Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (May 08th to 15th May 2021)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of 08th to 15th May 2021. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2021 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The themethis year is ‘Together we are #unstoppable!.
• World Thalassemia Day is observed every year on May 8th to commemorate Thalassemia victims and to encourage those who struggle to live with the disease. The theme this year is “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassaemia Community”.
• On the second Sunday of May, we honor those women who are our mothers. Mother’s Day is a time-honored tradition of recognizing the women in our lives who raised us, dried our tears, and well, mothered us. 
• National Technology Day2021 on May 11 celebrates the achievements and contributions of Indians to science and technology. The theme of the National Technology Day 2021 theme is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”.
• International Nurses Day is an international day observed around the world on 12 May of each year, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society. The theme for the 2021 is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare.
• The International Day of Families is observed on the 15 May every year. The themeof this year’s International Day of Families is Families and New Technologies.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a new mobile application for psycho social wellness of students and parents. 
• The Press Information Bureau (PIB) organized a workplace vaccination drive in the National Media Centre, New Delhi. 
• The Ministry of Ayush is launching a massive nationwide campaign to distribute its proven poly herbal Ayurvedic drugs AYUSH 64 and Sidha drug Kabasura Kudineer.
• Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur has claimed 1.5 lakh doses of Sputnik V have previously reached India and Russian Direct Financial commitment Fund has also tied up with regional Indian companies for bulk manufacturing.
• Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has donated Rs 1.5 crore from his Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLAD) fund for the purchase of medical equipment in his Lok Sabha Constituency Haridwar to fight the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• PIB reported No such approval has been given by the Government of India Bharat Biotech’s vaccine for children above 12 years
• A drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organization, DRDO got the approval for emergency use by the Drugs Controller General of India, DCGI.
• The Agriculture Ministry stated its autonomous body National Horticulture Board (NHB) has cleared a record 1,278 pending subsidy applications for integrated development of hi-tech commercial horticulture, including promotion of post-harvest.
• The Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution Shri Shudhanshu Pandey briefed the media persons about PMGKAY-3 and One Nation One Ration Card scheme through a virtual press conference.
• The Supreme Court formed a 12-member task force to ensure medical oxygen is delivered throughout the country in a streamlined manner.
• The railways have delivered nearly 5,735 tonne of oxygen in over 390 tankers to various states. The Oxygen Express trains delivered 755 tonne of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) across the country.
• Indian Navy’s efforts to assist the general population of Bheemunipatnam in dealing with the devastating second Covid wave, a 60-bed Covid Care Centre has been set up at INS Kalinga, Bheemunipatnam. This facility was dedicated to the public by AP Tourism Minister and Bheemunipatnam MLA Shri Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao on 11 May 2021.
• The fourth India-Swiss Financial Dialogue was held here virtually through video conferencing. Ajay Seth, Secretary Economic Affairs led the Indian delegation. 
• The PM CARES Fund has approved procurement of 1,50,000 units of Oxycare System developed by the Defence Research Development Organization at a cost of Rs 322.5 crores.
• The Union Cabinet approved an Rs 18,100-crore plan to incentivize battery makers to manufacture locally as it looks to cut import dependence while giving a boost to electric vehicle (EV) This was a Department of Heavy Industries’ proposal, which the government expects will create direct investment of Rs 45,000 crore.
• The Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved transfer of 1500 square metres of land belonging to Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Mussoorie to the State Government of Uttarakhand for their infrastructure project, namely, ‘Aerial Passenger Ropeway System’ between Dehradun and Mussoorie.
• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare clarified that WHO has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with B.1.617, now classified as “Variant of Concern”.
• Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana launched an official mobile application for Journalists to cover proceedings of the apex court.
• The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission for emergency use of anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) developed by Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS).
• Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced the creation of a new district of Malerkotla, carving the state’s only Muslim-majority town from Sangrur district.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• The United States has called upon the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to invite Taiwan to participate as an observer at the upcoming annual meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA).
• The Government of India and European Investment Bank (EIB)signed the finance contract for second tranche of 150 million Euro for Pune Metro Rail project through a virtual signing ceremony.
• Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla welcomed new US Charge d’Affaires Ambassador Daniel B. Smith.
• Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli lost the vote of confidence at the Lower House.
• The test run of the first electrical metro train in Bangladesh was conducted in Dhaka. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader inaugurated the metro rail test run virtually.
• India received over $83 billion in remittances in 2020, a drop of just 0.2% from the previous year, despite a pandemic that devastated the world economy, according to a World Bank report.
• Prime Minister Mario Draghi has appointed diplomat Elisabetta Belloni as the head of Italy’s spy agency, the first woman to lead the Department of Information Security (DIS).
• The Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information, or HmbBfDI, said that it has issued an injunction that prevents Facebook from processing personal data from WhatsApp.
• K P Sharma Oli was set to be reappointed as Nepal Prime Minister as the Opposition alliance of Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) failed to muster majority support to form the next government.
• A plan to drastically reduce car trafficin the centre of the French capital Paris by 2022 has been put forward by the city council.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Kerala will provide about 30 lakh new tap water connections in the current financial year under Jal Jeevan Mission. 
• All MLAs in Gujarat will have to allot a minimum of 50 lakh rupees compulsorily from their local area development fund to upgrade facilities at hospitals.
• In Andhra Pradesh, many patients suffering from COVID-19 have started practicing PRANAYAMA, to have natural oxygen.
• The Employees State Insurance Corporation, under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, has installed oxygen generation plants at its two hospitals in the Delhi NCR area.
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Himant Biswa Sarma to be sworn-in as the new chief minister of Assam, a day after he was elected “unanimously” as the leader of the BJP’s legislature party in the state.
• Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur inaugurated pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants at Dr Radhakrishnan Government Medical College in Hamirpur and Jawahar Lal Nehru Government Medical College in Chamba. 
• Union Territory Ladakh received Four Critical Care Life Support Ambulances from National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) of Road Transport and Highways Ministry. 
• Puducherry has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ UT by ensuring that every rural home in the Union Territory gets a household tap connection.
• Health Minister Rajesh Tope stated that Patients of Mucormycosis, a serious but rare fungal infection now affecting those suffering from coronavirus, will be treated for free under the Maharashtra government’s flagship medical insurance scheme.
• The Supreme Court has appreciated the ‘Mumbai Model’ and asked Delhi and the Centre to take a look at it so that no one in Delhi suffers oxygen shortage.
• In Assam, Aahaar, a free meal distribution initiative with the motto of combating hunger- feeding future is successful hearts in Guwahati metropolis.
• Himachal Pradesh Government will provide free treatment to COVID patients under Himcare and Ayushman Bharat schemes in registered private hospitals.
• ‘Black fungal infection’ treatment units with operation theatres (OTs) will be opened in Bhopal and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. 
• The Government General Hospital and two other hospitals in the city were about to run out of oxygen at 11 a.m. owing to the non-arrival of the cryogenic tanker carrying liquid medical oxygen, Anantapur police personnel ensured timely arrival of a tanker creating a “Green Channel”.
• Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin announced Rs 25 lakh compensation to the families of 43 medical professionals who died of Covid-19 while performing duty.
• In Himachal Pradesh, AYUSH Division launched a state-wide wellness programme ‘AYUSH  Ghar Dwar’ for COVID-19 sufferers, in Sloan district.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• The Finance Ministry released Rs 9,871 crore as Post Devolution Revenue Deficit grant to 17 States for the year 2021-22. 
• The European Investment Bank and the country’s largest lender SBI entered into a pact to jointly pump Euro 100 million in equity financing into Indian small businesses focused on climate change and sustainability.
• GigIndia, a B2B gig marketplace for on-demand work completion, will provide free COVID health insurance to its active gig workers covering up to Rs 3 lakh of medical expenses.
• Ola Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Ola, has partnered with donation platform GiveIndia to provide consumers with oxygen concentrators amid the deadly second wave of the Covid pandemic.
• To provide the best possible healthcare to every child born in India, LifeCell has introduced the first-of-its-kind diagnostic test called Omega Score.
• India is forecast to grow at 10.1 per cent in 2022, becoming the fastest growing major economy in the world, the United Nations said, but cautioned that the growth outlook of 2021 was “highly fragile” as the country was the “new hotbed of the pandemic.”
• Rating agency Moody’s has cut India’s gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for FY22 to 9.3 per cent from the earlier projection of 13.7 percent and has ruled out a sovereign rating upgrade at least for now.
• The Adani Group has opened its regional headquarters office in Singapore with focus on the energy, infrastructure and technology portfolios.
• According to a statement released by the Ministry of Finance, the residential project – ‘Rivali Park’, situated in suburban Mumbai, was the first housing project in the country to have received funding under the government’s SWAMIH Fund, managed by the SBICap ventures.
• Low–cost carrier GoAir has rebranded itself as Go First, the company announced. The purpose of the revamp is to fully embrace the ultra–low–cost airline model to gain an advantage over its peers.
• Blue Dart, a leading express logistics service provider, said it formed Blue Dart Med-Express Consortium with a mission of revolutionizing the delivery of vaccines and emergency medical supplies to the remotest parts of India using drones.
• Jio announces free talk time offer for JioPhone users during Covid pandemic. Reliance Jio said it is working with Reliance Foundation to provide 300 free minutes of outgoing calls per month, which amounts to 10 minutes per day, for the entire period of the pandemic.
• Reliance Jio topped the 4G speed chart with a data download rate of 1MBbps, while Vodafone was ahead of others in upload speed at 6.7 Mbps in April, according to the latest data from telecom regulator TRAI.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said banks should lend to stakeholders in the COVID-related healthcare infrastructure and services within 30 days from the date of availing funds under the Rs 50,000 crore liquidity window.
• Private lender HDFC Bank and Common Services Centers (CSCs) jointly announced the launch of chatbot ‘Eva’ on CSC’s Digital Seva Portal to support Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) in providing banking services for last-mile rural consumers.
• Federal Bank, Mashreq Bank of UAE ink pact, to offer money transfer. Federal Bank has entered into a tie-up with Mashreq Bank, a leading financial institution in the UAE, to facilitate money transfers to India.
• Jana Small Finance Bank announced the launch of “I choose my number” feature for all its customers across India. This new feature gives the bank’s existing and new customers the option to select their favorite numbers as their savings or current account number.
• To meet the rising oxygen demand for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, the Paytm Foundation has donated 100 oxygen concentrators along with an oxygen generation plant to Gujarat.
• Customers can initiate Video KYC Account Opening by visiting https://videokyc.southindianbank.com. The link will be available in the pre-login page of SIB Mirror+ (Bank’s mobile App) and also in the bank’s
• Digital payments provider PayPal has introduced an automated process to obtain monthly foreign inward remittance advice (FIRA), allowing Indian merchants to download their monthly digital FIRA issued by banks.
• Airtel Payments Bank launched DigiGold, a digital platform for its customers to make investments in gold. DigiGold has been launched in partnership with SafeGold, a provider of digital gold.
• The Asian Development Bank stated that, it has committed a record USD 3.92 billion in sovereign loans for 13 projects to India in 2020, including USD8 billion in COVID-19 related projects to support the government’s pandemic response.
• The World Bank extended USD 80.5 million to Sri Lanka for its COVID-19 vaccination drive. This useful and timely resource will help us ensure equitable vaccine deployment among the eligible populations of Sri Lanka, said Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, after the agreement was signed with the global financial body.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION NEWS

• National Commodity Clearing has appointed Praveena Kala and Harshvardhan Raghunath as public curiosity administrators on the board.
• The new DMK government, Agricultural Production Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi has been appointed as Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation, replacing G Prakash.
• Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit appointed former Minister K Pitchandi as pro-tem Speaker of the state legislative assembly.
• Senior IAS officer Dr. V Irai Anbu has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.
• The Reserve Bank of India appointed JoseJ Kattoor as Executive Director (ED) with effect from 4 May 2021, the central bank said in a press release.
• Arun Kumar Singh, who currently holds two key responsibilities at disinvestment-bound Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), is set to be the next Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the oil marketing major.
• Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has announced the appointment of Srinandan Sundaram, currently serving as the Executive Director, Customer Development to the post of Executive Director, Foods and Refreshment.
• Padmakumar M Nair of State Bank of India (SBI) will be the chief executive of National Asset Reconstruction Company (NARCL), a proposed entity for taking over bad loans of lenders, predominantly public sector banks.
• McDonald’s India- North & East announced the appointment of Rajeev Ranjan as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Rajeev Goel as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the company.
• Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL) said that Sudhir Sitapati will join the company as managing director and chief executive officer effective October 18.
• Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) said that its General Secretary Manisha Kapoor has now been appointed to the executive committee of the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS).
• TVS Motor Company has announced the appointment of Robert Hentschel as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Vittorio Urciuoli as Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of The Norton Motorcycle Co. Ltd.
• Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd (SMIPL) announced that appointment of Satoshi Uchida as its new Company Head as part of a global revamp by parent Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC).
• India-born entrepreneur Rajesh Agrawal has been re-appointed as London’s Deputy Mayor for Business by Mayor Sadiq Khan after he won a second term in local elections.
• The appointment of former India spinner Ramesh Powar as India women’s cricket team head coach came as a surprise after the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) chose him for the post, replacing WV Raman.
• Indian-American Neera Tanden has been appointed senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, two months after she withdrew her nomination as Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget due to stiff opposition from Republican senators.
• Footwear major Bata India Limited announced the appointment of Gunjan Shah as its new Chief Executive Officer.  
• IT Company Wipro has appointed Zurich Insurance Group CEO for Asia Pacific Tulsi Naidu as an independent director on its board for five years, the company stated that his appointment  effective July 1, 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• On May 07, 2021, Covid Care Centre established to treat COVID positive patients of Khurda District by Indian Navy at its ab-initio Training Establishment, INS Chilka, under the aegis of Naval Officer -in- Charge (Odisha)  was inaugurated by Mr SK Mohanty, District Collector, Khurda District.
• On May 08, 2021, The navies of India and Indonesia carried out a military drill in the Southern Arabian Sea. It is focused on further improving their interoperability.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• On May 06, 2021, IBM unveiled a breakthrough in semiconductor design and process with the development of the world’s first chip announced with 2 nanometer (nm) nanosheet technology.
• The Interpol has launched a mobile phone application ID-Art which will help identify stolen cultural property, reduce smuggling and increase the possibility of recovering stolen works and artefacts.
• VINCOV-19- Novel antibody engineered product to treat COVID-19 cleared for clinical trials. It is a collaborative effort of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) and Vins Bioproducts Ltd.
• SpaceX will launch the “DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon” in the first quarter of 2022, with Elon Musk’s commercial rocket company accepting the meme-inspired cryptocurrency dogecoin as payment.
• On May 09, 2021, China’s biggest rocket Long March 5B landed in Indian Ocean. Its lands with the bulk of its components destroyed upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.
• DRDO has developed an artificial intelligence Named ATMAN, based on intelligent software that helps in Covid detection.
• The NITI Aayog has set up a dedicated portal CovAid for tracking all aid coming via missions or by individual organisations. It can be tracked online end-to-end till distribution by the donors.
• On May 10, 2021, NASA and Axiom Space have signed an order for the first private astronaut mission to the International Space Station by January 2022. It has been designated as Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS & AUTHORS

• Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is releasing her first children’s book, titled ‘The Bench’ in June 2021.
• Bollywood Actress Kalki Koechlin is making her debut as an author of a book, Titled – Elephant In The Womb. It is an illustrated non-fiction book on motherhood. The book illustrated by Valeriya Polyanychko.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is set to be feted at the upcoming Brit Awards, where she will receive the global icon award at this year’s ceremony.
• Indian-American chemist Sumita Mitra has been nominated as a finalist in the “Non-EPO countries” category of the European Inventor Award 2021 for applying nanotechnology to the production of dental materials, leading to the creation of a new composite to repair teeth which have many advantages over conventional materials.
• Classical musician Pandit Rajeev Taranath and space scientist Dr K Kasturirangan will receive the prestigious Basavashree award for 2019 and 2020, respectively, announced Murugha Mutt pontiff Dr Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU’s AND AGREEMENTS

• Drug major Cipla has inked a pact with US-based Eli Lilly And Company to manufacture and produce baricitinib in the country for the treatment of COVID-19.
• Geojit Financial Services has entered into an agreement with Punjab National Bank to provide a three-in-one account to the latter’s customers.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA).
• SoftBank and OneWeb will jointly engage in technical and product development for Japan and global markets.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• On May 07, 2021, Private equity firm Carlyle Group divested 4 per cent stake in SBI Life Insurance for over Rs 3,900 crore through an open market transaction.
• On May 06, 2021, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), bought an additional 15.9 per cent of the total units in IndInfravit Trust for Rs 1,005 crore. 
• Private equity firm Bay Tree India Holdings I LLC has sold over 2 percent stake in YES Bank through open market transactions.
• On May 11, 2021, Online investment platform Groww announced that it will be acquiring Indiabulls Mutual Fund for a total consideration of Rs 175 crore. 

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS & CONFERENCES

• On May 08, 2021, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the India-EU Leaders’ Meeting at Virtually. The Prime Minister attended the event at the invitation of the President of the European Council Mr. Charles Michel.
• India Participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3) – the global platform for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic region On May 08th and 09th 2021.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• On May 09, 2021, Lewis Hamilton won the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix. This is the fifth successive Spanish Grand Prix title of Lewis Hamilton. Also this is the third win of this season.
• On May 06, 2021, Tennis players Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka picked up the Laureus Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year awards.
• On May 08, 2021, In tennis, Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, defeated world number one Ashleigh Barty of Australia to win the 2021 Madrid Open women’s single title.
• In the Men’s Category, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has been named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for April 2021. In the Women’s category, Alyssa Healy of Australia has won the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for April 2021.
• Gujarat all-rounder Arzan Nagwaswalla has become the first cricketer after 50 Years from the Parsi community to be named in the Indian squad.
• On May 11, 2021, Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons after Manchester United crashed to a 2-1 defeat against Leicester.
• Kusal Perera was named Sri Lanka’s ODI captain ahead of their three-match series against Bangladesh.  It is Starting From May 23, 2021.
• The dates of the 2021 AIBA Men’s World Boxing Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia. The tournament will be held from 26 October – 6 November 2021.
• On May 12, 2021, World Rugby released a new schedule for the Women’s World Rugby Tournament. For 2022 women’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, with the tournament to run from 8th October to 12th November 2022.
• The International Tennis Integrity Agency Informed that Roman Khassanov a tennis player who represented Kazakhstan in the Davis Cup has been banned for 10 years after admitting a string of corruption charges.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• On May 07, 2021, Veteran music composer Vanraj Bhatia has Passed away. He was the best-known composer of Western classical music in India.
• On May 07, 2021, Veteran senior journalist Shesh Narayan Singh passed away.
• On May 06, 2021, Former union minister and Congress leader, Matang Sinh Passed away.
• On May 09, 2021, Rajya Sabha MP and renowned Sculptor Raghunath Mohapatra passed away.
• On May 08, 2021, Former Two Indian Hockey Players Maharaj Krishan Kaushik & Ravinder Pal Singh Passed Away.
• On May 05, 2021, Actress Abhilasha Patil passed away.
• On May 09, 2021, Freedom fighter and veteran of the erstwhile Indian National Army (INA) Lalti Ram Passed Away.
• On May 11, 2021, KR Gouri Amma ( The senior most communist leader of Kerala ) Passed Away
• On May 07, 2021, Freedom fighter and Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra musician Anup Bhattacharya passed away.
• On May 12, 2021, Eminent writer, veteran journalist, Homen Borgohain passed away.
• On May 12, 2021, Former Director of Central Bureau of Investigation Rahothaman passed away.
• On May 08, 2021, Epidemiologist Smarajit Jana passed away.
• On May 13, 2021, Times Group chairperson Indu Jain Passed Away.

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