Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of August 08th to 14th August 2023. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2023 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• Quit India Movement is observed annually on August 8.
• Nagasaki Day is observed on August 9 every
• International Day of World’s Indigenous People is observed annually on August 9.
• Every year World Biofuel Day is observed on the 10th of August.
• World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12.
• International Youth Day is observed annually all over the world on August 12.
• International Lefthanders Day 2023 is the 31st annual lefthanders day celebrated on the 13th of August every year
• Every year World Organ Donation Day is celebrated on the 13th of August to raise awareness about the importance of organ donation and encourage people to donate their organs after death.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Vocal for Local has become a mass movement that has given a new impetus to the textile sector in the country.
• The Government has said that a valid License for imports of laptops, tablets, and personal computers will be required from the 1st of November this year.
• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI) for its alleged anti-national activities.
• The Valedictory Ceremony, on the second day of the first-ever 'Festival of Libraries 2023', witnessed the gracious presence of the Vice-President of India, Sh. Jagdeep Dhankhar.
• The Lok Sabha secretariat restored Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's membership in the Lower House.
• The Ministry of Tourism has identified ‘Prayagraj’ and ‘Naimisharanya’ in Uttar Pradesh as destinations for development under ‘Swadesh Darshan 2.0 (0) to develop sustainable and responsible tourism destinations.
• The G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 2nd to 4th August 2023, with participation by Women and Gender Equality Ministers from across the G20 and Guest countries.
• A meeting was held in Agra, Uttar Pradesh as part of a visit by the Executive Directors of the World Bank to understand the transformational impact of the Bank’s projects in the country.
• The Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad and Kathmandu University (KU) have agreed to offer a Joint Doctoral Programme (JDP) at the PhD level in all areas of research.
• Parliament has approved the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill,
• Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative of MeitY was conceptualised with the mission to spread awareness about cyber-crime and build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments, for ensuring adequate safety measures to combat the growing menace – Organisations need to defend their digital infrastructures and become future-ready in tackling cyber-attacks.
• Parliament has passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill 2023 with Rajya Sabha approving it.
• Postal Life Insurance (PLI), a distinguished name in the insurance sector since 1884, is taking a momentous leap forward in its customer-centric approach.
• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal attended the 13th BRICS Trade Ministers’ Meeting held under the BRICS Presidency of South Africa virtually.
• The President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu inaugurated a conference on ‘Aspiring for Supermind in the City of Evolving Consciousness’ at Auroville.
• Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued its recommendations on ‘Introduction of Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Provider Authorization under Unified License (UL)’.

• The third and final meeting of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) under India’s Presidency will be held from 9 to 11 August 2023 in Kolkata.
• The Centre for Trade and Investment Law (CTIL), established by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi celebrated its 6th anniversary and released the Sixth Anniversary issue of CTIL Magazine in New Delhi.
• The nationwide Meri Mati Mera Desh Campaign will be launched to pay tribute to the Bravehearts who laid down their lives for the country.
• A Parliamentary Committee has recommended bringing legislation to make it mandatory for Supreme Court and High Court judges to declare their property returns on an annual basis.
• Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr P.K. Mishra chaired the seventh meeting of the Coordi Nation Committee on India’s G20 Presidency at Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
• The Union Electronics and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said the personal data of every citizen will be protected in the digital domain by the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill.
• The Department of Consumer Affairs, under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, has released Additional Guidelines for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers in the field of health and wellness.
• India is committed to eliminating Lymphatic Filariasis by 2027, three years ahead of the global target through mission mode, multi-partner, multi-sector targeted drive.
• Parliament passed the Central Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and Integrated Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
• Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare inaugurated the National Conference on Electronic Resources in Medicine (ERMED) Consortium: Empowering Libraries for Digital Health Transformation at National Media Library.
• The Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy and Power has informed that the “Technology and Innovation Report 2023" brought out by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, has ranked India at 46th position in its “Frontier Technologies Readiness Index.
• The 53rd National Planning Group (NPG) was held in New Delhi, under the chairpersonship of Special Secretary, Logistics, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Smt. Sumita Dawra.
• Under the aegis of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) “Har Ghar Tiranga” will be celebrated across the Nation from 13th August 2023 – 15th August 2023 wherein people will be encouraged to hoist flags on their premises.
• Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Secretary Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma launched the indigenous Technology of Hybrid Green Energy Microgrid for Electrical energy requirements of the Rural communities developed by C -DAC, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of National Mission on Power Electronics Technology (NaMPET) Program, at Elephant Rehabilitation Centre (ERC), Kottoor, Thiruvananthapuram.
• The government has disbursed 2,900 crore rupees till March 2023 under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation, development projects in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh.
• One District One Product (ODOP) program, an initiative under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, launched its collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Development in New Delhi.
• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah performed the Bhumi Pujan and laid the foundation stone of the IFFCO Nano DAP (Liquid) Plant at Gandhidham, Gujarat.
• The exhibition titled Women In Focus: Visualizing Feminine Constructs in Indian Art was inaugurated by Smt MeenakashiLekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, at the National Museum.
• Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship launched Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme.
• Investor Education and Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) CEO Ms. Anita Shah Akella launched two Investor Awareness Vans titled “Niveshak Sarathi”, from IEPFA's headquarters as part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, aligning with the theme “From Unawareness to Financial Independence”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, observed a moment of silence during a ceremony marking the 78th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan.
• The 5th meeting of the India-Vietnam Joint Trade Sub-Commission (JTSC) was held in New Delhi.
• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which works under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has facilitated the export of the first trial shipment of fresh pomegranate to the USA through an air route.
• In Nepal, the construction work of the Indian Buddhist Culture and Heritage Centre has begun in Lumbini after the Bhumi Pujan ceremony with special recitation by Buddhist monks.
• In a major push to Indian students and alumni, France has announced new initiatives to bolster academic excellence, cultural understanding, and long-lasting friendship between the two nations.
• Pakistan President Arif Alvi has approved the premature dissolution of the National Assembly.
• US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order banning American investments in key technology industries that could be used to enhance China’s military capabilities.
• Due to incessant rain and the onrush of water from hilly areas of India and Myanmar, almost the entire Chattogram Division of Bangladesh is grappling with floods. Bangladesh's government deployed the army to deal with the havoc wreaked by flood in the country's largest division, which is home to 3 crore people.
• Amid rising threats from Belarus and Wagner fighters, Poland has started sending troops to the border to reinforce its control and curb the entry of illegal migrants.
• Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed during a rally in the capital Quito.
• The bilateral trade between India and Angola has grown from 2.14 billion dollars in 2020-21 to 4.22 billion dollars during 2022-23.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• In Bihar, a special art exhibition dedicated to G-20 member countries will commence in the Bihar Museum, Patna.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 508 railway stations at a cost of over 24 thousand 470 crore rupees under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme across the country through video conferencing.
• Government of Gujarat has implemented the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme with a grant of 58 crores rupees to promote its indigenous products at the international level.
• Union Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah said that the cooperative movement cannot progress without transparency and the digital portal will serve that purpose.
• The lands required for NLC India are acquired by the District Administration as per the Land Acquisition Act prevailing at the time of acquisition.
• 17 new districts and 3 new divisions have come into existence in Rajasthan.
• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned the Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren in the alleged land scam case.
• Director General, of Border Security Forces (BSF), Nitin Agrawal visited the International Border in the Samba district of Jammu division.
• The Haryana Government has extended the temporary suspension of mobile Internet services in Nuh district till 11th
• The Haryana government is planning to build a dam for 6,134 crore rupees.
• Commander (Eastern Seaboard) S Paramesh has been appointed as Additional Director General Coast Guard at Indian Coast Guard Headquarters, New Delhi.
• In Ladakh, the State Tourism Department is organising an Awareness-cum-Cleanliness Drive under Mission Travel for Life and Meri Maati Mera Desh campaign at Holiyal Drass in collaboration with Roots Ladakh, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department (RD&PRD), Wild Life Department, Education Department and local women Self Help Groups.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• During the current year till Jun 2023, domestic coal production has increased by over 8.51% compared to the same period of last year.
• The Technology Development Board signed the second agreement under the initiative "Technology Intervention towards ‘Garbage Free Cities’.
• The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy has provided the details of State/UT-wise power generation in the country from Renewable and Non-Renewable sources, during the years 2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23 and the current year 2023-24.
• The Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy has informed that the electricity generated by coal-based power plants in the country.
• The gross direct tax collection has registered a growth of around 16 per cent to 6 lakh 53 thousand crore rupees compared to the corresponding period last year.
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA), a Mini Ratna (Category – I) Government of India enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, has achieved a remarkable milestone with an all-time high Quarterly Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs. 295 crores and Profit Before Tax (PBT) of Rs. 440 crores in the 1st Quarter of the fiscal year 2023-24.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

• Payments giant Mastercard announced the introduction of Cardholder Verification Value (CVV)-less online transactions for its debit and credit cardholders who have tokenized their cards on merchant platforms.
• The Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the Corporate Debt Market Development Fund (CDMDF) and initiated the trading on Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation (LPCC) mechanism called AMC Repo Clearing Limited (ARCL), in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman chaired a meeting with Chairpersons and senior officials of Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) from the Southern Region, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN),
• State Bank of India’s (SBI) first quarter (Q1FY24) standalone net profit soared 178% year-on-year (yoy) in the first quarter to ₹16,884 crore, buoyed by a 5-fold increase in other income, robust net interest income, and a decline in loan loss provisions.
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has allowed insurance companies’ bond holdings in the erstwhile Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC) to be treated as ‘housing and infrastructure’ investments till maturity.
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned Rs 1,974.07 crores to the Rajasthan government under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) for 2023-24.
• IndusInd Bank and Tiger Fintech Private Limited, a Bajaj Capital Group company, announced the launch of the IndusInd Bank Tiger Credit Card, a co-branded credit card powered by Visa.
• The Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), allowed Offer For Sale (OFS) for units of private listed Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvlTs) through a stock exchange mechanism.
• Electronica Finance Limited (EFL), a leading Pune based Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) specialising in financing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with a focus on financial inclusion and energy efficient machine financing, has signed a US$15 million deal from Global Climate Partnership Fund (GCPF), managed by responsAbility Investments AG to promote green financing in India as part of its sustainability goal.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Association of Portfolio Managers in India (APMI) will jointly set standards for performance audit of portfolio management services (PMS) players effective from October 01, 2023.
• Indian non-banking financial services company, Bajaj Finance Limited (BFL) has partnered with ICICI Lombard General Insurance along with other partners to provide car and two-wheeler insurance plans on the platform Bajaj Finance Insurance Mall.
• Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in July 2023 have grown 44% to ₹15.34-lakh crore.
• Private sector health insurance provider Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Ltd has signed a "strategic corporate bancassurance" with Standard Chartered Bank to provide its insurance products to customers.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed late submission fees (LSF) of ₹2,000 crores on ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), Indian Oil Corp. Ltd, GAIL (India) Ltd, and Oil India Ltd for delayed reporting of their overseas investments.
• As per the RBI provisional data, ₹14-lakh crore worth Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) were written off by Scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) between FY15 and FY23 (9 years).
• The Finance Ministry informed Rajya Sabha that scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) wrote off over ₹10.5-lakh crore in the 5 years ending March 31, 2023.
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has asked the top 15 insurance companies to adopt the new Indian Accounting Standard (IND-AS) accounting framework from 01 April 2024 (FY25).
• The Capital Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) halved the timeline for listing of shares on stock exchanges after the closure of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) to 3 days from 6 days at present.
• Axis Bank started to raise its stake in Max Life Insurance Company Limited to 16.22% from 9.99% by infusing Rs 1,612 crore through a preferential allotment of shares.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced to increase the transaction payment limit from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 for UPI Lite in offline mode to promote digital transactions.
• The National Company Law Tribunal's (NCLT) Kolkata bench has approved National Asset Reconstruction Company Limited's (NARCL) resolution plan for 2 Srei group companies.
• India's only profitable multi-segment fintech operating at scale with a banking license, Airtel Payments Bank, becomes the 1st Indian Bank to launch eco-friendly debit cards for its new and existing customers with a savings bank account.
• Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance Company (Kotak Life) stated that its corporate agency ties–up with ESAF Small Finance Bank (ESAF Bank) to offer life insurance to customers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the team of National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS) of NCRB for winning the Gold Award under the Excellence in Government Process Reengineering for Digital Transformation Category-1 of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has appointed former Prime Minister Hun Sen's son - Hun Manet- as the new prime minister of the country.
• Tesla appointed Vaibhav Taneja as its new Chief Financial Officer.
• General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff left for the United Kingdom, to review the 201st Sovereign's Parade of Commissioning Course 223 at the prestigious Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst as the Sovereign’s Representative.
• Justice Subhasis Talapatra took oath as the 33rd Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Navars Edutech successfully launched the National Space Innovation Challenge 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• The Aspirational Districts Programme has yielded positive results in the Nuh district of Haryana as the district has moved from the 30th position to the second position in Niti Aayog’s Delta ranking.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• Two Indian Navy ships, INS Visakhapatnam and INS Trikand, arrived at Port Rashid in Dubai for a bilateral exercise with the UAE Navy.
• India and the UAE have initiated a bilateral Naval Maritime Partnership Exercise off the coast of the UAE.
• Indian Navy's indigenous frontline warships INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata will participate in Exercise MALABAR 2023.
• Paradip Port Authority has become the fastest major port to handle 50 million metric tons of Cargo in the current fiscal year (2023).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the proposed combination involving the acquisition of 90% of the shareholding and voting rights of HDFC Credila Financial Services Limited by Kopvoorn B.V., Moss Investments Limited, Infinity Partners and Defati Investments Holding B.V.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) CCI approves the merger of Tata Cleantech Capital Limited (TCCL) and Tata Capital Financial Services Limited (TCFSL) into Tata Capital Limited.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The Indian Space Research Organisation successfully carried out the lunar-orbit reduction manoeuvre of India’s third moon mission Chandrayaan-3, a day after it into the lunar orbit.
• New Space India Limited NSIL has collaborated with Tata Play and launched the GSAT-24 satellite in June 2022 aligned with the Make in India vision of the Government.
• Russia has announced that it planned to launch a lunar lander this week after several delays, hoping to return to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.
• India has developed a manned scientific submersible MATSYA6000.
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Indian Space Policy – 20 23 has been approved and released in the public domain.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• In Hockey, the Indian men's team reclaimed the top spot in the ongoing Asian Champions Trophy after they defeated Malaysia by 5-0 in their round-robin clash at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai.
• Prarthana Thombare has clinched the doubles title at the women's tennis hardcourt event in Barcelona, Spain.
• World No. 1 men's doubles pair of Pramod Bhagat and Sukant Kadam won a gold medal in the SL3-SL4 category in the Four Nations Para-Badminton International- 2023 in Sheffield, England, defeating compatriots Deep Ranjan Bisoyee and Manoj Sarkar 21-17 21-17.
• In Cricket, India will clash against West Indies in their third T-20 International at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
• In Hockey, India defeated Pakistan 4-0 in the final game of the group stage to enter the semi-finals of the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai.
• In the upcoming World Athletics Championships 2023, javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will lead the Indian contingent.
• World Badminton Championships 2023 will begin Copenhagen in Denmark on the 21st of August,2023.
• After much anticipation, Shakib Al Hasan has been appointed as the captain of the Bangladesh One-Day International cricket team, replacing Tamim Iqbal.
• The Indian hockey team on 12 August defeated Malaysia 4-3 to win for the fourth time at the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 final, at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium in Chennai.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Prominent filmmaker Siddique passed away at a private hospital in Kochi.