Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 13 February 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

::NATIONAL::

The railways had suspended all passengers’ trains in March last year following the national lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic and started operating some of them gradually.
The Indian Railways said it has not fixed any date to restart all passenger trains amid reports that the national carrier is planning to resume all passengers train from April. The railways had suspended all passengers’ trains in March last year following the national lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic and started operating some of them gradually.
“There have been a series of reports in the media about the resumption of full passenger train services from a given April date. Clarification is constantly being given to the media about it for the last few days. It is being reiterated again that no such date has been fixed for resumption of all passenger trains operations,” the Indian Railways said in a release.
The government had restated local train services in Mumbai for everyone from February 1 and were made available in three time slots: from the start of the day's services to 7am; 12:00pm to 4:00pm; and 9:00 pm to the end of the day.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday (local time) rescinded the emergency order used by former President Donald Trump to justify the construction of the US-Mexico border wall, announced the White House.
"I have determined that the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border was unwarranted," Biden wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reported The Hill.
"I have also announced that it shall be the policy of my administration that no more American taxpayer dollars be diverted to construct a border wall, and that I am directing a careful review of all resources appropriated or redirected to that end," he added.
Trump had first floated the idea of a border wall on the campaign trail in 2016, repeatedly insisting that Mexico would pay for its construction. However, illegal immigration increased in Trump's four years.

Consumer price inflation in the country eased to 4.06 per cent in January 2021 from 4.59 per cent in December 2020, amid a sharp decline in food prices. Consumer inflation in January 2021, fell to a 16-month low, according to data released by the ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), on Friday, February 12.
The annual retail inflation last month was reported as the lowest since September 2019, and below the 4.45 per cent forecast in a Reuter’s poll of economists.
The retail food prices, which comprise nearly half of the country's inflation basket, increased 1.89 per cent in January from a year earlier, against 3.41 per cent in December 2020.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tracks the retail inflation - or the rate of increase in consumer prices as determined by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) - primarily for making changes to its monetary policy.
The central bank held its policy rates steady at its last monetary policy meeting on February 5 with an accommodative stance, stating that inflation was expected to remain within the targeted range over the next few quarters

India’s space agency plans to tap startups and the local industry to build technologies for its human space programme.
It unveiled a draft “humans in space policy 2021” that would look at facilitating participation of non-traditional players in undertaking space activities on Friday.
Based on feedback, the policy will be sent to the government for approval, the Indian Space Research Organisation said.
ET had previously reported that the space agency was looking at separate policies for human space missions.
Last year, India opened up the space sector to private participation, allowing established firms such as Larsen & Toubro and Godrej Aerospace, besides startups such as Pixxel, Agnikul Cosmos, Skyroot Aerospace and Bellatrix Aerospace to build rockets and satellites for the local as well as global markets.

The head of the Tokyo Olympic resigned Friday after a scandal over sexist remarks he made about women threatened to overshadow preparations for the pandemic -hit games.
“As of today I will resign from the president's position,” Yoshiro Mori said to open a meeting of the Olympic Committee's executive board and council.
Mori's departure comes after outcry both at home and abroad after he reportedly said women talk too much and have a “strong sense of rivalry” during a board meeting earlier this month.