Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 26 MAY 2020

::NATIONAL::

The Supreme Court, which has been experimenting with tech solutions and artificial intelligence tools to streamline the working of courts, has developed a software called SCI-Interact to make all its 17 benches paperless.
This software comprises five components — scanned copies of pending cases, e-filing of fresh cases, IT hardware, MPLS network with dual redundancy, and security audit. “This would minimise human touch, speed up disposal of cases and help in quick decision-making. Once the security testing is done (already underway), the project will be implemented,” SS Rathi, member, e-committee, and convener, artificial intelligence committee of the court, told
Meanwhile, the AI committee is also working on a second project called SUPACE (Supreme Court Portal for Assistance in Court Efficiency), aimed at data mining, tracking progress of cases, legal research and other uses to ensure timely delivery of justice by judges.

With the resumption of air and train services, the process of holding regular meetings of various parliamentary committees has begun.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and LokSabha Speaker Om Birla held discussions with the parliament secretariat on the issue, following which 15 rooms in Parliament House and annexe building were identified for holding these meetings.
The issue had stirred a controversy as the parliamentary panel meetings are held in-camera and the issues discussed are not made public. Holding such meetings through video conference would have compromised the secrecy clause. The two presiding officers had directed the secretary generals of the two houses to examine this issue and find if a fool-proof option was available.

Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises NitinGadkari has said that the government is exploring new financial lending institutions to support small-scale units in terms of financial support.
He said that government is working towards strengthening the Non- Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) which will help small businesses to avail easy credit in the coming time.
Addressing the members of Calcutta Chamber of Commerce on impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs through video conference, Mr Gadkari requested all the stakeholders to work in tandem and urged the industry to maintain a positive attitude during this time to tide over this crisis.

As India's 2010 pact with Malaysia and Indonesia came to an end, trade body SEA on Monday said the government should hike customs duty on soya, sunflower and crude palm oils and encourage domestic production.
The Solvent Extractors Association of India (SEA) also urged the government to ban the import of refined palm oils or palmolien in order to encourage domestic production.These are some of the short-term measures the trade body has submitted to the government for making India self-sufficient in edible oils.
Low import duties on edible oils over the years has practically made our farmers lose interest in oilseed cultivation. No wonder India's oilseed production has remained stagnant but consumption of edible oils driven by improved affluence has skyrocketed and has been growing at the rate of 3 to 4 per cent per annum, SEA president said, adding that however in the last few years, an attempt has been made to correct this anomaly.
Among long term measures, SEA has suggested the government to encourage Punjab and Haryana farmers to divert land to corn or sunflower in kharif season and mustard in rabi season.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has informed trade unions of India that its Director-General has expressed concern and urged Prime Minister NarendraModi to “send a clear message” to the Central and State governments to uphold international labour laws after the recent dilution of laws by some States.
A group of 10 Central trade unions wrote to the ILO in Geneva on May 14, seeking its intervention to protect workers’ rights and international labour standards.
In a response to the unions on May 22, the chief of the Freedom Of Association Branch of the ILO’s International Labour Standards Department, Karen Curtis, wrote: “Please allow me to assure you that the ILO Director-General has immediately intervened, expressing his deep concern at these recent events and appealing to the Prime Minister to send a clear message to Central and State governments to uphold the country’s international commitments and encourage engagement in effective social dialogue”.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lifted a state of emergency for Tokyo and four remaining areas on Monday after the number of infections fell across the country, but warned that it could be reimposed if the virus started spreading again.
The move meant that the whole country would now have the social distancing curbs loosened, after an initial lifting of restrictions for most areas on May 14.
Mr. Abe said that the total amount of stimulus from two economic packages would exceed 200 trillion yen ($1.86 trillion) but it would still take considerable time to get back to normal life while controlling infection risks. “Today we are taking a firm step towards the next stage following the removal of the state of emergency,” the visibly relaxed Prime Minister told reporters gathered in Tokyo.
Mr. Abe acknowledged Japan has faced some problems with its response and promised a review once the outbreak was over. But he also praised the “Japan model”, in which it brought the outbreak under control in six weeks without strict lockdowns imposed in other countries.

Velankanni in Tamil Nadu has thrown up a new species of small freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae. The silver-hued fish has been christened Puntiussanctus — ‘sanctus’ is Latin for holy — after the popular pilgrim town.
The fish has been identified and named by Mathews Plamoottil, head of the Department of Zoology, BJM Government College, Chavara, in Kollam.
Encountered in a small waterbody in Velankanni, Puntiussanctusgrows to a length of 7 cm. It is used both as food and as an aquarium draw, Dr.Plamoottilsaid.“ThePuntius species are known locally as ‘Paral’ in Kerala and ‘Kende’ in Tamil Nadu. They are purely freshwater fishes,” he said.
While the genus shows great species richness in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the specimen from Velankanni bears “distinct differences” from its Puntius cousins, he said.
Its physical characteristics included a protractible mouth, a pair of maxillary barbels (a sensory organ near the snout), 24-25 lateral line scales and 10 pre-dorsal scales.