Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 February 2022

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 19 February 2022

::NATIONAL::

IIT-Madras researchers propose drought, flood mitigation project for village in TN

Chennai Researchers belonging to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, have submitted a proposal to the government for implementing groundwater recharge technology for flood and drought mitigation near Ayankulam village in Thisayanvilaitaluk of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu, the institute said.
Led by VenkatramanSrinivasan, assistant professor, department of civil engineering in the IIT, a team visited the site in December last to investigate into an open agricultural well near the village that the locals claimed got recharged with an estimated 1,500-2,500 litres of water every second for several weeks without overflowing. The recharged water was from the excess overflow of an adjacent minor irrigation tank due to the record monsoon rains in November-December 2021.
The team explored also the potential of this well and other wells in the region for use as rapid aquifer recharge during floods for storage and withdrawal during the dry summer months.
It suggested implementing a rapid recharge technology, which, when developed, can bring several benefits, including mitigate floods and droughts, and create a subsurface dam for water storage without evaporation loss, distribute water automatically and equitably throughout the region, filter and clean water when managed appropriately and prevent and reverse saltwater intrusion in coastal aquifers.
“The region surrounding this village is considered a dry belt with hot summers. Many small land-holding farmers have abandoned farming and work as labourers in larger farms or other labour-based occupations,” the release said. Being close to the coastal zone, several agricultural and domestic wells in the region suffer from salt water intrusion due to excessive pumping and lowering of groundwater levels. Even extending the agricultural water availability by a few months each year can positively impact the livelihood of the farmers, the release said.

::INTERNATIONAL::

Biden is 'convinced' Putin has decided to invade Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday that he is “convinced” Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, including an assault on the capital, as tensions spiked along the militarized border with attacks that the West called “false-flag” operations meant to establish a pretext for invasion.
A humanitarian convoy was hit by shelling, and pro-Russian rebels evacuated civilians from the conflict zone. A car bombing hit the eastern city of Donetsk, but no casualties were reported.
After weeks of saying the U.S. wasn’t sure if Putin had made the final decision to invade, Biden said that assessment had changed, citing American intelligence.
“As of this moment I’m convinced he’s made the decision,” Biden said. “We have reason to believe that.” He reiterated that the assault could occur in the “coming days.”
Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced massive nuclear drills to flex its military muscle, and Putin pledged to protect Russia’s national interests against what it sees as encroaching Western threats.
Biden reiterated his threat of massive economic and diplomatic sanctions against Russia if it does invade, and pressed Putin to rethink his course of action. He said the U.S. and its Western allies were more united than ever to ensure Russia pays a price for the invasion.

::ECONOMY::

NBFCs seek priority sector tag for 2-wheeler loans financed by bank credit

Finance companies have sought priority sector lending status for the money they get from banks to give loans for buying two wheelers (TW). This would help them get cheaper funds from banks and increase lending, especially in rural areas, according to the Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC).
The industry lobby group said in a plea to the Reserve Bank of India that two-wheelers play a crucial role in the rural economy as they help improve the standard of living, and bring about convenient and safer movement at affordable price. They also help increase earnings.
“Considering the value and usage, we request the respected authority to consider the financial assistance to purchase two-wheeers in the rural economy as priority sector lending, as this will enable lenders to provide timely funds at cheaper cost,” FIDC said.
Priority sector refers to those sectors that the Government and RBI deem as important for the development of the basic needs of the country and are to be given precedence over other sectors. Banks are mandated to encourage the growth of such sectors with adequate and timely credit, it said.
The use of two-wheelers in the rural economy is not limited to self-riding but also for carrying and delivering milk, vegetables and other merchandise of day-to-day use.
The penetration of two-wheelers is lower in India than in other developing countries. For 1,000 people, only 102 people have two-wheelers in India, compared to 166 in Malaysia, 281 in Indonesia and 291 in Thailand.

::SCIENCE AND TECH::

As Nasa Perseverance completes a year on Mars, a look at milestones achieved

Nasa’s Perseverance rover has completed a full Earth year on Mars after its successful landing on February 19, 2021. During this period on the Red Planet, the rover has completed many firsts from its ambitious to-do list: collected the first rock cores from another planet; served as a base station for Ingenuity helicopter; extracted oxygen from thin Martian air; and set driving records.
The rover, weighing roughly a ton, touched down in Mars’s Jezero crater last year after travelling almost 300 million miles over seven months. The landing was only the beginning of the first leg of an ambitious mission under which Nasa aims to learn whether life ever existed on Mars. Nasa scientists have identified Jezero Crater as an ancient lakebed, formed billions of years ago. The rover has been sent to collect rocks from the crater and return the samples to Earth on future missions.
The Perseverance rover has so far collected six rock core samples from Mars and two more samples will be collected in the coming weeks. Scientists expect that these rocks could provide a key chronology for the formation of Jezero Crater and the age of the lake that once resided there.
Apart from serving as an indispensable base station for Ingenuity, the first helicopter on Mars, the rover also tested the first prototype oxygen generator on the Red Planet, called MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment).
The Perseverance recently broke a record for the most distance driven by a rover on Mars in a single day by travelling almost 320 meters on February 14. It performed the entire drive using the self-driving software that allows the rover to find its own path around rocks and other obstacles.

::SPORTS::

Antonio Conte names club to win Champions League title this season

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte will face a stiff test when the north London club travels to Manchester City this weekend. The former Chelsea and Inter Milan manager has slumped to three defeats on the trot and a daunting Premier League game against the Manchester giants makes life difficult for him.
Tottenham are currently seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with three games in hand but they face an uphill task to halt Manchester City's march towards their fourth title in five years. Pep Guardiola's men on Tuesday were ruthless in their 5-0 win over Sporting in the Champions League. City were dominant from start to finish in the Portuguese capital to all but seal their spot in the quarter-finals.