Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 16 FEBRUARY 2020

::NATIONAL::

India asserts Kashmir issue will be settled on its own

In a firm repartee, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday told a senior U.S. senator that India would “settle” the Kashmir issue on its own.
Referring to the Kashmir issue during a panel discussion at the Munich Security Conference, Senator Lindsey Graham said the best way to sell democracy would be to settle the Kashmir issue in a democratic way.
“In India, you are moving forward, you got your problems like we do at home, but you’ve chosen the democratic path. When it comes to Kashmir, I don’t know how it ends, but let’s make sure that two democracies will end it differently. If you can prove that concept here, then I think that’s probably the best way to sell democracy,” the Republican leader said.
To this, Mr.Jaishankar promptly responded, “Do not worry, Senator. One democracy will settle it and you know which one.”During the discussion Mr.Jaishankar also said that the UN was far less credible than it had been in history and “something” should be done about it.
“The United Nations is far less credible than it has been in history, which is not entirely surprising because when you think about it, there are not too many things which are 75 years old and still as good as they were. Clearly there is something that needs to be done there,” he said.
Earlier, meeting U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the sidelines of the conference, he said her “consistent support” to India-U.S. ties had always been a great source of strength.

PM urges scientists to focus on real time issues

Prime Minister NarendraModi has urged scientists to focus on real-time social issues being faced by the country such as malnutrition by providing value addition in agricultural products.
Chairing a meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Society in New Delhi, Mr.Modi emphasized on the importance of developing virtual labs so that science can further be taken to all students in each and every corner of the country.
The Prime Minister spoke on the need to attract young students toward science and further strengthen scientific acumen in the next generation. He also suggested measures to enhance collaboration in research and development projects among Indians working in different parts of the world.
Prime Minister Modi listed 5G wireless technology, artificial intelligence and affordable and long-lasting batteries for renewable energy storage as some of the emerging challenges which the scientists need to focus on.
He highlighted the need to combine traditional knowledge with modern science to develop world-class products. The Prime Minister also spoke about the importance of commercialisation of innovations.
Mr.Modi exhorted the scientific community at CSIR to work towards improving the quality of life of the common man.

::ECONOMY::

RBI governor claims credit growth gaining momentum

Amid concerns over the economic slowdown, RBI chief Shaktikanta Das on Saturday said credit growth momentum is picking up and ruled out any possible spike in inflation due to Budget proposals as the government is maintaining ‘fiscal prudence’.
After the first meeting of the RBI Board post the 2020-21 Budget presentation, Mr. Das also expressed hope that transmission of rate cuts would improve further.
Facing revenue shortage, the government raised the fiscal deficit target to 3.8% of the GDP for 2019-20 in the Budget, from the 3.3% pegged earlier. The government has utilised ‘escape clause’ under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, which allows the Centre to breach its fiscal deficit target by 0.5 percentage points in times of severe stress in the economy.
Speaking on the inflationary impact of the Budget proposals, Mr. Das said, “The good part of the government borrowing is also budgeted to come from small savings. Therefore, I don’t see much of an inflationary impact.”

IBBI data shows high liquidation in NCLT cases

More than half of the cases admitted to the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) are been liquidated as recovery through resolution continues to elude creditors, latest data released by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) showed.
A total of 3,312 cases were admitted in the insolvency courts till the end of the third quarter of the financial year, of which 561 were during the Oct-Dec period. This was the second highest number of cases admitted in a quarter after the July-September period of the current financial year when 565 cases were admitted.
Out of a total of 1,351 closed cases, 780 or 58% were closed through liquidation and only 190 cases or 14% were resolved with an average haircut of 57% on admitted claims.
The number of cases admitted in the NCLT has been increasing, with 561 cases admitted during the October-December period. Out of the total number of cases admitted, 50% were filed by financial creditors.
Of the 182 cases which were closed in the third quarter, 30 cases were resolved while 134 cases faced liquidation.

Click Here for Study Material for SSC CGL Exam

SSC CGL (Tier-1) Exam Crash Course

::INTERNATIONAL::

Portugal sets priority for joint expertise with India

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has said that his country's priority is to have joint expertise in various areas of the economy.
In his keynote address at the India-Portugal Business Forum in Mumbai, de Mr Sousa said that India is an economic and social global power and the largest democracy in the world.
Stating that both India and Portugal know each other for a long time, Mr de Sousa said that both Portugal and India are not just the European or Asian countries or cultures but they are universal. The President said the two countries work with the world, for the world be it for the peace, freedom, sustainable development or climate change.
The forum, organised by industry bodies, CII, ASSOCHAM and FICCI, was also attended by Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, Secretary of State of Internationalisation of Portuguese Republic EuricoBrilhante Dias, and Commerce and Industry Minister PiyushGoyal, besides industry leaders from the two countries.
Addressing the forum, Mr.Goyal said that both India and Portugal are focused on economic growth, investment, industry and innovation. Mr.Goyal said that during his meeting with the Portuguese business delegation, he discussed various sectors such as real estate and infrastructure development.

Srilanka objects to U.S blacklisting of its army chief

Sri Lanka has taken “strong objection” to the U.S. blacklisting its Army chief over allegations of “gross human rights violations” that the State Department on Friday called “serious and credible”.
In addition to a statement from the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a tweet: “I am designating Shavendra Silva making him ineligible for entry into the U.S. due to his involvement in extrajudicial killings during #SriLanka’s Civil War. The U.S. will not waver in its pursuit of accountability for those who commit war crimes and violate #humanrights.”
Responding swiftly to the development, the Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Relations said: “The Government of Sri Lanka takes strong objection to the imposition of travel restrictions on Lt. Gen. Silva and his immediate family members by the Government of the United States, based on independently unverified information.”

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Researchers decode multiplying nature of malarial parasite

With over 4,00,000 deaths in 2018, according to the WHO, malaria still remains one of the biggest killer infections globally, concentrated mainly in Africa and India. The disease is caused by the parasite Plasmodium and transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito.
To understand in detail how this parasite multiplies within a mosquito, an international team of researchers spent years studying different proteins in the parasite. Their study published in Cell Reports has found two important proteins essential for proliferation. These finding can help develop new drugs and thus pave way for malaria eradication.
The team found that two large protein complexes (condensins) called SMC2 and SMC4 played essential roles in the parasite proliferation.
The team showed that when genes behind these proteins were deleted, the number of oocysts in the mosquito gut significantly reduced and were smaller in size compared to the normal ones.
The malaria parasite has different models of multiplication in different stages of its life cycle, and it is essential to track down all the important proteins behind it for developing a new effective drug. “We are now studying the novel modes of parasite cell division and the crucial regulatory molecules which are involved in the success of the parasite cell division,” adds Prof. Tewari.

::SPORTS::

India clinches 3 medals at world snow shoe championships

Indian athletes finished with three medals in different categories in the World SnowShoe Championship at Myoko, Japan today.
According to a tournament official, Ayan Bin Shahnaz bagged silver, while Zain Ali and MuzamilHussain Mir, all are from Kashmir, bagged bronze medals in their respective categories.
Athletes from 17 countries including the USA, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden and France participated in the championship.