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

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• On July 11th of this current year(2023), World Population Day 2023 is celebrated and observed all over the world as an awareness program.
• In honour of the young campaigner Malala Yousafzai, the UN has declared July 12th to be World Malala Day.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• India plans to develop carbon markets for renewables, green hydrogen, bio-fuels and clean mobility to facilitate carbon trading between green and polluting sectors India plans to develop carbon markets for renewables, green hydrogen, bio-fuels and clean mobility to facilitate carbon trading between green and polluting sectors.
• The third edition of the National e-Government Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) has been released by the Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DAPRG).
• The Union government has given its nod to sanction Rs 12,911 crore to the Andhra Pradesh government to complete the construction works under phase 1 of the Polavaram project.
• The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah will inaugurate a day-long mega conclave “Strengthening PACS through FPOs” in New Delhi.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development has extended the last date of submission for the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar till 31st of August,2023.
• As a part of India's G20 presidency, the third Trade and Investment Working Group Meeting began in Kevadia,
• India and the Arab world trade relations have stood the test of time and even during the COVID-19 pandemic and global geopolitical conflict it continues to grow.
• The 50th GST Council meeting chaired by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is underway in New Delhi.
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh inaugurated a bankers’ awareness workshop at Srinagar.
• The National Statistical Commission (NSC) has constituted five expert committees to look into ways to improve the survey process as India looks to revamp the government's statistical surveys to improve data quality.
• The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, has released an amount of 7,532 crore to 22 State Governments for the respective State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF)
• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate the Swasthya Chintan Shivir on 14th July, 2023 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand
• GST Council has decided to exempt cancer-fighting drugs, medicines for rare diseases, and food products for special medical purposes from GST tax
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for 3 NH Projects in the presence of Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.
• Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports and Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Shri Anurag Thakur unveiled the coveted trophy for Hero Asian Champions Trophy, Chennai 2023at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium in New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• China has rolled out its first-ever homegrown computer operating system called OpenKylin.
• The Taiwanese government will establish a Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in Mumbai, Maharashtra as part of a broader aim to further deepen cooperation with India.
• The ‘Quadripartite’ - comprising the United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) have released the One Health Priority Research Agenda on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) through a webinar.

• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) in collaboration with the Indian Government Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) conducted ‘Operation Broader Sword’, a special bilateral multi-agency enforcement operation targeting illicit pharmaceuticals, devices, or precursor chemicals shipped using the international mail system.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar announced that India and Tanzania have started trade settlements in local currencies.
• Virgin Atlantic has ended its operations in Pakistan with the last flight of the British carrier taking off from Islamabad to London's Heathrow Airport.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE NEWS

• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched India's first Tele Mental Health
• Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) Chatbot for the Union territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
• Odisha Chief Minister (CM) Shri Naveen Patnaik launched 'Ama Pokhari' project to rejuvenate all water bodies in the urban areas of Odisha.
• Tourism Minister Atishi inaugurated the 32nd Annual Mango Festival (3-day festival) at Dilli Haat, Janakpuri.

• Minnu Mani creates history as the first woman cricketer from Kerala to represent the Indian senior team.
• Odisha Television Limited (OTV) has introduced the state's first artificial intelligence (AI) news anchor named Lisa.
• The Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is planning to set up micro diaries of Indian cow breeds to promote indigenous industries, crops, and
• Gujarat Chief Minister (CM) Shri Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan, launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Nadia of Kheda district in Gujarat.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

• Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched India’s first virtual branch in Metaverse.

• The National Housing Bank (NHB) has operationalised the ₹10,000-crore Urban Infrastructure Development Fund (UIDF) announced in this year’s Budget for creation of urban infrastructure in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.
• The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has constituted a 5-member working group for implementing the recommendations of the Reserve Bank of India’s committee on the “working of the Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs)”.
• A Reserve Bank-appointed committee suggested a host of short-term and long-term measures for the internationalisation of Indian rupee, including efforts for inclusion of the Indian currency in the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket.
• The Capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has laid down new rules for private equity funds sponsoring mutual fund houses and self-sponsored asset management companies (AMCs).
• Utkarsh Small Finance Bank (SFB) will launch its ₹500 crore initial public offering (IPO) on July 12,2023 with the price band being set at ₹23-25.
• ESAF Small Finance Bank Ltd, is a Small Finance Bank with a focus on unbanked and under-banked customer segments, especially in rural and semi-urban areas has filed its Draft Red Herring prospectus (DRHP) with the capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India to raise Rs 629.04 crore through for its initial public offering (IPO).
• PhonePe launched its Point-of-sale (POS) device that enables merchants to accept payments via Debit Cards, Credit Cards and UPI, providing them with a simple and seamless settlement experience.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has maintained the status quo on obligatory cession of business for the financial year 2023-24 at 4% in favour of General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC Re).
• According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) notification, a non-resident Indian (NRI) can now be made a nominee for government saving schemes such as Public Provident Fund (PPF), National Saving Certificate (NSC) and post offices savings.
• Citi Commercial Bank (CCB) has launched a digital client platform called CitiDirect Commercial Banking in the United States of America (USA) for its commercial bank customers, bringing together all of its products and services in one place.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected applications received from Cosmea Financial Holdings, West End Housing Finance and Akhil Kumar Gupta to start small finance banks (SFB) in the private sector.
• According to a survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), by 2030, 24 central banks are expected to have digital currencies in circulation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has marginally raised its 2023-24 (FY24) growth forecast for India to 6 per cent, from 5.9 per cent estimated earlier, while maintaining that “weak global demand and the effect of monetary policy tightening will constrain” growth in the world’s fifth-largest economy in the current fiscal year.
• Investment Bank Goldman Sachs has said that India is poised to become the world’s second-largest economy by 2075 crossing Japan, Germany, and the U.S.
• The provisional figures of Direct Tax collections up to 9th July 2023 continue to register steady growth. Direct Tax collections up to 9th July 2023 show that gross collections are at Rs. 5.17 lakh crore which is 14.65% higher than the gross collections for the corresponding period of last year.
• With high customs duty impeding sales of its imported big bikes in India, Harley-Davidson is banking on the partnership with Hero MotoCorp to offer locally-produced premium models in the country.
• The government has imposed restrictions on imports of certain gold jewelry and articles.
• The Index of Industrial Production (IIP) grew by 5.2 percent in May 2023 from 4.2 percent in April 2023.
• Retail inflation, based on Consumer Price Index (CPI), stood at 4.81 percent in June 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION

• Russian energy giant Rosneft has appointed Govind Kottieth Satish, former Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) director, to its board.
• Japanese sports performance brand ASICS has appointed Bollywood actor Shraddha Kapoor as the new brand ambassador for India.

• A 1989-batch senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and Telecom Secretary, K Rajaraman has been appointed as the new Chairperson of the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) by the central government.
• The Central government has appointed Justice Sheo Kumar Singh as Acting Chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), till a new Chairperson is appointed.
• Edgars Rinkevics, 49 Latvia's long-serving foreign minister (from 2011 to 2023), has made history by becoming the first openly gay president of an European Union(EU) member state for a four-year term.
• Rajiv Kumar Porwal has assumed charge as Director (System Operation) of Grid Controller of India Limited (Grid-India).
• Neeraja Prabhakar, the Vice-Chancellor of Sri Konda Laxman Telangana State Horticultural University, appointed as the chairperson of the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) of the prestigious Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIOPR) in Pedavegi, Andhra Pradesh (AP).
• The country’s largest pure-play credit card issuer, SBI Cards & Payment Services (SBI Card), has appointed Abhijit Chakravorty as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• Microsoft India President Anant Maheshwari has resigned from his role after a stint of almost 7 years at the software company, meanwhile, Microsoft has elevated company's chief operating officer (COO) Irina Ghose to the role of Managing Director (MD) for India.
• Billionaire Mukesh Ambnai's daughter Isha and former Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) Rajiv Mehrishi have been appointed as directors on the board of demerged financial services unit of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be awarded the prestigious Lokmanya Tilak Award

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND REPORTS

• Ten Indian states account for more than 80 per cent of the rich households, according to a newly released study.
• Chandigarh made a comeback to join Punjab, which retained its top position, to be among the best performing states in the latest Performance Grading Index (PGI) report for school education.
• India is now the best-performing nation amongst all the countries of South Asian region in terms of trade facilitation, as per the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific's (UNESCAP) report.
• Four Indian-origin women, including Jayshree Ullal and Indra Nooyi, have made it to the Forbes list of America's 100 most successful self-made women, with a combined net worth of a whopping USD 4.06 billion
• As per the BMI report, India’s ethanol program will cap future sugar exports.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• To foster academic collaboration and promote research initiatives, the University of Jaffna and the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
• The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and Bayer inaugurated a one-of-a-kind industrial visit project called Atal Tinkering Labs at Bayer's production site in Vapi, Gujarat.

• The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and Climate Policy Initiative - India (CPI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mutual assistance and cooperation to increase the mobilisation of global sustainable capital flows into India

• International Financial Services Centers Authority (IFSCA) and IIML-EIC, have signed a MoU at IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Lucknow EIC, Noida campus in Uttar Pradesh
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the use of millet and healthy eating practices among the Armed Forces and ensure the availability of safe & nutritious food was signed in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE NEWS

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the procurement of two Dornier Aircraft for the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) along with an associated engineering support package at an overall cost of Rs 458.87 crore.

• In a major step towards promoting digitisation and in sync with Digital India mission, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh launched an NCC Integrated Software in New Delhi.
• Spain’s state-owned shipbuilder Navantia and engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) signed a Teaming Agreement (TA) to jointly in Delhi bid for a ₹43,000-crore (4.8 billion euros) project to build 6 advanced submarines for the Indian Navy.
• The United States Navy Ship (USNS) Salvor, a rescue and salvage ship, arrived at Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) shipyard, in Kattupalli near Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN) making it the first to conduct a mid-voyage repair under the 5-year Master Ship Repair agreement (MSRA) between the US Navy and private shipping contractor, L&T.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) gave its approval for the acquisition of Marnix Lux SA by Concentrix Corporation, as well as the acquisition of approximately 22% shareholding in the combined company by the shareholders of Marnix Lux.
• HDFC Bank will sell a 2 per cent stake in the initial public offering (IPO) of National Securities Depository (NSDL).

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• India's women compound archers reigned supreme, winning the Under-18 and U-21 team titles at the World Youth Championships in Limerick, Ireland.
• Parth Salunkhe became the first male archer to win a gold in the recurve category at the Youth World Championships as India finished with their highest-ever tally of 11 medals.
• Indian shuttler Lakshya Sen clinched the Men’s Singles title of the Canada Open 2023 badminton tournament defeating Li Shi Feng of China 21-18, 22-20 in Calgary, Canada.
• Max Verstappen won the British Grand Prix as Red Bull stayed unbeaten for the Formula One season and equalled McLaren’s 1988 record of 11 victories in a row.
• India's Nishad Kumar has clinched a silver medal in the ongoing Para Athletics World Championships 2023
• India topped the medals tally in the 34th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) by securing four gold medals
• Nishad Kumar of India has won a silver medal at the Para Athletics World Championships 2023, which are now taking place in
• India’s top table tennis league Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) tournament is being organized at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune,2023 under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India after a gap of four years.
• India has won three gold medals so far in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, at the Gautam Budh University, Greater Noida.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

• The famous illustrator, sculptor and line sketch artist,Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri,commonly known as Artist Namboothiri passed away at the age of 97 in Kottakkal, Malappuram district, Kerala.

• Retired Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer and Madhya Pradesh's first woman chief secretary Nirmala Buch passed away at the age of 96.
• Former basketball star and two-time Olympic gold medal winner, Nikki McCray-Penson has passed away at the age of 51.
• Luis Suárez Miramontes, the so-called “Golden Galician” who is the only Spanish man to win soccer’s most prestigious individual award, the Ballon d’Or, has passed away at the age of 88 in Milan, Italy.