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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 11 November 2019

::NATIONAL::

World’s first CNG port terminal to come up in Gujarat

Gujarat Government has given its nod to the world’s first CNG port terminal at Bhavnagar. According to official release, the U.K. based Foresight group and Mumbai based Padmanabh Mafatlal group joint venture will invest Rs.1900 crore to set up a CNG port terminal at Bhavnagar port.
Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board- GIDB under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also approved this proposal.
According to official sources, the proposed CNG port terminal will have annual capacity of 6 million matric tone, which will increased the total handling capacity of the port to 9 million matric tones.
Mammorandum of Understanding- MoU for this project between Gujarat government arm Gujarat Maritime Board and London based Foresight Group was signed during the 2019 Vibrant Gujarat summit.
The new facility will be developed in the Northen side of present port, underwhich RoRo terminal, liquid terminal and container terminal will be developed in future.
The consortium has proposed an investment of Rs.1,900 crore in two phases with Rs 1,300 crore in the first phase and Rs 600 crore in the second phase through the 'Swiss challenge' method. Studies for pre-feasibility report, cite selection, gas supply agreement and CNG vessel development have also been completed.

NSA meets religious leaders post Ayodhya verdict

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held a meeting with eminent religious leaders in New Delhi today, a day after the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case.
According to a joint statement issued after the meeting at Mr Doval's residence, the religious leaders pledged unstinted support to the government in all steps to maintain peace and order.
They appealed for maintaining peace and tranquillity amidst apprehensions that some anti-national elements may try to exploit the situation. Those attending the meeting were alive to the fact that certain anti-national and hostile elements, both within and outside the country, may attempt to exploit the situation to harm national interest.
The religious leaders noted with satisfaction that millions of Indians belonging to both communities, displayed great sense of responsibility, sensitivity and restraint in accepting the Court verdict.
All the participants appreciated the initiative and emphasised the need for a continuous dialogue between various communities in future. They complimented the government for ensuring safety and security of every individual.

::ECONOMY::

Pulses prices rises steadily due to crop damages

Prices of pulses have been steadily rising over the last 15 days, with urad recording the highest increase of 40%. Traders expect the rates to remain firm as rains in western and central India have damaged some of the crop.
Prerana Desai, head of research at Edelweiss Agri Services & Credit, said prices have risen in part due to the import restriction imposed by the government and expectation of lower winter planting.
“Prices are rising due to rain in pulse-growing regions in the past two weeks. All pulses in the market are now being traded at around the minimum support price and it is offering some relief to farmers,” said Vivek Agrawal, a commodity broker with JLV Agro.
Desai said the prices were low throughout the year but have now improved. “Good stocks will be held by traders and brokers and be sold selectively. Compared to the previous year, the stocks are less,” she said.
Suresh Aggarwal, president of All India Dal Mill Association in Indore, said as per initial estimates, urad production has fallen by 30%. Moong production has also been hit, he said.
“Due to rains, we are worried about the higher moisture content and poor crop quality. Prices will remain high if it doesn’t stop raining in the key harvesting states,” he said.

Overseas investors remain net buyers in November

Overseas investors remained net buyers in the domestic capital markets with an investment of over 12,000 crore rupees in November so far as market sentiments improved following economic reforms by the government.
The latest depositories data showed that Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPI) infused around 6,434 crore rupees in equities and 5,674 crore rupees in debt segment between first to ninth of this month.
This took the total net investment in the domestic markets (both equity and debt) to around 12,108 crore rupees.
The latest inflows come after two consecutive months of foreign investments. In October, FPIs invested around 16,465 crore rupees while in September they had put in 6,558 crore rupees.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Eva Morales accepts political asylum request from Mexico

Former President of Bolivia Evo Morales has accepted an offer of political asylum in Mexico, a day after his resignation amid election fraud protests. Morales left Bolivia abroad a Mexican military aeroplane on Monday night. He said he would return to Bolivia with more strength and energy.
Mexico says the decision to offer asylum to the former president was taken for humanitarian reasons after a request from him. 60-year-old Morales had been in power since 2006. Bolivia's first indigenous leader stepped down after the head of the army publicly called on him to leave his post.
The deputy head of the Senate said she would take over as interim president until new elections were held.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has hailed the resignation of Evo Morales as a sign to what he called illegitimate regimes and praised the role of the country's military.

India to take up issue of cross border terrorism at BRICS

BRICS which accounts for 23 per cent of the global GDP and around 17 per cent of the share in world trade has diversified its agenda over the years.
In an exclusive interview to our correspondent, India's Sous (pronounced as 'Su') Sherpa, Suresh Reddy said that India is focussing on taking up the issue of cross border terrorism strongly at BRICS 2019.
He said that global commons are facing several issues related to sovereignty which will also be discussed extensively:
Taking about this year's special initiative of BRICS Women Business alliance, He said that this alliance is going to help the women across the BRICS societies a lot through its connection with the New Development Bank.

::SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY::

Study finds Indian CVD’s associated with air pollution

Exposure to high levels of ambient and household air pollution in India is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke, according a study.
A team led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain is the first to explore the association between ambient and household air pollution, and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) -- a marker of atherosclerosis or thickening of arteries -- in a population of a low-and-middle income country.
The study, performed in a periurban area in Hyderabad, Telangana, shows that people most exposed to fine particles have a higher CIMT index, which means they are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as stroke or heart attack.
The team measured CIMT and estimated exposure to air pollution using an algorithm called land use regression (LUR), which is frequently used to predict the amount of fine particles -- suspended particles with a diameter under 2.5 micrometres -- in high-income countries.
"This study is relevant for countries which, like India, are experiencing a rapid epidemiological transition and a sharp increase in the prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and obesity," said Cathryn Tonne, ISGlobal researcher and coordinator of the study said in a statement.

::SPORTS::

Sundar singh wins gold at world para athletics championship

Javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar has won India's second gold defending his World Para Athletics Championships title in the men's F46 javelin throw event in Dubai. With this, India has secured three Tokyo Paralympic Games quota, along with the bronze winner Ajeet Singh and Rinku.
Gurjar came up with his season's best effort of 61.22m to claim the top spot. Singh sent the spear to a distance of 59.46m to clinch the bronze while Rinku finished fourth.
While, Yogesh Kathuniya added a silver for India in men's discus throw F56 event with a best throw of 42.05m yesterday.