Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 14 MARCH 2020

::NATIONAL::

Government notifies new POCSO rules with stringent punishments

The Centre has notified the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Rules, 2020 which enables implementation of recent amendments to the Act under which provisions of punishment for child abuse has been made more stringent.
Some of the significant additions in the new rules include provision of mandatory police verification of staff in schools and care homes, procedures to report sexual abuse material (pornography), imparting age-appropriate child rights education among others.
For crackdown on child pornography, the rules state that any person who has received any pornographic material involving a child or any information regarding such pornographic material being stored, possessed, distributed, circulated, transmitted, facilitated, propagated or displayed, or is likely to be distributed, facilitated or transmitted in any manner shall report the contents to the Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU) or police, or the cybercrime portal.
The rules said, the report shall include the details of the device in which such pornographic content was noticed and the suspected device from which such content was received including the platform on which the content was displayed.

Government notifies masks and sanitisers as essential commodities

Masks and hand sanitisers have been declared as essential commodities due to their shortage in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
On Friday, the Centre notified an order under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to declare 2 ply and 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks and hand sanitisers as essential commodities till June 30, 2020. It has also issued an advisory under the Legal Metrology Act, so that States can ensure these items are not sold for more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP).
It has been noted that these products are “either not available with most of the vendors in the market or are available with great difficulty at exorbitant prices,” said a statement from the Consumer Affairs Department.
The decision would empower the States and the Central government to regulate production, quality, distribution and sale of these items, and carry out operations against those involved in speculation, overpricing and black marketing.

::ECONOMY::

Rupee rebounds post RBI intervention

The rupee made a sharp recovery after touching a record low of 74.50 a dollar in early trade following intervention and assurance of liquidity by the Reserve Bank of India.
The rupee opened weak at 74.39 a dollar compared with the previous close of 74.24 and then touched the day’s low of 74.50. The previous record low was on October 9, 2018 when the rupee closed the day at 74.39 a dollar.
On Friday, the rupee closed the day at 73.80 a dollar, up 44 paisa from its previous close.
The turbulence in the financial market steered the central bank into making a statement, saying it would take steps to ensure adequate liquidity and that the situation was being monitored closely.
Markets around the globe are facing volatility due to risk aversion; investors are holding liquidity even as COVID-19 keeps spreading. Trading was halted in the domestic equities market after hitting their lower circuits on Friday.
“The Reserve Bank of India is closely and continuously monitoring the rapidly evolving global situation and will take all necessary measures to ensure that money, debt and forex markets remain adequately liquid and stable, and continue to function normally,” the RBI said.
On Thursday, the RBI announced that it would open a six-month dollar sell-buy swap window to pump in liquidity in the foreign exchange market. The central bank will conduct U.S. dollar-rupee sell-buy swaps worth $2 billion on March 16, to ‘begin with,’ in its effort to fight market volatility.

Centre approves reconstruction scheme for YES bank

The Union Cabinet has approved a reconstruction scheme for Yes Bank as proposed by the Reserve Bank of India. Giving details about the scheme after the Cabinet meeting, Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman said that State Bank of India will invest 49 percent equity in Yes Bank with other investors also being invited.
She said the scheme has been approved with the objective of protecting the interest of depositors and providing stability to Yes Bank as well as to the entire financial system.
She said, the moratorium on withdrawals from Yes bank will be lifted within 3 days of notification of the reconstruction scheme, while its board will be in place in seven days. On the 5th of this month, the RBI imposed the moratorium, restricting withdrawals to 50 thousand rupees per depositor till the 3rd of April.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

SAARC leaders agree upon joint strategy to combat COVID-19

Leaders of SAARC nations today endorsed Prime Minister NarendraModi's proposal to chalk out a joint strategy to combat the coronavirus outbreak, promising their complete support towards the collective effort against the pandemic.
Prime Minister of Bhutan LotayTshering said it is what we call leadership. He said, he has no doubt that under Prime Minister NarendraModi's leadership the region will see the immediate and impactful outcomes. He said, as members of this region, nations must come together in such times.
MrTshering said, smaller economies are hit harder, so SAARC nations must coordinate. Replying to MrModi in a tweet, he said, with MrModi's leadership, he has no doubt the nations will see the immediate and impactful outcomes. He said, he is looking forward to the video conference.
Sri Lankan President GotabayaRajapaksa said that his country is ready to join the discussion and share its learnings and best practices to combat the outbreak. He called upon leaders to unite in solidarity during these trying times and keep our citizens safe.

WHO claims Europe as epicenter of Pandemic

The World Health Organization said on Friday that Europe was now the “epicentre” for the global coronavirus pandemic — and warned it was impossible to know when the outbreak would peak.
The continent had now “more reported cases and deaths than the rest of the world combined, apart from China”, said WHO chief TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus. “Europe has now become the epicentre of the pandemic.”Mr. Tedros was speaking at news conference held virtually.
“More cases are now being reported every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic,” he said, referring to the global numbers.The death toll passing 5,000 was “a tragic milestone”, said Mr. Tedros.
Maria Van Kerkhove, who heads the WHO’s emerging diseases unit, meanwhile warned it was “impossible for us to say when this will peak globally”.
“You can’t fight a virus if you don’t know where it is,” said Mr. Tedros, calling on countries to “find, isolate, test and treat every case, to break the chains of transmission.”

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Scientists develop new solar receiver tube technology

Scientists from ARCI-International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials operating under DST (Department of Science and Technology),Ministry of Science & Technology have developed cost effective solar receiver tube technology.
The tubes developed absorbs solar energy and converts the heat to required application. They provide high resistance to corrosion especially to Indian weather conditions.
The Technology is a wet chemical process that is used to coat stainless steel tubes that are used in industrial heat applications.
The tubes manufactured by this technology absorbs 93% of radiant energy and 14% of emittance. Emittance is the amount of light emitted by an area of a radiating surface.
The invention of the technology is highly important as the Indian Industries are currently importing high end Concentrating Solar Panel receivers for CST (concentrating solar Technologies). The technology will help India achieve its solar energy target of 100 GW by 2022.