Current Affairs For Bank, IBPS Exams

12 February, 2014

Number one car exporter

• Nissan has displaced Maruti to become the second-largest passenger car exporter from India. Hyundai remains the number one car exporter.

• Nissan has been shipping more India-built cars than Maruti in the past two months, and it has now emerged as the second big exporter of cars with its total volumes standing at 94,931 units when compared with Maruti’s exports of 79,945 units in the first 10 months of current fiscal. In the year-ago period, Nissan and Maruti exported 80,867 units and 95,526 units, respectively.

• Though the domestic car market is going through its worst phase with plummeting sales, exports continue to maintain some momentum with a marginal growth. Over all passenger vehicle exports, however, have seen a rise of seven per cent, driven by a significant growth in exports of utility vehicles.

• Many global brands have made Indian operations as their manufacturing hub for small cars and have been attempting to sell India-built cars in more markets in view of the slump in domestic sales as also to take advantage of weak rupee.

Interim railway budget

Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has presented interim rail budget for the next fiscal in what will be his personal first and the last such exercise for the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

Highlights of interim railway budget 2014-15:

Following are the highlights of the Interim Railway Budget 2014-15 presented in the Lok Sabha by Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge:

• 17 new premium trains to be introduced
• Rs.19,805 crore budgetary support needed for the fiscal 2014-15
• Electrification of 4,556 km railway line was completed against a target of 4,500 km
• Target of doubling gauge was also surpassed: 2,227 km was completed against a target of 2,000 km
• Seeks approval of spending for first four months of fiscal 2014-15
• Railway services to expand to hinterland and frontiers of India
• To start train services for Vaishno Devi shrine to Katra in Jammu and Kashmir
• Setting up 11.2 km tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir

IPL 2014 auctions

• All-rounder Yuvraj Singh drew the biggest bid after the first four rounds of the Indian Premier League players’ auction with Royal Challengers Bangalore clinching his services for a whopping Rs. 14 crore in Bangalore.
  Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik emerged as a surprise big draw going for Rs. 12.5 crore to Delhi Daredevils, who had decided not to retain a single player before the auctions.

• Batsman Kevin Pietersen, whose England career came to an abrupt end after a disastrous Ashes campaign, fetched a huge Rs. 9 crore purse, bought by Delhi Daredevils, the franchise he played for last season.

• Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson (Rs. 6.5 crore, Kings XI Punjab), Indian opener Murali Vijay (Rs. 5 crore, Delhi Daredevils), South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis (Rs. 5.5 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders), Robin Uthappa (Rs. 5 crore, KKR), West Indian batsman Dwayne Smith (Rs. 4.5 crore, Chennai Super Kings), Amit Mishra (Rs. 4.25 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Aaron Finch (Rs. 4 crore, SRH) were some of the players who triggered intense bidding wars in first three rounds of the auction.

• As many as 514 players are going under the hammer over two days, 318 of whom are Indians, including uncapped players, who are being auctioned for the first time.

Real Madrid’s third Copa del Rey final

• Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid reach its third Copa del Rey final in four seasons with a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid and a 5-0 victory on aggregate.
• Atletico beat Madrid at its Santiago Bernabeu Stadium to lift the trophy last season, but exits the domestic cup competition with doubts about its surprise Spanish league aspirations.
• Madrid will face either Barcelona or Real Sociedad in the April 19th final, with Barcelona leading 2-0 going into the second leg at San Sebastian.

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