Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 31 July 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 31 July 2021

::NATIONAL::

Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh released “Biotech-PRIDE (Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) Guidelines”

DrJitendra Singh said, initially, these Guidelines will be implemented through Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) at Regional Centre for Biotechnology supported by Department of Biotechnology. Other existing datasets/ data centres will be bridged to this IBDC which will be called Bio-Grid. This Bio-Grid will be a National Repository for biological knowledge, information and data and will be responsible for enabling its exchange, developing measures for safety, standards and quality for datasets and establishing detailed modalities for accessing data, the Minister added.
The Biotech PRIDE Guidelines will facilitate this and enable exchange of information to promote research and innovation in different research groups across the country. The Biotech-PRIDE (Biotech Promotion of Research and Innovation through Data Exchange) guidelines aim at providing a well-defined framework and guiding principle to facilitate and enable sharing and exchange of biological knowledge, information and data and is specifically applicable to high-throughput, high-volume data generated by research groups across the country.
These guidelines do not deal with generation of biological data per se but is an enabling mechanism to share and exchange information and knowledge generated as per the existing laws, rules, regulations and guidelines of the country.
These guidelines will ensure data sharing benefits viz. maximizing use, avoiding duplication, maximized integration, ownership information, better decision-making and equity of access. These guidelines are the enabling mechanism for sharing the data publicly and within a reasonable period of time after data-generation, thus the utility of the data will be maximal. Resultantly, accrual of benefit of public investment for data generation will not be compromised.
The PRIDE Guidelines will be helpful to harmonize, synergize and encourage the data sharing for research and analysis in the country and to promote scientific work and foster progress by building on previous work.

::INTERNATIONAL::

International Friendship Day

Friendship is a bond that two or more people share. It’s another word for love and International Friendship Day is celebrated to give a toast to friends who are there just a call away.
Everyone has their 3 am the friend who handles your tantrums and pampers you always. The day is celebrated once a year. Friends are the sunshine of life, and without them, life would be very boring indeed. So on International Day of Friendship 2021, we take a look at how this day came.
International Friendship Day is celebrated annually on July 30. The International Day of Friendship is a United Nations (UN) day that promotes the role that friendship plays in promoting peace in many cultures.
The UN has a special day to promote the concept of friendships across diverse backgrounds and cultures. However, countries like India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and United States celebrate Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August every year.

::ECONOMY::

RajyaSabha passed the Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill

The RajyaSabha on Friday passed the Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to create the post of 'non-executive chairman' for the board.
The Upper House passed the Bill after a brief discussion amid protest and sloganeering by the Opposition.
RajyaSabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh, who was presiding over the proceedings, asked Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to move a motion for consideration of the passage of the Bill, amid the Opposition's protest.
The Bill seeks to amend Section 4 of the Coconut Development Board Act, 1979, and provides for the appointment of a non-executive chairman, a chief executive officer and an ex-officio joint secretary to the Government of India, in-charge of the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture, as member of the board.
The Coconut Development Board (Amendment) Bill, 2021, provides for the appointment of six members instead of the existing four members.
While participating in the debate, Muzibulla Khan of BijuJanata Dal, who was the only member to speak on the issue, said the coastal states such as Odisha should be given priority and have a member into it.

:: SCIENCE AND TECH::

ISRO-NASA joint mission NISAR satellite to be launched in 2023

NASA and ISRO are collaborating on developing a satellite called NISAR, which will detect movements of the planet’s surface as small as 0.4 inches over areas about half the size of a tennis court.
The satellite will be launched in 2022 from the SatishDhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, India, into a near-polar orbit and will scan the globe every 12 days over the course of its three-year mission of imaging the Earth’s land, ice sheets and sea ice to give an “unprecedented” view of the planet.
The name NISAR is short for NASA-ISRO-SAR. SAR here refers to the synthetic aperture radar that NASA will use to measure changes in the surface of the Earth. Essentially, SAR refers to a technique for producing high-resolution images. Because of the precision, the radar can penetrate clouds and darkness, which means that it can collect data day and night in any weather.
During the course of three years, the images will allow scientists to track changes in croplands, hazard sites and will help them to monitor crises such as volcanic eruptions. “The images will be detailed enough to show local changes and broad enough to measure regional trends. As the mission continues for years, the data will allow for better understanding of the causes and consequences of land surface changes, increasing our ability to manage resources and prepare for and cope with global change,” NASA has said.

::SPORTS::

Avinash Sable breaks national record in men's 3000m steeplechase

India’s Avinash Sable shattered his own 3000m steeplechase national record but failed to qualify for the final despite clocking a better time than the top three in another heat race of the Olympic Games.
The 26-year-old Sable clocked 8 minutes 18.12 seconds in heat number 2 to finish seventh and better his earlier national record of 8:20.20 that he set during the Federation Cup in March.