Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 December 2018

::NATIONAL::

Home ministry claims internal security has improved over the last 4 years

Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh has said the Internal Security scenario has vastly improved during the last four years. Addressing a Vijay Diwas function here today, he said the Left Wing Extremism affected districts have shrunk from 90 to just about 12 while there has been an 80% improvement in insurgency in the North-East. ShriRajnath Singh also said the BSF has been given full freedom to retaliate effectively to ceasefire violations from Pakistan.
The Union Home Minister said the Veteran Ex-Servicemen can play a key role in inculcating a sense of national pride among our youth. Recalling the heroics of Brigadier Mohammad Usman, MahaVir Chakra awardee, and Major Somnath Sharma, India's first ParamVir Chakra, ShriRajnath Singh lamented that the youth today has his idols in cricketers and film stars, but ask him to name ParamVir Chakra recipients, he will fail to recount even one.
The Union Home Minister said marytrs like Chandrashekhar Azad and Bhagat Singh were all driven by passionate patriotism. Society has to stand up with the Veterans today and an Action Plan needs to be framed to preserve individual honour and nation's integrity among the citizens, he added.
ShriRajnath Singh said our Armed Forces proved in 1971 they have the capability to rewrite history and redraw maps. Indian Army has since emerged as a professional model before the world, he added.
On the occasion, the Union Home Minister honoured families of martyrs and released the first quarterly newsletter of Veterans India association. ShriRajnath Singh also declared to contribute his one month's salary to the organisation's corpus fund for martyrs’ welfare.

::ECONOMY::

Survey claims MSME witnessed huge job loss

The TMSME segment (Traders, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) has seen job losses of 35 lakh in the last four-and-half years, according to a survey by the All India Manufacturers’ Organisation (AIMO).
Job loss of 43% was reported in the trader segment, 32% in the micro segment, 35% in small segment and 24% in medium segment, as per the survey.The survey, conducted by AIMO, covered over 34,000 TMSME representatives across India between October 1 and 30, 2018.
The worst-hit were sectors dominated by unorganisedlabour. These include plastic, matches, crackers, dyeing units, stitching units, stone units, tanneries, job work units and printing companies.
AIMO has provided a list of suggestions to be implemented to create job opportunities based on the results of the survey. According to the survey, the number of companies making profits now is lower than the the number that made profits in 2014-15.
The survey said sectors that need immediate revival and assistance are housing, textiles, automobiles, power, match industries, stone, plastic, tannery and consumer products.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change positive : Centre

The 24th Session of the of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 24) was held in Katowice, Poland on 02nd– 15th December 2018.
The conference was a significant one which focused on three key issues including finalization of guidelines/ modalities/ rules for the implementation of Paris Agreement, the conclusion of 2018 Facilitative Talanoa Dialogue and the stocktake of Pre-2020 actions implementation and ambition.
India demonstrated the spirit of commitment and leadership during the COP-24 by reiterating its promise to implement the Paris Agreement in its spirit and to act collectively to address climate change.
The guidance on Nationally Determined Contributions preserves the nationally determined nature of NDCs and provides for Parties to submit different types of contributions including adaptation.
The overall guidance reflects the principles of the Paris Agreement and recognizes the leadership that developed countries have to display for achieving the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Click Here for Study Material for SSC CGL Exam

SSC CGL (Tier-1) Exam Crash Course

::INTERNATIONAL::

Srilankan political crisis ends

India on Sunday welcomed the end of political uncertainty in Sri Lanka with the return of RanilWickremesinghe as Prime Minister.
A statement by the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the latest developments indicated the resilience of Sri Lankan democracy.
“This is a reflection of the maturity demonstrated by all political forces, and also of the resilience of Sri Lankan democracy and its institutions,” said the MEA spokesperson, welcoming the end of the political uncertainty.
Earlier, Mr. Wickremesinghe said his return was a collective victory. “Today marks victory not for myself or for the UNP. It is a victory for Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions and the sovereignty of our citizens. I thank everyone who stood firm in defending the Constitution and ensuring the triumph of democracy,” he said in a social media post on taking charge.

Nigeria lifts ban on UNICEF operations in north east

The Nigerian military has lifted a ban on UNICEF operations in the ravaged northeast.
Earlier it had suspended the aid agency and accusing it of training spies supporting Boko Haram jihadists.
After a meeting between the military and the United Nations children's agency late Friday, army spokesman OnyemaNwachukwu said the ban was revoked following an intervention by well-meaning and concerned Nigerians.
Boko Haram's insurgency has killed more than 27,000 people since in 2009 in the country.The Nigerian army has accused UNICEF of 'aiding Boko Haram'.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Artificalisland built to bring back wildlife

Dutch ranger Andre Donker sighs as he looks out at the rippling grey waters of the Markermeer, one of Europe’s largest freshwater lakes. “Once upon a time it was teeming with fish here,” he said.
But this vast 700-square-km expanse of water, which regulates the level of water in the rest of the Netherlands, had become until recently nothing more than a cloudy mass devoid of aquatic life.
Vital in a country where 26% of the land is below sea level, the scheme created an inland lake and polders, land reclaimed from the sea, but at a cost to the environment.
Over the subsequent decades, sediment used to create a dyke separating the Markermeer from a neighbouring body of water, the Ijsselmeer, washed away and sunk to the bottom of the lake
Now the hope is that a new artificial archipelago of five islands will bring nature back to the area via a typically ambitious engineering project for a low-lying country that has battled the sea for centuries.
True to their reputation as masters of water management, the Dutch used an innovative technique, forming the islets with silt, a sedimentary formation halfway between clay and sand.
Greylag goose, common tern, several species of waders such as the great egret and the night heron have also returned, testifying to the islands’ success.

::SPORTS::

PV Sindhu wins world tour title

Ace Indian shuttler P V Sindhu lifted the prestigious season-ending World Tour Finals trophy at Guangzhou, China, today. The Olympic silver medallist defeated Japan's NozomiOkuhara 21-19, 21-17 in the summit clash.
Sindhu accomplished the feat after losing seven successive summit clashes. She had also won silvers at the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and World Championships this year.