Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (Feb 14th to 20th Feb 2021)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 14th to 20th Feb 2021. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2021 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

• In India, the National Women’s Day is observed every year on 13 February. To mark the birth anniversary of Sarojini Naidu, who is also popularly known as ‘The nightingale of India.
• Every year World Radio Day (WRD) is celebrated on 13 February.
• 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14, 2019, when their convoy was attacked by a suicide bomber on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in J&K’s Pulwama district.
• The National Productivity Day is observed every year on February 12 by the National Productivity Council (NPC).
• Safer Internet Day is observed every year on the second day of the second week of February Theme of 2021 : Together for a better internet”.
• World Human Spirit Day is celebrated on 17 February to make people aware of the simple ways through which we can empower ourselves every day.
• Taj Mahotsav has been celebrated successfully since 1992 in Agra in the month of February for ten days, from 18th February to 27th February in Shilpgram, Near Taj Mahal, Agra.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is addressing the party MPs on the occasion of ‘Samarpan Diwas’ to commemorate the contributions of his party’s founder leader Deen Dayal Upadhyay on his death anniversary.
• To strengthen skills training at district level, the skills development ministry launched the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF) programme nationwide in partnership with nine Indian Institutes of Management across India.
• The three-day famous “Mandu Festival” began at the historic town of Mandu in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh
• The first time in its history, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has opened its UR Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru for testing satellites developed by the private sector.
• The Finance Ministry will infuse Rs 3,000 crore capital into state-owned general insurance companies during the current quarter in a bid to improve their financial health.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled several key development projects worth 6,100 crore rupees at INS Garuda Naval Air Station at Kochi in Kerala.
• In Puducherry, a campaign has been launched titled “Zero Covid by Feb28” to ensure that there are no COVID-19 cases by the end of February 2021.
• Odisha government to construct ‘COVID Warrior Memorial’ at Biju Patnaik Park in Bhubaneswar in recognition of the sacrifice & services rendered by COVID19 warriors who have lost their lives fighting the pandemic.
• The Lok Sabha passed the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 by voice vote.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh through video conferencing.
• Minority Affairs Ministry is organising 26th Hunar Haat of indigenous artisans and craftsmen from across the country at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.
• India will provide Nepalese Rupees(NR) 142 million to Nepal for the restoration and conservation of three cultural heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley.
• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and MapmyIndia, the navigation solutions provider, have joined hands to offer an indigenous mapping solution to take on Google Maps.
• IIT Bombay launched its first-ever annual fundraising campaign in India, Cherish IIT Bombay 2021.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF) via video conferencing.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that unity in diversity is the beauty of Indian democracy and this unique feature is only visible in India.
• The World Bank has released a comprehensive report  titled ‘Traffic Crash Injuries and Disabilities: The Burden on Indian Society’ in association with the SaveLife Foundation.
• Government has made FASTag mandatory on the National Highways. All lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways were declared as FASTag lanes.
• The Union Government has increased the budget of Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences by 30 per cent as compared to the revised estimate of 2020-21.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that Tamil Nadu has become a pioneer in reducing road accidents by fifty per cent.
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Rashtrapati Bhavan Krida Sthal in the President’s Estate which includes renovated Football Ground and Basketball Court.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban, JJM-U.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched e-Chhawani portal.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra initiative, lay the foundation stone of Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge and perform Bhoomi Poojan for construction of Majuli Bridge Assam through video conferencing.
• E-commerce giant Amazon has announced its plans to begin manufacturing devices in India.
• IIT Madras-incubated startup Pi Beam has launched an electric two-wheeler, PiMo, for Rs 30,000. 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of key projects of power and urban sector in Kerala through video conferencing.
• The Union Cabinet approved a production-linked incentive scheme for the telecom sector.
• Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot will virtually release the 3rd edition of the Indian Sign Language (ISL) Dictionary with 10,000 terms (including 6,000 earlier terms)  on 17th February 2021 in a virtual programme.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched a Pilot Pey Jal Survekshan under Jal Jeevan Mission- Urban.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi would launch the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra initiative and lay the foundation stones of one bridge and perform a ground-breaking ceremony (bhumi pujan) of another in Assam via video conferencing.
• The National Informatics Centre (NIC) of India has launched an instant messaging app just like WhatsApp for government employees called Sandes.
• The importance of accurate data for policy making, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar launched software applications for five pan-India surveys, including on migrant and domestic workers.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for key oil and gas sector projects in Tamil Nadu via video conferencing.
• India has joined Iran and Russia in a two-day navy exercise dubbed “Iran-Russia Maritime Security Belt 2021” in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on the occasion of his Birth Anniversary.
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Arbor Day Foundation have recognized Hyderabad as a 2020 Tree City of World, for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forests.
• Foreign Ministers of Quad countries – India, Australia, Japan and US – discussed the necessity to promote freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India is working towards a healthy and COVID-19 free neighbourhood. 
• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has announced that the fourth edition of Prime Minister’s Interaction Programme with school students, teachers and parents – Pariksha Pe Charcha will be held next month.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Pakistan conducted a successful training launch of a surface-to-surface cruise missile which can strike targets up to 450 kilometres, 
• The United States extended the nuclear arms control treaty known as the New START with Russia for the next five years.
• Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay a two-day visit to Moscow on 17th and 18th of February at the invitation of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.
• The first day of the spring called ‘Pahela Phagun’ was celebrated in Dhaka despite the continued shadow of Corona pandemic in the country.
• China last year overtook the United States as the EU’s biggest trading partner, the EU statistics agency Eurostat
• Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Demeke Mekonnen Hassen arrived in New Delhi on a four-day official visit to India.
• Facebook has blocked Australian users from sharing or viewing news content on the platform, causing alarm over public access to key information.
• The French Parliament has approved an Anti-radicalism Bill in a bid to fight the Islamic radicalism.
• The Bangladesh Supreme Court launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) based translation software ‘Amar Vasha’ through a virtual event.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• The Annual Convention of Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India (ADTOI) concluded at Kevadia in Gujarat.
• The 11th Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being held between 14th to 28th February at Cooch Behar, Darjeeling and Murshidabad in West Bengal. 
• Waltair Division, in its efforts to enhance the passenger amenities at Railway stations, has commissioned another innovative facility called Robotic Spa under Non-fare revenue here at Visakhapatnam railway station.  
• Punjab has become the 13th State in the country to successfully undertake “One Nation One Ration Card system”
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the Mukhyamantri Abhyudaya Yojana, a free coaching program meant for students preparing for competitive exams, on Feb 15, 2021
• The tribal painter Bhuri Bai of Madhya Pradesh was invited as the Chief Guest at the Foundation Day celebrations of Bharat Bhavan.
• IIT Bombay launched its first-ever annual fundraising campaign in India, Cherish IIT Bombay 2021. 
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and Maharaja Suheldev Development project and dedicated it to the public Maharaja Suheldev State Medical College (Baharaich) via video conferencing.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation of key projects of the oil and gas sector in Tamil Nadu through video conferencing.
• Kiran Bedi has been removed from the post of Puducherry Lieutenant Governor.
• The number of states successfully completing the Ease of Doing Business reforms has increased to 15.
• Patnaik announced a Rs 200-crore package for the development of the 16th-century shrine of Maa Samaleswari, the presiding deity of western Odisha.
• Sikkim Chief Minister P. S. Tamang launched the ‘Free Gift Milk to Girl Students of Sikkim’ initiative at Gangtok.
• Civil Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted permission for usage of drones to Kochi Metro Rail Limited, Kerala.
• Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has urged the Centre to set up a Centre of Excellence on Maritime Biotechnology in Bhubaneswar in Odisha.
• Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. C. N. Ashwath Narayana, who holds the Higher Education portfolio, has informed that 2,500 classrooms at the higher education level will be converted into smart classrooms in the next two months.
• Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced two new grants, namely, the Chief Minister’s Grant for Journalism and the Chief Minister’s Research Grant.
• All the government hospitals in the country will have Janaushadhi Kendras that sell affordable generic medicines to the common man.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS

• Private life insurer Aegon Life Insurance has elevated Satishwar Balakrishnan to the position of managing director and chief executive officer. 
• Tata Motors Limited said that it has appointed Marc Llistosella as chief executive officer and managing director effective 1 July 2021. 
• The former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi has been sworn in as Italy’s prime minister at the head of a unity government
• Recykal, a digital ‘waste commerce’ solutions provider, has been selected as the first member from India for the World Economic Forum’s Circulars Accelerator programme 2021.
• Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar has been sworn-in as the Chief Justice of Manipur High Court today at Raj Bhavan, Imphal.
• International Solar Alliance (ISA) has announced Ajay Mathur as its new Director General following his election at the first special assembly of ISA members.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Om Prakash Dadhich and Sandeep Kumar Senior IRS officers as members in the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
• Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and first African to be appointed as the head of the World Trade Organization.
• Mahender Singh Kanyal has been appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to Syria.
• GE T&D India Ltd (GETDIL) has announced Mahesh Palashikar as Chairman of its Board of Directors.
• Sinha will oversee UNCDF’s ‘last mile’ finance models to reduce poverty and support local economic development.
• The Institute of Rural Management- Anand (IRMA) announced the appointment of Dr. Umakant Dash to the post of Director.
• Debhashis Mitra has been elected as Vice President.
• Mibe, who is already a director at Honda, would replace Takahiro Hachigo, who has held the CEOpost for six years.
• Page Industriesshares decline after CEO Vedji Ticku resigns ‘owing to personal commitments’ Shares of Page Industries dropped over 5 percent after the Vedji Ticku, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the company resigned “owing to personal commitments”.
• Max Life Insurance Company Ltd (Max Life) has announced the appointment of Amrit Singh as Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President, Strategy.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

• The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Indian Payments and Postal Bank (IPPB) to facilitate opening of bank accounts for construction workers.
• The Reserve Bank set up a committee to draw a vision document for strengthening urban cooperative banks (UCBs) and exploring the potential of consolidation in the sector.
• Private general insurer ICICI Lombard has launched the ‘Corporate India Risk Index’. This is intended to be a unified, standardised corporate risk index that spans industries and companies.
• The Japanese brokerage has projected the GDP of India to grow at 13.5 percent in FY22 (2021-22).
• Kotak Mahindra Bank launched its outward forex remittance service, Kotak Remit, hence allowing its users to directly send money abroad from their phones.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday constituted an eight-member expert committee on Urban Co-operative Banks (UCBs) that is tasked with examining existing issues and providing a road map for strengthening the sector.
• The Kerala Bank has launched ATM demonstration vans to promote digital transactions.
• Global forecasting firm Oxford Economics revised India’s economic growth projection for 2021 to 2 percent from the earlier 8.8 percent.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: CONFERENCES

• The slogan of ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ by the Prime Minister has given boost to domestic tourism stated Union Minister of State (IC) for Tourism & Culture, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, while inaugurating via video conferencing Kevadia, Gujarat.
• AIM and Australia’s national science agency (CSIRO) kick started the India-Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon, 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS & AUTHORS

• A book titled Turn Around India: 2020- Surmounting Past Legacy’ – creating economic awareness among masses authored by R.P. Gupta was launched by Mr Jual Oram, Hon’ble M.P. & Chairperson Standing Committee on Defence, Government of India.
• Peter Mukerjea has come out with his memoir ‘Starstruck: Confessions of a TV executive’
• Former Miss World and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas created ripples when she announced her memoir titled Unfinished. Published by Penguin Random House, the unconventional title hints at the fact that Chopra has many more story-worthy years to live.
• Director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Bareilly Ki Barfi, Panga) has turned novelist with her debut fiction novel, ‘Mapping Love’. The teaser of the novel was released by Rupa Publications.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AGREEMENTS

• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) will provide $400 million to Maldives to fund Greater Male Connectivity Project.
• The Government of India, the Government of Chhattisgarh and the World Bank signed a $100 million project to develop sustainable production systems.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The SERB Women Excellence Award was announced on the occasion of International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2021.
• Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented the National Bal Shree awards to M Madhurima, S Ananthan and K Prajwal at Cliff House. 
• The ITC Grand Chola Hotel, Guindy was awarded the ‘Swachh Hotel’ award as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021 by the Greater Chennai Corporation, for its sustained initiatives in solid waste management.
• Leading digital transformation solutions company UST has been certified as a ‘Top Employer’ in the US, the UK, Malaysia, India, Mexico, Spain, Singapore, and the Philippines for 2021 by the Top Employers Institute (TEI), the global authority
• The High Commission of India in Dhaka announced the winners of the writing competition on the subject ‘What Liberation means to me’ for the youth of Bangladesh.
• S Hareesh’s novel ‘Meesha’, which mixes magic, myth and metaphor into a tale set in Kuttanad, was named the best novel for the year 2019 by Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
• The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been conferred the Skoch Chief Minister of the Year Award.
• Bharat Biotech is being presented the Genome Valley Excellence Award for 2021 for its “breakthrough, pioneering research, development and commercialisation of vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin,” a release said.
• Three children from the state have been selected for the national bravery awards instituted by the Indian Council for Child Welfare (ICCW).
• Bhim Army Chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad and five Indian-origin personalities have been featured in Time magazine’s annual list of 100 ‘emerging leaders who are shaping the future.’
• The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has received the Asia Environmental Enforcement Award-2020 awarded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

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