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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 01 December 2019

::NATIONAL::

India aims to completely eradicate AIDS before 2030

(d) Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said the government is making all out efforts to completely eradicate HIV AIDS in the country before 2030.
(d) He said, India has successfully eliminated polio well before the target eight years-ago. The Minister was speaking at a function to observe the World HIV AIDS day in New Delhi today. He also said, attempts should be made to make the country free from TB before 2025.
(d) He said, 18 ministries are working for the elimination of various diseases. Stating that voluntary blood donation is the best tribute to humanity, the Minister asked the people to donate blood saying that regular blood donation can prevent heart diseases. 'Communities make the difference' is the theme of this year's World HIV AIDS day.
(d) As per the latest estimate of 2017, there are around 21 lakh 40 thousand people living with HIV in the country. The government is implementing National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) as a hundred per cent Central Sector Scheme for prevention and control of AIDS.
(d) NACP response to HIV epidemic comprise a comprehensive three-pronged strategy of prevention, testing and treatment.The Government has also developed a seven-year National Strategic Plan from 2017 to 2024 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

BSF brings in new technology to guard Indo-Pak border

(d) Minister of State for Home Affairs NityanandaRai today said the Government is committed to equipping the forces with the latest equipment and technology. He was addressing the 55th Raising Day event of the force at a BSF camp in New Delhi today.
(d) Mr.Rai said that citizens of India feel safe because of the BSF jawans' promptness on the world's most sensitive international borders. He further said that efforts are being made to infiltrate and smuggle, by the country's enemies, but BSF jawans are thwarting the attempts with their promptness.
(d) Speaking at the function, BSF, Director General, V K Johri, said the BSF is working on technological solutions to combat the threat of drones along the India-Pakistan International Border.
(d) Mr.Johari also said that force has expanded its strategic capabilities by using new technology and intelligence to guard the over 6,386 km long borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh.
(d) He said, the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and the International Border along Punjab have become operationally sensitive in recent times. He added that anti-India forces are continuously trying to infiltrate across the border, and the BSF is at all times to thwart these bids.
(d) AIR correspondent reports that the BSF is primarily tasked with guarding the India and Pakistan borders, apart from rendering a variety of roles in internal security.

::ECONOMY::

Centre to bring out permanent solution to curb stubble burning

(d) The Centre is formulating a scheme to find a permanent solution to the practice stubble burning by farmers and has constituted a committee to come out with a report on the matter in a month or two, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ParshottamRupala said in RajyaSabha.
(d) The MoS said that the new committee will come out with a new scheme within one or two months.He said in some states farmers burn stubble for sowing the next crop and the government is planning to educate them about diversification of crops.
(d) Besides, the government has given machines worth Rs 1,151 crore to farmers for managing stubble besides creating awareness.A total of 55,000 machines were provided to three states, he said, and added that Delhi is not managing it well.
(d) The Minister said that paddy stubble burning is mainly practised in the Indo-Gangetic plains in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to clear the fields for rabi crop sowing.
(d) Apart from the loss of nutrients, some soil nutrients, some soil properties like soil temperature, pH, moisture, available phosphorus and soil organic matter, which also govern microbial population of soil, are greatly affected due to stubble burning, he said.

Global companies agree to shift base from China to India

(d) Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Saturday said about 12 global companies have evinced interest to shift their base from China to India, taking advantage of competitive tax rate of 15 per cent announced recently.
(d) In a biggest reduction in 28 years, the government in September reduced corporate tax rate by almost 10 percentage points in a bid to give a boost to sagging economy.
(d) Base corporate tax for existing companies has been reduced to 22 per cent from 30 per cent, and for new manufacturing firms incorporated after October 1, 2019 and starting operation before March 31, 2023, it was slashed to 15 per cent from 25 per cent.
(d) The finance ministry in September set up a task force headed by Economic Affairs Secretary to prepare a road map for the "national infrastructure pipeline" from 2019-20 to 2024-25 under aRs 100 lakh crore infra plan. The task force expected to cover greenfield and brownfield projects costing above Rs 100 crore each.
(d) As regards the rationalisation of the taxation, she said, "We are having a good conversation with all the states and want to make sure that those essential items may be put to the lowest if not exempt, but for the rest of them, we are trying to rationalize".

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::INTERNATIONAL::

India-Japan expand cooperation,condemn terrorism

(d) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met Japan's Minister of Defence Kono Taro and Foreign Affairs Minister MotegiToshimitsu for the first India-Japan 22 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting in New Delhi on Saturday. In a joint statement, the ministers affirmed that the dialogue will further enhance the strategic depth of bilateral security and defence cooperation.
(d) They condemned in the strongest terms the growing threat of terrorism, and acknowledged that it constituted a major threat to peace and security in the region. The Ministers called upon all countries to take resolute action in rooting out terrorist safe havens and infrastructure.
(d) They underlined the need for all countries to ensure that all territory under their control is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries in any manner.
(d) They noted in this context the threat posed to regional security by terrorist networks operating out of Pakistan and called upon it to take resolute and irreversible action against them and fully comply with international commitments including to FATF.
(d) Acknowledging emerging security challenges, the Ministers reiterated their commitment to advancing bilateral security cooperation based on the 2008 Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation and the 2009 Action Plan to advance Security Cooperation.

Iraqi legislators accept PM’s resignation amid protests

(d) Iraqi protesters set fire to the entrance of a shrine in the southern holy city of Najaf today and security forces fired tear gas to disperse them.
(d) The incident took place during one of the bloodiest weeks of Iraq’s anti-government unrest, which erupted last month.
(d) Meanwhile, Iraqi legislators have approved Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's resignation during a parliament session held in capital Baghdad. On Friday, an embattled Abdul Mahdi formally submitted his offer to step down following the killing of around 50 demonstrators by the security forces in Baghdad and Iraq's mainly Shia southern cities of Nasiriya and Najaf.
(d) Referring to Article 76 of the country's constitution, Speaker Mohammad al-Halbusi today said President BarhamSaleh will now ask the largest political bloc in parliament to nominate the next prime minister.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

India- Srilanka joint military exercise to begin at Pune

(d) The seventh edition of exercise MITRA SHAKTI aimed at enhancing interoperability and operational efficiency amongst the armies of India and Sri Lanka commenced today at Aundh Military Station, Pune.
(d) Defence Ministry said, the objective of the exercise is to build and promote positive relations between armies of both the countries through focus on sub unit level training on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in urban and rural environment.
(d) The joint training exercise also signifies the strength of India-Sri Lanka relations in the field of military cooperation and engagement.
(d) The exercise is designed for incorporating the current dynamics of United Nations peace keeping operations through practical and comprehensive discussions and tactical exercises.

::SPORTS::

South Asian games begin at Kathmandu

(d) 13th South Asian Games have formally begun in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
(d) President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari declared games open in a glittering ceremony at DasarathaRangshala in Kathmandu this evening.
(d) Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun, Chairman of National Assembly Ganesh Timilsina, Deputy Prime Minister IshworPokharel, Ministers from South Asian countries and a large number of other dignitaries also graced the opening ceremony. Over 2700 athletes from seven South Asian Countries participated in the march past.
(d) During 10 days biggest sporting event of South Asia, 2715 athletes compete for 1119 medals including 319 Gold in 26 game categories. India is represented by 487 athletes. The closing ceremony will be held on 10th December.