Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (August 08th to 14th August 2021)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 08th to 14th August 2021. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2021 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• To raise awareness about the handloom industries and hand-weavers, the Modi Government announced August 7 as the National Handloom Day in the year 2015 & the theme of 2021 is “Hand Loom – An Indian Legacy.”
• Nation observes 79th anniversary of Quit India movement on  8 August
• The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population with the theme of “Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract.” 
• Nagasaki Day is observed on 9 August & In 2021, the world is observing the 76th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing.
• Globally every year on August 10 World Lion Day is observed, to raise awareness about lions and to mobilise support for their protection and conservation.
• The World Biofuel Day is observed every year on August 10, to raise awareness about the importance of non-fossil fuels as an alternative to conventional fossil fuels and highlight the various efforts made by the Government in the biofuel sector.
• Every year, International Youth Day is observed on August 12 & the theme of 2021 is “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”. 
• World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 every year to help protect elephants for maintaining the biodiversity of rainforests
• August 13 of every year is observed as World Organ Donation Day aimed at raising awareness about the importance of organ donation and encourages people to take a pledge for the same.
• International Left Handers Day is an international day observed annually on August 13 to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of left-handed individuals.
• PM Narendra Modi interacts with women self-help groups (SHGs) under the “Aatmanirbhar Narishakti se Samvad”

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Union Minister of Culture G Kishan Reddy inaugurated an exhibition on the Quit India Movement in New Delhi which has been organized on its 79th anniversary.
• A study by ICMR involving 98 people, 18 of whom had inadvertently received Covishield as first dose and Covaxin as the second in Uttar Pradesh, showed that combining these two Covid-19 vaccines elicited better immunogenicity than two doses of the same vaccine.
• Karnataka has become the first state in the country to issue the order with regard to the implementation of National Education Policy-2020.
• The Centre told the Delhi High Court that Twitter was prima facie in compliance with the new Information Technology Rules by appointing a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) and Nodal Contact Person on permanent basis.
• The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released 5th monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit (PDRD) Grant of Rs. 9,871 crore to the States on 9th August, 2021.
• The Supreme Court asked the Centre to submit the action taken report within two weeks on the recommendations of court-appointed National Task Force (NTF) on allocation of oxygen to states and Union Territories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
• As India’s import dependency on edible oil continues to rise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 11,000 crore National Edible Oil Mission-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to make India self-sufficient in cooking oils, including palm oil.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the industry of government and businesses working together for a self-reliant India at the annual meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
• Shri Anil Kumar Jain, the CEO, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) and the Chairman of Coordination Committee, India Internet Governance Forum 2021 (IGF), announced the launch of India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) -2021 at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi.
• National Policy for Older Persons (NPOP) followed by, a National Council for Older Persons (NCOP) was constituted in 1999 under the Chairpersonship of the Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment to oversee implementation of the Policy and advise the Government in the formulation and implementation of policy and programmes for the aged.
• National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) is conceptualized as an international tourist destination, dedicated to the legacy of maritime heritage of India, at Lothal, Gujarat
• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav released the population estimation protocol to be adopted in the exercise to be taken up for the All India elephant and tiger population estimation in 2022. 
• The Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, Government of India annually brings out the 60th annual Public Sector Enterprises Survey on the performance of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched a brand and logo called ‘SonChiraiya, for marketing the products of urban self-help groups (SHGs).
• On Aug 12, 2021, India’s renewable energy capacity crossed the milestone of 100 gigawatts (GW).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• China has opened a newly constructed terminal – stated to be the biggest in Tibet – at the provincial capital Lhasa, further expanding the transport infrastructure in the strategic Himalayan region and helping it emerge as a global logistics hub for South Asia.
• India started the Covid-19 vaccination drive on January 16, 2021; in the first phase, all healthcare workers were eligible to take the shot that was later extended to frontline workers on February 2.
• Facebook stated it was launching a one-year joint initiative with UNICEF India on ending violence against children with a special focus on online safety.
• On Aug 09, 2021, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the Working Group I contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report titled “Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis”.
• Iran’s new ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi named the chairman of a powerful state-owned foundation sanctioned by the United States as his first vice-president.
• With representatives from nearly 200 countries at the United Nations Climate Summit underway in the United States, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the apex referee for scientific evidence on the impact of global warming made public a special report that underlined the dire changes taking place in oceans, glaciers and ice-deposits on land and sea.
• Chief Scientist WHO Dr Soumya Swaminathan, currently in India, called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• In the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha flagged off Cyclothon event ‘Pedal for Dal’ from the shores of the Dal Lake in the run-up to the Independence Day celebrations.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch Ujjwala 2.0 (Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana – PMUY) by handing over LPG connections at Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh on August 10.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched eNagar mobile application and portal.
• Chhattisgarh, carved out of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 2000, became the first State on August 09 to recognize the Community Forest Resource Rights in urban areas.
• Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed, Indore, the country’s cleanest city, has now been declared the first “water plus” city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2021.
• Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated the Bungus Awaam Mela with grand arrangements for village games, exhilarating local performances, and other activities to celebrate the 75th year of Independence at Bungus valley in Kupwara district.
• Nitin Gadkari stated 42 works costing Rs.615.48 crores were sanctioned at the request of the Uttarakhand government under the Central Road Infrastructure Fund Union Roads, transport, and Highway Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced 1,000 crore for new national highways in Uttarakhand and an additional Rs.300 crore for the Central Road Infrastructure Fund.
• Indian Air Force (IAF) has built one of the world’s highest mobile air traffic control (ATC) towers at the Advanced Landing Ground in Ladakh’s Nyoma area.
• Assam’s Kaziranga National Park (KNP) became the first national park in India to be equipped with satellite phones.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched the e-crop survey initiative which will become effective in Maharashtra from August 15.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• India approved US major Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) single dose Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.
• The Uttar Pradesh government has renamed a landmark freedom movement event as Kakori Train Action while paying tributes to the revolutionaries who were hanged for robbing a train at Kakori to buy weapons in 1925.
• India’s retail inflation eased to a three-month low in July, back within the Reserve Bank’s tolerance level (2 per cent-6 per cent) after staying above the upper band for two straight months.
• NITI Aayog has released a handbook to guide state governments and local bodies to frame policies and norms towards setting up charging networks for electric vehicles.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

• To increase non-life insurance penetration in the rural market, SBI General Insurance will tap customers of fintech player SahiPay, which provides digital and financial services in the semi-urban and rural parts of the country.
• The Monetary Policy Committee of RBI kept the Repo rate unchanged at 4 percent & the Repo rate was kept unchanged for the 7th consecutive time.
• To provide easy access to investors to participate in public and rights issues by using various payment avenues, markets regulator Sebi allowed payments banks to carry out the activities of investment bankers.
• DBS has been honoured as the global winner for Most Innovative in Digital Banking by Financial Times publication, The Banker, in its 2021 Innovation in Digital Banking Awards.
• Central Bank of India has entered into a strategic Co-lending Partnership with Dhanvarsha Finvest (DFL) to offer loans against gold ornaments under priority sector to MSME borrowers at competitive rates.
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has launched ‘Digital Prayaas‘, an App based end to end digital lending platform.
• Amid the pandemic, as many businesses were forced to shut down, Union Bank of India is providing Rs 30 crore loans for various financial schemes to micro, small and medium enterprises to provide support so they can re-establish themselves.
• RBI to levy penalty Rs 10,000 per ATM on ATMs that run out of cash from October 1
• The Reserve Bank of India notified the enhancement of collateral free loans to self-help groups (SHGs) from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM).
• The Finance Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that over 82 crore Jan Dhan (PMJDY) accounts are inoperative.
• The 21 para-athletes who are part of the IndusInd Bank’s ‘Para Champions Programme’ will represent the country at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo between 24 August and 5 September.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) informed it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 crore on Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. for deficiencies in regulatory compliances.
• RBL Bank has chosen Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, as its preferred cloud provider to strengthen its AI powered banking solutions and drive digital transformation at the Bank, adding significant value to the Banks innovative offerings, saving costs, and tightening risk controls.
• Deutsche Bank, a leading German bank with strong European roots and a global network spread across 59 countries, has received approval from the GIFT SEZ Authority to set up an IFSC banking unit at India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) at GIFT City, Gujarat.
• The Reserve Bank has canceled the license of Raigad based Karnala Nagari Sahakari Bank Limited in Maharashtra.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

• Bollywood superstar and MotoGP enthusiast, John Abraham was announced as the India Ambassador for Eurosport India’s Motorsport property – MotoGP. 
• Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba has been given a one-year extension by the government, according to a Ministry of Personnel order.
• The Central Government has given a three-year extension to Rekha Sharma ( 57-year-old ) as Chairperson of the National Commission for Women.
• Home interiors brand HomeLane has appointed Mahendra Singh Dhoni as an equity partner and brand ambassador with a 3 year strategic partnership.
• The Union government unveiled the draft of a bill to replace higher education regulator University Grants Commission (UGC) with a Higher Education Commission.
• A public awareness campaign is being run by the Reserve Bank of India to warn people of digital banking frauds & the RBI has roped in Neeraj Chopra, Olympic gold medalist for this campaign.
• Senior bureaucrat Kamlesh Kumar Pant, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as chairperson of the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) by the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet.
• In Mizoram, Brig (Dr.) D. Mishra (Retd.) has assumed additional charge of Governor of the state.
• Cashify, a re-commerce marketplace that sells and buys used smart phones and other electronic gadgets, has appointed Rajkummar Rao as its first brand ambassador.
• Senior IPS officer Sudhir Kumar Saxena was appointed as Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Bhutan’s India-assisted Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project was conferred with the Brunel Medal awarded by the London-based Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award will now be known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award.
• Edtech major Byju’s announced a Rs 2 crore cash reward for Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education has announced a national award for Andhra Loyola College, Vijayawada for environmental best practices and conducting Swachh programmes.
• Maharashtra’s minister of state for Information and Technology Satej Patil stated the Rajiv Gandhi IT award will be given yearly on August 20, his birth anniversary.
• Nagaland has bagged seven prestigious national awards in the Van Dhan Vikas Yojana (VDVY) and Minimum Support Price (MSP) schemes for exemplary performance in various categories.
• As many as 152 police officers in the country have been conferred with the ‘Union Home Minister’s Medal for Excellence in Investigation’ for 2021 for their high professional standards of investigation of crime.
• Union Govt. announces winners of Prime Minister’s Shram Awards (PMSA) for 2018 comprising Shram Bhushan, Shram Vir/Shram Veerangana and Shram Shree/Shram Devi Awards

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

• India has emphasized the implementation of the recently-signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh over disaster management, resilience and mitigation on a priority basis.
• India Insurtech Association (IIA), a not-for-profit body promoting tech-driven insurance ecosystems in India inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with International Financial Services Centre at GIFT City, (GIFT-IFSC) to collaborate on building thought leadership in the field of insurance and promoting GIFT City for Indian and foreign insurance companies.
• Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has recently announced that the government has signed a MoU between the Delhi Board of School Education and International Baccalaureate (IB), paving the way for students from government schools to access educational facilities of the highest level.
• The B Borooah Cancer Institute (BBCI) and Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for research collaborations.
• Indian and American bodies have signed an agreement on monsoon data analysis and cooperation to improve weather forecasts in the region.
• Recognizing the role of innovations to strengthen India’s response to COVID-19 crisis and preparedness for emerging healthcare needs, the National Health Authority has signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• On Aug 08, 2021, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Navies carried out a naval exercise ‘Zayed Talwar 2021’ Off Abu Dhabi Coast.
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that  101-member contingent of the Indian Army will participate in International Army Games 2021
• On Aug 09, 2021, India and Saudi Arabia are all set to conduct their first-ever naval exercise Al-Mohed Al-Hindi 2021
• For the first time, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) inducted two women officers Prakriti and Diksha who have been commissioned as combatised officers.
• On Aug 11, 2021, The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully test-fired 1,000-km range Nirbhay cruise missile from Chandipur testing facility in Odisha.
• The Quad navies will be conducting the annual Malabar naval exercises, from August 21, off the coast of Guam, in the Indo-Pacific.
• On Aug 10, 2021, The Indian Navy participated in the S. Navy-led Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) military exercise in Singapore.
• On Aug 12, 2021, the Pakistan Army successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface ballistic missile Ghaznavi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPS & SERVICES

• On Aug 07, 2021, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr Virendra Kumar launched PM-DAKSH Portal and PM-DAKSH Mobile App, to make the skill development schemes accessible to the target groups.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The United States has approved the sale of Harpoon Joint Common Test Set (JCTS) and related equipment to India for an estimated cost of $82 million.
• Indonesia’s most volatile volcano Mount Merapi ( Literally Known as Fire Mountain ) erupted on the densely populated island of Java.
• Indian Space Research Organization is set to launch a INS-2B Bhutanese satellite in December 2021.
• On Aug 12, 2021, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to launch its most advanced geo-imaging satellite, the Earth observation satellite (EOS) – GISAT-1 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced the countdown for the launch of the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 EOS-03 mission from the second launch pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.
• Secretary, DOS and Chairman of ISRO Dr K Sivan, inaugurated the ‘Health QUEST study (Health Quality Upgradation Enabled by Space Technology of ISRO)’ through videoconferencing.
• Chandrayaan-2, ISRO’s second lunar mission, has detected the presence of water molecules on the moon.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS 

• A New Book Titled A Begum and A Rani : Hazrat Mahal & Lakshmibai in 1857 authored by Rudrangshu Mukherjee 
• Veteran Bollywood actress, Shabana Azmi has launched the book titled “The Year That Wasn’t – The Diary of a 14-Year-Old” & the book was written by a 14-year-old girl, Brisha Jain & the book has been published by Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd.
• Popular children’s author Sudha Murty launches a new book titled How The Earth Got Its Beauty & the book is published by Penguin Random House imprint Puffin, has illustrations by Priyanka Pachpande.
• Award-winning author Anuradha Roy’s new novel titled  ‘The Earthspinner’ will be released on September 03, 2021 & the book will be Published by Hachette India.
• Rijula Das authored a novel titled “A Death in Shonagachhi” & the Novel is Published by Picador India.
• On Aug 09, 2021, the Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu released a new book titled ‘Accelerating India: 7 Years of Modi Government’ at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas, New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AGREEMENTS

• Asian Development Bank has approved a USD 300 million loan as additional financing for the ongoing Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project that is upgrading rural roads and connecting remote areas with markets.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

• On Aug 06, 2021, The Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju attended the eighth meeting of Ministers of Justice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) On virtually.
• On Aug 09, 2021, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi becoming the first India PM chaired the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate via video conferencing & the Theme of the debate : ‘Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation’.
• On Aug 06, 2021, to the 28th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers Meeting, the Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh led India’s delegation.
• On Aug 09, 2021, The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced that India will host the first Internet Governance Forum in the country for three days beginning October 20, 2021.
• On Aug 13, 2021, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Investor Summit in Gujarat via video conference.
• On August 12, 2021, India organized the IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) Tourism Ministers’ meeting through Virtually.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : RANKING & INDEX

• On Aug 10, 2021, a new Global Youth Development Index was released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, According to that index India is ranked 122nd measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries.
• The Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, has been named the “Best Airport in the World” in the 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards.
• The number of billionaires in India came down to 136 in 2020-21 from 141 in 2019-20, based on the gross total income declared in the income tax return.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ECONOMY

• The Agriculture Ministry announces In the crop year 2020-21, India’s foodgrain production is projected to rise by 3.74 per cent to a new record of 65 million tonnes.
• APEDA collaboration with Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation Ltd (HPMC) exported five unique varieties of apples

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

• On Aug 05, 2021, 23-year-old  Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland won the 2021 FIDE World Cup after beating GM Sergey Karjakin in the finals at a score of 1.5/0.5.
• On Aug 07, 2021, 23-year-old India’s javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra won a gold medal in men’s javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Games & Neeraj Chopra threw 58m in his second attempt to claim the yellow medal.
• On Aug 07, 2021, In men’s freestyle 65kg wrestling, Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia won the bronze medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020.
• In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the United States has topped the overall with 113 medals, which includes 39 Gold, 41 Silver and 33 Bronze Medal.
• Veteran Bollywood actress, Shabana Azmi has launched the book titled “The Year That Wasn’t – The Diary of a 14-Year-Old” & the book was written by a 14-year-old girl, Brisha Jain & the book has been published by Vitasta Publishing Pvt Ltd.
• The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) decided to name August 7 as ‘Javelin Throw Day’ in India to honour Neeraj Chopra’s first historic Olympic gold.
• On Aug 13, 2021, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur will launch the Nationwide programme of Fit India Freedom Runs 2.0 as part of the celebration of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav-India@75”.
• Asia’s oldest and world’s third oldest football tournament, Durand Cup’s 130th Edition, is scheduled to be held at Kolkata between September 05 to October 03, 2021.
• The International Cricket Council has confirmed it will campaign for the inclusion of the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
• Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has accomplished number 2 rank in the World Athletics ranking  2021 after winning the gold medal in Tokyo.
• On Aug 12, 2021, The 54-member Indian contingents were given a formal send-off by Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in virtual format.
• On Aug 11, 2021, All-rounder and captain of the West Indies women squad Stafanie Taylor and Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan were named as the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for July 2021.
• Former India U-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand has announced his retirement from Indian cricket.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• On Aug 08, 2021, Veteran actor Anupam Shyam Passed away.
• Cartoonist, sculptor and folk singer P.S. Banarji passed away.
• On Aug 09, 2021, War hero Commodore Kasargod Patnashetti Gopal Rao passed away.
• Legendary  Renowned Ayurvedacharya Balaji Tambe passed away.
• On Aug 09, 2021, Malayalam actress Saranya Sasi, Passed away.
• On Aug 09, 2021, Former international hockey player Gopal Bhengra passed away.

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