Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (Feb 15th to 21st Feb 2024)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Feb 15th to 21st Feb 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : IMPORTANT DAYS

• Arunachal Pradesh Foundation Day 2024 is observed on the 20th of February 2024.
• The United Nations (UN) World Day of Social Justice is annually observed on February 20 to encourage people to look at how social justice affects poverty eradication.
• Every year February 21 is celebrated as International Mother Language Day 2024 all over the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING NEWS

• India introduced its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) services in Sri Lanka and Mauritius during a virtual event to enable the availability of UPI settlement services for Indian nationals travelling to Sri Lanka and Mauritius, as well as for Mauritian nationals travelling to India.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the issue price of the next tranche of Sovereign Gold Bond has been fixed at Rs 6,263 per gram.
• In a move to support farmers and traders with low-interest rate loans, the Warehousing Development Regulatory Authority (WDRA) and Punjab & Sind Bank (PSB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
• The Government of India (GoI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have finalised a $200 million loan agreement to strengthen flood and riverbank erosion risk management on or beside the 650 km long region of the Brahmaputra River in Assam.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has instructed major international payment players Visa and Mastercard to halt card-based commercial transactions conducted by both small and large businesses.
• The Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched new products on the occasion of the Bank’s 88th Foundation Day, celebrated on February 10, 2024 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has unveiled the report of the impact assessment of the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), a key component of the startups namely Prabhaav.
• The Standing Committee on Finance, chaired by BJP MP Jayant Sinha, has proposed the adoption of an ‘open architecture’ concept for insurance agents to enhance the outreach of insurance products and strengthen distribution infrastructure in the country.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) signed and exchanged Terms of Reference (ToR) to integrate fast payment systems of India and Nepal through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and National Payments Interface (NPI) of Nepal, respectively.
• The National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC) has initiated a forensic audit at Bandhan Bank due to concerns about the evergreening of loans and fictitious loan accounts within certain portfolios covered under credit guarantee schemes.
• Mirae Asset Mutual Fund announces India’s first Multi factor-based Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) on the Nifty Smallcap250 Index, ‘Mirae Asset Nifty Smallcap 250 Momentum Quality 100 ETF’, an open-ended scheme replicating/tracking Nifty Smallcap 250 Momentum Quality 100 Total Return Index, and the ‘Mirae Asset Nifty Smallcap 250 Momentum Quality 100 ETF Fund of Fund’, an open-ended fund of fund scheme investing in units of Mirae Asset Nifty Smallcap 250 Momentum Quality 100 ETF with an aim to provide investors with sector-agnostic exposure within the smallcap category by leveraging a combination of factors.
• Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL), toll collecting arm of state-owned NHAI, has advised highway users to buy FASTags from 32 authorised banks sans Paytm Payments Bank for hassle-free travel.
• The Supreme Court directed the State Bank of India (SBI) to stop issuing electoral bonds immediately.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has officially excluded “Rupee Co-operative Bank Limited” from the Second Schedule of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
• With the latest tranche last month, 30 tranches of electoral bonds issued so far have collected over ₹16,518 crore.
• The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has launched “Amritbaal”, a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings, life insurance” insurance plan for children.
• State Bank of India (SBI) has launched a self-subscribing journey for enrolment under Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) schemes for its customers.
• The insurance regulator IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India) has proposed to extend the free look period for the policies from the current 15 days to 30 days
• Federal Bank has launched its latest banking product, the Stellar Savings Account, to revolutionize the banking sector by offering exceptional benefits and innovative features.
• Mumbai emerged as the city with the largest share of electoral bond sales since the inception of the donation scheme in 2018,however, most of the bonds were encashed in Delhi during the period.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has introduced an exposure draft proposal for an insurance electronic marketplace named Bima Sugam.
• Paymart, a fintech startup, has collaborated with 5 prominent Indian banks, namely IDBI Bank, Indian Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, and Karur Vysya Bank, to introduce a novel virtual, cardless, and hardware-less cash withdrawal service.
• BOBCARD (formerly known as BOB Financial Solutions), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Baroda, and National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has announced the launch of Corporate Credit Card on RuPay Network &with this, BOBCARD has become the second credit card issuer in the ecosystem to have a Corporate Credit Card on RuPay.
• HDFC Bank emerged as the most profitable company in the ongoing financial year, surpassing State Bank of India (SBI) and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) with a net profit of Rs 44,300 crore during the initial nine months of the fiscal year.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) under the aegis of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), and DBS Bank, a prominent financial institution with a strong presence in Asia and Southeast Asia in New Delhi.
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited. (IREDA) and Punjab National Bank (PNB)has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at advancing renewable energy initiatives across the nation.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has disclosed that only one card network has unauthorized Business Payment Solution Providers (BPSP) operations.
• An expert panel convened by the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has recommended specialized insolvency mediation within the framework of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
• All scheduled commercial banks witnessed a decrease in current account deposits, which dropped from 10.43 percent of total deposits in 2022 to 10.13 percent in 2023.
• Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company (Kotak Life) unveiled its digital-centric campaign for the Guaranteed Wealth Builder Plans (GWBP) by Kotak Life.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

• Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala launched a renewed portal of the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) and also released its Radio Jingle at a function in New Delhi.
• According to a study, the first tranche of 10,000 provided under the PM-SVANidhi has increased the annual income of Rs. 23,460 street vendors.
• Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) report and portal was launched by Prof Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog at NITI Aayog.
• India recorded a decline in the unemployment rate in urban areas, dropping from 7.2% to 6.5% between October–December 2022 and October–December 2023 for individuals aged 15 years and above, the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) shows.
• The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is organising a regional Community Radio Sammelan (South) at Anna University Chennai celebrating 20 years of Community Radio in India.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of several developmental projects worth more than nine thousand seven hundred crore rupees at Rewari in Haryana.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 17,000 crore in Rajasthan under the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Rajasthan’ programme via video conferencing.
• In a landmark decision aimed at bolstering the agricultural sector and ensuring the welfare of farmers nationwide, the Government of India (GoI) has announced an increase in the authorized capital of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) from Rs 10,000 Crore to Rs 21,000 Crore.
• India’s natural gas demand is expected to rise by 6 per cent in 2024 with a rise in consumption in fertiliser units, power generation and industrial sectors, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the 4th edition of Khelo India University Games – 2023, Ashtalakshmi at Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati, Assam.
• In a significant push towards revitalizing the Inland Water Transport (IWT) sector and bolstering connectivity in the North Eastern Region, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal will inaugurate pivotal projects of more than Rs. 254 crore at Pandu Port, Guwahati.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 9th edition of Raisina Dialogue will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries including Ministers, former Heads of State and Heads of Government, Military Commanders, Captains of Industry, Technology Leaders, Academics, Journalists, and Scholars on Strategic Affairs in Delh
• India has contributed 1 million US Dollars to the Poverty and Hunger Alleviation Fund established by India, Brazil, and South Africa, IBSAto alleviate poverty and hunger.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth over Rs 32,000 crores in Jammu.
• The Central government has set up a committee to formulate guidelines to address the issue of pesky, promotional or unsolicited commercial calls received by consumers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• The Assam government declared ‘Kaji Nemu’ (Citrus Lemon) as the state fruit.
• The Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, has been passed by the Assam cabinet.
• Arunachal Pradesh has achieved 100% saturation in ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme under the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) with this Arunachal Pradesh has become the first in the northeast and 10th in the country to achieve a cent per cent saturation under the central government sponsored scheme.
• Haryana Chief Minister Shri Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘Van Mitra’ scheme and its portal to encourage community participation in tree planting activities in non-forest areas.
• Odisha Agriculture Minister Shri Ranendra Pratap Swain announced the implementation of the ‘Swayam’ scheme to promote self-employment among youth in Odisha by offering interest-free loans of up to Rs 1 lakh to eligible individuals in both rural and urban areas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BUSINESS NEWS

• The annual rate of inflation based on the All India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) number is 0.27% (Provisional) for January 2024(over January, 2023).
• The National Coal Index (Provisional) has shown a significant decline of 4.75 % in December 2023 at 155.44 points compared to December 2022, where it was at 163.19 points.
• India’s overall exports (Merchandise and Services combined) in January 2024* are estimated to be USD 69.72 Billion, exhibiting a positive growth of 9.28 per cent over January 2023.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) announced the reconstitution of the Expert Committee on the implementation of the Indian Accounting Standards.
• The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has propelled India’s agricultural exports from 0.6 billion US dollars in fiscal year 1987-88 to 26.7 billion US dollars in the fiscal year 2022-23.
• Tesla expects to start production of its long-anticipated, next-generation electric vehicle at its Texas factory in the second half of 2025.
• Despite the global slowdown and the Red Sea situation, exports have increased. India’s goods exports have increased to $36.92 billion, a 3.12% year-over-year increase.
• After a gap of over three years, India emerged as the top buyer of Venezuelan crude for two consecutive months of December 2023 and January 2024, as per shipping fixtures and ship tracking data.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Armed Forces Medical Services and the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee to promote collaborative biomedical research, to aid in improving the combat medical support and patient care of serving personnel.
• The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with Advanced Weapon Equipment India Ltd. (AWEIL), Kanpur for the manufacturing & supply of a total of 463 indigenously manufactured 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote Control Guns (SRCG) for the Indian Navy & Indian Coast Guard at a total cost of Rs. 1752.13 crores, with Indigenous Content (IC) of more than 85%.
• An MoU was signed between the NEC Shillong, IIM Shillong and the MDoNER for continuing the operation of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Centre for Policy Research and Analysis deepening engagement with IIM Shillong at the NEC Secretariat, Shillong and MDoNER joining through weblink.
• In a strategic move to strengthen its green energy initiatives, Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has tied up with BPCL to set up a green hydrogen plant in the airport premises.
• Union Minister for Tribal Affairs; Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Shri Arjun Munda, presided over as the Chief Guest at the Business-to-Business (B2B) Meet organized by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs as part of the ongoing Aadi Mahotsav, in New Delhi.
• India and Colombia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Sharing Successful Digital Solutions Implemented at Population Scale for Digital Transformation& It was signed between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Information Technologies and Communications of Colombia.
• NITI Aayog in partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, successfully organised a two-day National Workshop on “Harnessing Potential of Fisheries in Inland States” in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• To enhance disaster management, the UP government will collaborate with IIT Roorkee to strengthen disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts over the next five years.
• To strengthen the direct access to consumers or markets for fishermen and unlock the potential of digital commerce in the field of Indian Fisheries, the Department of Fisheries (GoI) will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited and IBM announced their partnership to create a “Super App” aiming to provide customers with a single digital financial services platform.
• The Department of Fisheries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) in the presence of Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Shri Parshottam Rupala, Minister of State Dr. L Murugan, Secretary (Fisheries) Dr Abhilaksh Likhi, Joint Secretary (Inland Fisheries), Shri Sagar Mehra, MD, ONDC Shri. T. Koshy and other esteemed dignitaries at New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• With a market cap of Rs 15.6 trillion, Reliance Industries (RIL) topped the chart of the most valuable Indian companies in 2023, for the third year in a row, closely followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
• The Indian School of Business (ISB) has outperformed its peers to become the top-ranked Indian business school and 31st globally in the Financial Times (FT) Global MBA Ranking 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE

• The National Conference on APAAR: One Nation One Student ID Card was inaugurated by Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi.
• At the World Government Summit 2024, India secured the prestigious 9th GovTech Prize for endeavours in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered government services.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• Life Insurance Corporation of India’s (LIC) shareholding in SBI Cards and Payments Services crossed 5% with the insurer, as an investment function, acquiring a little more than three lakh shares in the non-banking financial company at an average cost of ₹716 per share.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) accepted Adani Power Limited and Dickey Alternative Investment Trust’s bid to purchase a 100% stake in Coastal Energen Private Limited.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• The chartered accountants’ apex body Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) announced that Ranjeet Kumar Agarwal and Charanjot Singh Nanda have been elected as President and Vice President of the institute, respectively.
• Sanjay Kumar Jain, an Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS) Officer of the 1990 batch has taken over the charge of Chairman & Managing Director of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC).
• Virendra Bansal has been appointed as the new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of SBI Capital Markets (SBICAPS), the wholly-owned subsidiary and investment banking arm of State Bank of India (SBI).
• Former Prime Minister of Finland Alexander Stubb became the 13th President of Finland replacing Sauli Niinisto.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has made an astounding accomplishment by surpassing the ₹1 Lakh Crore mark in terms of total order value transacted through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal, also known as Gross Merchandise Value (GMV).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The ‘Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director’ and the ‘Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration’, which are part of the National Film Awards, have been renamed on the recommendation of the Committee for Rationalisation of Film Awards.
• The 69th Hyundai Filmfare Awards 2024 was held in Gujarat in partnership with Gujarat Tourism to honour the art of movie-making, acting, dialogue writing and music.
• REC Limited, a Maharatna Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC, has been honoured with the ‘Innovative Technology Development Award’ at the ‘Building India 2047: Technology for Better Tomorrow’, an IIT Madras Corporate Social Responsibility Summit.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Google has renamed its chatbot Bard to Gemini, presenting it as an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool accessible to users worldwide.
• C-DOT (Centre for Development of Telematics), the leading Telecom R&D Centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R) to embark on a groundbreaking initiative.
• Google has introduced its latest artificial intelligence (AI) model, Lumiere, a multimodal video generation tool capable of producing realistic 5-second-long videos.
• The Healthy Indian Project (THIP) has been included as a member of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Vaccine Safety Net (VSN) to serve as a global network of websites providing trustworthy and verified vaccine safety information.
• In a bid to enhance the forecasting and management of air pollution, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has initiated an extensive series of flights across Asia using its DC-8 flying laboratory.
• Bengaluru-based space start-up Pixxel plans to launch a series of small, home-built satellites – Fireflies from June that could have a finer look at the Earth with its five-metre resolution hyper-spectral imagery.
• India’s smartphone shipments remained flat in 2023 at 152 million units and Samsung took the top spot, for the first time since 2017, with an 18% share, though lesser than what it had in 2022 at 19.4%.
• As per the data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Cassini spacecraft unveils a significant discovery – a vast ocean exists beneath the icy surface of Saturn’s moon Mimas.
• In Jammu and Kashmir, a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department of IIT Jammu, Karan Nathwani has developed an anti-drone system that works mainly on sound technology.
• OpenAI, the creator of the ChatGPT, has unveiled a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) model Sora that can convert a text prompt into video.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SPORTS NEWS

• The Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024 began in Shah Alam, Malaysia.
• In the Pro Kabaddi League, three-time champions Patna Pirates defeated Telugu Titans 38-36 at Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
• Arunachal Pradesh is set to host the final rounds of 77th edition of National Football Championship of Santosh Trophy, 2024 scheduled from February 21-March 9 at Golden Jubilee Outdoor Stadium, Yupia, Itanagar.
• Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur along with International Chess Federation FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich handed off Torch Relay for the 45th Chess Olympiad at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.
• Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed his 500th Test wicket in the first innings of the third Test match against England at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. The 37-year-old achieved this monumental feat in his 98th Test Match.
• India’s Sumit Nagal won the Chennai Open ATP Challenger title over top seed Luca Nardi of Italy at the SDAT Tennis Stadium in Chennai & he became the first Indian to win a men’s singles event at the Chennai Open ATP level event.
• Australia beat India by 79 runs to win their fourth ICC U19 World Cup.
• India’s Divyansh Singh Panwar won the gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle shooting event at the ISSF World Cup 2024 in Cairo.
• India has concluded the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran with three gold, one silver and two national records.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• Renowned litterateur and Padma Shri awardee Usha Kiran Khan passed away at the age of 78 in Patna, Bihar.
• India’s oldest Test cricketer and former captain, Dattajirao Gaekwad, passed away at the age of 95 due to age-related issues.
• Actor Kavita Chaudhary, the canny, kind Lalitaji from 1980s ad for Surf detergent and star of the popular Doordarshan serial “Udaan”, passed away at the age of 67.

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