Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 09 February 2022

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 09 February 2022

::NATIONAL::

UNEP ties up with Maharashtra to support 'Majhi Vasundhara' campaign

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maharashtra government to support its ‘Majhi Vasundhara’ campaign, an initiative with regard to the energy and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The MoU was signed.
“The beginning of a new partnership between UN Environment Programme and the Government of Maharashtra will support the state in the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures,” said a statement from UN office on Saturday.
‘Majhi Vasundhara’ (literally, My Earth) is an initiative of the Government of Maharashtra’s Environment and Climate Change Department to empower citizens with knowledge on the impacts of climate change and environmental issues and to encourage them to make a conscious effort towards improvement of the environment.
Speaking for the government of Maharashtra, Cabinet Minister of Tourism, Environment and Protocol, Aditya Thackeray said: “We should start to consider all possible avenues to get to Net Zero at the earliest. Over the next few months, Maharashtra will evaluate the investment prospects that will be required to steer Maharashtra’s economy towards net zero. We have an imperative to act now.”
UNEP will support the state in educating and mobilising youth on plastic pollution and marine litter through UNEP’s Tide Turner Challenge across all educational institutes in the state of Maharashtra. Under the partnership, UNEP will support the Maharashtra government on various clean energy initiatives and in its efforts to develop a strategy for carbon neutral development in line with the Government of India’s vision.
“The time is right for Maharashtra to lead the drive in a clean energy transition with its recent renewable energy policy being an important step.”
This can pave the way for industry to make this shift, alongside the financing opportunities that are coming in tandem. Clean energy, and sustainability as a whole, is growing as an opportunity for industry. “There is a global trend in which frontrunners are occupying a niche in different markets, not just in the energy sector, but in sectors such as transport, agriculture, electronics, chemicals, buildings and construction, textiles, to those taking advantage of what a circular plastics economy can offer. Maharashtra is well placed to take advantage of this transition,” said Director, Economy Division, UNEP, Sheila Aggarwal-Khan.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Antonio Costa re-elected as Prime Minister of Portugal

Defying all odds, Portugal’s center-left Socialists won an outright parliamentary majority in Sunday’s snap general election, securing a strong new mandate for Prime Minister Antonio Costa, a champion of balanced public accounts.
The result, boosted by a higher than expected turnout despite the coronavirus pandemic, comes as a surprise after the Socialists had lost most of their advantage in recent opinion polls, and means Portugal will have a stable government to oversee the application of EU pandemic recovery funds.
The vote was called in November after Costa’s hard-left former Communist and Left Bloc allies joined the right in striking down his minority government’s budget.
The two far left parties paid the price, losing more than a half of their seats, according to exit polls.
After last week’s opinion polls Costa had himself acknowledged that Portuguese did not want to give him a full majority and said he was prepared to strike alliances with like-minded parties, which is no longer necessary.
“An absolute majority doesn’t mean absolute power. It doesn’t mean to govern alone. It’s an increased responsibility and it means to govern with and for all Portuguese,” Costa said in his victory speech.
Before the final results came in, Costa said the party had won 117 or 118 seats in the 230-seat parliament, up from 108 won in the 2019 election, and his supporters erupted in loud celebrations, singing old revolutionary anthem “Grandola” and waving flags.

::ECONOMY::

PM CARES Fund received ₹10,990 crore from its inception in March 2020 to March 2021; ₹3,976 crore spent during 2020-21

The Prime Minister's Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM-CARES Fund) was created on 27 March, 2020 following the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
The primary objective of the fund, according to the website, is "dealing with any kind of emergency... and provide relief to the affected".
The objectives of the fund are:
To undertake and support relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress, either man-made or natural, including the creation or upgradation of healthcare or pharmaceutical facilities, other necessary infrastructure, funding relevant research or any other type of support.
To render financial assistance, provide grants of payments of money or take such other steps as may be deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees to the affected population.
The prime minister is the ex-officio chairman of the PM-CARES fund and the ministers of defence, home affairs and finance are ex-officio trustees. The fund consists entirely of voluntary contributions from individuals and organisations and does not get any budgetary support.
According to the audited statement of the fund, it received Rs 3,076.62 crore in the period between 2019-2020. Of this, Rs 39,67,748 was received through foreign donations.
The statement shows that from 2020 to 31 March 2021, the fund had collected Rs 10,990 crore.
In the financial year 2020-21, it received voluntary contributions from domestic donors to the tune of Rs 7,184 crore and foreign contributions amounting to Rs 494 crore. Along with interest, and a Rs 25 lakh refund of unspent balance from the National Disaster Management Authority, the Fund’s total receipts for the year amounted to ₹7,193 crore.
When it was created, the PM-CARES fund was criticised for its lack of transparency and for its use of the government insignia.
At the time of its creation, several Opposition leaders questioned the need for such a fund. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi questioned the decision of setting up the fund when there was already existing Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) which is similar in nature and other statutory established funds like the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

NASA Provides Updated International Space Station Transition Plan

The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space. The Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to extend space station operations until 2030 will enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade while U.S. industry develops commercial destinations and markets for a thriving space economy.
As NASA looks forward to a decade of results from research and technology development aboard the International Space Station, the agency is taking steps to ensure a successful transition of operations to commercial services. In response to Congressional direction, NASA has now provided an updated International Space Station Transition Report that details the goals for the next decade of station operations leading to a smooth transition to commercial services, the steps being taken to develop both the supply and demand side of the low-Earth orbit commercial economy, and the technical steps and budget required for transition.
“The International Space Station is entering its third and most productive decade as a groundbreaking scientific platform in microgravity,” said Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station at NASA Headquarters. “This third decade is one of results, building on our successful global partnership to verify exploration and human research technologies to support deep space exploration, continue to return medical and environmental benefits to humanity, and lay the groundwork for a commercial future in low-Earth orbit. We look forward to maximizing these returns from the space station through 2030 while planning for transition to commercial space destinations that will follow.”
Today, with U.S. commercial crew and cargo transportation systems online, the station is busier than ever. The ISS National Laboratory, responsible for utilizing 50 percent of NASA’s resources aboard the space station, hosts hundreds of experiments from other government agencies, academia, and commercial users to return benefits to people and industry on the ground. Meanwhile, NASA’s research and development activities aboard are advancing the technologies and procedures that will be necessary to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon and the first humans to Mars.
The extension of operations to 2030 will continue to return these benefits to the United States and to humanity as a whole while preparing for a successful transition of capabilities to one or more commercially-owned and -operated LEO destinations (CLDs). NASA has entered into a contract for commercial modules to be attached to a space station docking port and awarded space act agreements for design of three free-flying commercial space stations. U.S. industry is developing these commercial destinations to begin operations in the late 2020s for both government and private-sector customers, concurrent with space station operations, to ensure these new capabilities can meet the needs of the United States and its partners.
“The private sector is technically and financially capable of developing and operating commercial low-Earth orbit destinations, with NASA’s assistance. We look forward to sharing our lessons learned and operations experience with the private sector to help them develop safe, reliable, and cost-effective destinations in space,” said Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters. “The report we have delivered to Congress describes, in detail, our comprehensive plan for ensuring a smooth transition to commercial destinations after retirement of the International Space Station in 2030.”

::SPORTS::

Africa Cup of Nations: Senegal beat Egypt

Sadio Mane netted the winning spot-kick as Senegal beat Egypt 4-2 on penalties to clinch their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations, after the final ended goalless following extra time.
The Liverpool forward had earlier seen a seventh-minute penalty saved by Pharaohs keeper Gabaski.
Chelsea's Edouard Mendy denied Mohanad Lasheen to give Mane the chance to win it in Yaounde's Olembe Stadium.
Gabaski had made three good saves from Senegal's Bamba Dieng in extra time.And in a match billed as a battle between Liverpool forwards Mane, of Senegal, and Egypt captain Mohamed Salah, it was the former who had the decisive word.
After two previous final defeats, Senegal are Africa Cup of Nations winners at last, while Egypt missed out on a record-extending eighth continental crown that would also have been a first for Salah.