Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 28 MAY 2020

::NATIONAL::

LWO warns locust threat to be bigger this year

The threat of locusts, which have invaded vast swathes of land in Rajasthan and entered neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, is bigger this year in comparison with the damage caused to standing crops in a limited area in 2019. The tropical grasshoppers have been crossing over to India via Pakistan’s Sindh province since April 11.
The Union Agriculture Ministry’s Locust Warning Organisation (LWO), headquartered in Jodhpur, said on Wednesday that the locusts that came last year, after a gap of 26 years, were mature and had affected 12 districts of the State.
“Though Pakistan has claimed that it is taking action to eliminate the breeding grounds of insects, their control measures do not seem to be effective,” Dr.Gurjar said. While Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority has arranged aircraft and helicopters for the aerial spray of insecticides, locusts have destroyed crop in the cotton-producing belt of Sindh.

Health ministry advises states/ut’s to provide home delivery of essential medicines

Health Ministry has advised States and Union Territories to organize home deliveries of essential medicines like calcium, ORS, zinc, contraceptives, iron folic in containment zones to ensure maternal and child health care amid the Corona virus pandemic.
It said, drugs and commodities needed for continuing Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health Plus Nutrition services should be treated as essential commodities.
In this regard, Ministry issued a guidance note today, wherein it was stressed that critical services for women, children and adolescent should be provided irrespective of their COVID-19 status.
Ministry said, campaign mode services like mass vitamin A prophylaxis, campaigns for Intensified Diarrhea Control Fortnight, National De-worming Day and Test, Treat and Talk camps for Anemia, can be organized on an alternative mechanism like through home delivery of essential services and commodities, based on local situation.
Health Ministry said that all COVID suspect and positive cases should be provided services at dedicated COVID facility. It said, COVID testing is not mandatory for these services and ICMR testing guidelines need to be followed. It also stressed on the use of tele-consultation services to prevent overcrowding and reduce cross infection.

::ECONOMY::

Finance ministry asks banks to make MSME loans risk free

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to allow banks to assign zero risk weight for loans that will be extended to the micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) under the ₹20 lakh crore economic package announced by the government earlier this month.
The Finance Ministry had requested the central bank to make these loans risk free, following an interaction with banks.
As a part of the package, a ₹3 lakh crore loan for the MSME sector was announced. This will be guaranteed by the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company Limited (NCGTC) in the form of a Guaranteed Emergency Credit Line (GECL) facility.
However, such loans would attract a risk weight of a minimum 20% since these don’t come with direct government guarantee. This facility is similar to the loans that are guaranteed by the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE).
Though primarily meant for the MSME sector, other small borrowers including non-banking financial companies can also avail themselves of the scheme, sources said.
The scheme will be applicable till October 31, or till an amount of ₹3 lakh crore is sanctioned, whichever is earlier.

Wheat procurement on target despite lockdown

On the back of a record wheat harvest of more than 1,071 lakh tonnes, procurement of the grain currently at 342.6 lakh tonnes has also crossed last year’s levels despite the lockdown, and is well on the way to reaching this year’s target of 407 lakh tonnes.
However, the progress on procurement is uneven, with States such as Punjab and Haryana racing towards their targets despite a late start, while Uttar Pradesh lags behind, having reached less than 40% of its target.
According to the Agriculture Ministry’s third advance estimates, the country’s production amounts to 1,071 lakh tonnes of wheat this year, almost 36 lakh tonnes higher than previous year’s and 110 lakh tonnes higher than the average harvest.
A little over a third of the crop is procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at the minimum support price set by the Centre each year, to go into the central pool for subsidised distribution under the National Food Security Act.
According to FCI data, 342.6 lakh tonnes of wheat have been procured so far in this 2020-21 marketing season, from 10 wheat producing States. This is higher than the 341 lakh tonnes procured last year.

Download Weekly Current Affairs PDF

Download SSC EXAMS EBOOK PDF

PRINTED Study Notes for SSC CGL Exam

::INTERNATIONAL::

EU brings in euro 750billion economy rescue plan

The European Union (EU)’s executive unveiled a €750 billion plan on Wednesday to prop up economies hammered by the coronavirus crisis, hoping to end months of squabbling over how to fund a recovery that has exposed fault-lines across the 27-nation bloc.
Under the proposal, which could still be blocked by more frugal northern nations, the European Commission would borrow the funds from the market and then disburse two-thirds in grants and the rest in loans to cushion the unprecedented slump expected this year due to the coronavirus lockdowns.
Much of the money will go to Italy and Spain, the EU nations worst affected by the pandemic. EU leaders agree that, if they fail to rescue economies now in freefall, they risk something worse than their divisive debt crisis of a decade ago, which fanned euroscepticism and threatened to pull the eurozone apart.
The 500 billion euros in grants is in line with the wishes of the EU’s two biggest economies, France and Germany, which came up with a grants-only proposal last week. France, Germany, Italy and others welcomed the Commission plan.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Invasive mussel species spreads rapidly in Kerala

An invasive mussel native to the South and Central American coasts is spreading quickly in the backwaters of Kerala, elbowing out other mussel and clam species and threatening the livelihoods of fishermen engaged in molluscan fisheries.
The rapid spread of the Charru mussel (Mytellastrigata) may have been triggered by Cyclone Ockhi which struck the region in 2017, according to a paper published in the Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries.
Externally, the Charru mussel resembles the green and brown mussels (kallummekkaya in Malayalam), but is much smaller in size. Its colour varies from black to brown, purple or dark green.
The short-necked clam fisheries in the lake had obtained an eco label from the Marine Stewardship Council and about 3,000 people are dependent on fisheries here. In such a scenario, the fast-breeding Charru mussel could be seen as a ‘pest,’ the authors state.
“The potential of Mytellastrigata to outcompete the lucrative clam fishery is a serious concern that urgently needs to be addressed,” they add. Though this smaller mussel is edible, the overall economic loss and impact on biodiversity is much bigger, it is pointed out.
In this scenario, there is an urgent need to identify the presence of the Charru mussel in other parts of India by locating the pathways of introduction, said Biju Kumar of the University of Kerala.

::SPORTS::

BWF extends Tokyo Olympic qualification period

Badminton World Federation (BWF), on Wednesday, announced an extended qualification period of 17 weeks in 2021 for the Tokyo Olympics.
Crucially, it stated that all ranking points earned at tournaments during the original Olympic qualification period (29 April 2019 to 26 April 2020) will also count.
BWF was unable to complete the last six weeks of its one-year qualifying period in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the extended period, slated from week 1 to 17 in 2021, will include a select number of tournaments that were postponed, cancelled or suspended.