Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 26 March 2022

SSC CGL Current Affairs

Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 26 March 2022

::NATIONAL::

Government of India designated October 5 as 'National Dolphin Day'

The Union environment ministry has designated October 5 as the National Dolphin Day, to be celebrated annually starting this year. The decision to designate a National Dolphin Day was taken by the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) on according to a statement by the environment ministry.
BhupenderYadav, environment minister said generating awareness and community participation is integral for the conservation of dolphins including the Gangetic Dolphin. Environmental experts said the ministry should focus on improving the flow and water quality in Ganga and its tributaries to ensure bringing back the Gangetic dolphin from the brink.
“Healthy aquatic ecosystems help in maintaining the overall health of the Planet. Dolphins act as ideal ecological indicators of a healthy aquatic ecosystem and conservation of the dolphins will, therefore, benefit the survival of the species and also, the people dependent on the aquatic system for their livelihood.
The Ministry has been taking up several activities for the protection and conservation of Dolphins and its habitats. Considering that generating awareness amongst the people on the benefits of conservation of dolphins and participation of people in conservation efforts is imperative, the standing committee recommended that every year 5th of October shall be celebrated as National Dolphin Day,” the statement said.
“It is true that dolphins need community conservation. They also need a minimum flow in the river and less underwater and overwater noise. River projects like waterways or even river interlinking need to take dolphins into mind. India is as important for the Ganges river dolphins as it is for the tiger- most of the global population is here. A day is a good step but the real work will be in letting rivers flow with clean water and saying no to projects that break up rivers,” said NehaSinha, conservation biologist and author.
A WWF-India and the Uttar Pradesh forest department assessment in 2012 and 2015 recorded 1,272 dolphins in the Ganga, Yamuna, Chambal, Ken, Betwa, Son, Sharda, Geruwa, Gahagra, Gandak and Rapti.

::INTERNATIONAL::

World Bank issues first wildlife bond to save Africa's black rhinoceros

The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) today priced the Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) in support of South Africa’s efforts to conserve endangered species. Also known as the “Rhino Bond,” this five-year $150 million Sustainable Development Bond includes a potential performance payment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which will contribute to protecting and increasing black rhino populations in two protected areas in South Africa, the Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) and the Great Fish River Nature Reserve (GFRNR). AENP is managed by the South African National Parks (SANParks) and GFRNR is managed by Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA).
The WCB is a first-of-its-kind, outcome-based, financial instrument that channels investments to achieve conservation outcomes – measured in this case by an increase in black rhino populations. Rhinos are considered an umbrella species that play a crucial role in shaping entire ecosystems on which countless other species depend. Through the WCB, investors are supporting the financing of activities to protect and grow a critically endangered species with clear conservation targets, contributing directly to biodiversity, and bringing jobs to local communities through the creation of conservation-related employment in a rural and underserved region of South Africa.
“The Rhino Bond is a groundbreaking approach to enabling private sector investment in global public goods — in this case biodiversity conservation, a key global development challenge,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “The pay-for-success financial structure protects an endangered species and strengthens South Africa’s conservation efforts by leveraging the World Bank’s infrastructure and track record in capital markets. Importantly, it can be replicated and scaled to channel more private capital for other conservation and climate actions and development objectives around the world.”
Investors in the WCB will not receive coupon payments on the bond. Instead, the issuer will make conservation investment payments to finance rhino conservation activities at the two parks. If successful, as measured by the rhino growth rate independently calculated by Conservation Alpha and verified by the Zoological Society of London, investors will receive a success payment at maturity, paid by the IBRD with funds provided by a performance-based grant from the GEF, in addition to principal redemption of the bond. This represents a new approach in conservation financing that passes project risks to capital market investors and allows donors to pay for conservation outcomes. Credit Suisse was the sole structurer and joint bookrunner with Citibank.
“We are proud to be the lead investor in this innovative transaction that provided not only attractive total return potential, but also the direct and measurable outcomes we look for under our proprietary Impact Framework. We are especially hopeful that this type of public-private partnership can serve as a template for future transactions to help improve biodiversity globally,” said Stephen M. Liberatore, Head of ESG/Impact – Global Fixed Income at Nuveen.
“This innovative conservation bond, which the Global Environment Facility is delighted to support, opens a new avenue for financing biodiversity protection at a critically important time. This is a great example of how capital markets can meet both investor and conservation priorities,” said Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, GEF CEO and Chairperson. “The GEF’s financial backing for this bond gave it the risk/return profile that investors needed to enter the biodiversity space, and I am confident that their engagement will only grow from here, with future conservation bonds that benefit other umbrella species and their ecosystems.”

::ECONOMY::

PhonePe acquires freelance entrepreneur network GigIndia

Walmart-owned fintech firm PhonePe said that it has acquired GigIndia, the country’s leading network for freelance micro-entrepreneurs. As a part of the acquisition, GigIndia which has 1.5 million entrepreneurs, and over 100 enterprises as customers, will integrate with PhonePe.
The companies did not reveal the value of the transaction. GigIndia has about 100 employees and they will join PhonePe.
PhonePe will leverage GigIndia's network of freelance microentrepreneurs to help corporates and enterprises acquire more customers and scale up their distribution channels. This acquisition will also strengthen PhonePe’s offerings and value proposition to its enterprise partners and result in the creation of millions of opportunities for individual freelance micro-entrepreneurs in India. According to reports, India’s freelance community is projected to grow to $20-30 billion by 2025.
“We are excited to welcome GigIndia’s team to PhonePe and leverage their domain expertise to offer value-added services to our enterprise partners, helping them scale, expand and grow their businesses,” said VivekLohcheb, head of offline business at PhonePe.
“GigIndia has already served many businesses, with its pool of high-quality, skilled freelance micro-entrepreneurs. We are looking forward to working closely with them.”

::Sports::

IPL 2022 season begins

PL Schedule 2022 Match Dates & Fixtures, Teams can be checked from here. get IPL Match Timings and venues from here. IPL Schedule 2022 is now officially published by the BCCI i.e.
Board of Control for Cricket in India, and we have shared it with our readers by collecting from trusted sources. IPL 2022 or IPL (Indian Premier League) 15 is scheduled to be played 26 March 2022, which will last till the 29 May 2022.
In this article we have shared the detailed information about IPL Schedule 2022 Match Dates & Fixtures, Teams. So, read the article till the end and know all about the Indian Premier League 2022.