Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 24 December 2020

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

A memorandum signed by more than 3 lakh farmers submitted to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar extending support to new farm laws.
Confederation of NGOs of Rural India's delegation handed over the memorandum containing more than 3 lakh 13 thousand signatures of farmers to Mr Tomar in New Delhi yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tomar said there is enthusiasm among the farmers across the nation with respect to the new agri-laws.
He said, these reforms were long overdue. Mr Tomar said, because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's determination that the necessary reforms can be seen taking shape on the ground.
He said that empowering the rural agrarian economy is government's duty and will continue to remain so in future.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the next instalment of financial benefit under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) on 25th December 2020 at 12 noon via video conferencing.
With the push of a button, the Prime Minister will enable the transfer of more than Rs. 18,000 crores to more than 9 crores beneficiary farmer families.
Prime Minister will also have a conversation with farmers from six different States during the event. The farmers will share their experiences with PM-KISAN and also on various other initiatives taken by the Government for the welfare of farmers. Union Agriculture Minister will also be present on the occasion.
Under the PM-KISAN Scheme, a financial benefit of Rs.6000/- per year is provided to the eligible beneficiary farmers, payable in three equal 4-monthly installments of Rs.2000/- each. The fund is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

The economy is coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic’s deep abyss faster than most of the predictions, and the growth will enter positive zone in the third quarter of the current financial year, said an article on the ‘state of economy’ in the RBI Bulletin.
Impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian economy dipped by a historic 23.9 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year. The contraction narrowed down to 7.5 per cent in the second quarter.
Quoting reports, the article said, “Real GDP growth is expected to break out into positive territory in Q3 - albeit, to a slender 0.1 per cent.” Two important forces are conspiring to bless this turning of the page on the virus, the article said.
“First, India is bending the COVID infection curve: since mid-September, barring localised surges, infections are slanting fashion to support investment and consumption demand,” it said, “The fiscal measures have been sequenced in a designed shift in focus from consumption expenditure in Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) to investment expenditure in Aatma Nirbhar 2.0 and 3.0,” the article added.

While the United States on Wednesday secured a deal with Pfizer Inc. for an additional 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine, the cases of allergic reactions have reportedly prompted discussions between vaccine makers and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to run clinical trials in very allergic populations. According to a CNN report, US President Donald Trump’s Covid-19 vaccine czar said that the frequency of allergic reactions to Pfizer’s vaccine is greater than expected.
“That frequency, as it stood December 22, is superior to what one would expect with other vaccines,” Dr Moncef Slaoui, chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed, was quoted as saying by the US media network.
The UK regulators have already issued an advisory regarding the issue, urging people who have a history of “significant” allergic reactions to not get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued precautionary advice to the National Health Service (NHS) after two health care staff members experienced allergic reactions. Dr June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, had testified to a parliamentary committee where she acknowledged that the cases of allergic reactions didn’t feature in the extensive clinical trials.

Scientists have developed a low-cost supercapacitor that has excellent capacitance retention and uses their synthesized new electrode material, which can pave the way for the next generation of high-power and high-energy storage devices.
A supercapacitor is a high-capacity capacitor whose capacitance value is much higher than other capacitors, but has a lower voltage limit, thus bridging the gap between the electrolytic capacitor and the rechargeable battery. A capacitor is one that stores electrical energy in an electric field.
It usually stores 10 to 100 times more energy per unit volume or mass than electrolytic capacitors, and can accept and transfer charges much faster than batteries. Supercapacitors are the next generation of energy storage devices.
Compared with traditional capacitors and Lithium-Ion Batteries (LIB), supercapacitors have received extensive research attention due to their high power density, long life and ultra-fast charging characteristics.
Among the 4 main components of a super capacitor-electrode, electrolyte, separator and current collector, the first two are the key components, which directly determine the electrochemical behaviour of the supercapacitor.

The wheels to host the prestigious FIH Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup India 2023 started rolling in as Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, announced a new world class Hockey stadium in Rourkela city which would be the biggest stadium for Hockey in India with a sitting capacity of 20 thousand.
This is going to redefine the sports landscape in the region.
The stadium along with the allied facilities will be developed as a benchmark for other Hockey stadiums around the world. Spread over 15 acres of land, the stadium will be constructed in the Biju Patnaik University of Technology campus, Rourkela.