Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 12 JUNE 2020

::NATIONAL::

Centre extends deadline for Aadhar-ration card seeding

The Centre has extended the deadline given to all States and Union Territories to complete the seeding of Aadhaar numbers with all ration cards till 30th of September this year.
It also clarified that until then no genuine beneficiary will be denied from entitled quota of food grains and their names or ration cards will not be d or cancelled only on the ground of not possessing an Aadhaar number. Ministry of Consumer Affairs has issued clear instructions to all States in this regard.
The Ministry also rejected media reports that ration cards of those who do not provide Aadhar number will be cancelled.
It has also issued instructions that food grains under National Food Security Act, NFSA will not be denied due to failure of biometric Aadhaar authentication of beneficiary because of poor biometrics, issues with network connectivity or linking or any other technical reasons.

Data protocol norms for ArogyaSetu app released

Data of nearly 13,000 AarogyaSetu App users who have tested positive for COVID-19 have so far been transferred to the server for health intervention, says Ajay Sawhney, Chairman, Empowered Group on Technology and Data Management.
On Monday, he issued an order notifying the AarogyaSetu Data Access and Knowledge Sharing Protocol, 2020, that lays down the guidelines for collection, processing, storage and sharing of “anonymised” data.
Stating that AarogyaSetu had contributed immensely to the fight against COVID-19, Mr.Sawhney said privacy protection was the primary consideration while developing the app. It stores an encrypted signature when the user comes in proximity with other registered devices. This interaction information is not pushed to the server unless the user tests positive.
Based on the data of fewer than 13,000 users who tested positive, alerts were sent to 1.4 lakh users, he said. Nearly 9.8 crore people had so far downloaded the contact-tracing app. The same service would soon be made available in feature phones.
The protocol states that the contact and location data will, by default, remain on the device on which the app is installed.

::ECONOMY::.

Reports suggest fiscal deficit to come down to 5.8%

After the government's move to raise its market borrowing programme for the current financial year by Rs 4.2 lakh crore, a foreign brokerage on Monday estimated the fiscal deficit to come at 5.8 per cent of the GDP in FY21 as against the budget target of 3.5 per cent.
In a report, analysts at Bank of America also revised down their GDP growth estimate to 0.5 per cent for the current fiscal year, as against the earlier estimate of 1.5 per cent adding that they fear that the lockdown my extend beyond May.
It can be noted that due to the heavy dip in growth - it was supposed to hit a decadal low of 5 per cent in FY20 as per official estimates - the government is forced to spend extra to help restrict the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.

Survey finds lockdown has brought in change in buying behaviour

The coronavirus lockdown has brought a sea change in the buying behaviour of many Indians, such as purchasing vegetables and other consumables without asking for prices, far from the old habit of asking 'dhaniya' or 'mirchi' free from vendors, according to a survey by Enormous Brands.
The study also found that COVID-19 has helped in forming an opinion for pushing the 'Make in India' agenda, with 42 per cent believing that "there is an active and deliberate attempt by China to spread COVID across the world for economic gains" which has led to a strong anti-China sentiment.
Commenting on the findings, Enormous Brands Managing Partner Ajay Verma said, "The young Indian population is behaving very differently from other parts of the globe. The study suggests a high level of optimism even in a situation that has brought the entire world in a lock-down and also showcased that households feel confident about the revival of the Indian economy."

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Saudi Arabia to raise VAT from 5-15% from July

In a significant decision , the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has decided to raise value added tax (VAT) from 5 percent to 15 percent starting from 1st July and has taken a decision to suspend cost of living allowance starting from 1st June, state news agency SPA reported on Monday.
The Kingdom has also decided to cancel, extend, or postpone some operational and capital expenditures for some government agencies, as well reduce provisions for initiative of a number of Vision Realization Programs and major projects for the fiscal year 2020.
SPA quoting the Minister of Finance and Acting Minister of Economy and Planning, Mohammad Aljadaan, said that the measures are being undertaken to protect the Saudi economy and overcome the unprecedented financial and economic ramifications of the global coronavirus pandemic in the best way possible.
The Minister said that these “measures that have been undertaken today, as tough as they are, are necessary and beneficial to maintain comprehensive financial and economic stability on the medium and long-term for the interest of the country and its citizens”.
The Minister added that the government is committed to taking necessary and timely measures to protect citizens and residents, as well as the economy to mitigate the effects of the crisis and its ramifications.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

National technology day being celebrated across the country

National Technology Day is being observed today to signify the glorious achievements of Indian science and technology. On this day in 1998, India successfully carried out nuclear tests in Rajasthan's Pokhran.
On the same day India also performed successful test firing of the Trishul Missile and had test flown the first indigenous aircraft - ‘Hansa - 3’. A high-level digital conference on Rebooting the Economy through Science, Technology and Research is being organized by Technology Development Board to mark the day.
In the COVID 19 crisis, technology has been at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic. As the world adjusts to its new normal, business leaders world over are rethinking and devising new strategies to harness technologies that will help drive resilience and make them emerge from the crisis stronger.
Keeping in mind the need of the hour to formulate a comprehensive action plan to reboot the economy, Technology Development Board is celebrating National Technology Day focusing on technological solutions towards that end. These technologies will include, medical technologies, advanced technologies and manufacturing that will prepare India for the post Covid-19 time.
The digital conference is bring together Scientists, Technocrats, Government officials, Diplomats, WHO officials and dignitaries from national and international Industry, Research Institutions and Academic Institutions on a single platform to share their insights on the role played by S & T in the global healthcare crisis and find solutions that not only address the current pandemic but will also help in facing the challenges ahead.

::SPORTS::

Sania Mirza wins Fed cup heart award

Tennis star SaniaMirza on Monday became the first Indian to win the Fed Cup Heart Award for her successful return to the court post-motherhood.
Sania won the award for Asia/Oceania zone after securing more than 10,000 votes out of the total 16,985 online votes cast for this year’s three regional Group I nominees.