Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 December 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 17 December 2021

::NATIONAL::

Cabinet approves Treaty between India and Poland concerning Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi has approved the Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters between the Government of the Republic of India and the Republic of Poland with a view to enhance capability and effectiveness of both countries in investigation and prosecution of crimes, including crimes related to terrorism through mutual legal assistance.
The Treaty aims to enhance effectiveness of both the countries in investigation and prosecution of crime, through cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. In the context of transnational crime and its linkages to terrorism, the proposed Treaty will provide a broad legal framework for bilateral cooperation with Poland in investigation and prosecution of crime as well as in tracing, restrain and confiscation of proceeds and instruments of crime as well as the funds meant to finance terrorist acts.
After signing and ratification of the Treaty, suitable Gazette Notifications will be issued under the relevant provisions of Cr.P.C. 1973 to give effect to the provisions of the Treaty in India. The Gazette notification is accessible to general public outside the Government domain and it will provide increased awareness and transparency on mutual cooperation between India and Poland in the field of mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.
It will increase effectiveness of India in tackling criminal activities involving Poland. Once in operation, the Treaty will be instrumental in gaining better inputs and insights in the modus operandi of organized criminals and terrorists. These in turn can be used to fine tune policy decisions in the field of internal security.

::INTERNATIONAL::

India, Taiwan start talks on free trade agreement

India and Taiwan have begun talks on a free trade pact and creating a semiconductor manufacturing hub in the country as part of efforts to meet the burgeoning demand for the chips needed for products ranging from cellphones to cars.
The two sides set up four groups earlier this year that are focusing on creating a semiconductor manufacturing hub, education and training of highly specialised manpower needed for the industry, a bilateral investment agreement and a free trade agreement, two people familiar with the matter said.
The contacts on these issues gathered momentum around the middle of this year and the group on semiconductors met twice virtually, in August and September, while there was one round of talks on the proposed trade pact, the people cited above said.
Both sides are eyeing the possibility of one of Taiwan’s semiconductor giants, a list that includes Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), setting up a facility in India. The Indian side has proposed several sites for the facility though the two sides are yet to come to a final decision, the people said.
“It is a very complicated process because a company like TSMC uses components from hundreds of other firms. Setting up a hub in India means convincing those firms to also set up a facility in India to ensure the supply of components,” one of the people cited above said.
For Taiwan, such investments are linked to strategic gains at a time when China has increased its pressure on the island, stepping up incursions into its air defence zone and taking tensions in the Taiwan Strait to a new high amid threatening talk of an invasion. The Taiwanese decision to create the semiconductor manufacturing hub in the US was seen as closely linked to military support extended by Washington to Taipei.

::ECONOMY::

Persist with thrust on infra, India Inc tells FM Sitharaman

Ahead of the Union Budget 2022-23, industry bodies advised Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman and top Budget makers that the government continue its thrust on public investment in infrastructure (infra) and capital expenditure (capex) to enable sustained economic recovery.
Sitharaman and her officials, including Finance Secretary T V Somanathan, Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj, and Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, held pre-Budget consultations with industry bodies, such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), among others, on Thursday.
On Friday, Sitharaman and the finance ministry officials will meet representatives of the services and trade sectors, and experts from infra and climate change verticals. Additionally, Business Standard has learnt that Sitharaman will hold pre-Budget consultations with prominent economists on December 22.
At Thursday’s meeting, industry bodies suggested that the Budget continue its thrust on growth, reforms, and ensure tax and policy stability.
Agarwal told Sitharaman that in the 2019-20 Budget, the government had introduced the SabkaVishwas (Legacy Dispute Resolution) Scheme to facilitate quick closure of pending disputes under the central indirect tax laws. This scheme received good response.
“A similar scheme could be introduced for Customs to provide an opportunity to taxpayers to clear past baggage and reduce litigation. This will help the industry in considerably reducing the baggage of litigation and the government in unlocking tax dues,” he said.
The industry bodies suggested that the Centre and state governments’ capex allocation should focus on projects which are more than 80 per cent complete or near-completion, so as to benefit from multiplier effects of such projects more quickly.
The industry bodies also spoke about continued preparedness to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. “With the risk of the Omicron variant looming large, it is critical to explore booster doses of the Covid vaccines with adequate provisioning in the Budget for continued strengthening of our surveillance, testing, vaccine research, therapeutics, and health care infrastructure,” said Narendran.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

First Time In History: NASA's 'Parker Solar Probe' enters Sun's corona

For the first time in history, a spacecraft has touched the Sun. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has now flown through the Sun’s upper atmosphere – the corona – and sampled particles and magnetic fields there.
The new milestone marks one major step for Parker Solar Probe and one giant leap for solar science. Just as landing on the Moon allowed scientists to understand how it was formed, touching the very stuff the Sun is made of will help scientists uncover critical information about our closest star and its influence on the solar system.
"Parker Solar Probe “touching the Sun” is a monumental moment for solar science and a truly remarkable feat," said Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Not only does this milestone provide us with deeper insights into our Sun's evolution and its impacts on our solar system, but everything we learn about our own star also teaches us more about stars in the rest of the universe.”
As it circles closer to the solar surface, Parker is making new discoveries that other spacecraft were too far away to see, including from within the solar wind – the flow of particles from the Sun that can influence us at Earth. In 2019, Parker discovered that magnetic zig-zag structures in the solar wind, called switchbacks, are plentiful close to the Sun. But how and where they form remained a mystery. Halving the distance to the Sun since then, Parker Solar Probe has now passed close enough to identify one place where they originate: the solar surface.
The first passage through the corona – and the promise of more flybys to come – will continue to provide data on phenomena that are impossible to study from afar.

::SPORTS::

India includes 148 athletes in TOPS athletes list for 2024 Olympics

A total of 148 athletes, including 20 new inductees, in seven Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic disciplines have been identified for support under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in New Delhi on Monday (13 December), said an official release.
The MOC approved lists in Cycling, Sailing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling as well as Para Sports (Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis).