Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Feb 22nd to 28th 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 Scout Day is celebrated every 22nd February.
• World Thinking Day 2023 is observed on the 22nd February
• Every year February 24 is celebrated as the central Excise day all over the world.
• World NGO Day is observed every year on February 27.
• Every year, national science is celebrated on February 28 all over India.
• February 28 is announced as Rare Disease day

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), which was established in 1986 through an Act of Parliament works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• In a bid to reduce the time taken for police verification of persons applying for passports in the national capital, the Ministry of External Affairs has introduced the ‘mPassport Police App’, which will now digitize the process of sending the police verification report to the Regional Passport Office (RPO).
• India achieved another milestone by launching the first ever indigenously developed Train Control and Supervision System.
• The government will soon add 21 more airports under the Krishi Udan scheme, aimed at facilitating faster movement of agricultural produce in north eastern, hilly and tribal regions of the country.
• The Textile Ministry will host ‘Technotex 2023’ in Mumbai to boost manufacturing and research in the technical textiles sector.
• Government has set up a panel to monitor the implementation of the Mission Karmayogi programme.
• Learning-Teaching Material called 'Jaadui Pitara' has been launched for Foundational Stages as envisaged under National Education Policy 2020 in New Delhi by Dharmendra Pradhan.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the world's largest Divyang Park -- Anubhuti Inclusive Park -- in Nagpur.
• India has set up a panel of officials to assess the impact of rising temperatures on the wheat crop, the government said as the weather office warned that above normal temperatures would prevail in key producing states.
• RK Singh, the minister of power and new and renewable energy, has launched the South Asia Distribution Utility Network (SADUN), which aims to modernise distribution of utilities in South Asia via knowledge sharing among the region's discoms.
• The Union Cabinet has extended the term of the 22nd Law Commission of India up to August 31, 2024.
• The government approved a five-year project on "Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalising Agriculture in J&K".
• 22nd International Bio-resource Conclave & 10th Ethno-pharmacology Congress 2023 begin in Imphal.
• India has joined the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate.
• G7 finance chiefs meeting held in
• Bibek Debroy, Chairman (EAC-PM), released the second edition Foundational Literacy and Numeracy report at the India Dialogue Conference.
• Quality Control Order for mandatory certification of cotton bales has been approved.
• ICAR has developed a new wheat variety, HD-3385.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved reservation norms for the mandatory use of jute in foodgrains & sugar packaging for Jute Year 2022-23.
• The Prime Minister recently unveiled the ambitious Rishikesh-Karnprayag Rail Line Project with 17 tunnels covering 125 kilometers.
• By March end, 101 more APMC mandis will be connected with e-NAM.
• PM Modi inaugurated the ‘Barisu Kannada Dindimava' cultural festival at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.
• The Union Cabinet approved the ratification of three Protocols relating to amendments in the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), 1944.
• Protocol to insert Article 3 bis in the Chicago Convention, 1944 to refrain member States from resorting to the use of weapons against civil aircraft in flight (Protocol signed in May, 1984);
• Agricultural and Processed Food Export Development Authority (APEDA) is participating in the 28th edition of Gulfood 2023 being held in UAE.
• Aadhaar issuing body UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) has launched a new AI/ML-based chatbot called Aadhaar Mitra.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Europe’s right-wing poster girl and Italy’s Prime Minister (PM) Giorgia Meloni will be the chief guest in the next Raisina dialogue.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to host the first vice-ministerial meeting of the I2U2 in Abu Dhabi from 20-26 February 2023.
• The world’s first international summit on the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the military (REAIM) 2023 commenced in The Netherlands.
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India have launched the UAE India Business Council - UAE Chapter (UIBCUC) to strengthen economic ties and support their joint mission to increase bilateral trade and investment.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Russia has suspended its participation in the New START (“Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty”) due to a rise in tension over the Russia-Ukraine war.
• Global anti-money laundering watchdog the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has suspended Russia’s membership for its “illegal, unprovoked and unjustified” full-scale military invasion of Ukraine.
• India became the latest member of Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), on the margins of the I2U2 Business Forum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment (BOI) has issued a letter of approval to India's Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL), for the 2 wind power plants to be set up in Mannar and Pooneryn at a total investment of USD 442 million
• India, as Chair of the Group-20 (G-20), will host the 62^nd Permanent Mission Round Table at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit to be held in New York later 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Governor of Odisha Shri Ganeshi Lal launched India’s first artificial intelligence (AI) driven ChatBot for agriculture named Ama KrushAI in Bhubaneswar at the annual Krushi Odisha event 2023.
• The government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has approved a Rs 30.40 crore project "Sensor-based Smart Agriculture" for integration of agriculture with technology driven by Artificial Insemination (AI) and IoT (Internet of Things) for automation of practices, enhanced resource use efficiency and profitability
• Odisha has been taking a long-term approach to bring about behavioural and social change regarding ending over the past 4-5 years.
• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of ₹2,232 crore on the Delhi government for damage caused to the environment due to improper solid and liquid waste management.
• Madhya Pradesh (MP) Governor Mangubhai Patel inaugurated the 7-day long 49th Khajuraho Dance Festival-2023 at the world famous tourist destination Khajuraho, Chhatarpur district, MP.
• The Kerala High Court (HC) has published two of its recent judgments in Malayalam thereby becoming the first High Court in the country to publish it in a regional language.
• Union External Affairs Minister Shri S Jaishankar inaugurated Jammu and Kashmir’s first-ever International Education Fair in New Delhi 
• Telangana government is aiming to increase the size of the pharma-life sciences ecosystem in the State from $50 billion to $100 billion by
• The Government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has approved a 5-year project on Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalising Agriculture in J&K.
• Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Shri Eknath Shinde was named the Shiv Sena chief leader following the national executive meeting of the party.
• Himachal Pradesh (HP) has become the first state in India to start the organised commercial cultivation of Licorice (Mulethi).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING NEWS

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released final guidelines on Interest Rate Risk in Banking Book (IRRBB), which require banks to measure, monitor, and disclose their exposure to IRRBB that may impact the capital base and future earnings of lenders.
• Stock broking company, Angel One has received in-principle approval from Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for sponsoring a Mutual Fund.
• The Prime Minister (PM) of India Shri Narendra Modi and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong launched cross-border connectivity between the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) of India and PayNow of Singapore through video conferencing.
• According to a review of the latest financial data of public sector banks (PSBs), the Bank of Maharashtra (BoM),Pune, Maharashtra has emerged as the top performer among state-owned lenders in terms of loan growth percentage during the third quarter of 2022–23.
• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has entered into an agreement dated October 02, 2022 with the Government of the Republic of Maldives, for making available to the latter, Government of India supported Line of Credit (LoC) of USD 100 million for financing new developmental projects and to meet spillover costs from developmental projects in Maldives already included under Lines of credit extended to GO-MDV by Exim Bank.
• Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) presented an initiative named ‘Nirman Se Shakti’ to modernise infrastructure.
• The Indore Municipal Corporation's Green Bonds have been listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE), marking the first-ever green bond issue by a municipal corporation in India.
• State Bank of India (SBI) integrated its mobile application BHIM SBIPay, with UPI-PayNow linkage facilitating fund transfers from India to Singapore through registered mobile numbers and from Singapore to India using UPI (Unified Payments Interface)
• India-based private sector bank, HDFC Bank, and the UAE-based financial services company, Lulu Exchange, have signed an agreement to strengthen cross-border payments between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.
• State-owned Central Bank of India (CBI) entered into a strategic Co-Lending Partnership with Moneywise Financial Services Private Limited (MFSPL) to offer micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) loans at competitive rates
• Kotak Mahindra Bank has launched ‘Kotak fyn’, an integrated digital platform for business banking and corporate clients, offering digital banking and value-added services across all products, including trade and services, account services, payments, and
• Saraswat Bank has partnered with Singapore-based digital banking solutions provider Tagit to implement omnichannel digital banking solutions for its retail and corporate customers.
• The Union Cabinet has extended the term of the 22nd Law Commission of India up to August 31, 2024.
• The government approved a five-year project on "Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalising Agriculture in J&K".
• State Bank of India (SBI) announced that it has raised Rs 4,544 crore through allotment of Basel III compliant AT-1 bonds like debentures.
• Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Masatsugu Asakawa met with Prime Minister (PM) Shri Narendra Modi and announced ADB’s intention to provide USD 20–25 billion in resources over 5 years to support India’s ambitions for rapid, inclusive, and green growth.
• According to a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) occasional paper, titled Do Bank Mergers Improve Efficiency? In the Indian Experience, banking mergers in India have been, on an average, beneficial to the banking sector as the financial performance and efficiency of acquirers improved post-merger.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has proposed allowing mutual funds to introduce 5 new categories under ESG (environmental, social and governance) scheme.
• The country's largest private sector lender HDFC Bank has raised USD 750 million through a dollar bond sale.
• Karnataka Bank and Paisalo Digital Limited, a non-deposit taking Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) registered with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), entered into a co-lending agreement to provide financial support to the low-income segment and to boost the country’s Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) segment of India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• The GST Council adopted the report of the Group of Ministers on setting up of the GST Appellate Tribunal with some modifications.
• Shobha Gangwal, wife of IndiGo co-founder Rakesh Gangwal divested a 4 per cent stake in parent firm InterGlobe Aviation for Rs 2,944 crore through the open market transactions.
• Overall remittances by resident individuals under LRS have shot up by 40 per cent to $19.35 billion during the nine months ended December 2022 from $13.79 billion a year ago.
• In the SBI research report titled Ecowrap, India’s GDP growth for Q3 FY23 is estimated at 4.6%.
• India’s steel imports from Russia reached an eight-year high level in April-January of FY23.
• The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has received final approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to set up a Social Stock Exchange (SSE) as a separate segment of the NSE
• National Stock Exchange of India (NSE Indices Ltd) officially announced the launch of the country's first-ever municipal bond index.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Former Union Commerce Secretary and retired bureaucrat Mr BVR Subrahmanyam has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NITI Aayog for a period of 2 years.
• The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has appointed Ms Aruna Sundararajan IAS (Retd.) as the Chairperson of the organisation.
• The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) India named Hindi film star Ayushmann Khurrana as a National Ambassador.
• The Government of India (GoI) has appointed a 16-member committee of union secretaries, law experts, and industry stakeholders to study the requirements of the digital competition law and give suggestions regarding competition norms within 3 months.
• Lieutenant general MV Suchindra Kumar has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff.
• Justice Shri Sanjaya Kumar Mishra was sworn in as the 14th Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court (HC).
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector Chetan Sharma resigns from his post and resignation has been accepted by BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.
• The Germany-headquartered global enterprise software company, SAP has proposed an Indian-American businessman Punit Renjen, as its next chairman
• Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Shelly Oberoi won the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Mayor elections. 
• Vardhini Kalyanaraman has been appointed as Additional Director (Independent Category) on the Board of Dhanlaxmi Bank.
• Presently she is a partner of the Chartered accountant firm M/s Chandran & aman.
• Fintech firm BharatPe Group has appointed Aparna Kuppuswamy as its Chief Risk Officer. 
• Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) has appointed global financial markets expert Sanjay Nayar as its new vice president.
• United States (US) President Mr. Joe Biden has nominated former Mastercard chief executive Ajay Banga as president of the World Bank.
• Girish Chandra Murmu (G.C.Murmu), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, has been selected as External Auditor of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva for a 4-year term from 2024 to 2027.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension in service of Mr Aramane Giridhar as Defense Secretary until October 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• National Geographic has announced the winners of its annual Picture of the Year awards.
• Indian educationist and social worker for the promotion of indigenous languages in Odisha Dr. Mahendra Kumr Mishra was conferred the International Mother Language Award by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.
• Recently, the Prime Minister of India congratulated fellow Members of Parliament who will be conferred the Sansad Ratna Awards 2023.
• Sajjan Jindal has won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award
• Mahendra Mishra was conferred the International Mother Language Award by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka.
• The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award Ceremony was held.
• Outstanding Contribution In The Film Industry - Rekha

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• India and Fiji signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports.
• NDDB Mrida Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary company of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) signed an agreement with Sistema.bio, India’s leading biogas company, to work with smallholder dairy farmers and provide sustainable solutions in waste-to-energy and open avenues of generating additional income for farmers under “Gobar Se Samriddhi” programme.
• A joint venture of Indian conglomerate Vedanta and electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn has finalised the Dholera Special Investment Region near Ahmedabad city of Gujarat for setting up their semiconductor and display manufacturing facility.
• In order to further the existing cooperation in the realm of maritime safety and security, IFC-IOR signed an MoU with Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC), Seychelles.
• Uber has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Motors to bring 25,000 electric vehicles onto the platform.
• At the International Defence Expo and Conference, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), an aerospace company in India, and EDGE, the top defence company in the UAE, inked a Memorandum of Understanding (IDEX).
• The signing of the Air Services Agreement between India and Guyana has been approved by the Union Cabinet.
• Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) has recently signed an MoU with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the domestic manufacture and supply of its LORA Weapon System for the Indian Tri-services.
• The Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for economic cooperation with the Uttar Pradesh government.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• India's first hybrid sounding rocket made by the school students from various states launched as part of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission 2023 from Pattipulam Village in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The World's highest altitude weather station has been rebuilt on Mount Everest.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has made an Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to allow scientists and researchers to analyze data from the first dedicated Indian astronomy mission, AstroSat.
• The United States (US) National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Israel’s Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology signed a partnership that will send Israel’s first space telescope mission, the Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT) in early
• Tokamak Energy has built a world-first set of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets, to be assembled and tested in fusion power plants–relevant scenarios.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• The UK has surpassed India as the world's sixth-largest equities
• India ranks 42nd among 55 leading global economies on the recently released International IP Index.
• According to a recently released report, nine Indian states are among the top 50 regions in the world with the highest risk of damage due to climate change.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding share capital and sole control of VGP Holdings LLC (Target) by Gateway Velocity Holding Corp (Gateway) (Acquirer).
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the stake acquisition in VVDN Technologies (Target) by Kotak Funds and IBEF-IV (Acquirer).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• The 4th edition of annual bilateral joint military exercise Exercise DUSTLIK (2023) between the India-Uzbekistan military training is being conducted from 20 February, 2023 till 5th March, 2023 )14 days) in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sumedha has participated in NAVDEX 23 (Naval Defense Exhibition) and IDEX 23 (International Defense Exhibition) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sindhukesari has become the first Indian submarine to dock in Indonesia, amid the conflict between China and Indonesia in the South China Sea.

CURRENT AFFAIRS:BOOKS AND AUTHOR

• BJP national president JP Nadda launched a book "Modi: Shaping a Global Order in Flux" in Chanakyapuri.

CURRENT AFFAIRS:SPORTS NEWS

• Saurashtra defeated Bengal by nine wickets in the final at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
• Indian team led by V. Sindhu won the bronze medal at Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship.
• Indian teen Tilottama Sen has won a bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle at ISSF World Cup at Cairo in Egypt.
• India’s chess player Vignesh NR has become India’s 80th Grandmaster after he defeated Germany’s IM Ilja Schneider and won the 24th NordWest Cup 2023 at Bad Zwischenahn in Germany.
• The All-India Taekwondo Championship begins in New Delhi.
• Tata Group bagged the title rights for the inaugural Women’s Premier League beginning in Mumbai on March 4.
• World number 2 Carlos Alcaraz won the Argentina Open in a spectacular performance, defeating Cameron Norrie in the final.
• Deepti Sharma has become the first Indian bowler to complete 100 wickets in T20Is.

CURRENT AFFAIRS:OBITUARIES

• One of India's finest footballers and a member of the golden era of Indian football (1951-1962), Tulsidas Balaram, passed away at the age of 84 in Kolkata.
• In 1962, he received the Arjuna Award from the Government of India.
• Kamala Kasturi, wife of former Editor of The Hindu,G Kasturi, passed away at the age of 89.