Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 20 JUNE 2020
::NATIONAL::
PM emphasizes development of border area infrastructure for security
- The Prime Minister NarendraModi underscored that India wants peace and friendship, but upholding sovereignty is foremost. He highlighted that the government has given primacy to development of border area infrastructure to make our borders more secure.
- He said, the movement of those which used to take place without any disruption earlier is now checked by our soldiers, which at times leads to build up of tension.
- Emphasizing on the commitment of the government towards welfare of the nation and its citizens, Mr.Modi said, be it in trade, connectivity or counter-terrorism, the government has always stood up against outside pressure.
Tribal affairs ministry to create awareness against sickle cell disease
- Tribal Affairs Minister ArjunMunda has emphasized on the need to create more awareness about Sickle Cell disease in the county.
- Addressing a webinar ‘National Sickle Cell Conclave’ in New Delhi to mark the World Sickle Cell Day, Mr Munda said, government is committed to address and find a solution to deal with Sickle Cell disease in India.
- He said, in order to collect real time data and provide relevant information related to Sickle Cell, the government has launched a new portal which will act as catalyst in creating awareness.
- The Minister said, today, people in the rural areas are about COVID19 which happened due to increased awareness towards the disease. He said, the Ministry has also initiated Action Research project under which Yoga dependent lifestyle should be promoted to reduce the complications in the patient suffering from this disease.
::ECONOMY::
Finance ministry allows individual contributions to NDRF
- The Finance Ministry has given approval to a proposal to allow individuals and institutions to contribute directly to the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF). In an office memo issued on Friday, the Expenditure Department said it had no objection to the proposal made by the Union Home Secretary on May 4.
- This is a significant development at a time when many have expressed concerns about donations sent to the PM CARES Fund or the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, as both claim they are not public authorities subject to questions under the Right to Information Act.
- The NDRF was set up in accordance with Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It is meant to “meet the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation” for any disaster situation. Although Section 46 includes a clause for grants made by any person or institution, provisions for such donations had not been made.
- Centre decides to engage SIDBI as implementation agency of PM SVANidhi
- Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and Small Industries Development Bank of India, SIDBI today signed anMoU to engage SIDBI as the implementation agency for PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbharNidhi (PM SVANidhi).
- The Ministry had launched the PM SVANidhi on 1st of this month for providing affordable Working Capital loan to street vendors to resume their livelihoods that have been adversely affected due to Covid-19 lockdown.
- As per the MoU terms, SIDBI will implement the PM SVANidhi Scheme under the guidance of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It will also manage the credit guarantee to the lending institutions through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises.
- It will develop and maintain a customized and integrated IT Platform providing end-to-end solutions, including documentation of all the processes and workflows for an end-to-end solution, through a Portal and a Mobile App.
::INTERNATIONAL::
Russia launches efforts to ease India-China tensions
- Russia has launched an energetic behind-the-scenes effort to defuse military tensions between India and China, ahead of hosting a trilateral RIC video conference.
- Russia’s diplomatic activism began on June 17, when Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov discussed regional security, “including developments on the Line of Actual Control on the border between India and China in the Himalayas,” with Indian ambassador to Russia, D. BalaVenkateshVarma.
- The Russian foreign ministry did not give any further details about the conversation, but Russian diplomatic sources told The Hindu that Moscow has “high stakes” at a global level, in the early resolution of tensions between the two Himalayan neighbours.
- “The persistence of tensions between India and China will not only have a huge negative impact on the SCO but also on the rise of the emerging economies under the Brazil Russia India China South Africa (BRICS) grouping,” the source said.
India signs COVID active response and expenditure support programme with AIIB
- The Central Government and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) today signed a 750 million US dollar 'COVID-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Programme” to assist India to strengthen its response to the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on poor and vulnerable households.
- Ministry of Finance in a statement said that this is the first ever budgetary support programme from the AIIB to India. The agreement was signed by Additional Secretary in the Finance Ministry Sameer Kumar Khare and Director General (Acting), RajatMisra on behalf of the AIIB.
- The Programme will provide the Government with budget support to mitigate the severe adverse social and economic impact of COVID-19. The current loan will be the second to India from AIIB under its COVID-19 crisis recovery facility apart from the earlier approved 500 million dollar loan for the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Project.
- The Primary Programme beneficiaries would be families below the poverty line, farmers, healthcare workers, women, women’s self-help groups, widows, people with disabilities, senior citizens, low wage earners, construction workers and other vulnerable groups.
::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::
NASA scientists creates fifth states of matter in ISS
- The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists in the International Space Station unveiled the first results of Bose-Einstein condensate experiments under which the particles can be manipulated free from Earthly constraints.
- Bose-Einstein Condensates were predicted by Indian Mathematician SatyendraNath Bose and Albert Einstein almost a century ago.The BEC is a state of matter that is typically formed when a gas of bosons is cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero.
- There are four state of matter namely solid, liquid, gas and plasma. The fourth state of matter called the plasma was described by the chemist Irving Landmuir.
- The BEC is the fifth state of matter and was created by the scientists 25 years ago. When a group of atoms are cooled to absolute zero.
