Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 19 August 2022

::National::

IRCTC not selling user data, reports ‘totally fictitious’: Official

The Indian Railways Catering & Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has dismissed media reports claiming it is planning to monetise passenger and freight customer data. Several reports suggested the objective behind the same was to generate revenue up to ₹1,000 crore. The reports did rounds on social media platforms and received backlash from those advocating digital rights.
A senior official at the IRCTC claimed that the media reports were totally fictitious and that the company does not sell its data and there is no intention to do such things, reported ANI.
The official also said that IRCTC does not store any financial data of its customers on its system server, as at the time of online payment for its various services, control is passed on to the respective Payment Gateway or bank for the payment.
Reports had further claimed that a consultant of international repute was expected to study the data of passenger, freight and parcel business as well as any vendor-related data from applications of Indian Railways. The IRCTC official rejected the claims while speaking to ANI and said that consultants were being hired to improve existing businesses and advise on new business lines which can be adopted by IRCTC and Indian Railways in near future.
According to the tender document, the IRCTC had chalked up a plan to study and use customer data including “name, age, mobile number, gender, address, e-mail ID, class of journey, payment mode, login or password,” in addition to behavioural data such as payment and booking mode, frequency of journey, etc.

Printed Study Materials for IBPS, SBI Bank Exam

::International::

Putin, Macron call for IAEA inspection of Ukraine nuclear plant

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron called for independent inspections at the Moscow-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the Kremlin
Putin "stressed that the systematic shelling by the Ukrainian military of the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant creates the danger of a large-scale catastrophe that could lead to radiation contamination of vast territories".
According to the Kremlin, both leaders called for experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the plant "as soon as possible" and "assess the real situation on the ground".
"The Russian side confirmed its readiness to provide the Agency inspectors with the necessary assistance," the statement said.
It later specified that Putin had dropped his demand that the IAEA team travel to the site via Russia, saying it could arrive via Ukraine "in respect of Ukrainian sovereignty".
Putin and Macron will speak again "in the coming days on this subject after talks between the technical teams and before the deployment of the mission," the Elysee said.
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was seized by Russian troops in March and recent fighting around it has raised the spectre of a nuclear incident comparable to Chernobyl.
Both Kyiv and Moscow have this week accused each other of preparing "provocations" at the facility.

::Economy::

Rajasthan accounted for highest share in cost of projects in FY22: RBI

Rajasthan accounted for the highest share in the total cost of projects sanctioned by banks and financial institutions in 2021-22, retaining the top place for two consecutive years, as per an article published in RBI bulletin.
Rajasthan was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
"State-wise data reveals that during 2021-22, more than half (56.4 per cent) of the projects were taken up in five states, viz., Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu," said the article titled 'Private Corporate Investment: Growth in 2021-22 and Outlook for 2022-23'.
The share of these five states increased significantly from an average share of 40.7 per cent during the period between 2012-13 and 2019-20 to more than 50 per cent during the last two years.
The article uses data on investment intentions by the private corporate sector based on the phasing plans (ex-ante) of their project proposals to arrive at the aggregate investment intentions and assess the outlook for investment activity in the near term.
"After set back in pandemic period, announcements of new investment projects increased significantly during 2021-22, with total cost of project recording an increase of about 90 per cent over 2020-21, but still remaining below the pre-pandemic level," it said.
Infrastructure sector continued to attract maximum capex projects, led by 'power' and 'road and bridges' sectors.
Reflecting various policy initiatives undertaken by the government, investment in renewable energy is gaining traction over the years.

Rupee falls by 12 paise to 79.76 against US dollar in opening trade

The rupee depreciated 12 paise to 79.76 against the US dollar in opening trade on Friday, tracking the strength of the American currency in the overseas market.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 79.75 against the US dollar, then fell to 79.76, registering a decline of 12 paise over the last close.
On Thursday, the rupee depreciated 19 paise to close at 79.64 against the US dollar.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.13 per cent to 107.62.
Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude futures fell 0.37 per cent to USD 96.23 per barrel.
The rupee opened weaker on Friday after the dollar index reached a 1-month high following comments from US Federal Reserve officials over the quantum of rate hikes, said SriramIyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities.
Supports for the USD/INR spot pair are at 79.60 and 79.50 and resistances are at 79.80 and 79.90. A break above the resistances will push the pair to 80.15 levels, Iyer said.
"The rupee could also track the weakness in Asian and emerging market peers led by a fall in the offshore Chinese Yuan," Iyer said, adding that "additionally, strong importers demand for dollars and speculative buying of dollars could also weigh on the domestic unit."
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share Sensex was trading 17.07 points or 0.03 per cent higher at 60,315.07, while the broader NSE Nifty was up 15.35 points or 0.09 per cent to 17,971.85.
Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Thursday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,706.00 crore, as per exchange data.

::Sports::

Manisha Kalyan becomes first Indian to play UEFA Women's Champions League

Young striker ManishaKalyan has become the first Indian footballer to play at the UEFA Women's Champions League when she made her debut for Apollon Ladies FC in the European Club competition in Engomi, Cyprus.
Kalyan replaced Cyprus' Marilena Georgiou in the 60th minute at the Makareio Stadium, as Apollon Ladies FC beat Latvian top flight club SFK Riga 3-0 in their UWCL opener on Thursday.
The 20-year-old had emerged as the fourth Indian women's international footballer to sign for an overseas club when she landed a multi-year contract with Cypriot top division winners Apollon Ladies.
Kalyan had produced impressive performances for the national team and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women's League (IWL).