Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 27 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

Ahead of Prime Minister NarendraModi's visit to Bangladesh scheduled next month, both countries agreed to enhance the level of cooperation to prevent smuggling of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and contraband across borders during the 19th Home Secretary Level Talks (HSLT).
According to an official release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the 19th HSLT between India and Bangladesh was held virtually today in the backdrop of 'MujibBarsho', 50 years of Bangladesh Liberation War and the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The Indian delegation was led by Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Union Home Secretary. Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Senior Secretary, Public Security Division, Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh led the Bangladesh delegation.
"Both sides discussed early completion of pending fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh Border (IBB) as agreed by the Prime Ministers of the two countries," said MHA.
"The effective functioning of the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) to control the illegal cross border activities was appreciated by both sides. Both sides also agreed to further enhance the level of cooperation to prevent the smuggling of FICN and contraband," MHA added.

India will be sending four cranes to Iran for the Chabahar port by June, with two of them being sent in March and two later. India had already sent two cranes in the month of January. In total India would have sent six cranes for the port by June this year.
Sanjay Bandyopadhyay, Additional Secretary at India's Ministry of Shipping, said, "Recently, we sent two mobile harbour cranes to the Chabahar port. In March, two more cranes will be sent. They are ready to be loaded on the ship near Venice. Two more will reach by June-end."
He added, "There are plans to procure more rail-mounted gantry cranes/rail-mounted cranes, for which bidding is going on, and this infrastructure is presently sufficient for the operation of the port. As it picks up for products, cargos going to Afghanistan and beyond, we will add more infrastructure."

Texas’s grid operator needs to come up with $1.3 billion to pay power plants for energy they supplied during last week’s historic blackouts, raising the prospect it may require a state bailout.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages most of the state’s grid, said it’s still waiting on more than $2 billion in payments from retail power providers and others after a deep winter freeze caused energy prices to skyrocket.
The grid operator, known as Ercot, managed to cover part of that debt by transferring $800 million in revenues from another market but remains $1.3 billion short, according to a market notice.
If Ercot can’t come up with the rest, the debt could end being shared by everyone in the market -- even consumers. That may prompt lawmakers to step in and make up the difference, said Evan Caron, chief strategy officer of energy technology firm ClearTrace and a former Ercot trader.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for its first launch of the year as it prepares to send a Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 into space on Sunday. This is the first Brazilian satellite to be launched from India.
The countdown for the launch of PSLV-C51/Amazonia-1 mission began on Saturday at the SatishDhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. This is the 53rd mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The rocket will launch the primary satellite Amazonia-1 along with 18 co-passenger payloads. The launch, which is subject to weather conditions, is scheduled at 10:24 am; the countdown commenced at 8:54 am (IST).
The 637-kg Amazonia-1 will provide remote sensing data to scientists who will need the data from the satellite to monitor deforestation in the Amazon region, according to a statement from ISRO. The statement further said that Amazonia-1 will also provide analysis of diversified agriculture across the Brazilian territory.

Prime Minister NarendraModi today inaugurated the second Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg and said that the event is a step towards making Jammu and Kashmir a hub of winter sports.
Athletes from 27 states and Union Territories are competing in the Games which will conclude on March 2.
"This is a step towards making India's presence felt in the international winter games arena and also make Jammu and Kashmir a hub of winter sports," he said in a virtual address.