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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• World Pulses Day is celebrated on February 10 every year and recognized Pulses as a global food.
• National Productivity Day 2023 is observed on the 12th of February 2023.
• World Radio Day is celebrated on 13 February is a date proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate radio broadcasts, improve international cooperation among radio broadcasters and encourage decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio, including community radios

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• A 12 per cent increase in the export of major agriculture and processed products during the first three-quarters of the current fiscal has buoyed the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) to target a record $26-29 billion in this fiscal, against $24.76 billion in 2021-22.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated 75 Digital Banking Units (DBUs) to the service of the nation on October 16, 2022.
• Prime Minister inaugurated India Energy Week (IEW) 2023 in Bengaluru, Karnataka, on Feb 2023
• The Centre has revived a plan to sell part of its indirectly held stake in ITC and the transaction could even be completed in the current financial year.
• Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries (RIL) and Ashok Leyland unveiled India’s first Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine (H2-ICE) powered truck at the India Energy Week in
• The Rajasthan state Forest Department has recently proposed to construct a zoo inside Keoladeo National Park
• India's first glass igloo restaurant in Gulmarg has become a popular destination for tourists who visit the area to experience scenic beauty
• Search giant Google confirmed it will soon start public testing for a new AI chatbot of its own called Bard, based on the company’s Language Model for Dialogue Application (LaMDA).
• Skye Air, a Gurugram-based drone solutions provider launched traffic management system for drones in India.
• Companies or entities in domestic contractual disputes with the central government and associated bodies only can seek to settle pending matters under the ‘Vivad se Vishwas II’ scheme, if no state government or any other private firm is a party to the case, or if the dispute pertains to pending financial claims, and not any performance claims
• The government expects to get ₹35,000 crores from the private sector for National Research Foundation (NRF).
• The Centre is planning to start a program to support small hydropower projects in the country
• GeM achieved a gross merchandise value of ₹5 lakh crore in FY23.
• The ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ or LiFE initiative of India for the adoption of energy-efficient behavior can save the world $440 billion in 2030, according to a report by International Energy Agency (IEA).
• The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) helped in generating 1.12 crore net additional employment during 2015-2018, Union Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched three initiatives in the green energy sector during the inaugural India Energy Week in Bengaluru.
• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw will launch ‘Digital Payments Utsav’ in New Delhi.
• NITI Aayog recently launched a report titled “Transforming Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs)”.
• A two-day Urban-20 City Sherpas meeting was held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
• Union Health Ministry Mansukh Mandaviya has launched a nationwide mass drug administration (MDA) campaign.
• The Animal Welfare Board of India has issued a notice appealing to people to celebrate ‘Cow Hug Day’ on February 14 to spread “positive energy” and encourage “collective happiness”.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Bangladesh has cancelled its orders to import 2 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice from 2 Indian cooperative agencies through government-to-government (G2G) deals after having kept them in “abeyance” for a few weeks.
• India and the European Union (EU) announced the formation of 3 working groups under the ‘Trade and Technology Council’ (TTC) with a focus on trade, investment & value chains, digital economy and clean technology.
• India, France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) unveiled an ambitious roadmap for cooperation in a wide range of areas including defence, energy and technology under a trilateral framework, a move that comes amid the geopolitical turmoil triggered by the conflict in Ukraine.
• Sri Lanka celebrated 75 years of Independence on the 4th Feb, 2023 under the theme Namo Namo Matha – A step towards a century.
• India plans to promote green tourism, open up to 50 new tourism destinations & launch a publicity campaign in overseas markets during its presidency of the G20 for 2023.
• Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Apurva Chandra announced that 108 Buddhist pilgrims from the Republic of Korea will walk over 1,100 kms over 43 days.
• QUAD countries launched 'Quad Cyber Challenge' for improving cyber security.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• The Government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is going to host its first of its kind SARAS Fair 2023 from February 4 to 14, 2023 (11-day long) at Bagh-e-Bahu in J&K.
• The 6th Meeting of the Heads of Supreme Audit Institutes (SAIs) of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States is being hosted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav launched the Save Wetlands Campaign in Goa.
• According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC) has managed memorandum of understandings (MoUs) from 53 industries and organisations for a potential investment of ₹11,794 crore and of that ₹3,861 crore have already been invested in the Corridor.
• The Government of Rajasthan’s iStart scheme is proving to be a boon for start-ups in the state.
• India's first glass igloo restaurant in the middle of the snow-covered mountains in Gulmarg has become the centre of attraction for tourists in the hill station in Kashmir.

• The Punjab Cabinet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann approved a new industrial and electric vehicle policy-Punjab Electric Vehicle Policy (PEVP) 2022.
• Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant launched the 1st premium Helicopter Service, Heli-Tourism service under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in Goa.
• The Madhya Pradesh (MP) government announced that Islam Nagar village, situated in the Bhopal district, has been renamed Jagdishpur.
• Karnataka High Court stated that Gift Vouchers, Cash Back Vouchers, and E-Vouchers are not goods or services, and will not attract Goods and Services Tax (GST).
• Geological Survey of India (GSI) announced that “for the first time” it has established Lithium inferred resources of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of Reasi District of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).
• A two-day Urban-20 City Sherpas’ meeting was held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
• The Telangana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. for establishing a manufacturing facility, including development and production of electric three and four-wheelers, pertaining to its 'Last Mile Mobility' business.
• In 2022, the Tamil Nadu (TN) government proposed 81 crore ‘Muthamizh Arignar Dr Kalaignar Pen Monument’ in the Bay of Bengal.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• According to production data of Food and Agriculture Organization Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT), India is the highest milk producer in the world contributing twenty-four per cent of global milk production in the year 2021-22.
• Leading bourse Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) said it will offload 2.5% stake in Central Depository Services (India) Ltd.
• Tata Consultancy Services Ltd has secured its largest UK deal in three years with a new agreement with an insurance services provider
• Net inflows under non-resident deposits have grown to $3.6 billion during April-November 2022 from $2.6 billion a year ago.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has imposed a Rs 20 lakh fine on Air Asia (India) for violating applicable DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements
• Gross direct tax collections grew 24% to Rs 15.67 lakh crore so far this fiscal, the finance ministry

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

• Bank of India Investment Managers Private Limited (Investment manager of Bank of India Mutual Fund) has launched a New Fund Offer (NFO) – Bank of India Multi Cap Fund for investors looking to diversify their portfolio across large, mid and small cap categories.
• As per Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) latest status update number of payment acceptance devices, including physical and digital, deployed under the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) Scheme as on December 31, 2022, stood at about 1.87 crore.

• ’Bajaj Allianz General Insurance in collaboration with Allianz Partners has announced the launch of a new health insurance product ‘Global Health Care’.
• According to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Indians remitted close to $2 billion in November, 2022 under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) liberalised remittance scheme (LRS).
• Muthoot Finance Ltd is planning to raise around Rs 500 crore through public issue of secured redeemable non-convertible debentures (Secured NCDs) of the face value of Rs 1,000 each.
• India’s homegrown Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL), has partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to enable users to link RuPay credit cards with Unified Payments Interface (UPI). 
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked the repo rate by 25 basis points  (bps) to 6.5%  for FY 2022-23, and 5.3% for the next fiscal.
• Fintech firm PhonePe stated that its users will now be able to pay to international merchant outlets in 5 countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal, and Bhutan using Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system.
• Airtel Payments Bank has launched - BizKhata, a current account with unlimited transactions and instant activation for small merchants and business partners across India.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das proposed to permit the lending and borrowing of government securities (G-Secs) to further develop the government securities market.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is preparing a pilot project on QR code-based coin vending machines (QCVM). 
• India’s leading fintech company, MobiKwik, has become the first fintech app to support RuPay Credit Cards on Unified Payment Interface (UPI).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed to extend the UPI facility to inbound travellers (those who come to visit the country for travelling purpose) for merchant payments; initially to travellers from G20 countries.
• At the Monetary Policy Committee announcement, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has announced the expansion of the scope of Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDs).
• India's leading payments and API banking solutions company,  Cashfree Payments, launched 'Co-lend', India's first fully automated escrow management solution for co-lending.
• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has notified rules asking all market intermediaries and companies to make regulatory payments to it by way of direct credit into the bank account through digital payment systems.
• Net inflows under non-resident deposits increased to $3.6 billion during April-November 2022 from $2.6 billion a year ago.
• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) launched Hello Ujjivan, India’s first mobile banking application with 3 V’s – voice, visual, vernacular-enabled features to provide banking access to individuals who have limited reading and writing skills.
• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das stated that Current Account Deficit (CAD) is expected to moderate in the second half of 2022-23(H2 FY23) from 3.3% of GDP in April-September.
• Edelweiss General Insurance has rebranded as Zuno General Insurance Limited (Zuno GI), a new-age digital insurer with an aspiration to reimagine and redefine Insurance to make it easy, friendly, and transparent.
• Bajaj Finance Limited has launched a new portal named Insurance Mall for its customers to ensure an Easy-buy experience.
• The RBI has extended the validity of authorization issued to Vakrangee to set up, own and operate White Label Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in India till March 31, 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• NTPC has bagged “ATD Best Awards 2023” for the sixth consecutive year.
• Rakhi Kapoor has won the award for her book “Now You Breathe - Overcoming Toxic Relationships and Abuse” in the category Powerful Relationship Guide
• The prestigious "Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Award" will be given to the Veteran Journalist Dr. ABK Prasad
• NASA has awarded the ESCAPADE contract to Blue Origin’s New Glenn
• Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh was recently conferred a Lifetime Achievement Honour by the India-UK Achievers Honours in London for his contribution to economic and political life

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud administered the oath of office to 5 new judges (Pankaj Mithal, Sanjay Karol, PV Sanjay Kumar,Ahsanuddin Amanullah, Manoj Misra) of the Supreme Court in a ceremony held at the Supreme Court's auditorium in its new building complex.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed Mr Rajan Pental as the Executive Director of YES Bank for a period of 3 years.
• Swiggy has appointed 3 independent directors to its Board - Mallika Srinivasan, Padma Shri awardee and Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of TAFE; Shailesh Haribhakti, Chairman of Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates; and Sahil Barua, MD and Chief Executive Director (CEO) at Delhivery
• Economics professor and researcher Shamika Ravi has been appointed as a member of the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister (EAC-PM)
• The Government of India (GoI) has allowed Indian Bank to increase the number of posts of executive directors from 3 to 4.
• The Government of India (GoI) appointed Shri. K Satyanarayana Raju as Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Director (CEO) of Canara bank.
• Flipkart-owned Myntra Designs Private Limited has appointed Indian Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor as its brand ambassador.
• President of India Droupadi Murmu appointed governors in 12 states and a Union Territory (UT).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

• India’s ranking on the MSCI (Morgan Stanley Capital International) Emerging Markets (EM) Index, which is said to be tracked by passive funds with assets under management of more than $350 billion, has slipped, following last month’s underperformance amid rout in Adani Group shares.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been pegged as the world's most popular leader with an approval rating of 78 per cen t as per a survey by a US-based consulting firm 'Morning Consult.'
• Indore Municipal Corporation, ranked top in cleanliness survey for six consecutive years, has become the country’s second civic body to launch green bonds, seeking to raise Rs 244 crore for a 60-mw solar plant a t its water pumping station.
• India’s national accreditation system under the Quality Council of India (QCI) is in the fifth spot in the recent Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021
• UNEP has recently released the ‘Bracing for Superbugs: strengthening environmental action in the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance’ report at the sixth meeting of the Global Leaders Group on AMR
• India's aviation safety oversight ranking has improved from 112th place to 55th place, with significant improvement in the score
• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been named to FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• The Indian Navy’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) & the MiG-29K undertook their maiden landing onboard the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier Indian Naval Ship (INS) Vikrant.
• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the procurement of 41 indigenous modular bridges worth over Rs 2,585 crore for the Indian Army's Corps of Engineers.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) handed over the payload for the NISAR (NASA-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
• The Union Government has chosen the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) for undertaking research on Lab Grown Diamonds (GDs) and will provide a grant of Rs. 242 crore over a period of 5 years.
• Google confirmed it will soon start public testing for a new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot of its own called Bard, based on the company’s Language Model for Dialogue Application (LaMDA) to answer the challenge and threat posed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI and its AI chatbot.
• With the discovery of 12 new moons, Jupiter becomes the planet with the highest number of moons.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), along with the Indian Navy, has conducted an important trial for the Gaganyaan, human space flight mission.
• Skye Air, a Gurugram (Haryana) based drone solutions provider, launched India’s first traffic management system for drones called Skye UTM in India.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the second developmental flight of the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV-D2) from the First Launch Pad, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. has introduced the world’s first satellite-based two-way capable messaging solution for premium smartphones, called Snapdragon Satellite, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITION AND MERGERS

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed DSP Investment Managers to hike its stake in DCB Bank to 9.99% as part of investment through different mutual fund schemes.
• Danish brewer Carlsberg has stated that the Khetan Group which owns 33% shares in the holding company which manages businesses in India and Nepal has put a formal notice to sell its entire stake to the brewer for $744 million (₹6,155 crore).
• India's oldest stock exchange, Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), has approved divestment of 2.5% stake in Central Depository Services (India) Ltd (CDSL) through an Offer for Sale (OFS) route.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• Nagaland government and Patanjali Foods Limited have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development and area expansion under palm oil cultivation and processing for Zone-II (Mokokchung, Longleng and Mon districts) of Nagaland under the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP).
• The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) has signed an MoU with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to collaborate on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.
• The Tamil Nadu Defence Industrial Corridor (TNDIC) has managed memorandum of understanding (MoUs) from 53 industries and organisations for a potential investment of ₹11,794 crore and of that ₹3,861 crore have already been invested in the Corridor.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with auditing authorities of Tajikistan and Kazakhstan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Supreme Audit Institutions (SCO SAI) Leaders’ meeting
• IBM has partnered with NASA to gain new findings on Earth’s climate through the power of AI technology.
• To ensure stability in the supplies of soil nutrients four fertiliser firms – state-run National Fertilisers Limited and Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd and Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd and Paradeep Phosphates Ltd from the private sector– have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Morocco’s OCP Group for annual imports of 1.75 million tonne (MT) of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilisers.
• Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell (PPAC), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), Government of India, has signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) with International Energy Agency (IEA), headquartered at Paris, to strengthen cooperation in the field of data and research & enhance global energy security, stability, and sustainability
• The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) and the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up digital forensic laboratories along with excha nge of information and knowledge, technological advancement and skill development in the field of digital forensics.
• Samsung Semiconductor India Research (SSIR) announced a new partnership with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to promote research and development in the field of on-chip Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection.
• The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi with Digital Green under a public-private partnership framework to build a national-level digital extension platform.
• Bharti Airtel has entered a strategic partnership with Vultr, world’s largest privately-held cloud computing company, to deliver cloud solutions to enterprises in India
• Polycab India Limited. (Polycab), India’s leading electrical goods company with a consolidated turnover of INR 122+ billion in FY22, announced an official partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
• Syngenta India Pvt. Ltd. (SIPL) has entered into a partnership with IoTechWorld Avigation for the introduction of drone spraying in the agriculture sector across the country
• GAIL (India) Limited signed an advance pricing agreement (APA) with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)
• The Telangana government signed an MoU with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. for establishing a manufacturing facility, including the development and production of electric three and four-wheelers, for its 'Last Mile Mobility' business
• Samunnati Agro Solutions Private Limited, one of the prominent agri enterprises in India, joins hands with Germany-based GLOBALG.A.P., the leading body for setting global standards for agricultural produce particularly, on food safety and quality

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from international T20Is.
• For Maharashtra weightlifter Akanksha Vyavhare, the TOPS weightlifting athlete, who dreams of becoming like Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu, it was a tough and painful Gold at the Khelo India Youth Games.
• Indian pacer Joginder Sharma from Haryana has announced her retirement from all formats of cricket
• The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur launched the mascot, theme song, and jersey of the third edition of the Khelo India Winter Games.
• In Jammu and Kashmir, the Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur along with the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha and other dignitaries launched the Mascot, Theme Song and Jersey for the 3rd edition of Khelo India Winter Games at Raj Bhawan, Jammu
• Two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne from DS Penske team held his nerves to win his maiden race at the inaugural Formula E race Hyderabad E-Prix at the street circuit on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake at the NTR Marg.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHOR

• Author Salman Rushdie has launched his new novel called "Victory City" nearly six months after a man repeatedly stabbed the writer onstage during a lecture in New York state.
• Author Dr Peggy Mohan has bagged the ‘Mathrubhumi Book of The Year’ award at the fourth edition of Mathrubhumi International Festival of Letters (MBIFL 2023).
• A new book titled ‘Best of Satyajit Ray' has been released by Penguin India on Satyajit Ray

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Pakistan's former president and military leader General Pervez Musharraf (Retd), passed away at the age of 79 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• The oldest white tigress at the National Zoological Park (also known as the Delhi Zoo), Vina Rani died at the age of 17.
• Popular artist Bukkasagara Krishnaiah Srinivas (BKS) Varma died at the age of 74 in Bangalore, Karnataka.
• Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer, pianist, arranger and producer Burt Bacharach Passed away at the age of 94 in Los Angeles, California, United States of America (USA).