Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 02 September 2021

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 02 September 2021

::NATIONAL::

AYUSH Minister SarbanandaSonowal launched 'Y-Break' app

Union minister of AyushSarbanandaSonowal, along with six other Union ministers, will launch the Yoga-Break mobile application at VigyanBhawan on Wednesday as part of the ‘AzadiKaAmritMahotsav’ celebrations.
Health minister MansukhMandaviya, law and justice minister KirenRijiju, information and broadcasting ministerAnurag Thakur, Union minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh, tourism and culture minister MeenakshiLekhi and minister of state for AyushMunjparaKalubhai are the other ministers who will attend the launch event.
The 5-minute Yoga Break Protocol is a set of yoga exercises to de-stress, refresh and refocus on work to increase the productivity of individuals at the workplace, an Ayush ministry communique said.
“The concept of Yoga Break (Y-Break) is relevant to working professionals across the world. It has been carefully developed by eminent experts under a tested protocol,” the statement said.
The protocol comprises Tadasana- Urdhva-hastottanasana- Tadasana, Skandha chakra- Uttanamandukasana– Kati Chakrasana, ArdhaChakrasana, PrasaritaPadottanasana- Deep Breathing, Nadishodhana Pranayama, Bhramari Pranayama- Dhyana.
This module was launched in January 2020 as a pilot project in six major metro cities in coordination with different stakeholders, the Ayush ministry said.
“A total of 15 days trial was conducted by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga in collaboration with six leading Yoga institutes of the country, wherein total 717 participants from different private and government bodies participated and it was a huge success,” the ministry said.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Ramon Magsaysay Award 2021 announced

For his “inspiring determination in leading his fellow fisherfolk to revive a dying industry,” a community leader from ZamboangaSibugay has been named one of the five recipients of the 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.
In an online ceremony announcing the awardees on Tuesday, the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) feted Roberto “KaDodoy” Ballon for helping transform the coastal life of his hometown, Kabasalan, to preserve both his fellow fishermen’s livelihood and the ecosystem on which they depend for survival.
Ballon is the 52nd Filipino to receive Asia’s highest honor since 1958. The lone Filipino among this year’s awardees, Ballon was also recognized for “his shining example of how everyday acts of heroism can truly be extraordinary and transformative.”

The other honorees are the following:

Muhammad AmjadSaqib (Pakistan), for founding the largest microfinance institution in Pakistan that gives out interest-free loans to the poor.
Firdausi Qadri (Bangladesh), for her contributions to vaccine development.
Humanitarian worker Steven Muncy (Southeast Asia), for helping displaced Southeast Asian refugees rebuilds their lives.
Documentary production group Watchdoc (Indonesia), for using journalism to highlight underreported issues in Indonesia.
The formal presentation of the 63rd Ramon Magsaysay Awards will be on Nov. 28.

::ECONOMY::

Axis Bank and BharatPe tie up for PoS business

Private sector lender Axis Bank has tied up with BharatPe to expand its merchant acquiring business in the country. As a part of the partnership, Axis Bank will be the acquiring bank for BharatPe’s point of sale (PoS) business, BharatSwipe, and will provide acceptance of credit and debit cards for merchants associated with BharatPe.
With over 600,000 PoS terminals spread across the entire country, Axis Bank is the third largest PoS acquiring bank in the payments acceptance business and processed around Rs 19,000 crore worth of volumes in a month. On the other hand, BharatPe’sPoS machine BharatSwipe has an installed base of 100,000 across 16 cities, processing around Rs 1,400 crore per month. BharatPe clocked an annualised transaction value of $2 billion on PoS terminals at the end of FY21.
The company has set a target of $6 billion in transaction processed value (TPV) by FY22.
“This association will help BharatPe enhance merchant experience by leveraging the best-in-class technology platform offered by Axis Bank. Merchants can now enjoy faster payment processing, a more secured and simplified platform, along with a host of other features”, the bank said in a statement.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

IIT Ropar develops world's first 'plant based' smart air-purifier

Scientists of the Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar and Kanpur and the Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have developed a living plant-based air purifier, "Ubreathe Life", that amplifies the air purification process in indoor spaces, a statement said.
These indoor spaces can either be hospitals, schools, offices or homes, it said.
Scientists of the Indian Institutes of Technology, Ropar and Kanpur and the Faculty of Management Studies of Delhi University have developed a living plant-based air purifier, "Ubreathe Life", that amplifies the air purification process in indoor spaces, a statement said .
It has been incubated at IIT Ropar, which is a designated iHub - AWaDH (Agriculture and Water Technology Development Hub) by the Department of Science and Technology.
The technology works through an air-purifying natural leafy plant. The room-air interacts with the leaves and goes to the soil-root zone where maximum pollutants are purified.
The novel technology used in this product is 'Urban Munnar Effect' along with patent pending "Breathing Roots" to exponentially amplify the phytoremediation process of the plants. Phytoremediation is a process by which plants effectively remove pollutants from the air.
"'Ubreathe Life' effectively improves indoor air quality by removing particulate, gaseous and biological contaminants while increasing the oxygen levels in the indoor space through specific plants, UV disinfection and a stack of pre-filter, charcoal filter and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter fitted in a specially designed wooden box," the statement said.

::SPORTS::

Tokyo Paralympics: Bhagat enter semifinals; Suhas, Krishna and Tarun also win, mixed day for Kohli

World No.1 PramodBhagat sailed into the men's singles semifinals after beating Ukraine's OleksandrChyrkov in his second group A match of the Tokyo Paralympics badminton event here on Thursday as the country's shuttlers expectedly produced strong performances.
The 33-year-old, also a reigning world champion, saw off Chyrkob 21-12 21-9 in 26 minutes to top his group and enter the last four in class SL3.
"I was in the groove today and played really well. OleksandrChyrkov is a good player and played some good strokes in the match. I am very happy that I have reached the semi-finals," Bhagat said.
"Things are going to be tough from here as the knock out stages start. My focus is on one match at a time and also the last league game of the mixed doubles which is a do-or-die situation for us."
Bhagat and PalakKohli will play SiripongTeamarrom and NipadaSaensupa in mixed doubles class SL3-SU5.