Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 08 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

Nanda Devi swept away the small Rishiganga hydroelectric project and damaged a bigger one further down the Dhauligangariver being built by state firm NTPC. At least 18 bodies have been recovered so far.
A team of specialists from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), which reached Uttarakhand early on Monday morning, conducted an aerial survey of the areas in Chamoli district which were devastated by flash flood triggered by glacier burst yesterday.
The team said that it has collected data which will be analysed to understand the reason behind the natural disaster.
"Our team did an aerial survey of the glacier where incident took place in Chamoli. Prima facie it looks like a hanging glacier broke away from the main glacier and came down in the narrow valley," Dr LK Sinha, Director, Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment of the DRDO told news agency ANI.
Rescuers are trying to drill their way through a 2.5 km long tunnel at NTPC's TapovanVishnugad hydropower project site. It was 5 km downstream and NDRF and other rescuers believe 30 workers are trapped there.

The South African arm of the trial found that the shot from Astra and the University of Oxford had only 22% efficacy against mild and moderate illness, according to lead researcher ShabirMadhi.
South Africa will temporarily halt the rollout of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine and accelerate its supply of shots from Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc. after a trial showed the shot had limited efficacy against a new variant of the virus first identified in the country late last year.
The data has cast doubt over the usefulness of the Astra-Oxford shot, which was the first coronavirus vaccine to arrive in South Africa last week and due to be rolled out by mid-February. More than 90% of new cases in the country have the more contagious B.1.351 variant, which has been found in at least 30 other countries worldwide. Still, it would be “reckless” to dispose of the vaccine, which can be updated, Madhi said.
From a trial of about 2,000 participants, investigators were able to analyze data from 1,749 volunteers; all aged 18 to 65 with a median age of 31, according to the data presented by Madhi. About 68% of volunteers were of black African descent, 14% were white and 16% mixed race.

Health insurance segment, which has seen strong growth over the last five years, will continue to witness a higher double-digit growth in the medium term helped by low penetration, according to a report.
During FY15-FY20, the segment expanded by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20 per cent.
“We expect the sector to grow at higher double digits in the medium term, with private players growing even faster as they have been gaining market share over public sector firms and also because of the increase in premium prices due to medical inflation,” India Ratings and Research said in a report.
The agency said it is essential for insurers to maintain adequate buffers over the regulatory minimum so as to be prepared for any unforeseen risk events.
With the increasing standardisation of policies with an incremental reduction in exclusion, there could be upward pressure on premium pricing, it said.

Hundred tiny Femto satellites, designed and developed by 1,000 students from across the country, will be launched into space from Tamil Nadu’s Rameshwaram, the birthplace of former president APJ Abdul Kalam. Of the 100 satellites, 38 are from Maharashtra, which includes a satellite from Mumbai based Children's Academy. The satellites will be launched under a joint project by APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation, Chennai-based Space Zone India and another organisation called Martin.
The satellites are made of composite material and measure 4x4x4cm. They will be launched via a high altitude scientific balloon and will go on to attain an altitude of 35,000-38,000 metre. A Femto satellite is also called a small satellite, miniaturised satellite, or smallsat. It is a satellite with a low mass and small size, usually under 500kg. These satellites when launched in large numbers are useful for gathering of scientific data as well as for radio relay. They are also used for training purposes. The satellites are also equipped with sensors to study areas like ozone, cosmic ray, carbon dioxide and humidity.
Kalam was an Indian aerospace scientist and politician who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He spent four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro).

Any decision about holding the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, postponed by a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, must be based on science, U.S. President Joe Biden told a radio show.
The Games are set to start in under six months, and the Japanese government and International Olympic Committee (IOC) are vowing to hold them as planned, although under strict conditions that could include staging them without spectators.