Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Dec 15th to 21st Dec 2022. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2022 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• 50th Vijay Diwas 2022 is observed on the 16th of December 2022.
• India and Finland have signed a joint declaration of Intent on migration and mobility to arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement on migration and mobility between the two countries.
• International Migrants Day 2022 is observed on the 18th of December 2022.
• Goa’s Liberation Day 2022 is observed on the 19th of December 2022.
• International Human Solidarity Day 2022 is observed on the 20th of December 2022.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi attended a function honouring Sri Aurobindo's 150th birthday.
• Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud virtually inaugurated ten district court digitization hubs (DCDH) in Odisha, stating that the judiciary needs to be modernised.
• According to the government, India expects to commission 20 nuclear power stations by 2031, adding roughly 15,000 MW of power generation capacity.
• The Ministry of Education (MoE) has approved a new five-year program called the "New India Literacy Programme" to address all aspects of adult education through the new National Education Policy (NEP).
• The India International Science Festival (IISF)-2022 will take place in Bhopal in January 2023, and it is one of the key events to take place after India assumed the G-20 presidency.
• According to telecom regulator Trai chairman PD Vaghela, India will be the first country to auction spectrum for satellite communication, and it should be tailored to promote investments in the field.
• Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Jal Shakti Minister, launched the 7^th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS 2022) in the presence of Shri Bishweshwar Tudu, Minister of State for Jal Shakti.
• The Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS) Scheme has replaced the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Ko Kaam Karyakram (PMKKK), according to Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Minority Affairs, in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 72nd death anniversary was marked by tributes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union Ministers.
• Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and UNDP India together launched the fifth edition of Young Co: Lab, making it the largest youth innovation movement in the Asia Pacific region.
• Inaugurating the Delhi International Arts Festival at Kartavya Path with the slogan "Where Bharat Meets India," the Ministry of Culture worked in partnership with the Prasiddha Foundation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• The Group of Seven (G7) leading economies have created an open, international climate club for countries that want to cooperate in the fight against global warming.
• The Embassy of India and Nepal government’s Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration have signed 3 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to collaborate on projects in the education sector.
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, organized an opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets – 2023 (IYM2023) in Rome, Italy.
• India and Finland have signed a joint declaration of Intent on migration and mobility to arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement on migration and mobility between the two countries.
• European Union (EU) countries have agreed to offer Bosnia-Herzegovina candidate status to join the 27-member bloc, during the ongoing meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
• The 54-member United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) adopted a resolution to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its four-year term from 2022 to 2026.
• A group of 9 rich industrialized nations has approved a deal to provide Vietnam with 15.5 billion US dollars to help the Southeast Asian nation move faster from coal power to renewable energy, cutting its climate-damaging pollution.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the next major meeting of the World Trade Organization set to take place by March 2024.
• The First Group Twenty (G20) Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting, under the Indian Presidency, was held in Bengaluru, Karnataka, from 23-25 February 2023 under the co-chairship of Secretary, Economic Affairs, Shri Ajay Seth and Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India, Dr. Michael Patra.
• Sri Lankans can hold $10,000 (Rs 8.14 lakh) worth of the Indian rupee (INR) in a physical form, though the INR would not be legal tender in Sri Lanka after India approved a Sri Lankan request to designate the INR as the foreign currency.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the greenfield international airport at Mopa in North Goa.
• The 12 th edition of the ‘Under the Sal Tree’ theatre festivalwill start on December 15, 2022, for 3 days at Badungduppa Kalakendra at Rampur in lower Assam’s Goalpara district.
• The Purple Fest: Celebrating Diversity, the first-ever inclusive festival in the state for persons with disabilities (PwDs), will be organized in Panjim, Goa, from January 6-8, 2023.
• Arunachal government launched the 7th edition of the ‘Seva Aapke Dwar 2.0’ campaign at Gossang village in Upper Siang District, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund Limited (NIIFL) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu Infrastructure Development Board (TNIDB). 
• The Forest department in association with Noolpuzha grama panchayat has launched the ‘Vanikaran’ (afforestation) Project in Kerala.
• ‘Gamocha’, a symbol of the culture and identity of Assam, has received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the central government, 5 years after the first application was made in 2017.
• Kerala Chief Minister Shri Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the 5th edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), at Fort Kochi Parade ground, Kochi, Kerala.
• Tamil Nadu (TN) has become the first state in India to launch its own Climate Change Mission. 
• The government of Uttarakhand is planning for genetic enhancement of the Badri Cow through sex-sorted semen and embryo transfer technology to increase its productivity.
• Assam Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma launched the Orunodoi 2.0 scheme virtually from Assam House in New Delhi.
• Kolkata will witness the Tramjatra event that will celebrate 150 years of its iconic tram and renew hope that this non-polluting mode of transport does not become entirely extinct in February 2023.
• The District Tourism Promotion Council, Kozhikode has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the famous Beypore Uru (boat).
• The Union Government has granted the first-ever Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Raktsey Karpo apricot of Ladakh.
• The Kerala-based Organisation named Thanal in an experiment has planted 300 climate-resilient varieties of traditional rice on 1.5 acres of land at its agroecology center in Panavally in the Wayanad district.
• Reliance Retail Ventures Limited's Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) unit Reliance Consumer Products launched its indigenous consumer packaged goods brand, 'Independence' in Gujarat.
• The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government has signed several agreements with investors in Singapore ahead of the UP Global Investors Summit  (UPGIS) in February 2023 as it sought Singapore's support for reaching a USD 50 billion investment commitments target.
• According to data, people from Tamil Nadu were the biggest beneficiaries among 33 States and Union Territories (UT) that have implemented the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).
• Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) M K Stalin introduced a single window system to accord clearances to green projects to attain 1 Trillion economies by 2030.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING & FINANCE

• Canara HSBC Life Insurance launched a new “Guaranteed Fortune Plan” a non-linked, non-participating individual savings scheme offering life cover and a lump sum amount on outliving the policy term.
• Private Sector lender HDFC Bank in partnership with the Government of India’s flagship initiative ‘Start-up India’ launched its sixth Parivartan SmartUp Grants, the annual grants program for social start-ups 
• India’s Uber for Trucks, Trucknetic, has partnered with DBS Bank as a logistics partner on their BusinessClass platform.
• Universal Sompo General Insurance Company Limited has partnered with an insurance infrastructure Application Programming Interface (API) platform, Zopper, to roll out a special integrated offering for
• The non-banking finance company SV CreditLine Limited (SVCL) and the private sector lender IndusInd Bank have signed a co-lending collaboration for a ₹500 crore loan targeted solely towards women borrowers.
• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, a leading general insurance company in India, has partnered with NIIT, a global talent development corporation, to launch HDFC ERGO Technocrat – Advance Dot Net Developer Program to create a large pool of developers.
• ASK Capital has received approval from the Central Bank of Ireland to launch an India-based fund ASK Indian Entrepreneur Fund through the UCITS route. 
• The central government has repaid the sum of Rs. 1109 crore and 29 crores to the Asian Development Bank and German state-owned lender KFW, respectively, to fulfil guarantees offered to Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has exempted non-resident Indians (NRIs) without permanent account numbers (PANs) from e-filing Form 10F up to March 2023.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has shortlisted 7 global consultancy firms, to use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for supervisory functions.
• The State Bank of India (SBI)has sanctioned a donation of ₹26 crore to rejuvenate 7 major lakes in the Kolar district of Karnataka.
• Ooty, Tamil Nadu (TN) headquartered Lawrencedale Agro Processing (LEAF) has entered into a strategic partnership with private sector lender HDFC Bank to offer customized financial products and services to marginalized farmers.
• Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a framework for the Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) in India will now be able to raise money from Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs). 
• The board of One97 Communications Ltd, the listed entity that runs Paytm, approved a share buyback program worth ₹850 crores via an open market route through the stock exchanges method.
• Reliance General Insurance Company Limited (RGICL) has launched the first-of-its-kind premium health insurance product – ‘Reliance Health Infinity Policy’ that offers limitless benefits.
• India's leading payments and API banking solutions company, Cashfree Payments, is enabling eUPP (eLite Unified Payment Platform), a fee payment management system for schools and colleges, to offer an instant and secure fee payments experience for end users
• Private sector lender Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd. (TMB) has entered into a strategic alliance with Kotak Mahindra General Insurance Co. Ltd.,  for marketing the products of the insurance arm of Kotak Mahindra Bank. 
• Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), the principal financial institution engaged in the promotion, financing, and development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) has partnered with M1xchange as the financier.
• Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd. (IREDA) signed a loan agreement for 4,444.71 crores with SJVN Green Energy Ltd. (SGEL, a subsidiary of SJVN Ltd.), for a 1,000 MW Solar power project at Bikaner, Rajasthan.
• According to the Finance Ministry data presented in the Rajya Sabha, only about 13% of the loans written off by the scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) during the last 5 financial years have been recovered
• Leading Indian stock brokerage firm, HDFC Securities has launched Roots, a dedicated platform providing comprehensive investor education and market analysis.
• AU Small Finance Bank, India's leading small finance bank, and HDFC Life, one of India’s leading life insurers, entered into a corporate agency arrangement for soliciting insurance plans of HDFC Life through the bancassurance business model.
• Tata AIA Life Insurance Company Limited (Tata AIA) has launched a new Emerging Opportunities Fund that will invest in mid-cap companies and emerging market leaders
• State-owned Bank of Baroda (BoB) plans to sell its majority stake in Nainital Bank.  
• Equitas Small Finance Bank Limited, one of the leading Small Finance Banks (SFBs), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Controller General of Defence Accounts, Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
• State Bank India (SBI) will start overseas trade in rupee with smaller countries like Mauritius and Sri Lanka to steer clear of any transactions with Russia which carries the risk of sanctions by the West.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the hours of trading for a number of the markets that it regulates; the new timings from 9 am to 5 pm will come into effect from 12 Dec 2022.
• Bank of Baroda, one of India’s leading public sector banks, has launched the 2nd edition of Green Ride – Ek Pehal Swachh Hawa Ki Aur, an initiative with environmental advocate and fitness enthusiast, Milind Soman.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Wellcome Trust director Dr. Jeremy Farrar will become the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Chief Scientist in the second quarter of 2023.
• The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shri Bhupendra Patel takes oath as the 18th Chief Minister (CM) of Gujarat for the second consecutive time at a function held at the Helipad Ground, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
• American executive Cindy Hook has been appointed as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organizing committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
• Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Justice Dipankar Datta took oath as a judge of the Supreme Court.
• Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi has assumed the additional charge as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
• The Centre has nominated Manoj Govil, Secretary of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), to the Board of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
• Head of the Socio Democratic Party Mette Frederiksen was re-elected as the Prime Minister (PM) of Denmark for a second term.
• Indian-origin Leo Varadkar, former Irish Deputy Prime Minister ( Tánaiste) and leader of the Fine Gael party, has been elected as the new prime minister ( Taoiseach) of Ireland for the second term in Dec 2022 for 5 years.
• Hon’ble Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics & Information Technology, Govt. of India, Ashwini Vaishnaw has been appointed as the Chancellor of Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, Vadodara, Gujarat by Hon’ble President Smt. Draupadi Murmu.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

• The Oscar nominations for 2023 will be announced, and they will include Best Actors, Actresses, and Films.
• The school will also issue ten categories before December 21st, 2022.
• The SS Rajamouli-directed period drama 'RRR' has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, which will be held in January 2023.
• SpiceJet was named 'Safety Performer of the Year' by GMR Delhi Airport Awards for being the top performer among self-handling airlines and for dramatically reducing ground safety infractions.
• Sargam Koushal created history as she finally won the Mrs. World 2022 title after 21 years while competing for India in the competition.
• Sonakshi Sinha, a Bollywood actress, has been named PETA India's Person of the Year for 2022.
• The prestigious IEI (Institution of Engineers, India) Industry Excellence Award 2022 was presented to National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) in Chennai.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• Retail inflation in India has been reduced from 6.77% in October to 5.88% in November 2022.
• In November, wholesale price-based inflation fell to a 21-month low of 5.85 percent due to lower food, fuel, and manufactured-goods prices.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar and the Indian Army's Army Training Command (ARTRAC) has struck an agreement to establish a center of excellence for academics and applied research in defense and security at the premier institute.
• The All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University of Medical Sciences in Cuba and has renewed its partnership with the Rosenberg European Academy of Ayurveda (REAA) in Germany for another five years to advance joint programs.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• Minister of State for Defence Shri Ajay Bhatt unveiled a bust of India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) late General Bipin Rawat at the United Service Institution of India (USI) in New Delhi to commemorate his first death anniversary.
• Indo-Israeli joint venture Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems(KRAS) rolled out the 100th kit of the made-in-India Medium Range Surface to Air Missile(MRSAM) kit, for delivery to the Indian Armed Forces (IAF).
• The 6th edition of the India-Kazakhstan joint military training exercise, "KAZIND-22" is scheduled to be conducted from December 15 to 28, 2022 at Umroi, Meghalaya.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) will carry out a two-day exercise in the Eastern Sector of the country on December 15 and 16, 2022.
• The 14-day long, 16th Edition of Indo-Nepal joint training Exercise “SURYA KIRAN-XVI” between India and Nepal will be conducted at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi (Nepal), from 16 - 29 December 2022.
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao (D67), a second warship of the P15B class of stealth guided-missile destroyers, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• A Japanese startup's spacecraft was launched to the Moon, the country's first-ever lunar mission and the first of its kind by a private company.
• MTAR Technologies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) India for the design and development of a two-stage to low earth orbit all liquid small satellite launch vehicle.
• Home-grown cell manufacturer Godi India has produced the country’s first ever 5.2 Ah 21700 cylindrical lithium-ion cells with an energy density of 275 Watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) based on silicon anode technology 
• Home-grown cell manufacturer Godi India has produced the country’s first ever 5.2 Ah 21700 cylindrical lithium-ion cells with an energy density of 275 Watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg) based on silicon anode technology 
• India has successfully carried out night trials of the Agni V nuclear-capable ballistic missile from Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully conducted the first blowdown test of the newly released 160m Trisonic Wind Tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio have successfully installed Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) on the starboard truss structure of the International Space Station (ISS).
• The chairman of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), PD Vaghela, announced that India will be the first country in the world to auction spectrum for satellite communications (SatCom) spectrum.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) received the delivery of the 36th Rafale fighter jets from France
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully tested the Hot Test of the Scramjet Engine at ISRO’s Propulsion Research Complex at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu (TN).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• For the fourth month in a row, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) topped the grievance redressal index among all group A ministries, departments, and autonomous bodies for the resolution of public concerns in November.
• The Namami Gange program to revitalize India's sacred River Ganga has been named one of the top ten World Restoration Flagships to revitalize the natural world by the United Nations.
• The most costly cities in the world are New York and Singapore, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Worldwide Cost of Living Index for this year.
• According to a survey by America's National Science Foundation, India has risen from seventh to third in global scientific publications and academic output, according to Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh.
• The British weekly The Economist published the 2022 Global Food Security Index (GFSI) study.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS

A book written by Michelle Obama called "The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times":

• Michelle Obama wrote a nonfiction book titled The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, which was released by Crown Publishing.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Divya T.S of Karnataka won her maiden women's 10m air pistol national title in the 65th National Shooting Championship Competitions in Pistol events in Bhopal.
• Hyderabad Strikers have won the 4th Tennis Premier League (TPL) 2022.
• Former England captain Joe Root became the third cricketer in history to achieve 10,000 runs and take 50 Test wickets.
• In Swimming, Indian swimmer Chahat Arora achieved a national record in the women's 100-meter breaststroke at the FINA World Swimming Championships 2022 in Melbourne, Australia.
• Rehan Ahmed makes his Test debut for England in the final match between Pakistan and England.
• Tata Steel Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hockey India to become an Official Partner of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar - Rourkela.
• According to World Athletics, India's Tokyo Olympics gold medallist javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was the most written-about track and field athlete in 2022, edging out Jamaican legend Usain Bolt.
• The Indian women’s Hockey team led by Captain Savita Punia beat Spain 1-0 in the final to win the inaugural FIH Nations Cup staged at Valencia, Spain.
• FIFA World Cup 2022: Messi's Argentina won the ultimate prize in men's football in the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, defeating France 4-2 on penalties (3-3 after extra time) to win their third World Cup championship from six final appearances in history.
• Karim Benzema, a football player for France, has declared his retirement from international competition.
• Rafael Nadal of Spain has been awarded the Men's International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Champion 2022 for the fifth time following a successful 2022 season.
• Rehan Ahmed, England's leg-spinner, became the youngest men's Test cricketer to capture a five-wicket haul on debut during the third match versus Pakistan now underway at the National Bank Cricket Arena.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Olympic sprinter& a member of the 1970 Asian Games bronze medal-winning 4x100m relay team Kenneth Powell, passed away at the age of 82 in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• Renowned Lavani singer and Marathi actress Sulochana Kadam-Chavanpassed away at the age of 92 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Hawaiian royalty Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawānanakoa, known as the "last Hawaiian princess" or the "last American princess Passed away at the age of 96 in Honolulu, Hawai.