Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Sep 22nd to 30th Sep 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

Weekly Current Affairs Sep 22nd to 30th PDF Download

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• World Rose Day is observed every year on September 22, dedicated to honouring and supporting cancer patients globally.
• The International Day of Sign Languages is celebrated annually on September 23 to promote awareness of sign languages and the rights of deaf individuals.
• World Rivers Day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of September every
• Every year we observe 25th September as World Pharmacists Day & this year, the theme of World Pharmacy Day is “Pharmacists: Meeting Global Health Needs”.
• The Antyodaya Diwas is observed every year on 25th September in India & the theme of 2024 is “Empowering the Last Person.”
• The World Contraception Day is observed on 26th September of every year & this year, 2024, the theme of World Contraception Day is "A choice for all. Freedom to plan, power to choose."
• World Environmental Health Day is observed on the 26th of September of every year.
• The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is celebrated on September 26th every year to raise awareness about the threat of nuclear weapons and to promote their elimination.
• World Maritime Day, observed annually on the last Thursday of September. This year, the World Maritime Day is taking place on September 26 & the Theme for 2024 “Navigating the Future: Safety First!”
• World Tourism Day is celebrated annually on 27th September. For 2024, the host country is Tbilisi, Georgia, and the theme is "Tourism and Peace".
• World Rabies Day is celebrated on 28th September of every year & this year's World Rabies Day theme is: “Breaking Rabies Boundaries”
• Every year World Heart Day is celebrated on 29th September & the World Heart Federation (WHF) has announced a powerful theme for the years 2024 to 2026: “Use Heart for Action.”
• International Translation Day is celebrated on 30th September of every year & the theme for International Translation Day (ITD) in 2024 is "Translation, an art worth protecting".

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• According to the latest State of the Economy report released by the Central Bank (RBI), the gap between credit and deposit growth in banks, which has been a major concern for the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) over the past two years, is finally narrowing.
• The deadline for special fixed deposits (FDs) by the State Bank of India (SBI), IDBI, and Indian Bank is nearing on September 30, 2024 .
• In pursuance of the announcement in Union Budget 2024-25 by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified the Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme, 2024 (referred as DTVSV, 2024) to resolve pending appeals in the case of income tax disputes.
• Shri M. Nagaraju, Secretary of the Department of Financial Services (DFS), chaired a conference of Chairpersons of Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunals (DRATs) and Presiding Officers of Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) in New Delhi.
• Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman launched the National Pension System Vatsalya (NPS Vatsalya) scheme, ‘a pension scheme for minors’ at New Delhi.
• India's financial sector is primarily controlled by large government-owned and private-sector banks like State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, and ICICI Bank.
• Public sector lender, Punjab & Sind Bank plans to raise up to ₹3,000 crore through infrastructure bonds as a cost-effective option amid increasing competition for deposits.
• State-owned banks are targeting Jan-Dhan accounts to enhance deposit mobilization amid rising credit growth and the shift of household savings to higher-yielding instruments.
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) advised Pakistan to adopt India's ULLAS (Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society) scheme to address its dysfunctional education system and provide quality training to its citizens.
• Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) won the Rajbhasha Kirti Pratham Puraskar for the second consecutive year in the Official Language Implementation category for 2023-24.
• Banks placed bids totalling ₹1,02,655 crore to draw liquidity from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) through the 1-day Variable Rate Repo (VRR) auction.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to launch the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) at a national level to transform the lending sector.
• The non-banking financial companies sector continues to demonstrate resilience within the Scale-Based Regulations framework.
• The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI's) proposed draft guidelines on the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) are under the Basel-III norms and are set to take effect in April 2025.
• The government has set an agriculture credit disbursement target of ₹27.5 lakh crore for the fiscal year 2024-25.
• After taking a substantial haircut in a debt restructuring proposal of Supreme Infrastructure India Ltd (SIIL), the State Bank of India (SBI) has proposed to invest in the preferential share issue of the defaulting company.
• According to rating agency ICRA, Banks' borrowings through bonds are expected to reach Rs 1.2-1.3 trillion in this financial year (FY25) amid tight liquidity conditions and credit outpacing deposit growth.
• The global credit ratings agency S&P Global, in its report, titled ‘Economic Outlook Asia-Pacific Q4 2024 retained India's growth forecast at 6.8% for the current financial year 2024-2025 and expressed optimism that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would start cutting interest rates in its October, 2024 monetary policy review.
• Ashwani Kumar, Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO),UCO Bank launched “Project Parivartan”, a major transformation initiative in the existing digital banking facilities offered by the Bank.
• Piramal Capital & Housing Finance Ltd (Piramal Finance), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Piramal Enterprises Ltd, has partnered with Digital India's Common Service Centers (CSCs) to meet the lending needs of Bharat by improving access to formal credit for underserved individuals and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises).
• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) released its mutual evaluation report on India, highlighting the country’s significant progress in tackling illicit finance.
• OLX has launched a comprehensive used-vehicle financing solution in collaboration with IDFC FIRST Bank.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has removed restrictions on IIFL Finance's gold loan operations.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has introduced new guidelines to streamline the application process for public issues of debt securities.
• Bank of India (BoI) raised Rs 2,500 crore through tier-II bonds at a coupon rate of 7.49%.
• India is in discussions with several countries in Africa and South America to help them build digital payment systems using the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a model.
• According to an assessment by ICRA, the organised gold loan market, comprising banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), is set to cross the ₹10-lakh-crore mark in the current fiscal from ₹9.2 lakh crore in FY24 and touch ₹15 lakh crore by March 2027.
• According to data from the Clearing Corporation of India, Banks issued ₹1.35 trillion worth of Certificates of Deposit (CDs) in September 2024, a 65% increase compared to August.
• State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman C. S. Setty announced that the bank has secured a strong credit pipeline of ₹4 lakh crore from Indian corporates.
• The Finance Ministry has urged banks to establish a clearly defined policy for handling small and high-value cases pending in Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs).
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) retained India's growth forecast for FY 2024-2025 at 7%, attributing this to improved agricultural output and increased government spending.
• The Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has outlined its borrowing program for the second half (H2) of FY 2024-25.
• Axis Bank, and Mastercard, a global technology company in the payments industry, announced their collaboration to launch MyBiz, a business credit card designed exclusively for sole proprietors and small business owners.
• PayU, one of India's leading digital financial services providers, has introduced an industry-first biometric authentication solution for card payments - Flash Pay.
• According to the latest report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's net foreign direct investment (FDI) during the April-July period of the current financial year (FY25) rose to $5.5 billion compared to $3.8 billion in the year-ago period.
• HDFC Life, one of India's leading life insurers, has entered into a bespoke agreement with Metropolis Healthcare Limited, a leading Indian diagnostic company, and CallHealth, an integrated healthcare platform respectively.
• The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), developed new software for Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), reducing claim rejections and improving settlement efficiency.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sanctioned the Scheme of Amalgamation of The Rajapur Sahakari Bank Limited., Mumbai, Maharashtra with The Malad Sahakari Bank Limited., Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, imposed a monetary penalty of ₹61.60 lakh on The Surat People’s Co-operative Bank Limited, Surat, for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Income Recognition, Asset Classification, Provisioning and Other Related Matters’, ‘Loans and advances to directors and their relatives, and firms/concerns in which they are interested’, ‘Maintenance of Deposit Accounts’ and ‘Customer Service’.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) will be celebrating the 1st Anniversary of the PM Vishwakarma Scheme on September 20, 2024.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, from September 21 to 23, 2024.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to officially launch the expanded Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme and the vaccination tracking portal U-Win, as announced by Health Minister J.P. Nadda.
• In a significant initiative to curb tobacco use among youth, the Secretaries of the Union Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare have jointly issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories.
• The Union Labour Ministry is set to integrate the databases of the e-Shram portal and the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to monitor better and understand the trends in workforce formalisation.
• In response to the increasing demand for more frequent labour market data, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will introduce monthly Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) for both rural and urban areas starting January 2025.
• During the Quad Cancer Moonshot event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a $7.5 million support package for sampling kits, detection kits, and vaccines to aid countries in their fight against cervical cancer.
• The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has initiated a transformative plan to enhance Mumbai's road network through a ₹58,000 crore project that aims to construct a series of ring roads.
• The Cabinet, during its meeting, approved a significant centrally sponsored scheme focused on wildlife conservation, as announced by the Environment Ministry.
• ANIMATE 2024, a 2D animation hackathon organised by FOSSEE, IIT Bombay, in partnership with Whistling Woods International, concluded with an award ceremony at the Whistling Woods campus.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address the UN Summit of the Future in New York, marking the final day of his three-day visit to the U.S.
• The national rural job guarantee scheme that gives millions of the poorest Indians employment is unlikely to see a higher allocation in FY25, citing government hopes of improving the rural economy this year on the back of better rains.
• A total of 12.8 GW of thermal power capacity has been awarded during the first 100 days of the new National Democratic Alliance (NDA), according to Pankaj Agarwal, secretary to the Union Ministry of power.
• President Droupadi Murmu will inaugurate the 16th Assembly of the Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) in New Delhi.
• The Union Home Ministry has cancelled the FCRA licence of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) due to alleged violations of rules.
• India has joined the Minerals Security Finance Network initiated by the United States.
• Delhi’s Electric Vehicle (EV) policy is set to be extended until March 2025 as directed by Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.
• The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) announced the establishment of ship-building and repair clusters in five states: Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Odisha.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit Pune in Maharashtra.
• The Ministry of Textiles has announced the Medical Textiles (Quality Control) Order, 2023, which will come into effect on October 1, 2024.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled three advanced supercomputers named Param Rudra as part of India's National Supercomputing Mission.
• To expedite the refund process for unclaimed shares and dividends, the government is developing an integrated digital portal, expected to be operational by early 2025.
• Union Minister of Textiles, Shri Giriraj Singh, and Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Textiles, Pabitra Margherita, launched several significant initiatives to enhance India’s fashion and textile sectors, including:
• The central government has set a borrowing target of Rs 6.61 lakh crore for the second half (H2) of the financial year 2024-25.
• On 27th September 2024, in celebration of World Tourism Day, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India revealed the Best Tourism Villages Competition 2024 winners.
• Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Shri Nitin Gadkari, is set to inaugurate the Oxygen Bird Park (Amrit Mahotsav Park) located on the Nagpur-Hyderabad National Highway 44 in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
• India aims to grow its textile industry to $350 billion by 2030, up from approximately $164 billion currently, with an expected creation of 4.5 to 6 crore jobs.
• The 57th Executive Committee (EC) meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), chaired by Shri Rajeev Kumar Mital, approved various projects totalling ₹1,062 crore aimed at conserving and cleaning the Ganga River, alongside initiatives for Mahakumbh 2025.
• The Indian government is planning a second round of the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for speciality steel, as the initial response to the first round did not meet expectations.
• Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Anantha Nageswaran estimates the Indian economy will grow at 6.5-7% in the current financial year on a steady-state basis.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a €35 billion loan to Ukraine, backed by profits from immobilized Russian central bank assets.
• The India-France strategic defence partnership is poised for significant advancements, particularly in the construction of nuclear attack submarines and the transfer of technology for aircraft engines and underwater drones.
• India and South Korea discussed addressing non-tariff barriers affecting Indian exporters in the Korean market to promote more balanced trade.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi presented gifts to United States (US) President Mr Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, symbolizing India's rich cultural heritage.
• Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal, concluded a 3-day visit to Australia from September 23 to 26, 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi launched ‘SUBHADRA’, the flagship Scheme of Government of Odisha, in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 4th Global Renewable Energy Investors Meet and Expo (RE-INVEST) at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
• Union Minister for MSME, Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi, inaugurated the CREATE facility in Leh through virtual mode.
• Odisha is set to join the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri - Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), which offers health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary hospitalization.
• Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) has the largest base of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in India, with 96 lakh MSME units spread across 75 districts.
• Atishi announced a revision in the minimum monthly wages for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers in her first decision as Chief Minister.
• The Chief Minister of Tripura, Manik Saha, launched the CM-SATH scheme to support meritorious students in higher education, fulfilling a pre-poll promise.
• The 6th Session of the India-Egypt JTC was held in New Delhi on 16th-17th September 2024.
• The "Krishi Sakhi" scheme was launched in Uttar Pradesh (UP) to empower women in agriculture.
• Karnataka is set to strengthen its position in the global outsourcing landscape by targeting a doubling of its Global Capability Centres (GCCs) to 1,000 and generating 350,000 new jobs by 2029.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• The government has initiated a review of the integrated goods and service tax (I-GST) settlement mechanism following numerous complaints from various state governments about being deprived of their rightful I-GST shares, leading to significant revenue losses.
• CARE Ratings has downgraded the long-term instruments rating of IIFL Finance Ltd (IFL) from “AA” to “AA-” due to a significant decline in the company's gold loan book, following restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) is preparing to release a list of 500 companies eligible to participate in the Centre's internship scheme, based on the average annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure over the past three years.
• India's economy is projected to achieve a growth rate of 7.2% in FY25, with potential to surpass this estimate, as reported by a senior official from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above has remained unchanged at 3.2 per cent in July 2023 to June 2024, according to the labour force survey annual report released.
• State-owned hydro power giant NHPC has paid a final dividend of Rs 338.51 crore to the Government of India for 2023-24.
• Effective from November 1, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) will mandate the use of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for individual investors applying for amounts up to ₹5 lakh through intermediaries.
• The Group of Ministers (GoM) on GST rate rationalisation is leaning towards reducing the GST on education materials from 12% to 5%. This move is intended to provide relief to a large section of people.
• In a groundbreaking initiative to tackle the growing issue of spam calls and messages in India, Bharti Airtel has launched the country’s first network-based, AI-powered spam detection solution.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Air Marshal Amar Preet Singh, currently Vice Chief of the Air Staff, appointed as the next Chief of the Air Staff (CAS).
• At the FIDE 100 Awards ceremony in Hungary, Magnus Carlsen and Judit Polgar were recognized as the best male and female players, respectively.
• Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and National People's Power (NPP), won the Sri Lankan presidential election.
• The Centre notified the appointment of Chief Justices in eight High Courts.
• Lieutenant General Muhammad Asim Malik has been appointed as the new Director General of Pakistan’s spy agency – Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
• Harini Amarasuriya, a 54-year-old lawmaker and university professor, has been sworn in as Sri Lanka's 16th Prime Minister.
• V.S. Manian has taken over as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Federal Bank.
• Ibrahima Cheikh Diong, a Senegalese finance specialist, has been appointed as the first director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, as announced by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• Alok Ranjan, a 1991-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the Director, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for a tenure up to his superannuation on June 30, 2026.
• IndiGo has nominated Isidro Porqueras as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective from November 1, 2024 (subject to regulatory approvals).
• The board of directors of private sector lender IndusInd Bank has approved the re-appointment of Sumant Kathpalia as the managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) of the bank for a period of three years.
• M V Shreyams Kumar was elected as the president of the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) during the 85th annual general meeting held via video conferencing.
• Udhayanidhi Stalin, the 45-year-old son of Chief Minister M K Stalin, was elevated to the post of Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
• Online food ordering and delivery platform Zomato announced its co-founder and Chief People Officer Akriti Chopra has resigned to pursue other interests.
• Jitendra J. Jadhav was appointed as Director General (DG) of the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA).
• Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo was elected as the new president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), defeating VK Dhall with a vote count of 36 to 21.
• Ravindra has been appointed as India's next Ambassador to Iceland by the Ministry of External Affairs.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) Director (Personnel), DIG Subrato Ghosh (ICG Retd.), received the prestigious ‘CHRO of the Year Award’ at the 23rd Edition of the Asia Pacific HRMC Awards 2024, held at Taj MG Road, Bengaluru
• Filmmaker Kiran Rao’s comedy-drama “Laapataa Ladies” has been chosen and submitted as India's official entry in the Best Foreign Film Category for the Oscars 2025 by the Film Federation of India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully completed Exercise Eastern Bridge VII with the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) at the RAFO airbase in Masirah.
• The Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), a leading laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over critical high-altitude sustenance technologies to the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) during an orientation workshop on September 21, 2024, at PGCIL’s regional headquarters in Jammu.
• The 5th edition of Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS) 2024 was hosted by the Indian Navy from 23-24 September 24 under the aegis of Naval War College, Goa.
• The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO), along with researchers of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has developed Light Weight Bullet Proof Jackets named ABHED (Advanced Ballistics for High Energy Defeat).
• The 11th Engineers Conclave, organized jointly by the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), commenced on September 26, 2024, in Hyderabad.
• Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), is on a four day official visit to Greece from 26 to 29 Sep 2024.
• The Missile Cum Ammunition Barge (MCA), LSAM 13 (Yard 81), was delivered on September 25, 2024, at Naval Dockyards, Mumbai, for INS Tunir.
• The Missile Cum Ammunition Barge (MCA), LSAM 13 (Yard 81), was delivered on September 25, 2024, at Naval Dockyards, Mumbai, for INS Tunir.
• Shankh Air, India’s newest airline owned by Shankh Aviation Private Limited, has got approval from the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to start operations.
• The second edition of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) seminar on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing was conducted at Naval War College, Goa on 25 Sep 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Iran launched the Chamran-1 research satellite into orbit using the Qaem-100 rocket, developed by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
• Newly discovered asteroid named 2024 PT5 will temporarily be captured by Earth's gravity and orbit the planet from September 29 to November 25, 2024.
• Strengthening its global connectivity infrastructure, Bharti Airtel has partnered with Italy’s international service provider Sparkle to access capacity on Blue-Raman Submarine Cable Systems connecting India and Italy.
• Bengaluru-based space startup Bellatrix Aerospace unveiled Project 200, an innovative satellite designed to operate at an Ultra-Low Earth Orbit (180 km-250 km) on the inaugural day of the Bengaluru Space Expo 2024.
• Bharti Airtel introduced India's first network-based, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered spam detection solution to combat spam calls and messages.
• The Union Cabinet approved India's first mission to Venus, set to be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in March 2028.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• The Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a Navaratna Defence PSU, to collaborate on space technologies with a specific focus on Space Situational Awareness (SSA).
• During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to the U.S. for the Quad Summit, India signed two significant agreements under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), focusing on clean energy, anti-corruption, and trade transparency.
• Chennai-based global technology company Zoho has introduced two major offerings at its annual user conference, Zoholics India.
• Tata Electronics has finalised a Rs 91,000 crore ($11 billion) Definitive Agreement with Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) of Taiwan, marking a significant step toward building India's first AI-enabled semiconductor fabrication plant in Dholera, Gujarat.
• The Women in Space Leadership Programme (WiSLP) was inaugurated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with the British Council, as part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
• The Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan was signed by Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman and H.E. Mr. Khodjayev Jamshid Abdukhakimovich, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, in Tashkent.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the proposed acquisition by Naspers Ventures B.V. in Vastu Housing Finance Corporation Limited.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

• In the 2023 Landslide Atlas of India prepared by ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Wayanad ranks fifth in Kerala and 13th nationally out of 147 districts across 17 states and two Union Territories.
• India has achieved a significant milestone by climbing to the 39th position among 133 global economies in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2024, as announced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.
• The IMD World Talent Ranking 2024 has revealed significant insights into global talent hubs, with Switzerland maintaining its lead in investment, development, and appeal factors.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Saleema Imtiaz has made history by becoming the first Pakistani woman to be nominated to the ICC International Panel of Development Umpires, as announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
• India achieved a historic victory by securing its first-ever gold medal in the women's section of the 2024 Chess Olympiad, held at the SYMA Sports and Conference Centre in Budapest, Hungary.
• Four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz overcame Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 as Team Europe rallied to beat Team World 13-11 and win the Laver Cup.
• Pratyasa Ray, an emerging swimming talent from Odisha, has been selected for the 32nd Ekalabya Puraskar 2024 for her outstanding achievements in swimming.
• Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth clinched the men’s doubles title at the 2024 Hangzhou Open.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• Renowned poet and former IPS officer Keki N Daruwalla, an inspiration to countless young writers and poets who looked at him as a mentor,passed away at the age of 87.