Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of June 15th to 21st June 2023. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBI Clerk 2023 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• Global Wind Day 2023 is observed all over the world on 15th June
• On June 15th, every year the world commemorates World Elder Abuse Awareness Day & the theme of this year is "Closing the Circle: Addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Older Age Policy, Law and Evidence-based Responses".
• Every year on June 17th, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is commemorated to increase public awareness about the critical need to combat desertification and drought & the theme is “Her Land. Her Rights,”
• World Autistic Pride Day 2023 is observed all over the world as public awareness on June 18^th& the theme is "Transforming the narrative: Contributions at home, at work, in the arts and in policymaking".
• Every year on June 19th, World Sickle Cell Awareness Day is commemorated to raise awareness of the human Sickle Cell illness.
• On the 19th of June every year, World Sauntering Day is observed each year all over the world to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the world around them and connect with nature.
• Every year on June 20th, World Refugee Day is commemorated to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and the difficulties they face & the 2023 theme of World Refugee Day is “hope away from home.”
• Every year on June 21st, World Hydrography Day is commemorated to promote awareness about the importance of hydrography, safe navigation, and maritime environmental conservation & the theme of this year is "Hydrography - Underpinning the Digital Twin of the Ocean".
• Every year on the 21st of June, International Yoga Day is commemorated to create awareness about the relevance and advantages of yoga in everyone's life & the theme of International Yoga Day 2023 is 'Yoga For VasudhaivaKutumbakam'.
• On 21st June of this year World Music Day 2023 is celebrated all over the globe to celebrate music among the public.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• An art exhibition titled ‘Maharaja’s Treasure: Select Works of Art from the Famed Air India Collection’ hosted by the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, under the Union Ministry of Culture was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture Meenakshi Lekhi
• India expressed its willingness to host the 2025 IIAS (International Institute of Administrative Sciences) Annual Conference at Kochi, Kerala, in February, 2025.
• Union Minister of Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan flagged off Gabon’s first Agri- SEZ project from New Delhi.
• Centre to spend Rs 15,000 crores during 3 years for improving basic facilities in remote tribal villages
• The overall coal stock position i.e., at Mines, TPPs and transit, as on 13th June 2023, reached 110.58 Million Tonne (MT), indicating a substantial increase of 44.22% as compared to the stock of 76.67 MT last year.
• The third and final working group on W-20 began at Mahabalipuram near Chennai., Tamil Nadu (TN).
• A Unified Registration Portal for GOBARdhan launched by Union Jal Shakti Minister.
• The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, named after India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, has been renamed as the Prime Minister’s Museum and Library Society.
• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singhchaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence on ‘Self-reliance in Defence Manufacturing’ in Bengaluru, Karnataka
• NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, has commissioned its first Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Project at IIT Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, Government of India joined the worldwide celebrations of 15th June as Global Wind Day, through the organization of a day-long event in New Delhi.
• India is participating in the Annecy International Animation Festival (AIAF) for the first time in France.
• The 13th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eastern Zonal Council concluded in Patna.
• The Ministry of Education is gearing up to host the G20 4th Education Working Group (EDWG) meeting in Pune.
• The Civil Aviation sector records 36% growth during January to May, 2023
• The Union Minister of Heavy Industries Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey unveiled the ground-breaking "DugdhSanakalanSathi Mobile App" at Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
• NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTPC, has commissioned its first Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Project at IIT Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
• The third G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group meeting commenced in Mahabalipuram near Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn, Child Health (PMNCH), Geneva is organizing a G20 co-branded event titled 'Health of Youth-Wealth of Nation', at New Delhi.
• NHAI has launched a ‘Knowledge Sharing’ platform For sharing of knowledge and innovative best practices.
• Health and Family Welfare Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting for reviewing the public health preparedness regarding heat waves across the country.
• The Bureau of Indian Standards, BIS license will be mandatory for 24 footwear products from the 1st of next month(July 2023).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopted a draft resolution introduced by India to establish a memorial wall in the UN Headquarters to honour fallen peacekeepers.
• The World Bank (WB) launched its first dedicated road safety project in South Asia with a USD 358 million financing agreement signed in Dhaka with the government of Bangladesh.
• The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) of India is the Chair of the Supreme Audit Institutions-20 (SAI20) Engagement Group under India's Group of 20 (G20) Presidency.
• India and Australia have decided to expand the negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) by including 15 more areas like agri-tech, critical minerals, space and sports which have never been part of any trade deal that India has been part of.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• Punjab National Bank (PNB) has become the first public sector bank to introduce an Interactive Voice Response (IVR)-based Unified Payment Interface (UPI) solution - UPI 123PAY, aligning with the Digital Payment Vision 2025 towards a cashless and cardless society.
• In a first-of-its-kind move in the banking sector, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched a Unique feature named 'My Account My Name' for Savings Bank (SB) account customers.
• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) has launched a new deposit scheme named ‘Vikas Ashadeep 400 days’.
• South Indian Bank (SIB) has introduced SIB SWIFTe, an innovative and customer-centric digital account opening platform that eliminates the hassle of paper-based documentation.
• Reserve Bank Of India’s (RBI) Committee for Review of Customer Service Standards has released its report, in that the committee has proposed that the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee (DICGC) Scheme should be extended to PPIs (prepaid payment instruments).
• Energy transition platform Amp Energy India has secured up to $250 million (about ₹2,061 crore) from SMBC Bank of Japan (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation), ICG (Intermediate Capital Group), and AIIB (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank).
• SBM Bank India unlocked exclusive, on-invitation access to the world of luxury with the launch of the SBM World Elite Metal Debit Card.
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed mutual funds (MFs) houses to conduct repo transactions on corporate debt securities, commercial papers (CPs) and certificate of deposits (CDs), in a bid to boost growth of the corporate bond market.
• Insurance Regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) came out with draft guidelines for 'Bima Vahaks (BV)', which seeks to set up a dedicated distribution channel at the level of gram panchayats to enhance insurance coverage and create awareness.
• The governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Shaktikanta Das was honoured with the title of ‘Governor of the Year’ for 2023 by Central Banking Awards 2023 in
• Mumbai-based Fino Payments Bankhas entered into a tie-up with Sequoia Capital-backed fintech Hubble to introduce India’s & world’s first spending account.
• RING, India's leading digital credit platform has partnered with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to add its newly launched UPI Plug-in functionality to RING's pre-existing suite of digital services.
• As per the data released by the microfinance institutions network (MFIN), Microfinance loan portfolio increased by 22% to Rs 3.48 lakh crores during 2022-23.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed ₹20 lakhs monetary penalty on Manappuram Finance for non-compliance with certain provisions of Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC).
• Motilal OswalAsset Management Company (MOAMC) has launched Motilal OswalNifty Microcap 250 Index Fund, India’s only passive fund offering exposure to microcap stocks.
• Indian digital payments and financial services company, PhonePeofficially launched the PhonePe Payment Gateway with a special limited-period offer for new Micro Small & Medium Enterprise (MSME) merchants.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that Equitas Holdings Ltd has surrendered its Non Banking Financial Company (NBFC) licence, and accordingly its registration has been cancelled.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) announced the launch of its ActivMoney feature which gives customers the benefit of fixed deposit (FD)-like interest rates of up to 7% per annum with no charges on premature withdrawal.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) surveys show an easing of inflation perception and a rise in confidence among consumers.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has opened a sub-office at Kohima, the capital of Nagaland & it has also announced its aim to have an office in Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, to strengthen its presence in North East India.
• The Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) restricted online bond platform providers (OBPPs) from offering products other than listed debt securities on their Online Bond Platform (OBP).
• Paytmhas introduced a UPI software development kit (SDK) for customers to make payments to online merchants without any failure of the system.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• Haryana Chief Minister (CM) Shri Manohar Lal Khattar announced a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 for the Padma awardees from Haryana.
• The Chief Minister (CM) of Himachal Pradesh (HP), Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, inaugurated the online portal of the Himachal Pradesh Nurses Registration Council (HPNRC).
• In a bid to prevent illegal transportation of cattle in Assam, the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department of the Assam Government inaugurated a web portal for cattle transportation.
• A Kerala-based startup, Farmers Fresh Zone (FarmersFZ), has been selected for the 'Accelerator Programme by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations (UN).
• The Government of Karnataka has launched a free power scheme named 'Gruha Jyothi scheme' for providing free electricity up to 200 units a month.
• “Didi Cafe” is coming up in Uttar Pradesh (UP), which will provide cheap food and

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• India achieved all-time high export of seafood both in terms of volume and value (both US$ and Rupee) by shipping 17,35,286 MT of seafood worth Rs. 63,969.14 crore (US$ 8.09 billion) during FY 2022-23 despite the several challenges in its major export markets like USA.
• The annual rate of inflation based on the All India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) number is (-) 3.48% (Provisional) for the month of May, 2023 (over May, 2022) against (-) 0.92% recorded in April, 2023.
• India’s overall exports (Merchandise and Services combined) in May 2023* is estimated to be USD 60.29 Billion, exhibiting a negative growth of (-) 5.99 per cent over May 2022.
• Electronic goods, Iron Ore, Ceramic products, and several agricultural commodities have registered growth in export in the last month in comparison to the corresponding period of last year.
• Direct Tax collections for the Financial Year 2023-24, net collections are at Rs. 3,79,760 crore, compared to Rs. 3,41,568 crore in the corresponding period of the preceding Financial Year i.e. FY 2022-23, representing an increase of 11.18%.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Two-time Olympian and 1962 Asian Games gold medallist Gurbachan Singh Randhawa resigned as the chairman of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Selection Committee after a tenure of 18 years owing to his "advancing age".
• Uttam Lal has taken over as Director (Personnel) at India’s premier hydropower company, NHPC Limited.
• In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, the government of India (GoI) has appointed Pankaj Agrawal as the new Power Secretary.
• Senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sudhansh Pant has been named as the new Health Secretary.
• Chanchal Kumar, Managing Director (MD) of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd., has been named as the new Civil Aviation Secretary.
• T K Ramachandran, chairman of V O Chidambaranar Port Trust, Tuticorin, will be Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in place of Pant.
• Senior bureaucrat Atal Dulloohas been appointed as Secretary, Department of Border Management, Ministry of Home Affairs& he will succeed Dharmendra S Gangwar, who is due to superannuate on June 30, 2023.
• Rameshwar Prasad Gupta, a 1987-batch Gujarat-cadre retired IAS officer, has been appointed as a Chairman & Managing Director, Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. on contract basis for a period of two years.
• Bharat Lal, who is at present Director General of National Centre for Good Governance, has been appointed as Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission on contract basis for a period of 1 year, will succeed Devendra Kumar Singh, who is due to retire from service on June 30, 2023.
• Debashree Mukherjee will be Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, will succeed Pankaj Kumar, upon his superannuation on September 30, 2023.
• Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Fertilizers.
• Subhas Chandra Lal Das, Director General of Hydrocarbons, will now be Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
• Nivedita Shukla Verma, Special Secretary in the Department of Defence, will be the new Secretary, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals.
• Vibhu Nayar, Additional Secretary & Financial Advisor, Ministry of External Affairs will be Tribal Affairs Secretary.
• S Gopalakrishnan, Special Secretary in the Department of Health & Family Welfare, has been appointed as Director General, National Productivity Council, will replace Sundeep Kumar Nayak, who will besuperannuating on July 31, 2023.
• Chhattisgarh-cadre IAS officer Renu Gonela Pillay will be Secretary, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, will succeed Upma Srivastava, who retires on July 31, 2023.
• Pillay's batchmate Seema Jain, presently serving in her cadre state Punjab, will be Member Finance, Space Commission & she will take over the charge from Talleen Kumar, who is due to superannuate on July 31, 2023.
• Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), India’s first smart mobility solutions provider and largest exporter since inception, announced the cricketing youth icon – Hardik Pandya as its brand ambassador for its sports utility vehicle (SUV), Exter.
• The Ministry of Steel has given 3 months extension to Amitava Mukherjee, Director (Finance) of the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) to hold the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) mining major NMDC and its disinvested company NMDC Steel Limited (NSL) from June 01, 2023 to Aug 31, 2023.
• India's preferred carrier, IndiGo announced that its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pieter Elbers has been elected as the chair-elect of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors.
• Sanjay Kumar took over as the new director for marketing in state gas utility GAIL (India) Ltd.
• Senior diplomat Jane Marriott, has been officially appointed as the new High Commissioner of the United Kingdom (UK) for Pakistan, making her the first female envoy to hold this position.
• A royal decree has been issued to reappoint Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as Kuwait’s Prime Minister (PM).
• Axis Bank has appointed NS Vishwanathan, former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), as an independent director and non-executive (part-time) chairman.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the re-appointment of P N Vasudevan as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Equitas Small Finance Bank (SFB) for a period of 3 years, from July 23, 2023, to July 23, 2026.
• Gopichand Hinduja has taken over as chairman of the $34.5 billion-worth Hinduja Group following the death of his brother, Srichand Hinduja in May 2023.
• Romania's President Klaus Iohannis has appointed incumbent Justice Minister CatalinPredoiuas interim prime minister (PM) following the resignation of Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucaas part of a ruling coalition deal for a rotating premiership.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of U Saravanan as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of state-owned National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL).
• A senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre, Ravi Sinha, has been appointed as the new chief of India's external intelligence Research and Analysis Wing or R&AW chief.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOUR

• The Guwahati Railway Station in Assam under North East Frontier Railway has been awarded ‘Eat Right Station’ certification by FSSAI in recognition of providing high-quality, nutritious food to passengers.
• NTPC Barauni has achieved a significant milestone by securing the first rank in the Best Industry Category at the 4th National Water Award
• Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar conferred the fourth National Water Awards in New Delhi & Madhya Pradesh was awarded the first prize in the best State category, in the best district category, the award was given to the Ganjam District of Odisha.
• NITI Aayog and the United Nations in India signed the Government of India - United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027.
• The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2021 is being conferred on Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• The Ministry of Defence (MoD) cleared the acquisition of 31 MQ-9 Reaper (Predator B) armed drones from the United States of America (USA) during a Defence Acquisition Council meeting led by Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh.
• The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navysuccessfully showcased the transfer of command and control capabilities of the Tapas Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) gave its approval to SBI Mutual Fund (SBI MF), along with its group entities, to acquire up to 10% stake in ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited (ICICI Lombard).
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the acquisition of certain shareholding in Ambit Private Limited (Target) by Daiwa International Holdings Inc (Acquirer).
• Leading stock exchange BSE divested a 4.54% stake in Central Depository Services Limited (CDSL) for Rs 468 crores through an open market transaction.
• Max Life Insurance Company Limited (Max Life), a subsidiary of Max Financial Services, has picked a 2.99% equity stake in Capital Small Finance Bank (CSFB) for a consideration of ₹49.50 crores.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• India and Nepal signed seven agreements in various fields in June 2023 & these fields include trade and commerce, cross-border petroleum pipelines, development of Integrated Check Posts and hydroelectric projects and payment mechanisms.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Gujarat-based aerospace firm Azista BST Aerospace (ABA) launched its maiden satellite Azista BST Aerospace First Runner (AFR), also called ABA First Runner.
• In a first of its kind, India-based Kiya.ai, which is into Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technology-based solutions services, showcased its version of the metaverse called Bharatmetaat the VivaTech 2023 event held in Paris expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, France.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• NTPC Limited, India's largest power generation company, has climbed 52 positions to secure the 433rd rank in Forbes' “The Global 2000” List for 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• The Indian team comprising 280 members including 198 athletes has left for Berlin, Germany to compete at the Special Olympics Summer Games.
• In wrestling, India wrapped up their campaign in the U-17 Asian Wrestling Championships 2023 with one gold, three silver and three bronze medals on the final day in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
• The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) in the recent meeting approved the foreign training camp for Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) athletes Mirabai Chanu and Bindyarani Devi's proposal to train in St. Louis, USA.
• India’s EsowAlben won a bronze medal in Keirin at Finale Bahnen-Tournee 2023 Cycling.
• Egypt has retained the World Squash Championship 2023.
• Indian archer Abhishek Verma clinched the gold medal in the men's compound individual final at the Archery World Cup Stage 3 in Medellin, Colombia.
• Chief Minister of Goa Dr Pramod Sawant launched the mascot for the upcoming 37th National Games.
• India's shuttler duo of SatwiksairajRankireddy and Chirag Shetty defeated reigning world champions Aaron Chia and Soh WooiYik of Malaysia to clinch the Indonesia Open Men's Double Title, in Jakarta.
• Indian men's senior football team clinched the Intercontinental Cup with a 2-0 victory over Lebanon in the final at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar.
• The National Yoga Olympiad is being organized in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the main event on the 9th International Yoga Day on June 21 at Jabalpur.
• Olympian C. A. Bhavani Devi has created history by defeating reigning World Champion Misaki Emura in the Asian Fencing Championship quarterfinal and securing India its first-ever medal at the event.
• The Taipei Open Badminton tournament has started at Taipei in Taiwan & HS Prannoy will lead India's challenge at the tournament.
• India's top shot putter, Tajinderpal Singh Toor has set a new Asian shotput record at the Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• Veteran singer and composer Sharda Rajan Iyengar, who was best known for her iconic songTitli Udi from the movie Sooraj, passed away at the age of 89 in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Renowned saxophonist Alevoor Sundar Sherigar has passed away at the age of 76 in Karnataka.
• Two-time Oscar-winning United Kingdom (UK) actress and former UK politician Glenda Jackson passed away at the age of 87 in London.
• A renowned malayalam actor, primarily performing comedy roles in Malayalam films, Poojappura Ravi passed away at the age of 82, in Idukki, Kerala.
• A multi award winning cinematographer, photographer, superbike enthusiast, cricket player, coach and administrator, and writer, Navroze Contractor passed away in a road accident at the age of 80.
• A prominent whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg passed away at the age of 92.
• Renowned sociologist, author and former professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in India Imtiaz Ahmad passed away at the age of 83.