Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 11 MARCH 2020

::NATIONAL::

People in the newly-formed Union Territory of Ladakh are demanding constitutional safeguards and strengthening of the already existing Hill Councils in Leh and Kargil, to ensure protection of the identity, land, jobs and culture of this region.
The formation of Ladakh as a Union Territory, locals claim, has made them vulnerable to aggressive external influence, which has forced them to demand protection at multiple levels.
Hundreds of locals across political, ethnic and religious divide marched in Leh last month demanding constitutional safeguards for this mountainous region, which remains cut off from the world for around six months, as the two main highways from Srinagar and Manali are blocked due to heavy snowfall.
The BJP government in Delhi passed the J&K Reorganization Bill in August 2019 in Parliament through which the special status to J&K was revoked and the erstwhile state was downgraded into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
“Ladakh should be protected like a museum for the whole country. A law should be passed which ensures our land, culture and jobs are protected. Our Hill Council Acts should be amended to make them stronger,” DorjeAngchuk, BJP district president, Leh, told.

Around two crore women from minority communities have availed the benefits of various scheme in the last five years. Minority Affairs Ministry has said that government is implementing various schemes for socio-economic and educational empowerment of women from minority communities.
It said, over four lakh women have been provided employment-oriented skill development training through Gharib Nawaz SwarojgarYojna, SeekhoAurKamaoyojana and NaiManzil scheme.
The Ministry said, one lakh 35 thousand women artisans have benefited through HunarHaats during the last three years.
HunarHaats offer unique opportunities to young entrepreneurs and aspirants to experiment and explore novel means of creativity coupled with livelihood. There are a large number of women self-help groups associated with HunarHaats.

India has ruled out any chances of capping input subsidies for irrigation, fertilisers and electricity, stating that these support rural development, food and livelihood security of marginal farmers.
Instead, around 60 countries including China and India have insisted that the focus of multilateral trade talks should be on addressing product-specific subsidies that the US, the EU and Canada give as these allow them more policy space and cause distortions in global farm trade. These are called aggregate measurement of support, or AMS, in trade parlance.
Reiterating that it is a proponent of a sequential approach where developed countries’ maximum permissible level of trade distorting farm subsidies, called final bound total AMS, entitlements are capped, reduced and eliminated first, India said at a meeting of heads of delegations to the World Trade Organization on Monday: “Only once the playing field is levelled, should we have a discussion on disciplining other forms of domestic support.”

Indian women are actively saving and taking charge of their money, with a whopping 68 per cent either managing their own finances or having an equal say in their families' financial decisions, according to a survey.
Only less than 10 per cent women leave the financial decisions to male members of the family, said the survey by Scripbox, a provider of online financial services.
Majority of the women surveyed were disciplined with monthly savings but only 30 per cent invested their money in inflation-beating financial instrument -- mutual funds.
With a growing and active appreciation for 'owning their money', a majority 64 per cent respondents said they would like to advise their younger self to start investing early and make it their business to understand personal finance and investing.

United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a United States' resolution on the recent deal between the US and the Afghan Taliban, a rare endorsement of an agreement with a militant group. The US military has begun withdrawing troops as part of the pullout agreed in the February 29 pact with the Taliban.
In the resolution, the Security Council urged the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to advance the peace process, including by participating in intra-Afghan negotiations through a diverse and inclusive negotiating team composed of Afghan political and civil society leaders, including women.
The United States is keen to end its longest-ever conflict and under the terms of a deal signed in Doha last month all foreign forces would quit Afghanistan within 14 months -- provided the Taliban stick to their security commitments.

Political activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) have urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to protect their rights and save them from Pakistan's oppression.
Speaking at the 43rd Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday, Nasir Aziz Khan, an activist from PoK said that they were seriously concerned about growing human rights violations taking place in PoK and GilgitBaltistan.
He added that Terrorists' network and infrastructure are very much intact in these areas. Leaders of banned terrorist organizations are roaming freely which shows that Pakistan still supports them, he said.

With the mercury decreasing over the last few days and fear of coronavirus looming, experts have said there is no established correlation between the variations in temperature and spread of COVID-19.
The experts said COVID-19 spreads through human contact. Mass gathering has to be avoided and people need to take precautions like washing hands, they added.
India has so far reported 43 coronavirus cases. According to reports, the number of cases of novel coronavirus worldwide has crossed 110,000 people in 100 countries and territories with more than 3,800 dead.
The minimum temperature in the national capital, which has witnessed a sudden dip in mercury, has been hovering around 11 to 12 degrees Celsius for the last 3-4 days.
Dr Kishore Singh, the medical superintendent of LNJP Hospital of the Delhi government, said coronavirus does not reproduce in warm conditions but its lifespan increases in cold conditions.
"For instance, if it was supposed to live for eight hours, it might live for one or two days. However, one has the risk of contracting COVID-19 if one comes in close contact with a person who is affected by it. In case you are having flu symptoms, you need to be cautious and otherwise also if you take precautions, you will be safe," he explained.

The Indian Fed cup tennis team created history by progressing to the play-offs for the first time ever with AnkitaRaina leading the side to a 2-1 win over Indonesia at an ongoing tournament in Dubai.
India finished second in the six-team Group with four wins in a row after losing the opening tie to China, who remained unbeaten in the tournament. Since earning their place back in Asia Oceania Group I in 2016, India has remained in the regional group.