Important Weekly Current Affairs PDF Download (Mar 01st to 07th Mar 2024)

Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Mar 01st to 07th Mar 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• Zero Discrimination Day 2024 is celebrated on March 1st, 2024.
• World Civil Defence Day 2024 is observed on the 1st of March 2024
• Self Injury Awareness Day 2024 is observed on the 1st of March 2024
• Employee Appreciation Day 2024 is observed every year on the 1st Friday of March, so, for this year it is observed on March 1st, 2024.
• World Wildlife Day 2024 is celebrated on March 3rd, 2024.
• World Hearing Day is announced to be celebrated on March 3rd, 2024.
• National Safety Day 2024 is celebrated on March 4th, 2024.
• World Sustainable Energy Day 2024 is observed on 5 – 8th March across the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the proposal of the creation of one post at the level of Scientist H (in the pay level 15) as Director of the National Institute of One Health, Nagpur who will also serve as the Mission Director for the multi-Ministerial and multi-sectoral National One Health Mission for integrated disease control and pandemic preparedness, by bringing human, animal, plant and environmental sectors together
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the establishment of three semiconductor units under ‘Development of Semiconductors and Display Manufacturing Ecosystems in India. 
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojanawith a total outlay of Rs.75,021 crore for installing rooftop solar and providing free electricity up to 300 units every month for One Crore households.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the proposal of the Department of Fertilizers for fixing the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for KHARIF Season, 2024 (from 01.04.2024 to 30.09.2024) on Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers and inclusion of 3 new fertilizer grades under NBS scheme.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the amendment of the Second Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (‘MMDR Act’) for specifying rate of royalty in respect of 12 critical and strategic minerals, viz., Beryllium, Cadmium, Cobalt, Gallium, Indium, Rhenium, Selenium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Titanium, Tungsten and Vanadium.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the establishment of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) with headquarters in India with a one-time budgetary support of Rs.150 crore for a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth 35,700 crore rupees in Jharkhand from Sindri in Dhanbad district.
• Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone of 2 National Highway projects worth Rs 1750 crore in Mirzapur in the presence of state ministers and MPs, MLAs and officials.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a post said in Arunachal Pradesh, an allocation of Rs. 6728.33 crore has been granted for constructing 8 stretches on NH-913 (Frontier Highway) as Intermediate Lane Road, spanning 305.50 Km on EPC mode.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari has approved Rs. 3549.48 crore for the construction and strengthening of various National Highways projects in Madhya Pradesh
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will launch multiple transformative projects of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways at Arambagh, Hooghly in Kolkata
• One of the largest Direct Benefit Transfer programmes in the world, PM KISAN has crossed a new milestone.
• The Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Dr Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the Greenfield Projects under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme-PLI Scheme for Bulk Drugs and Medical Devices at a function in New Delhi
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth Rs 21,400 crores in Aurangabad, Bihar
• Union Minister for Steel and Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, today (4 March 2024) virtually inaugurated India’s 1st Green Hydrogen Plant in the Stainless Steel Sector located at Jindal Stainless Limited, Hisar
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated, dedicated, and laid the foundation stone of over 30 development projects worth more than 56,000 crore rupees in Adilabad, Telangana.
• The three newly enacted criminal laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2023 – will come into effect from July 1.
• Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Shri Anurag Singh Thakur announced the setting up of a regional facilitation office of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Chandigarh, to promote ease of doing business for filmmakers of the region.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over 7,200 crore rupees in Telangana from Sangareddy.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive at Bhubaneswar on a day-long visit to
• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah inaugurated the umbrella organization for Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs), the National Urban Cooperative Finance and Development Corporation Limited (NUCFDC), in New Delhi
• The Indian government has permitted derivatives trading in 11 more commodities including skimmed milk powder, cement, apple, bamboo and timber based on a recommendation from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), which supervises the trading.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) organised the 9th National Conference on Economics of Competition Law in New Delhi.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s first underwater metro rail service in Kolkata.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple connectivity projects worth Rs 15,400 crores in Kolkata
• Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari in a post saidin Karnataka,a substantial sum of Rs. 2675.31 crore has been sanctioned for the 4-Laning of the Belgaum-Hungund-Raichur Section of National Highway-748A in Bagalkot &Belgavi districts, employing the Hybrid Annuity Mode
• India has managed to bring down ‘extreme poverty’ below 3 per cent of its population, latest data on the World Poverty Clock showed.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman virtually launched seven infrastructure projects worth over ₹1,000 crore.
• Mr Ashwini Vaishnaw launched the Department of Telecommunications (DoT)’s ‘Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP)’ for coordination among the stakeholders to curb misuse of telecom resources in cyber-crime and financial frauds, and ‘Chakshu (चक्षु)’ facility on Sanchar Saathi portal (https://sancharsaathi.gov.in), a pioneering initiative empowering citizens to proactively report suspected fraud communication.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed commencement of “core loading” at India’s first indigenous Fast Breeder Reactor (500 MWe) at Kalpakkam.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• The Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) in its plenary meeting in February, 2024 removed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) successfully from the watchdog’s grey list.
• The Mauritius Government has decided to amend the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with India in order to go with Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)’s proposal on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Mauritius Prime Minister Mr Pravind Jugnauth virtually inaugurated an airstrip and a jetty in Agalega islands.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Uttar Pradesh (UP) has emerged as the first State in the country to issue 5 crore Ayushman cards under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
• Mizoram’s biggest festival Chapchar Kut celebrated with traditional enthusiasm and joy across the state.
• Himachal Pradesh (HP) Chief Minister (CM) Sukhvinder Sukhu announced a monthly aid of ₹1,500 for women aged 18 to 60 from the next financial year, fulfilling a Congress party ‘guarantee’ promised before the state Assembly elections.
• Delhi Finance Minister Atishi announced the introduction of the ‘Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana,‘ which will provide monthly assistance of ₹1,000 to women above the age of 18 starting from the fiscal year 2024-25.
• Cuttack’s renowned Rupa Tarakasi, also known as Silver Filigree, has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai, recognizing its unique geographical origin and craftsmanship.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• A total of one lakh 68 thousand 337 crore rupees gross GST revenue has been collected during February 2024.
• The Ministry of Coal has recorded a surge in overall coal production during February 2024 as per provisional data, attaining 60 Million Tonne (MT) of coal production in comparison to 86.38 MT of the corresponding month in the previous year, representing an increase of 11.83 per cent
• Larsen & Toubro (L&T) commissioned its first indigenously manufactured electrolyser at the Green Hydrogen Plant at A M Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

• Amazon Pay, the financial technology division of e-commerce giant Amazon, has secured the esteemed payment aggregator (PA) license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), marking a significant milestone in its operations.
• A strategic realignment of government spending is expected to lead to a decline of the general government debt-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio to 73.4% by 2030-31 from an estimated 81.6% in 2023-24, according to a report by the Reserve Bank of India which is in contrast to advanced and emerging economies where the ratio is expected to go up.
• The Government of India (GoI) has allowed for the extension of the Interest Equalization Scheme for Pre and Post-Shipment Rupee Export Credit (‘Scheme’) up to June 30, 2024.
• IndusInd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited (100% subsidiary of IndusInd Bank) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Government of Uttar Pradesh to focus on livestock healthcare management and welfare in the Western Uttar Pradesh region through their social initiative, Bharat Sanjeevani Program.
• In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 18 read with Section 10(2) of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 (PSS Act), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a revised regulatory framework for the Bharat Bill Payment Systems (BBPS), effective April 1, 2024.
• Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the meeting to review the performance of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) in New Delhi.
• Jana Small Finance Bank (Jana SFB) entered into partnership with Dvara Money (DM) to combine DM’s innovative Spark Money platform with the technological capabilities of Jana SFB.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised its ‘Enabling Framework for Regulatory Sandbox’, extending the timelines for various stages of the sandbox process and permitting applicants to establish in-principle partnerships before applying for the sandbox.
• The State Bank of India (SBI) has requested the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for a lower cash reserve ratio (CRR) on green deposits raised from customers.
• The global investment banking firm, Goldman Sachs, has downgraded State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank, signalling the end of the “Goldilocks period” for banks.
• The Financial Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND), in furtherance of the powers conferred upon the Director FIU-IND under Section 13(2)(d) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, has imposed a monetary penalty of 5,49,00,000 on Paytm Payments Bank Limited with reference to the violations of its obligations under the PMLA read with the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 (PML Rules) issued thereunder and applicable guidelines and advisories issued by the Director FIU-IND.
• After starting 2024 on a strong note, the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) saw transactions dip slightly in February but remain above December 2023 levels.
• The State Bank of India (SBI), India’s largest public sector lender, announced that it has crossed the significant milestone of having over 50 crore customers, marking a monumental achievement for the bank.
• The government of India has formed an expert committee headed by Finance Secretary T V Somanathan to make its recommendations to bring out uniform Know Your Customer (KYC) norms.
• Banks and large finance companies are mandated to disclose their governance, strategy, and risk management structures to address climate change risks by Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26).
• According to the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) quarterly data, the share of term deposits in scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) total deposits increased to 60.3% in December 2023 from 57.2% in March 2023
• The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) issued Asia’s first certified Green Municipal Bond for sustainable water infrastructure worth Rs 100 crore, aimed at fostering sustainable urban development, aligned with the Paris Agreement, to enhance liquid wastewater management infrastructure.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) intends to introduce collaterals for reinsurance transactions with Cross Border Reinsurers (CBRs).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has introduced a standardized format for Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) to provide information regarding candidates for director, Managing Director (MD), or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) roles.
• The National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT) recorded its highest ever single-day transactions with the payment system processing10 crore transactions on that day.
• During the Digital Payments Awareness Week on March 4, 2024, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das revealed that digital transactions in India have experienced a remarkable 90-fold increase over 12 years.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is working to allow interoperability for internet banking transactions which is expected to be operational in 2024 and will facilitate quicker settlement of funds for merchants.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) invoked its authority under Section 45L(1)(b) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, directing IIFL Finance Limited to immediately cease sanctioning or disbursing gold loans, as well as from any activities involving the assignment, securitization, or sale of its existing gold loan assets.
• Tata Group-owned Air India has refinanced its short-term loans with State Bank of India (SBI) and Bank of Baroda (BoB) to secure a three-year loan at an attractive rate.
• E-commerce platform Flipkart has ventured into the digital payments sector by launching its own unified payments interface (UPI) handle, @fkaxis, in collaboration with Axis Bank.
• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has launched a pilot programme under which technology exhibitions will be organised in the districts.

• Under the Section 45L(1)(b) of the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934, the Reserve Bank of India has directed regulated entity JM Financial Products Limited. (JMFPL) to cease and desist, with immediate effect, from doing any form of financing against shares and debentures, including sanction and disbursal of loans against Initial Public Offering (IPO) of shares as well as against subscription to debentures as the entity has been found violating regulatory guidelines.
• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data reveals a decline in Paytm’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, dropping to approximately 1.33 billion transactions in February from 1.44 billion transactions in January, marking a 7.6% decrease.
• All Authorised Persons who are Indian Agents under the Money Transfer Service Scheme (MTSS) were required to submit a quarterly statement (within 15 days from the close of the quarter to which it relates) on the quantum of remittances received through MTSS using the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) platform.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar, one of the divisions of the National Automotive Board (NAB)- under the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI), Govt. of India has awarded its first PLI – Automotive Certificate to M/s. Ola Electric Technologies Pvt. Ltd. under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme of MHI for Automobiles and Auto Components

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• The World Gold Council has appointed Sachin Jain as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), India, who will take up the role in March 2024.
• Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Paytm and nominee of One97 Communications Ltd (OCL), has resigned from his positions as part-time non-executive chairman and board member of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL).
• Samir Shah, an India-born media executive, has been confirmed as the new BBC chairman after his selection underwent scrutiny and was approved by King Charles III.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of S Ravindran as the part-time chairman of Tuticorin-based Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB).
• The Centre has appointed 1990 batch IPS officer, Daljit Singh Chaudhary as the director general (DG) of National Security Guard (NSG).
• Shehbaz Sharif, the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), was elected as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan by the National Assembly.
• Bhavana Bindra has been appointed as the Managing Director for India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA) Region by Lubrizol, a major player in the specialty chemicals industry.
• Bank of India (BoI) has announced the appointment of MR Kumar, former chairman of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), as its non-executive chairman.
• Future Generali India Life Insurance announced the appointment of Alok Rungta to the position of Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective 1st April,2024 subject to receipt of necessary regulatory approvals.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• The NSSO (FOD) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to facilitate Urban Frame Survey (UFS) in a digital mode using the state-of-the-art Geo ICT tools and techniques using Bhuvan Platform.
• Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), a public funded research institution focused on telecom technology by the Government of India, at just concluded Mobile World Congress 2024 at Barcelona in Spain, announced plans to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies Inc, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, to establish a strategic partnership that will foster innovation in India and support India based developers and start-ups working on innovative products and use cases.
• A tripartite agreement was signed between the Centre, the State government of Tripura and the Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance, popularly known as Tipra Motha and other stakeholders, in New Delhi.
• Coal India Limited (CIL) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Mumbai and IIM Sambalpur.
• The Ministry of Defence has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BEML Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) for the indigenous development of Advanced Fuelling and Control System for Engines for heavy-duty applications
• NLC India Limited (NLCIL) has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary NLC India Green Energy Limited (NIGEL) to carry out future Renewable Energy Projects
• Central Water Commission (CWC), Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore for Establishment of an International Centre of Excellence for Dams (ICED) under externally supported Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) Phase II and III.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

• According to the State of India’s Digital Economy Report, 2024, by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), India is the third largest digitalised country in the world, only behind the United States of America (USA) and China

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• As a part of ‘Aatmanirbharta in Defence’ and to further boost Make-in-India initiative, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed 5 major capital acquisition contracts worth Rs 39,125.39 crore in New Delhi.
• The Indian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Navy are participating in the 3rd edition of bilateral exercise ‘Samudra Laksamana’ from 28 Feb – 02 Mar 24 at/ off Visakhapatnam.
• Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted two successful flight tests of a Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile from a ground-based portable launcher off the coast of Odisha from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur.
• The Indian Navy will commission the newly inducted MH 60R Seahawk (a maritime variant of the Blackhawk helicopter) multi-role helicopter on 06 Mar 2024 at INS Garuda, Kochi marking a pivotal moment in India’s Defence modernisation journey.
• The Indian Navy will commission Naval Detachment Minicoy as INS Jatayu with Adm R Hari Kumar, the Chief of the Naval Staff, presiding over the event.
• Swedish defense company Saab has initiated construction on a new manufacturing facility in India for its renowned Carl-Gustaf M4 weapons.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar inaugurated the ‘Investor Information and Analytics Platform’ developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras.
• India’s first septic tank/manhole cleaning robot, offering an end-to-end solution to eliminate manual scavenging, is strengthening the swachhata abhiyan in different corners of the country.
• Google DeepMind has unveiled Genie, a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) model capable of generating interactive video games solely from a text or image prompt.
• Astronomers have made a remarkable discovery in our solar system, identifying three previously unknown moons.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi unveiled India’s ambitious plans to launch its own space station by 2035 during his visit to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi announced the names of the 4 astronauts Group Captains Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair (47), Angad Pratap (41), Ajit Krishnan (41), and Wing Commander Shubhanshu Shukla (38), who are undergoing training for the country’s maiden human space flight mission, Gaganyaan
• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad have collaborated to develop the first India-specific Artificial Intelligence (AI) model named Garbhini-GA2 to determine the age of a foetus in a pregnant woman in the second and third trimesters precisely.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• Zurich Insurance Group will buy a 70% stake in Kotak Mahindra Bank’s general insurance arm by paying 60 billion rupees (nearly $671 million) upfront instead of staggering the purchase as planned last year.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sanctioned the Scheme of Amalgamation of Bangalore, Karnataka based Fincare Small Finance Bank Limited. (Transferor Bank) with Jaipur, Rajasthan headquartered AU Small Finance Bank Ltd. (Transferee Bank).
• The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has granted conditional approval for the proposed merger between Air India and Vistara.
• Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) scheme during DefConnect 2024 in New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Indian Men’s Cricket Team has reached on top in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings, replacing New Zealand in the latest rankings issued
• Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated compatriot Vidit Gujrathi in the fifth round of Prague Masters Chess in the Czech Republic.
• Indian shuttler B Sai Praneeth has announced his retirement from international badminton
• Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan in the sixth round of the Prague International Chess Festival 2024 Masters to retain the fourth spot in the tournament.
• Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen eased to victory in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix despite the turmoil surrounding his Red Bull team principal Christian Horner
• The Sports Ministry has revoked the suspension of the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) with immediate effect
• The Khelo India athletes will now be eligible for government jobs.

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