Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 07 April 2022

::National::

Tribunal finds discrepancies in Assam woman’s claims, declares her foreigner

A woman from Assam’s Cachar district, who claims that her father’s name was in electoral rolls in 1966, 1970 and 1989, has been declared a foreigner by foreigners tribunal-1 of Silchar, after finding discrepancies in her records.
The foreigners tribunal declared Archana Devi Das (45), a resident of Uttar krishnapur part-3 in Cachar district, a foreigner of post 1971 stream on February 25, 2022.
Her citizenship was first questioned by the Election Commission of India in 1997. Three cases were registered against her later, in 1998, 1999 and 2011. A notice was issued by FT-1 on August 18, 2021, it was served accordingly. She appeared before the tribunal and submitted her written statement on December 15, 2021.
In the affidavit she submitted, Archana claimed that her father’s name is Harendra Chandra Das and mother’s name is Jyotsna Das. Her father died three years ago and mother died 11 years ago. She claimed that her father’s name appeared in the voters’ list of LA-9, Hailakandi district of Assam, in 1966, 1970 and 1989 and so she is Indian by birth.
Archana also submitted the details of the education institutes she claims to have studied. The headmasters of both the education institutes appeared before the tribunal along with the certificates they issued. In the certificates, it is found that Archana’s surname is Baidya and not Das. She is daughter of Harendra Kumar Baidya and not Harendra Chandra Das, according to the school certificates.
According to the records of the election officer, the wife of Harendra Chandra Das is Pramila Bala Devi. The other family member’s names mentioned by Archana did not match with the records of Election office.

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::International::

US says ready to become India's reliable supplier, to counter Russia dependence

The United States reiterated its objection to New Delhi continuing business as usual with Russia and said that it has clearly conveyed to India that the US does not think India should accelerate imports of Russian energy and other commodities even as they are only importing about 1-2% of their oil.
The US stands ready to support India in its any efforts to diversify its imports, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. On the question of whether not having a confirmed ambassador in New Delhi is coming in the way of persuading India to not engage with Russia, Jen Psaki said sending deputy national security advisor Daleep Singh to India was an example of the various channels the United States has to engage. But US's preference would be to have a confirmed ambassador on the ground.
"It's an incredibly important diplomatic position. We also engage with countries through a range of channels. And obviously, our deputy National Security Advisor was just in India recently in the last few weeks, conveying clearly what the consequences of violating sanctions would be and what the mechanisms are," Jen Psaki said.
The statements come as the US has slapped new sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin's two daughters -- Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Putina.
The United States at present does not have a confirmed ambassador in India as Eric Garcetti who is supposed to be the next ambassador does not have enough votes yet. According to reports, Biden may replace Garcetti's nomination.
The US has been repeating its displeasure with India's continuous engagement with Russia in sectors like oil and defence. In his recent visit to New Delhi, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia is also ready to discuss if India wants to buy anything from Moscow amid the difficult global situation caused by Russia's aggression on Ukraine. US defence secretary Lloys Austin on Tuesday said going forward, the US will want India to downscale India's defence dependence on Russia. US is ready to take the place of Russia, he said.

::Economy::

RITES, IIT-Delhi to collaborate on road design and safety works

RITES, a leading engineering consultancy corporation specialising in the field of transport infrastructure, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-D) to explore avenues of mutual collaboration on road design and road safety consultancy projects.
Through the MoU, RITES and IIT-Delhi intend to bring in best practices by leveraging expertise and technologies of each other to optimise operations and expand on a global level.
The collaboration will not only create a platform to enhance capabilities for carrying out infrastructure projects, but also facilitate exploring of consultancy opportunities arising at various government, semi-government and autonomous bodies as well as private entities and multilateral-funding agencies.
Last week, RITES signed an agreement with the National Railways of Zimbabwe to enable technical support in the field of rail transportation, railway infrastructure development, including leasing of rolling stock and training of personnel among others.
RITES Limited is a leading player in the transport consultancy and engineering sector in India, having diversified services and geographical reach. The company has experience spanning 47 years and has undertaken projects in over 55 countries across Asia, Africa, South America, and Middle East region. RITES Limited is the only export arm of Indian Railways for providing rolling stock overseas (other than Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia).

India's economy to grow 7.5 per cent this year, 8 per cent in 2023: Asian Bank

Asian Development Bank on Wednesday projected a seven per cent collective growth for South Asian economies in 2022 with the subregion's largest economy India growing by 7.5 per cent in the current fiscal year before picking up to eight per cent the next year.
Releasing its flagship Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2022, the Manila-based multi-lateral funding agency said the growth in South Asia is projected to slow to seven per cent in 2022, before picking up to 7.4 per cent in 2023.
The subregion's growth dynamics are largely driven by India and Pakistan. "South Asian economies are expected to expand collectively by seven per cent in 2022 and 7.4 per cent in 2023, with India -- the sub-regions largest economy -- expected to grow by 7.5 per cent this fiscal year (FY23) and eight per cent next fiscal year (FY24)," the agency’s ADO report said.
Pakistan's growth is forecast to moderate to four per cent in 2022 on weaker domestic demand from monetary tightening and fiscal consolidation before picking up to 4.5 per cent in 2023, it said.
ADB said developing Asia's economies are predicted to grow by 5.2 per cent this year and 5.3 per cent in 2023, thanks to a robust recovery in domestic demand and continued expansion in exports.
"However, uncertainties stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the continuing coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, and tightening by the United States Federal Reserve pose risks to the outlook," ADB Outlook said.
Developing Asia comprises 46 member countries of ADB by geographic group: the Caucasus and Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. South Asia comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
"Economies in developing Asia are starting to find their footing as they slowly emerge from the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic," said ADB Chief Economist Albert Park. However, geopolitical uncertainty and new Covid-19 outbreaks and virus variants could derail this momentum.

::Sports::

Golfer Tiger Woods intends to compete in 2022 Masters tournament

US golfer Tiger Woods has said that he intends to play in the 2022 Masters tournament.
"As of right now, I feel like I am going to play," the 46-year-old noted at a press conference at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, US on Wednesday (IST).
Woods, a five-time Masters champion and 15-time major winner, arrived in Augusta on Sunday for preparation and practice, tweeting that it's a "game-time decision" on whether he would compete, Xinhua reports.
"I will be heading up to Augusta today (April 3) to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete," tweeted Woods.