Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 27 April 2022

::National::

Nitin Gadkari invites Tesla to manufacture e-vehicles in India

Highlighting the conducive environment for automobile manufacturing in India, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways NitinGadkari on Tuesday said that Elon Musk is welcome to manufacture e-vehicles in India, but in case the Tesla owner desires to build in China and sell here, it cannot be a "good proposition".
Gadkari made the remarks while speaking at a private event in Delhi answering a question on Tesla's concerns on "high duties" in India.
"It is a very easy alternative, if Elon Musk is ready to manufacture a Tesla in India, there is no problem. We have got all competencies, the vendors are available. We have got all types of technology and because of that, he can reduce the cost," Gadkari said.
Inviting Tesla to start manufacturing in India, the Union Minister highlighted that India is a huge market, and infrastructure like ports are available to enable exports.
"He is welcome in India. We don't have any problem, but, suppose, he wants to manufacture in China and sell in India, it cannot be a good proposition for India. Our request to him is, come to India and manufacture here," Gadkari said.
He added that India has all the quality vendors and automobile spare parts that are available in China and that "it can be more easy for him to make here in India and sell in India. He will get good profits from that, and good economics is there. I will request him to come to India and start manufacturing here."

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::International::

China detects 1st human case of H3N8 bird flu, officials say low risk of spread

China has confirmed the first known human case of the H3N8 strain of avian flu, but health authorities say there is a low risk of widespread transmission among people.
H3N8 is known to have been circulating since 2002 after first emerging in North American waterfowl. It is known to infect horses, dogs and seals, but has not previously been detected in humans.
China's National Health Commission on Tuesday said a four-year-old boy living in central Henan province tested positive for the strain after being hospitalised earlier this month with a fever and other symptoms.
The boy's family raised chickens at home and lived in an area populated by wild ducks, the NHC said in a statement.
The boy was infected directly by birds and the strain was not found to have "the ability to effectively infect humans", the commission said.
It added that tests of the boy's close human contacts found "no abnormalities".
The NHC said the boy's case was a "one-off cross-species transmission, and the risk of large-scale transmission is low".
It warned the public to nevertheless stay away from dead or sick birds and seek immediate treatment for fever or respiratory symptoms.
Avian influenza occurs mainly in wild birds and poultry. Cases of transmission between humans are extremely rare.
The H5N1 and H7N9 strains of bird flu, detected in 1997 and 2013, respectively, have been responsible for most cases of human illness from avian influenza, according to the US Centers for Disease Control.

::Economy::

19 firms file applications under PLI scheme for white goods in 2nd round

As many as 19 companies, including LG Electronics and Wipro, have filed applications with proposed investments of Rs 1,548 crore to avail benefits under the production linked incentive scheme for white goods in the second round, the commerce and industry ministry said.
The government in March reopened the application window for its Rs 6,238-crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for air-conditioners (ACs) and LED lights with an aim to accommodate more players as several firms have expressed interest in the initiative.
The ministry said that among the 19 applicants, eight are for AC components and 11 for LED Lights.
Over the next five years, these 19 companies are expected to achieve production of about Rs 26,880 crore of components of ACs and LED Lights and generate direct employment of 5,522 persons, it added.
Several companies like LG Electronics, Mitsubishi Electric, Adani Copper Tubes, Jindal Poly films, Crompton Greaves, Wipro, ZecoAircon, Starion India and Swaminathan Enterprises are among companies which have applied for manufacturing components of Air conditioners and LED Lights, it said.
Applications have been filed for the production of components which are not manufactured in India presently with sufficient capacity.

India's May palm oil imports on track despite Indonesia's curbs: Traders

India's palm oil imports in May are set to rise above 600,000 tonnes despite the restriction imposed by Indonesia on exports as most of the contracted quantity will be loaded before Jakarta's ban becomes effective, traders told Reuters.
The world's biggest palm oil exporter plans from Thursday to stop shipments of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm olein but will allow exports of crude palm oil (CPO) or other derivative products.
The ban could dent India's imports in June as refiners are struggling to secure supplies from Malaysia, traders said.
"Vessel loading is nearly done for May shipments at Indonesian ports. That quantity would be unloaded in India next month," said SandeepBajoria, chief executive of Sunvin Group, a Mumbai-based vegetable oil brokerage and consultancy firm.
In March, India imported 207,362 tonnes of palm oil from Indonesia, including 145,696 tonnes of RBD palm olein.
As Indonesia hasn't banned exports of CPO, Indian refiners will also buy small amounts in the coming months, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.
"Indonesian CPO supplies for exports are very limited.
Buyers will switch to Malaysia, but it has limited surplus," the dealer said.
India imported 539,793 tonnes of palm oil in March, while shipments in April are expected to rise to 600,000 tonnes.

::Science and tech::

Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn to form straight line, to be visible from Earth

After 1,000 years, a rare and unique astronomical event will take place during the last week of April when four planets including Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will align in a straight line in the eastern sky for around one hour before the sunrise, said SubhenduPattnaik, Deputy Director, PathaniSamanta Planetarium, Bhubaneswar.
Speaking to ANI, SubhenduPattnaik said, "During the last week of April 2022, a rare and unique planet alignment will occur, which is popularly known as 'planet parade'' Although there is no scientific definition for 'planet parade', it is being widely used in astronomy to denote an event that takes place when planets of the solar system line up in a row in the same area of the sky."
Pattnaik further explained the three most common types of 'planet parade'. He said when planets line up on one side of the Sun as seen up above the plane of our solar system is termed as the first kind of planet parade. The alignment of three planets on one side of the Sun is very common and can be seen for many days in a year.
Secondly, when some planets appear in a small sector of the sky at the same time regardless of their visibility conditions, from Earth's point of view we term the event also as a planet parade. A planet parade of this type last happened on April 18, 2002 and July 2020 when all planets of the Solar system that are visible to the naked eye lined up in a row in the evening sky," said Pattnaik.
He said the third type of planet parade is on rare occasions where there are favourable conditions for observation of all or some of the planets. These events are also referred to as planet parades. Three planets can be simultaneously observed in the same part of the sky several times a year.
"One hour before sunrise on April 26 and 27, the moon along with four planets will be visible within 30 degrees from the eastern horizon in a near-perfect straight line. If the conditions are right, one can see Jupiter, Venus, Mars and Saturn in a line without the need for binoculars or telescopes. On April 30, the brightest planets - Venus and Jupiter - can be seen very close together. Venus will be 0.2 degrees south of Jupiter," he added.

::Sports::

Indian table tennis not a pretty picture despite Sharath, Mouma show

AchantaSharath Kamal jumped in delight and sprinted across the arena with hands raised as G Sathiyan’s return sailed long, handing him a record 10th men’s singles title at the table tennis national championships in Shillong. Sharath, three months shy of 40, had every reason to celebrate like a teenager. He is still India’s best (world ranking 38)—a rung above Sathiyan. His aching, battered body has taken a toll over the years but he continues to find ways to beat younger opponents and extend his dominance.
Mouma Das, five-time national women’s champion, would have been equally elated though she didn’t win in the end. Making a comeback after three years following childbirth, the 38-year-old was a surprise finalist in the 128-player draw. She eventually lost to AkulaSreeja in the final. It hardly mattered that Mouma’s world ranking has slipped to 782 and there are 22 Indians better placed in that list. ManikaBatra (world No 48), the Commonwealth Games champion who lost in the round of 16, tops that list followed by the promising ArchanaKamath (92), Sutirtha Mukherjee (97)—she played at the Tokyo Olympics—Sreeja (107) and Ayhika Mukherjee (115).