example by “showing exemplary courage, discipline and solidarity in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic”, the President expressed concern over two incidents — the gathering of migrant workers in AnandVihar and the congregation of TablighiJamaat in Nizamuddin — that caused a setback to the efforts.
“In the conference, there was unanimity that there is no scope for laxity or complacency in fighting the invisible enemy. In this context, the President noted with concern the incidents of attacks on doctors, health workers and police personnel in some parts of the country,” a statement from the RashtrapatiBhavan said.

After falling for two weeks in a row, India’s foreign exchange reserves have surged by $5.65 billion to $475.56 billion in the week ended on 27th of March.
A Reserve Bank of India press release informed that foreign currency assets, a major part of the overall reserves increased by $2.56 billion to $439.66 billion.
In the previous week, the reserves had declined by $11.98 billion to $469.91 billion as the RBI was supplying dollars to contain fall in the rupee, which has breached the 76 mark against the US Dollar.
Gold reserves also increased by $3.03 billion to $30.89 billion. India's special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund went up by $14 million to $1.42 billion, while the country's reserve position also increased by $44 million to $3.58 billion.

The United Nations General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution on COVID-19, calling for intensified international cooperation to defeat the pandemic.
Co-sponsored by 188 nations including India, the resolution titled Global solidarity to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is first such document on the global pandemic to be adopted by the world organization.
The resolution said the General Assembly notes with great concern the threat to human health, safety and well-being caused by the disease. It highlighted the unprecedented effects of the pandemic, including the severe disruption to societies, economies, global travel and commerce, and the devastating impact on the livelihood of people.
The resolution called for intensified international cooperation in exchanging information, scientific knowledge and best practices and applying guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization.
The UN Security Council is yet to discuss the Corona virus outbreak, even as the total number of coronavirus cases across the world crossed one million.

In a major breakthrough, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a special sealant as an alternative to seam sealing tape which is critical in personal protective equipment (PPE).
A bio suit was also developed to keep medical and other personnel engaged in combating COVID-19 safe from the deadly virus, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
It said bio suit production in the country by DRDO industry partners and other industries was being hampered due to non-availability of seam sealing tapes. The DRDO can mass produce this glue through the industry to support the seam sealing activity by suit manufacturers.
The bio suit has been subjected to rigorous testing for textile parameters as well as protection against infection from synthetic blood.
“The protection against synthetic blood exceeds the criteria defined for body suits by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” the statement said.
Separately, Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, has designed and developed its own handheld Infra Red (IR) based temperature sensor for screening at its entry gates, which have an average influx of around 20,000 personnel every day.
The instrument has been manufactured through in-house resources at a cost of under ₹1000, a fraction of the cost of the temperature guns in the market, the Navy said.

The official mascots of the 19th Asian Games were unveiled at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China yesterday. The three robots, which are going to be the mascots for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games are collectively known as the smart triplets.
The Mascots - Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, which reflect the internet prowess of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province, were unveiled at a digital ceremony in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has brought the whole world to a stand still.