Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 14 March 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 14 March 2021

::NATIONAL::

President Ram NathKovind inaugurates newly constructed buildings of SevaKunj Ashram at Chapki, Sonbhadra

It should be our endeavour that forest dwellers remain an integral part of the modern development process while keeping their cultural heritage and identity intact, said the President of India, Ram NathKovind.
He was addressing a gathering at Chapki, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh today on the occasion of inauguration of newly constructed buildings of SevaKunj Ashram.
Remembering BhagwanBirsaMunda on the occasion, the President said that BirsaMunda struggled relentlessly to protect the forest wealth and culture from the exploitation of the British. His life has been a source of inspiration and ideal not only for the tribal communities but for all citizens also.
The President said that he was happy to inaugurate newly constructed buildings of the 'SevaKunjSansthan'. He noted that the construction of school and hostel buildings was undertaken by NTPC. He appreciated NTPC for this social welfare work. He expressed confidence that the newly constructed buildings and other facilities will contribute in the all-round development of the students of this institution.
The President said that he held the belief that the soul of the country resided in rural and forest areas. If anyone wants to get acquainted with the roots of India, then one should spend some time at place like Sonbhadra.
He said that the overall development of the country cannot be imagined without the development of the rural/forest dwellers communities. In the true sense, the development of the country is incomplete without their development.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Our four nations committed to a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region: QUAD leaders

"Our four nations are committed to a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region," the QUAD leaders have written in a newspaper opinion piece.
In an article in The Washington Post, PM Modi, President Biden, PM Morrison and PM Suga have jointly addressed the importance of QUAD and the way ahead.
"In December 2004, the continental shelf off the coast of Indonesia shifted two meters, creating one of the largest tidal waves in modern history and a nearly unprecedented humanitarian crisis around the Indian Ocean. With millions displaced and hundreds of thousands killed, the Indo-Pacific region sounded a clarion call for help. Together, our four countries answered it.
Australia, India, Japan and the United States — a group of democratic nations dedicated to delivering results through practical cooperation — coordinated rapid humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to people in need. Our cooperation, known as “the Quad,” was born in crisis. It became a diplomatic dialogue in 2007 and was reborn in 2017," they said.
"Now, in this new age of interconnection and opportunity throughout the Indo-Pacific, we are again summoned to act together in support of a region in need," the four leaders added.
Referring to the pandemic,the leaders stated: "Against this backdrop, we are recommitting to a shared vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free, open, resilient and inclusive. We are striving to ensure that the Indo-Pacific is accessible and dynamic, governed by international law and bedrock principles such as freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes, and that all countries are able to make their own political choices, free from coercion. In recent years, that vision has increasingly been tested.

::ECONOMY::

IIP (Industrial Production Index) contracted 1.6% in January

Industrial production re-entered the negative territory by contracting 1.6 per cent in January, mainly on account of the decline in output of capital goods, manufacturing and mining sectors.
The output of the manufacturing sector — which constitutes 77.6 per cent of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) — shrank by 2 per cent in January, as against a growth of 1.8 per cent during the same month last fiscal, as per data released by the government.
The worst performance was witnessed by the capital goods sector, which recorded a contraction of 9.6 per cent during the month under review, compared to a 4.4 per cent decline a year ago.
A contraction of 3.7 per cent was registered in the mining sector in January, against a positive growth of 4.4 per cent in the year-ago period.
Meanwhile, the National Statistical Office (NSO), which releases the IIP data, has revised upwardly the IIP number for December 2020 from an earlier estimate of 1 per cent to 1.56 per cent.
The factory out was in negative territory in November 2020. It had posted positive growth during September and October 2020.
AditiNayar, Principal Economist, Icra, said the slippage of consumer goods back into a year-on-year de-growth in January 2021 is a key disappointment.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

Hong Kong scientist develops retinal scan technology to identify early childhood autism

A Hong Kong scientist has developed a method to use machine learning and artificial intelligence to scan retinas of children as young as six to detect early autism or the risk of autism and hopes to develop a commercial product this year.
Retinal eye scanning can help to improve early detection and treatment outcomes for children, said Benny Zee, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“The importance of starting early intervention is that they are still growing, they are still developing. So there is a bigger chance of success,” Zee said.
His method uses a high-resolution camera with new computer software which analyses a combination of factors including fibre layers and blood vessels in the eye.
The technology can be used to identify children at risk of autism and get them into treatment programmes sooner, said Zee.
Seventy children were tested using the technology, 46 with autism and a control group of 24. The technology was able to identify the children with autism 95.7 percent of the time. The average age tested was 13, with the youngest being six.
Zee’s findings have been published in EClinicalMedicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

::SPORTS::

Sports Ministry provides Rs 2.5 lakh financial assistance to Hyderabad-based deaf tennis player JafreenShaik

Union Sports Ministry has provided a financial assistance of Rs 2.5 Lakh to deaf tennis player JafreenShaik from the PanditDeendayalUpadhyaya National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons (PDUNWFS) to continue her training despite hurdles in the quest to win a gold at the Summer Deflympics scheduled in Brazil later this year or next year.
Jafreen, 23, was the recipient of a bronze medal at the 2017 Summer Deaflympics in the mixed doubles event, where she partnered PrithviShekhar. That was India’s very first medal at the Deaflympics in tennis. She had also represented India at the 2013 Deaflympics.