Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (Apr 08th to 14th Apr 2024)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Apr 08th to 14th Apr 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• Ugadi or Yugadi is grandly celebrated as the first day of the year by the people of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka on April 9.
• World Homeopathy Day 2024 is celebrated on the 10th of April every year.
• Every year April 11th is celebrated as National Pet Day.
• Every year April 13th is observed as Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• The Power Ministry has set up the Thermal Power Monitoring Group (TPMG) that will regularly track the progress of upcoming thermal power plants (TPPs) in the country.
• The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) was launched in May 2022 and currently includes 14 partners – Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States and Vietnam
• India- and US-backed Global Bio- fuels Alliance (GBA) is set to draw up a charter to achieve its objective of promoting biofuels and lowering the dependence on fossil fuels.
• India Post opened its third post office in
• Net cash accretion in no-frills Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) bank accounts rose to an all-time high of Rs 36,153 crore in 2023-24, which also showed that average cash deposits per account at a high of Rs 4,524.
• The Ministry of Heavy Industries has approved 11 electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers, including Ather Energy, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, Ola Electric, and Mahindra, to receive incentives under the recently introduced Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS) 2024
• India’s first green hydrogen plant commissioned, highlighting commercial viability; Hygenco aims for three more by FY25
• The number of drunken driving challans issued in the first three months of 2024 saw a staggering rise of 1,550 per cent compared to the same period in 2022, according to Delhi Traffic Police.
• Adani Green Energy Ltd plans to invest about ₹1.5 trillion through 2030 to develop the world’s largest renewable energy plant with a 30-gigawatt capacity at the Khavda renewable energy park in Gujarat
• A former unit of Russian energy giant Gazprom has rejected state-owned GAIL (India) Ltd’s demand for compensation for non-delivery of LNG supplies in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
• Bharat Biotech, a leading global vaccine and biotherapeutic innovator, and also the largest manufacturer of oral polio vaccines and Bilthoven Biologicals BV (BBio), a subsidiary of Serum Institute of India Private Limited based in the Netherlands, announced a collaboration to enhance the production and supply security of Oral Polio Vaccines (OPV).
• In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Election Commission of India (ECI) held a ‘Conference on Low Voter Turnout’ with Municipal Commissioners and District Education Officers (DEO) from select districts to increase voter turnout in the ensuing Lok Sabha Elections.
• In a move that is expected to help businesses as well as reduce litigation, a Model All India GST Audit Manual 2023 has been finalised for use by the Centre and state tax
• State-run NTPC has set a target to add 5 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity reflecting its commitment to providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy solutions
• Indian Railways is all set to achieve a significant milestone with 100 percent electrification of its broad gauge network before the end of this fiscal year
• The President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated a two-day Homoeopathy Symposium in New Delhi on World Homoeopathy Day
• Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) and Satellogic have jointly launched TSAT-1A, India’s first sub-metre resolution earth observation satellite built entirely by the private sector
• India has gained the right to operate a second overseas port, Sittwe, in

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Foreign Ministers gathered at NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Belgium to mark 75 years since the signing of the Washington Treaty.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• Facing disruptions due to the non-availability of crew, Vistara announced reducing 10 per cent of its capacity or 25-30 flights daily and most of the cancellations are in the domestic network as the Tata Group airline strives to stabilise operations
• India saw a 13% increase in coal imports, reaching 21.64 million tonnes (MT) in February, attributed to buyers taking new positions to restock ahead of the summer season, reports mjunction, an online
• In January 2024, nearly 90 per cent of the laptops and personal computers (PCs) imported by India came from China
• Preliminary data from the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC), demand for the 2024 financial year increased by about five percent, primarily due to higher sales of automotive fuel and naphtha.
• Piramal Alternatives, the investment arm of the Piramal Group, has announced an investment of Rs 110 crore in Biodeal Pharmaceuticals.
• The market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies reached an all-time high of Rs 401.10 trillion on April 8, 2024, following a record rally in equities, wherein the 30-share BSE Sensex scaled its lifetime peak.
• India was a net importer of finished steel during the 2023/24 financial year that ended on March 31, according to provisional government data. The country imported 8.3 million metric tons of finished steel between April and March, up 38.1 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.
• The number of telecom subscribers in Indiaincreased 0.38 percent to 119.7 crore in February 2024 as compared to the previous month, according to a TRAI report published.
• NTPC Limited, India’s largest integrated power company, is gearing up to launch the latest edition of Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM), its flagship Corporate Social Responsibility initiative
• India is working on an ambitious target to achieve $600 billion of textile exports by 2047 from $44 billion in FY22 and the domestic market to grow to $1.8 trillion from $110 billion in 2022.
• According to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined to a 10-month low of 4.85 per cent in March as against 5.1 per cent in February
• Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea announced that it will offer shares worth Rs 18,000 crore in its further public offering (FPO) from April 18-22 at a price band of Rs 10-11 per share
• The benchmark Sensex crossed the 75,000 mark for the first time and the Nifty 50 opened above a new record high of 22,700 mark led by strong Q4 earnings optimism and a positive Asian market

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

• To facilitate ease of doing business, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed that certain changes in the private placement memorandum (PPM) of alternative investment funds (AIF) can be submitted directly to the regulator rather than through a merchant banker.
• Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs) have turned cautious as they pulled out ₹325 crore from Indian equities in the first week of April 2024 owing to relatively high valuations and the upcoming general elections.
• Nippon India Mutual Fund, ICICI Mutual Fund, and HDFC Mutual Fund are among the top 10 fund houses that registered double-digit growth in average assets under management (AUM) in the last fiscal year.
• The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) six-member Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) maintained the policy repo rate at 6.50% at its first meeting of FY25 due to persisting retail inflation above the 4% target.
• Starting from April 1, 2024, it is mandatory for insurance policies to be held in electronic format, akin to shares in a demat account.
• According to the latest Government data, Small business loans under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) witnessed record growth in disbursals in FY24 and also crossed the milestone of ₹5 lakh crore.
• Aadhar Housing Finance Limited (AHFL), focused on low-income housing in India, has received final observations from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for its proposed Initial Public Offering (IPO).
• Tata Mutual Fund has launched 6 thematic index funds focused on various sectors including infrastructure, healthcare, realty, financial services, automobile, and manufacturing.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank’s asset management arm Kotak Alternate Asset Managers Limited has raised Rs 2,000 crore to invest in equities.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) have collaborated to propose measures to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) aimed at reducing the cost of cross-border remittances.
• The ministry of skills development and entrepreneurship has notified draft guidelines for setting up the Academic Bank of Credit (ABC), paving way for implementation and operationalization of the National Credit Framework as envisaged under the National Education Policy 2020.
• ICICI Bank has provided a ₹2,675 crore debt facility to Tata Steel for a term of 3 years to repay its existing debt.

• Indian overnight indexed swap (OIS) rates have moved higher since the Reserve Bank of India’s latest policy meeting, suggesting investors now expect a rate cut only in early 2025 as opposed to the last quarter of 2024 earlier.
• The finance ministry is contemplating amending the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970, which governs public sector banks (PSBs).
• ICICI Lombard announced that it has entered into a partnership with Policybazaar to bring together the comprehensive product portfolio of ICICI Lombard and reach of Policybazaar, promising accessible insurance solutions for Indian consumers.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a monetary penalty of ₹5.00 lakh on The Uttarakhand Grameen Bank, Dehradun for contravention of the provisions of section 26 A (2) read with section 51 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (BR Act).
• Domestic rating agency ICRA revised downwards its outlook for the banking sector to ‘stable’ from ‘positive’ on expectations of a moderation in credit growth and profitability, ICRA predicts that credit growth will moderate to 11.6-12.5% in FY25 from 16.3% (excluding the HDFC twins merger impact) in FY24.
• Fintech firm PhonePe has partnered with Nepal’s digital wallet service eSewa and the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) Pokhara to promote digital payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on the Himalayan country’s payment processor Fonepay Network.
• Largest private sector lender HDFC Bank inaugurated a branch in Lakshadweep’s Kavaratti island.
• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited. (NIIF) has invested $200 million in iBUS Network and Infrastructure Private Limited., a connectivity technology firm, to support the growth of India’s digital infrastructure.
• Computer Age Management Services Limited (CAMS), India’s largest mutual fund transfer agency, has received authorization from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate as an online payment aggregator.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has revised its Gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for India, raising it to 7% for the current fiscal year (2023-24) from its previous projection of 6.7%.
• State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank, two of India’s top three lenders, are expected to serve as local intermediaries for European banks seeking third-party clearing services.
• Jana Small Finance Bank has partnered with Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company Limited to offer life insurance products to the customers of the bank.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected two more applications for setting up small finance banks: Dvara Kshetriya Gramin Financial Services Private Limited and Tally Solutions Private Limited.
• Tiger Global and Softbank-backed neobank Revolut India has received an in-principle approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to issue Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI), including prepaid cards and wallets.
• The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has reached out to regulatory bodies like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to address concerns regarding export credit availability and insurance premium increases.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in a cautious move, declined Annapurna Finance Limited’s application for a universal bank license made in January 2023.
• Hinduja Group-owned Asia Enterprises has received Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) approval for taking control of Reliance Wealth Management.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched the next round of quarterly order books, inventories and capacity utilisation surveys of manufacturing companies, a key input for the monetary policy formulation.
• Karnataka Bank has partnered with FISDOM to offer 3-in-1 (savings, demat and trading accounts) through the bank’s mobile banking app ‘KBL Mobile Plus’.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released another ‘Alert List‘ including the names of organisations that are not permitted to trade in foreign exchange under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999 or to conduct foreign exchange transactions through electronic trading.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Mamta G. Sagar, a Bengaluru-based Kannada poet, writer, academic and activist, has recently won the World Literary Prize from the World Organization of Writers (WOW) for her contributions to the world of literature
• Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital recently announced that their accomplished research team have been honoured with the prestigious ‘Best Scientific Poster Award’ at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cataract and Refractive Surgery
• Ashwini Keshavan, a neurologist of Indian origin, has been chosen to be part of a top-notch research team in the UK.
• The Ludwig Erhard Summit, a leading German forum, will award the Freedom Prize of the Media to the late Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny and his wife, Yulia Navalnaya
• Writer-director Payal Kapadia‘s debut fiction feature ‘All We Imagine As Light’ will compete for the top honours during the upcoming edition of Cannes Film Festival, scheduled to be held from May 14 to 25
• India’s Dr Gagandeep Kang has been awarded the 2024 John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for her achievements in global health research

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• The Finance Ministry appointed P S Dinesh Kumar, a retired judge, as the presiding officer of the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) for a tenure of 4 years.
• The apex body of dairy cooperatives, National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India Limited. (NCDFI), in its Board elections, unanimously elected Meenesh Shah as the Chairman.
• Manoj Panda, formerly the director at the Institute of Economic Growth, has been appointed as a full-time member of the 16th Finance Commission by the Government of India (GoI).
• Wipro Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Thierry Delaporte has resigned from his position and Srinivas Pallia will succeed him as Wipro’s new MD and CEO.
• In Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini of the ruling nationalist won the Presidential Election defeating opposition independent Ivan Korcok.

• Surinder Chawla, Managing Director (MD)  and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Paytm Payments Bank (PPBL) has resigned as the head of the company on account of “personal reasons and to explore better career prospects”.
• The US-India Tax Forum, an initiative of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) has appointed former Revenue Secretary and ex-Secretary of Economic Affairs Tarun Bajaj as the head of the US-India Tax Forum.
• IT major Wipro Limited has appointed company veteran Malay Joshi as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its largest and fastest-growing market, Americas 1, the company informed the stock exchanges.
• Kuldip Narayan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in the Government of India, has assumed additional charge as Managing Director (MD) of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC).
• Simon Harris has been elected as the youngest Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of the Republic of Ireland.
• Justice Aniruddha Bose has been appointed as the Director of the National Judicial Academy (NJAC) in Bhopal.
• Lindy Cameron, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) National Cyber Security Centre, will take over as the country’s first-ever woman high commissioner to India.
• Financial Services Institutions Bureau (FSIB), the headhunter for directors of state-owned banks and financial institutions, has recommended the name of IFCI Limited (previously Industrial Finance Corporation of India) Managing Director (MD) Manoj Mittal as Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Chairman and Managing Director (CMD).
• The Board of Directors of Suryoday Small Finance Bank have appointed Deepak Kumar Sharma as an Additional Director (under the Independent category) on the Board of the Bank, with effect from April 11, 2024.
• The central government has appointed Ashish Kumar Chauhan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of the National Stock Exchange (NSE), and Sridhar Vembu, Founder of Zoho, as members of the University Grants Commission (UGC), India’s regulator for higher education, taking the body’s strength to 8 members from just 4 .
• India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), supported by the federal government, will appoint Rajiv Dhar to the newly created position of Chief Investment Officer (CIO).
• Private sector lender RBL Bank formerly known as Ratnakar Bank Limited appointed Murali Ramakrishnan as Non-Executive Independent Director with immediate effect for 4 years.

• Anurag Kumar, a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has been appointed to the position of Joint Director (JD) at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• Former Pakistan Prime Minister and senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Yusuf Raza Gilani was elected unopposed as chairman of the Pakistani Senate days after the PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led (PML-N) coalition swept the elections.
• Gopi Thotakura, an entrepreneur and a pilot, is set to become the first Indian to venture into space as a tourist on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) became the third Indian shipyard to enter into a Master Shipyard Repair Agreement (MRSA) with the U., which will enable to repair US Navy ships
• Tata-owned Air India and Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) have entered into an agreement intended to develop Bengaluru as a premier aviation hub for southern India
• The European Union (EU) and India launched an Expression of Interest (EoI) for startups working in Battery Recycling Technologies for Electric Vehicles (EVs) for a matchmaking event
• Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) has signed an MoU with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (CSIR-IMMT), aimed at fostering technical and knowledge cooperation for Critical Minerals

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

• According to the 2022 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report, India has the highest percentage of doping offenders among countries. Out of 4,064 samples collected from Indian athletes, 127 individuals tested positive for banned substances, which is 3.26% of the sample size.
• According to the 6th annual Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2024, India’s start-up ecosystem has slowed with the number of unicorns declining for the first time since 2017
• IndiGo has now become the world’s third-largest airline in terms of market capitalisation (m-cap) with shares of the operator InterGlobe Aviation Limited soaring nearly five per cent to achieve a lifetime record-high mark during intra-day
• The Jawaharlal Nehru University emerged as the highest-ranked Indian university in the list announced by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), the London-based higher education analytics firm, for various subjects
• IIT Bombay has ranked 45th in Engineering and Technology with an overall score of 79.1 out of 100 in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject for 2024.
• According to new research surveying cybercrime experts from around the world, India ranked 10th in cybercrime, with fraud involving people asking for advance fee payments as the most common type
• India is among the twelve countries responsible for 60 percent of the planet’s mismanaged plastic waste though the fast-developing South Asian nation’s per capita plastic waste production is among the lowest in the world, according to a new report

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• Indian Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar inaugurated a 350m long major pier for Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and a residential accommodation at Naval Base Karwar.
• The Indian Army has received the first batch of 24 Russia-made Igla-S Man Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) and 100 missiles as part of a larger deal that includes domestic production in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• India’s first military grade geospatial satellite manufactured in the private sector has been successfully launched and placed in orbit, with full functionality expected to be achieved within a few months.
• Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a sustainable hydrogel specifically designed to remove microplastics from water.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

• IndusInd International Holdings Limited. (IIHL), a Mauritius-based investment holding company of the Hinduja Group, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 60% stake in Invesco Asset Management India Ltd. (IAMI) for an undisclosed amount.

• Bain Capital has sold a 1.08% stake in Axis Bank for ₹3,575 crore through an open market transaction.
• Edelweiss Alternatives has successfully completed a deal worth Rs 6,000 crore to acquire L&T Infrastructure Development Projects (LTIDPL).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• At the Japanese Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen put on a dominant display, securing his third victory out of four races in the 2024 season.
• Sumit Nagal became the first Indian player to win a singles main draw match at an ATP Masters event on clay when he shocked world number 38 Matteo Arnaldi in a gruelling three-set contest in Monte Carlo.
• In Chess, India’s D Gukesh managed to secure victory over Nijat Abasov in the fifth round of FIDE Candidates at Toronto, Canada
• The 2024 edition of the Badminton Asia Championship will begin in Ningbo, China
• Superstar Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will compete in the prestigious Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland, where he will be up against 19-year-old sensation Max Dehning of Germany, the latest entrant in the 90m club
• Rising Indian wrestler Udit settled for a silver medal after a 4-5 loss to Kento Yumiya of Japan in the men’s freestyle 57kg final at the senior Asian Championship
• Dipendra Singh Airee of Nepal became only the third player to hit six sixes in an over in a T20I during the match against Qatar

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Cinematographer-filmmaker Gangu Ramsay, one of the seven Ramsay Brothers known for cult horror films such as Purani Haveli and Tehkhana, passed away at the age of 83.
• Peter Higgs, the British physicist who won a Nobel Prize in 2013 for his discovery decades earlier of a theoretical mechanism to explain the origin of mass in the universe, has passed away at the age of 94.
• Renowned Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, celebrated for his bold python and extravagant animal prints that captivated the global jet set, has passed away at the age of 83.

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