GUJARAT

Gujarat set to give China stiff competition in hormone APIs
Gujarat could potentially breach China a virtual monopoly in catering to India’s $400 million hormonal active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) market.
Gujarat’s first and India’s only second unit dedicated to making hormonal API has received the mandatory World Health Organization (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification. API is the main part of any medicine which produces its actual effect.
The unit has started making progesterone API, the vital female hormone responsible for pregnancy sustenance.

According to industry sources, China caters to over two-thirds of $400 million hormone and steroid API demand in India. However, the local firms are exposed to issues like sudden shortfall and subsequent price increase, lack of regulatory compliances and quality.

Indian pharma companies import about 35-40 metric tonnes of API for making progesterone inducing drugs and the entire demand is catered by China.

INTERNATIONAL

World Pneumonia Day: November 12

World Pneumonia Day is observed on 12th November every year around the world.

World Pneumonia Day was first observed in 2009 when over 100 organisations joined to form the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia.

World Pneumonia Day helps to highlight the severity of pneumonia and encourages more organisations to look at ways of fighting the disease.

Extreme weather events: India 6th most vulnerable country

India is the sixth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of facing extreme weather events with Haiti, Zimbabwe, Fiji, Sri Lanka and Vietnam taking top five positions in the fresh list of nations facing climate risk.

The ranking was released here by the German watch, an independent Berlin-based development and environmental organization, in its latest global climate risk index (CRI).

The Index put the United States (US) at 10th position with Chinese Taipei, Macedonia and Bolivia being the other three vulnerable countries in the list of top ten.

31st ASEAN Summit started in Philippines
The Philippines will conclude its year-long ASEAN hosting duties with the 31st ASEAN Summit from 12-14 November.

Around 20 world leaders are in the Philippines to attend the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit.

ASEAN’s theme for 2017 is ‘Partnering for Change, Engaging the World’.

It was formed on 8 August 1967. It has 10 member countries.

Rodrigo Duterte is the current Chairman of the organization.

NATIONAL

WCD Ministry to celebrate CCI Festival “Hausala 2017”

The Ministry of Women and Child Development will celebrate the Child Rights Week (Hausla 2017) from 16th to 20th November, 2017.

The country celebrates the Children’s Day on 14th November and the International Child Rights Day is celebrated on 20th November every year.

The period between the two important events will be celebrated as Child Rights Week by WCD Ministry by hosting an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).

Varanasi Tops The List of Country’s Most Polluted City

A report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has found that the air quality of holy city Varanasi is most polluted among the 42 cities monitored recently.
Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 4 PM was at an alarming 491, followed by Gurugram at 480, Delhi at 468, Lucknow at 462 and Kanpur at 461.

Notably, pollution level is categorised as ‘severe’ when the AQI ranges between 401 and 500, which affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases.

· Union Government to launch BharatNet Phase 2 project

The Union government will launch its second and final phase of the BharatNetproject to provide high-speed broadband service in all Gram Panchayats by March 2019.
It will be implemented at an outlay of around 34 thousand crore rupees.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is organizing a National Conference in New Delhi in which it will sign MoUs with states for the implementation of the second phase of BharatNet.
Under this phase, broadband connectivity will be provided in remaining 1.5 lakh Gram Panchayats in the country.
Almost 90 thousand installations have been completed and broadband services are expected to commence in 80 thousand Gram Panchayats soon.

· Home loan limit for Central Government employees raised to Rs.25 Lakh from earlier Rs.7.5 lakh

The government has raised the maximum amount that a Central government employee can borrow from the government for house-building to Rs.25 lakh from the earlier 7.5 lakh.
The interest rate on the loan amount shall be at a uniform rate of 5%at simple interest, in place of the earlier four slabs of interest rates ranging from 6% to 9.5%.

· New airport to come up on Lakshadweep Minicoy Island

The Island Development Agency (IDA) decided today to develop an airport at Minicoy Island to boost tourism and promote tuna fishing industry for improving livelihoods in Lakshadweep.
This decision was taken at the second meeting of the IDA chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The IDA was set up on June 1 this year, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s review meeting for the holistic development of islands.

· Odisha and West Bengal to hold joint coastal security exercise

Odisha and its neighboring state West Bengal soon organize a joint security exercise named as ‘Sagar Kavach’ along the 630 km long coastline. It is a real-time security exercise, conducted with an aim to check the efficacy of the security parameters and preparedness of various security forces namely Indian Navy, Marine police force, Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Forest Department, Fisheries and district administration. During the course of this two-day exercise, a simulated terror attack named ‘red force’ will be organized at a random place along the coast of Odisha or West Bengal.

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