Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 25 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

PRAKASH Javdekar, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change used Sanskrit for the first time in United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Debate on climate change. Starting his UNSC debate on climate change, Javdekar addressed other dignitaries with the Sanskrit hymn from ShuklaYajurveda.
“Om Dyouhshantih, antarikshamshantih, prithvishantih, aapahshantih, oshadhayahshantih, vanaspatayahshantih, vishvedevaahshantih, brahma shantih, sarvamshantih, shantirevashantih, saamaashantiredhi.
Om shantih, shantih, shantih.” It translates to Om - May peace prevail in heaven. May peace prevail in interstellar space. May peace reign on the Earth.
May the waters be peaceful. May peace be on all the plants and herbs. May peace reign on all the trees and environment. May peace rest with all the divine beings. May the Supreme Being and the scripture be the Abode of Supreme Peace. May peace reign everywhere and in every being. May there be peace and more peace everywhere at all times. May that supreme peace comes to me too (by the grace of the Supreme).
Om peace, peace, peace. Javdekar said that there is no common, widely accepted methodology for assessing the connection between climate change, conflict and fragility. “Fragility and climate impact are highly context-specific. In addition, both peace and conflict assessments, as well as vulnerability assessments, face significant challenges when it comes to data availability and impact measurement,” he said.

India’s Anjali Bhardwaj was among 12 anti-corruption activists from around the world named by US secretary of state Antony Blinken as the first recipients of the new International Anticorruption Champions Award.
Bhardwaj is primarily known as a Right to Information (RTI) activist and is associated with the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information. Along with Annie Raja and SipaSinha, she leads the Delhi Rozi Roti AdhikarAbhiyan, a city-based collective that works on food rights.
In a statement announcing the recipients of the award, Blinken said that around the world corruption threatens security and stability, hinders economic growth, undermines democracy and human rights, destroys trust in public institutions, facilitates transnational crime, and siphons away public and private resources.
“The Biden administration recognises that we will only be successful in combating these issues by working in concert with committed partners, including courageous individuals who champion anti corruption efforts and countries working to fulfil their commitments to international anti corruption standards,” he said.

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, ShriNarendraModi has approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for IT Hardware. The scheme proposes production linked incentive to boost domestic manufacturing and attract large investments in the value chain of IT Hardware. The Target Segments under the proposed Scheme include Laptops, Tablets, All-in-One PCs andServers.
The Scheme shall, extend an incentive of 4% to 2% / 1% on net incremental sales (over base year i.e. 2019-20) of goods manufactured in India and covered under the target segment, to eligible companies, for a period of four (4) years.
The scheme is likely to benefit5 major global players and 10 domestic champions in the field of IT Hardware manufacturing including Laptops, Tablets, All-in-One PCs, and Servers. This is an important segment to promote manufacturing under AtmaNirbhar Bharat as there is huge import reliance for these items at present.

Financial Implications:

The total cost of the proposed scheme is approximately Rs.7,350crore over 4 years, which includes an incentive outlay of Rs.7,325 crore and administrative charges of Rs.25 crore.

Benefits:

The scheme will enhance the development of electronics ecosystem in the country. India will be well positioned as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) on account of integration with global value chains, thereby becoming a destination for IT Hardware exports.
The scheme has an employment generation potential of over 1,80,000 (direct and indirect) over 4 years.
The Scheme will provide impetus to Domestic Value Addition for IT Hardware which is expected to rise to 20% - 25% by 2025.

Background:

The vision of National Policy on Electronics 2019 notified on 25.02.2019 is to position India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) by encouraging and driving capabilities in the country for developing core components, including chipsets, and creating an enabling environment for the industry to compete globally.
Currently, the laptop and tablet demand in India is largely met through imports valued at USD 4.21 billion and USD 0.41 billion respectively in 2019-20. The market for IT Hardware is dominated by 6-7 companies globally which account for about 70% of the world's market share. These companies are able to exploit large economies of scale to compete in global markets. It is imperative that these companies expand their operations in India and make it a major destination for manufacturing of IT Hardware.

The panorama shows the rim of the Jezero Crater where the rover touched down last week and the cliff face of an ancient river delta in the distance.
It was taken by rotating the rover's mast 360 degrees. The mast is equipped with dual, zoomable cameras which can take high-definition video and images.
The panorama is composed of 142 individual images stitched together on Earth, NASA said.
"We're nestled right in a sweet spot, where you can see different features similar in many ways to features found by Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity at their landing sites," said Jim Bell of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration.
Spirit, Opportunity and Curiosity were previous missions to Mars.
NASA said the rover's cameras will help scientists assess the geologic history and atmospheric conditions of Jezero Crater and identify rocks and sediment worthy of a closer examination and collection for eventual return to Earth.

Amid a controversy over a cricket stadium in Gujarat being renamed after Prime Minister NarendraModi, the government on Wednesday said the name change involves only the Motera stadium and the entire sports complex continues to be named after Sardar Patel.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who was present alongside Javadekar at the media briefing after a cabinet meeting, also took a swipe at the Congress leaders, asking whether party chief Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi have so far praised the world’s tallest statue of Sardar Patel erected at Kevadiya in Gujarat.