Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 30 September 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 30 September 2021

::NATIONAL::

Government of India started the work of developing 'ParshuramKund' in Arunachal Pradesh

The Modi government has started work for the development of ‘ParshuramKund’, a Hindu pilgrimage site on the Brahmputra plateau in the lower reaches of the Lohitriver in Arunachal Pradesh.
The project costing Rs 37.88 crore was sanctioned under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism, said a senior officer of the Tourism Minister here on Thursday.
The ‘National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD) is a Central Sector Scheme launched in 2014-15 with complete financial assistance by the Government of India. It was targeted to develop tourism infrastructure to harness pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations for its direct and multiplier effect upon employment generation and economic development.
Under the scheme, the Tourism Ministry would develop world-class infrastructure with special emphasis on Tourist Facilities including Tourist Facilitation Centers, way-side amenities Parking, Public convenience, Illumination and Sound and Light Shows, the Tourism Ministry said.
Union Tourism Minister Kishan laid the foundation stone for the Kund. ParshuramKund is 21 km north of Tezu in the Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh. It is dedicated to sage Parshuram. It attracts pilgrims from Nepal and from various parts of the country. According to a rough estimate, nearly 70,000 devotees and sadhus take a holy dip in its water each year on the occasion of MakarSankranti in the month of January.
The site was established by a sadhu and was in existence until the 1950 Assam Earthquake that shook the whole of the North-East and the kund was completely covered. A very strong current is now flowing over the original site of the kund but massive boulders have in a mysterious way embedded themselves in a circular formation in the river bed thus forming another kund in place of the old.

::INTERNATIONAL::

International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction observed on 29 September

Globally, around 14 percent of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17 percent of total global food production is wasted (11 percent in households, 5 percent in the food service and 2 percent in retail).
Food loss and waste undermine the sustainability of our food systems. When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food - including water, land, energy, labour and capital - go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Food loss and waste can also negatively impact food security and food availability, and contribute to increasing the cost of food.
Our food systems cannot be resilient if they are not sustainable. Hence the need to focus on the adoption of integrated approaches designed to reduce food loss and waste. Actions are required globally and locally to maximise the use of the food we produce. The introduction of technologies, innovative solutions (including e-commerce platforms for marketing, retractable mobile food processing systems), new ways of working and good practices to manage food quality and reduce food loss and waste are key to implementing this transformative change.
With nine years left to reach SDG goal 12, target 12.3; there is an urgent need to accelerate action to reduce food loss and waste.

Key messages

There is never room for food loss and waste!
Reducing food loss and waste, provides a powerful means to strengthen the sustainability of our food systems and improve planetary health.
Increasing the efficiency of our food systems and reducing food loss and waste, necessitates investment in innovation, technologies and infrastructure.
Recovery and redistribution make good use of surplus food and contribute to improving access to food for the food insecure, preventing food waste and ensuring economic, environmental and social benefits.
Diverting food waste to composting is better than sending it to a landfill, but preventing food from being wasted in the first place is an even better way to lessen the impact on the environment.
Realising and maximising the positive impacts of reducing food loss and waste, requires good governance and human capital development, as well as collaboration and partnerships.

::ECONOMY::

India's external debt grew by 2.1% year-on-year to US$ 570 billion by March-end 2021

India's external debt stood at USD 571.3 billion at end-June, recording an increase of USD 1.6 billion over its level at the end of March 2021, the RBI said on Thursday.
However, the external debt to GDP ratio declined to 20.2 per cent at June-end 2021 from 21.1 per cent as on March 31.
Valuation gain due to the appreciation of the US dollar vis-a-vis the Indian rupee was at USD 1.7 billion.
"Excluding the valuation effect, external debt would have increased by US$ 3.3 billion instead of US$ 1.6 billion at end-June 2021 over end-March 2021," the central bank said.
As per the data, commercial borrowings remained the largest component of external debt, with a share of 37.4 per cent, followed by non-resident deposits (24.8 per cent) and short-term trade credit (17.4 per cent).
As on June 30, long-term debt (with original maturity of above one year) stood at USD 468.8 billion, recording an increase of USD 0.2 billion over its level at March-end, the central bank said.
The share of short-term debt in total external debt rose marginally to 17.9 per cent as on June 30 from 17.7 per cent at end-March.
However, the ratio of short-term debt (original maturity) to foreign exchange reserves declined to 16.8 per cent from 17.5 per cent at end-March 2021.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

North Korea tests hypersonic missile "Hwasong-8"

North Korea is apparently getting into the hypersonic arms race.
The nuclear-armed nation conducted a test launch Tuesday (Sept. 28) of a new "hypersonic missile" called Hwasong-8, state-run outlet KCNA reported on Wednesday (Sept. 29), according to KCNA Watch, which aggregates news released by official North Korean media.
Hwasong-8 was topped with a hypersonic gliding vehicle (HGV) warhead, KCNA wrote. Hypersonic craft travel at least five times faster than the speed of sound, or Mach 5, and are highly maneuverable. They're much tougher to track and intercept than intercontinental ballistic missiles, which follow predictable trajectories.
The United States, Russia and China have prioritized the development of hypersonic weapons in recent years. The U.S. has been working on a number of different hypersonic designs over the past decade, for instance, and scored an important success with one, the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept, during a trial last week, Pentagon officials announced Monday (Sept. 27).
KCNA declared Tuesday's Hwasong-8 mission, which launched from North Korea's east coast, a success as well.
"In the first test launch, national defense scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile in the active section and also its technical specifications, including the guiding maneuverability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead," KCNA's report reads.
Outside experts aren't so sure, however. Missile specialist Chang Young-keun told Reuters that the Hwasong-8's HGV reached a top speed of just Mach 2.5 during Tuesday's test, citing analyses by South Korean military intelligence.