Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Jan 01st to 07th Jan 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

Weekly Current Affairs January 01st to 07th PDF Download

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• World Braille Day 2024 is observed on the 4th of January 2024.
• World Day of War Orphans 2024 is observed on the 6th of January 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of development projects worth more than Rs 20,000 crores in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
• The Government recently raised the interest rates on the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) scheme by 20 basis points to 8.2 per cent from the existing 8 percent.
• The ambitious infrastructure project, the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 January, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde.
• The government has recently extended the deadline for completion of the highway development project Bharatmala Phase-I to 2027-28.
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will inaugurate the Startup Expo in Kathua.
• Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) is targeting incubating at least 100 start-ups across various sectors next year, in 2024.
• The Centre has approved the issuance of the 30th tranche of electoral bonds that will open for sale.
• India will become the largest metallurgical coal importer in the world by
• The tenure of the PLI scheme for the automobile industry has been extended by the government by a year.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated India’s first all-girl Sainik School at Vrindavan in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh
• Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah launched the portal developed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED)and National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) for registration, procurement and payment of tur dal producing farmers in New Delhi.
• The Competition Commission of India has proposed that indirect taxes, trade discounts, and intra-group sales will not be considered while computing the turnover of an entity for imposing a penalty for any violation of the rules.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the proposal to declare Ayodhya Airport as an International Airport and naming it as “Maharishi Valmiki International Airport, Ayodhyadham”.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, was apprised of signing of Memorandum of Understanding between India and United States for International Development/India (USAID/India) for supporting Indian Railways to achieve Mission Net Zero Carbon Emission by 2030.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Republic of Guyana on cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector.
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised of a Memorandum of Understanding signed at Port Louis, Mauritius between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication, and Innovation of the Republic of Mauritius, concerning cooperation on the development of a Joint Small Satellite.
• The Union Cabinet Chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has approved the overarching scheme “PRITHvi VIgyan (PRITHVI)” of Ministry of Earth Sciences, for implementation during the period from 2021-26 at an overall cost of Rs. 4,797 crore.
• India has launched National Single Window System (NSWS) to streamline the imports of Medical Devices.
• Truck drivers' associations called off their nationwide protest against the new penal provisions in the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) regarding hit-and-run cases.
• Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will chair the first Inland Waterways Development Council Meeting in Kolkata.
• The Ministry of Panchayati Raj participated in the Innovation Sandbox presentation and showcased the “Digital Transformation Initiatives in Land Governance through SVAMITVA Scheme” detailing the processes followed by States to digitalize land governance systems transparently and efficiently.
• Shri Nitin Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 12 National Highway projects with a total length of 105 km, worth over ₹1464 Crore, in the presence of Union MoS Shri V. Muraleedharan, Kerala PWD Minister Shri. P. A. Mohammed Riyas , MP from Kasargod Shri Rajmohan Unnithan, MLAs, and Senior Officials in Kasargod, Kerala.
• Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in Kavaratti, Lakshadweep, inaugurated the Kochi-Lakshadweep islands submarine optical fibre connection (KLI-SOFC) project among various developmental projects worth more than Rs 1,150 crore covering a wide range of sectors including technology, energy, water resources, healthcare and education.
• The Election Commission of India introduced new regulations for allocating symbols to Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs).
• To register farmers for selling the dal and receiving payments directly into their bank accounts, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched a procurement portal e-samridhi for tur dal

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• A Protocol on Consultations signed by India and Russia for the period of the next four years (2024-28).
• Russian and United States (US) space agencies have agreed to keep working together to deliver crews to the International Space Station (ISS) until at least 2025.
• South Korea introduced a new visa for foreigners allowing them to visit the country on a working holiday or workation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy kickstarted “Abhaya Hastam”, a programme to implement the six guarantees as promised by the Congress before the elections, and the government was committed to implementing all the promises within 100 days.
• Aimed at making available all services of local self-government institutions over a uniform digital platform, Kerala has introduced K-Smart (Kerala Solutions for Managing Administrative Reformation and Transformation), the first of its kind project in the country.
• Jharkhand Chief Minister Shri Hemant Soren announced that the qualifying age for old-age pension for tribals and Dalits has been reduced from 60 years to 50 years.
• The Maharashtra government has decided to set up the Maharashtra Drone Mission (MDM) for the use of drone technology.
• Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has become the first Union Territory (UT) to implement the Prime Minister (PM) Vishwakarma Yojana.
• The Himachal Pradesh (HP) government has issued a notification granting Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to the Hatti community in the Transgiri area of Sirmaur district.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• The gross Goods and Services Tax, GST revenue collection in the month of December, 2023 stood at one lakh 64 thousand and 882 crore rupees.
• The number of stock market investors in India has surged past the 8 crore milestone, registering a remarkable growth of 22.4% from the figure recorded on December 31, 2022, as per data from the National Stock Exchange.
• A record eight crore 18 lakh Income Tax Returns, ITRs were filed in the current financial year.
• Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal has launched new e-commerce start-up OppDoor, business-to-business (B2B) platform.
• The Finance Ministry has raised the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED), better known as windfall gain levy on domestically produced crude, to ₹2300 per tonne from ₹1300.
• Reliance Retail's online fashion business, Ajio, is set to turn profitable this month, becoming the first online venture of the country's largest retail group to achieve the mark.
• Ola Electric Mobility, the Bhavish Aggarwal-led electric vehicle company, filed papers with Sebi to go public via an IPO that is estimated to be worth about Rs 10,000 crore.
• Listed Indian companies could be allowed to launch qualified institutional placement (QIP) of shares through exchanges at International Financial Service Centres (IFSCs) using an abridged prospectus, according to a working group report.
• Tesla rival Vietnam’s VinFast Auto is setting up an electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing facility at Thoothukudi, near Chennai, which will have the capacity to produce 150,000 EVs in the first phase
• According to a case study on “Success Story of Made in India Toys” released by the DPIIT, the Indian Toy industry witnessed a rise of 239% in exports (and a decline in imports by 52%) in 2022-23 as compared to 2014-15

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a report titled ‘Trend and Progress of Banking in India’.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced its decision to extend the Payments Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF) for two years up to December 31, 2025.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to extend the timeline for implementation of guidelines for lenders on penal charges in loan accounts by three months.
• State Bank of India (SBI) and HDFC Bank, both domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs), will be required to set aside higher capital for the loans they make with effect from April 1, 2025, in the backdrop of their balance sheets growing bigger.
• Federal Bank stated that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has accorded approval to ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Limited (ICICI AMC) for acquiring up to 9.95 per cent stake in the bank.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to annually review accounts that have not seen customer-induced transactions for over a year, and term deposit accounts where there is no explicit renewal mandate and the funds have not been withdrawn after maturity.
• While each small finance bank (SFB) has a different tagline to capture customers’ attention, they will also have a common one-“Small Banks: Empowering Big Dreams” to highlight the success of their business model to all stakeholders.
• In order to make digital payments more secure, safe and sound the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now enabled card-on-file tokenization (CoFT) through card issuing banks and institutions.
• Muthoot FinCorp, the flagship company of Muthoot Pappachan Group (Muthoot Blue), has announced ₹200 crore investment by State Bank of India (SBI) in the non-convertible debentures (NCDs) under private placement with a face value of ₹1 lakh for each NCD.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has decided to increase the bulk deposit limit for large urban co-operative banks (UCBs) is ₹1 crore and above.
• In a move aimed at enhancing the ease of doing business and adapting to the evolving economic landscape, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed the introduction of a new category of money changers.
• During 2022-23, the total number of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) (on-site and off-site) grew by 3.5%, primarily driven by increase in the number of white-label.
• Public sector bank Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has introduced ‘Savings Account Portability Online’, a scheme that is aimed at offering an easier savings account portability process for customers who move to different locations.
• Customers of Karnataka Bank can make direct tax payments through two channels - by visiting any branch of the bank or utilizing the internet banking services.
• Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) announces that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given approval to ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd (ICICI AMC) for acquiring an aggregate holding of up to95% of the paid-up share capital or voting rights of The Karur Vysya Bank Ltd.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed new rules of dividend payout for domestic and overseas banks operating in India.
• According to the Finance Ministry, India’s FY24 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is expected to exceed its earlier forecast of 6.5%.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken this step to make sure that individual investors’ losses are minimised if issuers default on short-term financial instruments.
• One97 Communications that owns the brand Paytm signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ayodhya Nagar Nigam, to enable Nagar Nigam facilities with mobile payments using Paytm pioneered QR code, Soundbox and card machines.
• The Union Finance Ministry has approved an additional Rs 1,500 crore for the second phase of the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India (FAME-II) program.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University's Vice Chancellor Prof. B.R. Kamboj has been honoured with the prestigious M.S. Swaminathan Award in recognition of his contributions as a scientist and extension specialist in the field of agronomy.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports announced Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Country's biggest private sector lender HDFC Bank’s board has approved a three year extension to Atanu Chakraborty as non-executive chairman.
• Katie Moon, a two-time pole vault world champion and Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, has been appointed as the event ambassador for the 19th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon.
• Arvind Panagariya, the former Vice Chairman of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) , has been named as the head of the 16th Finance Commission.
• Kia India, a leading car manufacturer in India, has announced the appointment of Gwanggu Lee as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• Ravindra Kumar Tyagi has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director of Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID).
• Shashi Singh has been elected as the new president of the All India Rubber Industries Association (AIRIA), the apex body for rubber industries in India.
• Kuwait's new emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah appointed Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah as the country's prime minister (PM) of kuwait.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• REC Limited has entered into an MoU with Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) to finance up to 35,000 Crores for Infrastructure Projects to be executed by RVNL over the next 5 years.
• REC Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank of Baroda in order to facilitate joint sanctions of loans to fund power, infrastructure and logistics projects in the country over the next three years.
• Ministry of Defence inked two contracts for procurement of Qty-697 Bogie Open Military (BOM) Wagons for 473 Cr with M/s Jupiter Wagons Limited and procurement of Qty-56 Mechanical Minefield Marking Equipment (MMME) Mark II at 329 Cr with M/s BEML Ltd, under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category in New Delhi.
• Coal India Limited (CIL) has entered into a MoU with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) for "Setting up of Multi Skill Development Institutes (MSDIs)”.
• Coal India Limited (CIL), a Maharatna PSU is committed to sustainable and socially responsible practices.
• Steel giant ArcelorMittal has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras to build "Asia's first" Hyperloop test track facility

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Pakistan has successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed rocket system known as Fatah-II.
• Ammonia gas leaked from a fertiliser manufacturing unit in Ennore, north Chennai.
• Reliance Jio Infocomm, an Indian telecom operator in India, is set to launch a groundbreaking initiative in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay — the 'Bharat GPT' program.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has relaunched the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to intercept the 'God of Chaos' asteroid Apophis as it approaches Earth's orbit.
• Israel's government agreed to give Intel Corp a $3.2 billion grant for a new $25 billion chip plant it plans to build in southern Israel.
• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of the Indian space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed an analysis software 'FEAST' for Indian academia and industries.
• AstroSat, India’s first multi-wavelength space-based observatory, has detected bright sub-second X-ray bursts from a new and unique neutron star with an ultrahigh magnetic field (magnetar).
• Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) and Walt Disney Co signed a non-binding term sheet in London to move ahead with plans to create India’s largest media and entertainment business, said people with knowledge of the matter.
• For the first time, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch a communication satellite on a SpaceX rocket.
• Scientists have developed an electrically conductive "soil" named eSoil, leading to a 50% increase in barley seedling growth in 15 days.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• Fair trade regulator Competition Commission of India (CCI) has cleared the proposed stake acquisition in Reliance Capital by IndusInd International Holdings Ltd, IIHL BFSI (India) Ltd, and Aasia Enterprises.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Australian batter David Warner has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals.
• In Men's Chess, Dommaraju Gukesh has secured his spot at the prestigious Candidates tournament, which will take place in Toronto from April 2 to 25, 2024
• Beach Games was inaugurated by Union Sports Minister Anurag Singh Thakur at Ghoghla Beach in the Diu

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• Mario Zagallo, who won two World Cups as a player, one as a coach and another as an assistant coach for Brazil, has passed away at the age of 92