Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 10 December 2020

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 10 December 2020

::NATIONAL::

Foundation stone of new Parliament building

The PM also emphasised that no force can stop the making of Atmanirbhar Bharat and that debates and discussions must continue in Indian democracy both inside and outside Parliament, as he laid the foundation stone of the new Parliament building on 10-12-2020.
The PM also emphasised that the responsibility of his government is to uphold democracy while all its policies are aimed at “nation first”.
Hailing the day as historic, Modi described the event as a moment of pride for 130 crore Indians. “The construction of a new Parliament building is the symbol of Atmanirbhar Bharat. It is also a symbol of coexistence of old and new,” the PM said, adding that he can’t forget the moment when he entered Parliament as an MP in 2014 and he bowed before the building.
The new building, the PM said, would not only give more facilities to lawmakers and inspire them to work more, but will be a witness to Atmanirbhar Bharat, fulfilling aspirations of a 21st century India.

Policy on School Bag 2020

The new ‘Policy on School Bag 2020’ of the Union ministry of education also recommends that the weight of the bag needs to be monitored on a regular basis in schools.
School bags should not be more than 10% of the body weight of students across classes I to X and there should be no homework till class II.
The recommendations have been arrived based on various surveys and studies conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). The policy stated that data collected from 3,624 students and 2,992 parents from 352 schools, which include KendriyaVidyalayas and state government schools were analysed.
The ‘Policy on School Bag 2020’ made 11 recommendations on the weight of the bags, including adequate good quality mid-day meal and potable water to all the students so that they need not carry lunch boxes or water bottles.
The policy also recommended that children with special needs be provided a double set of textbooks, through book banks in schools and lockers in classes for storing and retrieving books and other items.
The policy said there should be no bags in pre-primary. For classes I and II the bag weight range should be between 1.6 kg to 2.2 kg. Like-wise it should be 1.7 kg to 2.5 kg, 2 kg to 3 kg, 2.5 to 4 kg, 2.5 kg to 4.5 kg and 3.5 kg to 5 kg for classes III to V, classes VI and VII, class VIII, classes IX and X and classes XI and XII respectively.
Recommending that total study time should be accounted for while planning the syllabus, the policy said while there should be no homework upto class II and a maximum of two hours per week for classes III to V, homework duration for classes VI to VIII should not exceed one hour a day and two hours a day for classes IX and above.

::ECONOMY::

KLI Project

The Union Cabinet gave its approval for Provision of Submarine Optical Fibre Cable Connectivity between Mainland (Kochi) and Lakshadweep Islands (KLI Project).
The Project envisages the provision of a direct communication link through a dedicated submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between Kochi and 11 Islands of Lakshadweep viz. Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Agati, Amini, Androth, Minicoy, Bangaram, Bitra, Chetlat, Kiltan, and Kadmat.
The estimated cost of implementation is about Rs 1,072 crore including operational expenses for 5 years. The Project would be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund.
As per an official release, the submarine connectivity project will have a vital role in the delivery of e-governance services at the doorstep of citizens, potential development of fisheries, coconut-based industries and high-value tourism, educational development in terms of the education and in health care in terms of telemedicine facilities.
It will help in the establishment of numerous businesses, augment e-commerce activities and provide adequate support to educational institutes for knowledge sharing. The Lakshadweep Islands have the potential to become a hub of logistic services.
The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been nominated as Project Execution Agency and Telecommunications Consultant India Limited (TCIL) as the Technical Consultant of the Project to assist Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The project is targeted to be completed by May 2023.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Iran, Afghanistan open first rail link with eye on trade

The leaders of Iran and Afghanistan on 12-10-2020 inaugurated the first railway link between the two countries, expressing hope it would enhance trade links across the region.
The 140-kilometer (90-mile) line running from eastern Iran into western Afghanistan will eventually be expanded by 85 kilometers to reach the Afghan city of Herat, providing a crucial transport link for the landlocked country, where decades of war have hindered infrastructure development.
The $75 million project began in 2007, with Iran funding construction on both sides of the border as part of its development assistance to Afghanistan.
Iran hopes to transform itself into a regional transport hub, allowing Afghanistan and other landlocked Asian countries to transport goods to its ports on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Iran already has rail links with Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Turkey.

Sports

Bala Devi

Bala Devi scored her first goal for the Rangers FC in a 9-0 decimation of Motherwell FC in the Scottish Women's Premier League.
She thus became the first Indian woman to score in a top-tier professional league in Europe.
Bala Devi was born in Manipur in 1990.
Bala also won Rangers their second penalty in the 68th minute as she was taken down in the box. Bourma scored Rangers' eighth goal from that penalty.
The 30-year-old Indian had become the first Indian to sign a professional contract in a top-tier club in Europe in January.