Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 23 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 23 February 2021

::NATIONAL::

PM inaugurates many projects in West Bengal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will build a Bengal where religion and ability will be respected, and where everyone can experience development.
"BJP will work for a Sonar Bangla that will strengthen the history and culture of Bengal. We will build a Bengal where religion and ability will be respected. We will build a Bengal where everyone is developed," PM Modi said in his address.
Accusing chief minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government of siphoning funds provided for cyclone relief, PM Modi said, "The Central government has provided 1,700 crore for relief work after Amphan to the TMC government in Bengal. The state government has only spent 609 crore. The leftover 1,100 crore has been siphoned off by TMC."
PM Modi is in Bengal where he will inaugurate the extension of Metro Railway from Noapara to Dakshineswar, and flag off the first service on this stretch. This 4.1 km extension has been constructed at a cost of 464 crore, fully funded by the central government. It will decongest road traffic and improve urban mobility.

::INTERNATIONAL::

G7 'firmly condemn' Myanmar military attacks on protesters

G7 countries said they "firmly condemn" violence committed by Myanmar's security forces against protesters and urged them to "exercise utmost restraint and respect human rights and international law".
The bloc of wealthy nations -- comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States as well as the European Union's High Representative -- reiterated their opposition to the February 1 coup and the increasingly heavy-handed response to demonstrations against it.
"Use of live ammunition against unarmed people is unacceptable. Anyone responding to peaceful protests with violence must be held to account," G7 foreign ministers said in a statement.
"We condemn the intimidation and oppression of those opposing the coup. We raise our concern at the crackdown on freedom of expression, including through the internet blackout and draconian changes to the law that repress free speech."
Myanmar's military leaders are facing renewed pressure at home and abroad after gradually ratcheting up their use of force against a massive and largely peaceful civil disobedience campaign against their coup.
As the US, EU and UK tighten sanctions, demonstrations against the junta's rule have continued to grow -- alongside a violent response in return.

::ECONOMY::

Bharti Airtel ties up with Qualcomm for 5G services in India

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel and US chipmaker Qualcomm announced collaboration for accelerating 5G in India.
Airtel recently became India's first telco to demonstrate 5G over a live commercial network in Hyderabad city, underlining the company's technology capabilities.
"Through Airtel's network vendors and device partners, Airtel will utilize the Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms to roll-out virtualized and Open RAN-based 5G networks. Airtel, as a board member of the O-RAN Alliance, is committed to driving the success of O-RAN and is working with Qualcomm Technologies to explore and implement the O-RAN approach for India," according to a company statement.
The flexible and scalable architecture of O-RAN will enable new opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to become viable players in the deployment of 5G networks, it added.
Airtel 5G solutions including FWA services are expected to deliver multi-gigabit internet speeds wirelessly to customers and open up a slew of innovations.
For users, the ultra-fast and low latency of 5G will usher a digital world of `limitless possibilities' such as gigabit size file downloads in seconds and 4K video streaming on-the-go across smartphones and computing devices, immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality and Smart Homes.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

DRDO launches 2 successful VL-SRSAM developed for Indian Navy

India conducted maiden flight test of Vertically Launched Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM) from a defence facility off Odisha coast.
Defence sources said two rounds of the indigenously developed missile were tested from a static vertical launcher positioned at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 1.30 pm and 4.45 pm. The missiles were fired against simulated targets.
"The missile was test fired for demonstration of its vertical launch capability as part of maiden trial. The two weapon systems intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy on both occasions. The missiles were tested for minimum and maximum range," the sources said.
The flight path and vehicle performance parameters were monitored using flight data, captured by various Range instruments such as radar, electro-optical telemetry system deployed by ITR.
Designed and developed by DRDO for Indian Navy, the VL-SRSAM is capable of neutralising various aerial threats at close ranges including sea skimming targets.
The VL-SRSAM with weapon control system (WCS) was deployed during the trials.
DRDO Chairman Dr G Satheesh Reddy said the trials have proved the effectiveness of the weapon system. "A few more trials will be conducted before deployment on Indian Naval ships. Once deployed, the VL-SRSAM system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Navy," he said.
The next generation all-weather air defence missile system can provide point and area defence against various aerial targets like jets, fighter aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles. The canister-based state of art weapon system can identify, track, engage and destroy the target with high kill probability. It has a strike range of about 40 km.

::SPORTS::

In race against time to qualify for the Olympics

In a couple of days G Sathiyan, along with the Indian table tennis team, will be on board a flight to Doha for the much-awaited Olympic qualifiers. Both World and Asian qualifiers are scheduled one after the other, from March 14, with the players confined to a bio-bubble for six-weeks, including for two Pro tour events preceding the qualifiers.
Sathiyan will not rest easy till he has played the qualifiers—not just because the tournament will be his last chance to book a place for Tokyo, but also because of a fear that the event itself may be cancelled.
In the last week, there’s been a spate of cancellations and postponements of Olympic qualification events across various disciplines. Indian boxers, for example, will not have another opportunity to qualify for Tokyo with the world qualifiers in Paris now cancelled.