Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of Mar 15th to 21st Mar 2024. Candidates those who are preparing for Upcoming SBIClerk 2024 and other competitive exams can make use of it.

Weekly Current Affairs March 15th to 21st PDF Download

CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

• World Kidney Day is observed on the second Thursday of March, every year& this year it falls on March 14.
• On 15th March 2024, World Sleep Day 2024 is observed all over the world.
• World Consumer Rights Day 2024 is observed all over the world on March 15th, 2024.
• On 16th March 2024, National Vaccination Day is observed all over India.
• Ordnance Factories Day 2024 is observed on the 18th March
• International Day of Happiness 2024 is observed on the 20th March 2024.
• World Oral Health Day 2024 is observed on the 20th of March 2024.
• World Sparrow Day is observed on 20th March.
• World Poetry Day 2024 is celebrated all over the world on the 21st of March 2024.
• World Down Syndrome Day 2024 is celebrated all over the world on the 21st of March 2024.
• World Forest Day 2024 is celebrated all over the world on the 21st of March 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• The Indian government has announced that gold imported by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will be exempted from import duty and Agriculture Infrastructure Development Cess (AIDC).
• Following the directions by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), private sector lenders Federal Bank and South Indian Bank stopped issuing co-branded credit cards to new customers on account of regulatory deficiencies.
• The Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pharmaceutical & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) to provide term loan and working capital credit to Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) being set up by aspiring entrepreneurs.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalties on 2 banks, Bank of India (BoI) Rs 1.4 crore, Bandhan Bank Rs 29.55 lakh, and 1 non-banking finance company, Indostar Capital Finance Limited Rs 13.60 lakh for non-compliance with various regulatory norms.
• Bank of Baroda (BoB), one of India’s leading public sector banks, has announced the launch of the Bob Earth Green Term Deposit Scheme with an aim to raise deposits that will be used to finance eligible environment-friendly projects and sectors, fostering India’s transition to a green and sustainable economy.
• The country's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has partnered with One97 Communications Limited (OCL), which runs Paytm brand and app, for its consumer Unified Payment Interface (UPI) payments.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has announced the expansion of the Qualified Stock Broker (QSB) framework to include more brokers under enhanced obligations.
• The Capital Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the launch of the beta version of the T+0 settlement on an optional basis from March 28, 2024.
• According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's foreign exchange reserves surged by $10.47 billion to reach $636.095 billion for the week ended March 8,2024.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bought 8.7 tonnes of gold in January 2024, making it the largest purchase by the central bank since July 2022.
• The Government of India (GoI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $181 million loan to build quality infrastructure and services toward improving urban livability and mobility in the peri-urban areas of Ahmedabad city in
• Grain commerce platform ag has partnered with Shivalik Small Finance Bank to assist farmers, agro-processors, and micro-enterprises financially.
• Most of the asset reconstruction companies (ARCs), barring two or three, will be able to meet the minimum net owned fund (NOF) norm of ₹200 crore by the March-end 2024 deadline.
• The market regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), mandated a stress test on mid- and small-cap mutual fund schemes.
• Former Chief General Manager of the State Bank of India (SBI), Devendra Kumar has been appointed to the 'Committee of Advisors' of Abhyudaya Cooperative Bank by the RBI following the resignation of Mahendra Chhajed.
• Cards-in-force increased steadily by 1.63 per cent in January 2024, inching close to the milestone of 10 crore outstanding credit cards in India.
• The regulatory framework laid out for index providers by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has come into effect, and this is aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability in the administration of benchmark indices.
• Max India Limited's wholly owned subsidiary, Antara Assisted Care Services Limited, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) with an aim to develop offerings tailored specifically for the senior demographic.
• Financial Services Secretary Vivek Joshi revealed that the insurance sector received approximately Rs 54,000 crore in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the past 9 years due to further liberalization of overseas capital flow norms by the government.
• The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will launch a ₹1,000-crore fund to bolster technology-driven agri-startups and rural enterprises.
• 5 public sector lenders, including Bank of Maharashtra, Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), and UCO Bank, intend to decrease government stake to less than 75% to adhere to the Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) Minimum Public Shareholding (MPS) norms.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a cautionary message to mobile phone users advising them against charging their devices using public ports.
• Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund with a portfolio value in excess of $1.4 trillion, raised its India bets last year amid a surge in Indian equities.
• The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed the inclusion of audio-visual (AV) representations in companies' offer documents for public issues to facilitate investors in better comprehending the essential aspects of an offer.
• As per the RBI data, Fund mobilisation by Banks through Certificate of Deposit (CD) issuances surged 25% year-on-year (y-o-y) to ₹7.89-lakh crore during the financial year so far (up to March 8, 2024).
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hasimposed a monetary penalty of ₹1.3 crore on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Limited (TMBL) for non-compliance with certain directions issued by RBI on ‘Interest Rate on Advances’ and ‘Central Repository of Information on Large Credits (CRILC) - Revision in Reporting’.
• To speed up the debt recovery process, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has set up a panel to suggest amendments to the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) and Debt Recovery Tribunals (DRTs) Acts, including a provision for granting legal sanctity to e-notices to debtors.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal announced the extension of the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) Scheme support to additional export sectors in New Delhi.
• Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari announced that an outlay of Rs 972.80 crore has been sanctioned for widening and strengthening work of 31 major district roads and State Highways in Rajasthan.
• The Union Government has approved a scheme to promote India as a manufacturing destination so that e-vehicles (EV) with the latest technology can be manufactured in the country.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkar, in Assam, an allocation of Rs 421.15 Crore has been approved for the construction of a 4-lane Gauripur Bypass along NH-17 (New)/NH-31(Old), spanning from Dumardoha Pt-II to the Baladmara road in Dhubri district.
• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari in a post said in Karnataka, an allocation of ₹576.22 Crore has been sanctioned for the 4-laning of the Yedegowdanahalli to Arjunahalli segment of NH-373 in Hassan district, spanning 22.3 kilometres.
• The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project of NHPC Limited in Lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, at a Viksit Bharat Viksit North East Program in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Apurva Chandra, Union Health Secretary, launched a National Action Plan for Prevention and Control of Snakebite Envenoming (NAP-SE) in India in Delhi.
• India will be hosting the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA 2024) from 15-24 October 2024, preceded by the Global Standards Symposium (GSS 2024) on 14 October 2024
• India has agreed to increase its support to Bhutan in its upcoming 13th Five-Year Plan and will also extend an additional standby credit facility over and above the two existing ones, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra
• India's general elections will be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1 with votes for the 543 Lok Sabha seats to be counted on June 4, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced in New Delhi.
• India has decided to join at least one of the four cooperative work programmes launched last week under the ‘clean energy pillar’ of the US-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) – the one on facilitating and promoting carbon market activities.
• The National Highways Infra Trust (NHIT), the infrastructure investment trust of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), has raised more than ₹16,000 crore for 889 kilometres of national highway through its ‘InvIT round 3’.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• France inscribed the guaranteed right to abortion in its constitution, a powerful message of support for women’s rights on International Women’s Day (March 08, 2024).
• The government of Nepal officially declared Pokhara, located in the Gandaki province, as the tourism capital of the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• Amid repeated deaths from animal attacks and rising anger over them, Kerala declared man-animal conflict as a state-specific disaster, becoming the first state in the country to do so.
• The traditional Majuli masks in Assam were given a Geographical Indication (GI) tag by the Centre &Majuli manuscript painting also got the GI label.
• The Maharashtra Cabinet formally approved the renaming of Ahmednagar district to ‘Ahilyanagar’ after the 18th century Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar.
• The Rajasthan government has taken the initiative to distribute free seeds of millets and coarse grains to farmers to enhance millet production in the state.
• A 3-day startup event, named "Startup Mahakumbh," is scheduled to commence in Delhi.
• The Supreme Court froze the Assam government’s move to withdraw a nearly 26-year-old notification constituting the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, which hosts one of the largest rhino populations in the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $23 million loan agreement to enhance access to quality fintech education, research, and innovation at the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT-City).
• India and Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the two countries in the sphere of Law & Dispute Resolution.
• The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, has been actively engaging in boosting e-commerce exports from the country, leveraging its ‘District as Export Hub’ initiative.
• The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) is pleased to announce a groundbreaking collaboration with the Council of Architecture (COA) aimed at promoting inclusivity and accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in public spaces and buildings.
• REC Power Development and Consultancy Limited (RECPDCL), a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Limited, has signed an MoU with Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL), for joint development of utility-scale Renewable Energy Projects across the country.
• The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has signed a Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited (BFIL) to support the livelihood intervention of DAY-NRLM by syncing their activities in livestock and fisheries development.
• The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India signed a MoU with Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), South Asia at IFMR. J-PAL, SA@ IFMR will act as a knowledge partner on inclusive development to put rural poor women on the path to self-sufficiency.
• India and Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation between the two countries in the sphere of Law & Dispute Resolution.
• The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for Mid Life Upgrade (MLU) of 25 Dornier Aircraft along with associated equipment for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs.2,890 cr.
• Multi Commodity Exchange and the Jakarta Futures Exchange, the largest commodity exchange in Indonesia, have entered into a memorandum of understanding to enhance collaboration in key areas, including knowledge sharing, research, education, training, awareness creation, and other market development initiatives.
• Reliance Industries Ltd’s Reliance Consumer Products has partnered with Sri Lanka’s Elephant House to make and sell beverages under the Elephant House brand in India.
• The National Commission for Women (NCW) and the Railway Protection Force have signed an MoU in New Delhi to prevent and combat human trafficking.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

• India's retail inflation eased marginally to 5.09 per cent on an annual basis in February 2024 as against 5.10 per cent in the previous month.
• The National Stock Exchange (NSE) announced that its board has approved a one per cent reduction in overall transaction charges across cash equity and equity derivatives segments and products with effect from April 1, 2024.
• NHPC Limited, India’s premier hydropower company and a central public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Power has won the bid to develop a 200 MW capacity Solar Power Project to be set up in the 1,125 MW RE Park of Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Ltd. (GSECL) at Khavda in Kachchh district of Gujarat.
• Accenture has launched Accenture LearnVantage, a technology learning and training services for its clients.
• Advance tax payments have bolstered net direct tax collections, which may now surpass the upwardly revised target of Rs 19.45 lakh crores by the end of this fiscal
• Coal stocks across power plants in the country will be enough to meet the anticipated surge in power demand in the upcoming summer, according to Amrit Lal Meena, secretary of the Union Ministry of coal.
• The government's dividend mopup from non-financial central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) and entities in which it holds minority stakes has touched a record ₹61,149 crore, 22% higher than the revised estimate for 2023-24, with almost a fortnight to go this fiscal.
• Adani Group plans to invest more than ₹ 1.2 lakh crore ($14 billion) across its portfolio companies that range from ports to energy, airports, commodities, cement and media in the fiscal year starting April 1, as it doubles down on its $100 billion investment guidance over the next seven-ten years to grow businesses.
• The near-13-year high services trade surplus in February 2024 has prompted economists to scale down their projections of India’s current account deficit (CAD) for the current financial year.
• The Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation cess levied on products such as automobiles, liquor, cigarettes, aerated water and coal could end earlier than the March 31, 2026 deadline on the back of robust GST collections every month
• The government seems to be within striking distance of meeting the revised estimates (RE) for direct tax collection this financial year and it has to collect around Rs 55,000 crore in 14 days to meet the projections for 2023-24.
• Net foreign direct investment (FDI) in India, inflows minus outflows, declined 38.4 per cent year-on-year to $15.41 billion in the first 10 months of this financial year due to an increase in the repatriation of capital.
• The credit growth is likely to slow down in the next financial year as banks look to go slow on retail loans in response to the Reserve Bank of India’ (RBI) measures aimed at curbing the expansion of retail credit.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• Private equity firm, Apax Partners LLP has appointed Leo Puri as an Advisor to Apax and Chairman of Apax India.
• Fino Payments Bank has appointed Anita Sudhir Pai and Neeta Mukerji as Additional Directors in the capacity of Independent Directors on its board.
• Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned just days before the anticipated announcement of the schedule for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
• In exercise of powers conferred by section 4 of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023 (Act No. 49 of 2023), the President is pleased to appoint Shri Gyanesh Kumar,Indian Administrative Service (IAS) (Retd.) and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, IAS(Retd.) as Election Commissioners in the Election Commission of India (ECI).
• Ashutosh Gupta, Country Manager for India & APAC Head of Online Sales for LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, has decided to leave the company at the end of April,2024 to take a career break before taking on new roles.
• Union Asset Management Company Private Limited has appointed Madhu Nair as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) &he will replace G Pradeepkumar who tendered his resignation after 14 years of service.
• Rashmi Govil has taken charge as Director (Human Resources) at Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil).
• B Sairam has been appointed as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), the flagship subsidiary of Coal India Limited based in Singrauli.
• A 1996-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre, Rahul Singh has been appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre.
• Two-time Paralympics gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia was elected unopposed as the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president, succeeding another celebrated para-athlete Deepa Malik whose term ended on 31st January 2024.
• Breaking a four-year vacancy, the Indian government has appointed Navneet Kumar Sehgal, a retired bureaucrat, as the new Chairman of Prasar Bharati, the country's public service broadcaster.
• According to an order issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the government has appointeda 1990-batch Indian Information Service (IIS) officer, Sheyphali B Sharan as its new spokesperson.
• Maushami Chakraborty has been appointed director general of All India Radio (AIR), the public news broadcaster.
• Telangana Governor and Puducherry Lieutenant-Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan resigned from both posts.
• Lupin, a global pharmaceutical company, has appointed Christoph Funke to the newly created position of Chief Technical Operations Officer.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank announced that the board of directors have approved the appointment of Jaideep Hansraj, currently Managing Director (MD) of Kotak Securities Limited (KSL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank, as Group President - One Kotak.
• The President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu has appointed C P Radhakrishnan, the current Governor of Jharkhand, to discharge the duties of the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, in addition to his existing responsibilities, until further arrangements are made.
• Apollo Hospitals and Enterprises Limited. (AHEL) has re-designated its Chief Strategy Officer Madhu Sasidhar as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its hospital division from April 1, 2024.
• Packaged consumer goods maker Procter & Gamble India has appointed Kumar Venkatasubramanian as the company's new chief executive officer, effective 1 May 2024.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

• The Ministry of Tourism hosted an award ceremony for the winners of the ‘Design Challenge: Eco-Friendly Cutlery and Crockery to Substitute Single Use Plastic’ along with an exhibition of edible crockery and cutlery, New Delhi which was chaired by D.G. (Tourism), Ms Manisha Saxena and graced by the presence of Senior Economic Advisor Mr. Gyan Bhushan, renowned Chef Manjit Singh Gill, Chef Gunjan Goela and others.
• Noted Carnatic vocalist and Magsaysay award winner T.M. Krishna has been selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award of the Music Academy for 2024.
• Renowned poet Prabha Varma has been selected for the Saraswati Samman for the year 2023 for his work in the Malayalam language.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the merger of a financial technology company, Garagepreneurs Internet Private Limited (GIPL) with the North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB).
• Japan's SoftBank Group has further reduced its stake in payments firm Paytm to 2.83% from 5.01%.
• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved the acquisition of Kesoram Cement Business from Kesoram Industries Limited by UltraTech Cement Limited.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• INSTIR, the lead ship of First Training Squadron 1TS participated in Exercise Cutlass Express 2024 held at Port Victoria, Seychelles from 26 Feb – 08 Mar 2024.
• China, Iran, and Russia initiated a joint naval exercise named "Security Belt-2024" near the Gulf of Oman to safeguard regional maritime security, explicitly stating that it does not target any third country or current regional tensions.
• Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, along with delegates from over 30 nations, witnessed the tri-service exercise called 'Bharat Shakti' at the Pokhran field firing range in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan with an aim to demonstrate the calibrated tactical use of advanced technology in a tri-services environment against perceived threats.
• Indian Army contingent departed for Seychelles to participate in the 10th edition of Joint Military Exercise “LAMITIYE-2024” between the Indian Army and Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF).
• In consonance with the established partnership between India and the United States (US), a bilateral tri-service Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise between both countries, Tiger Triumph – 24, is scheduled on the Eastern Seaboard from 18 to 31 March 2024.
• The 3rd edition of the Station Commanders' Workshop of the Indian Navy is scheduled from March 18-20, 2024, in New Delhi.
• The Indian Army has established the "Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group" (STEAG) as a specialized technology unit focused on researching and evaluating next-generation communication technologies for defense applications and future warfare.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facility in Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram, has developed a multi-purpose app called Space-borne Assistant and Knowledge Hub for Crew Interaction (SAKHI).
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to send a "message in a bottle" to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, as part of the Europa Clipper mission in October 2024

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• New Delhi is ranked the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year since 2018.
• The Election Commission has announced Para Archer and Arjuna Awardee, Sheetal Devi as its National PwD Icon.
• The Indian Olympic Association, IOA dissolved the ad-hoc committee for wrestling.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Indian Athlete Gulveer Singh shattered a 16-year-old national record by over 20 seconds by clocking 27.41.81 in The Ten event at San Juan Capistrano in California.
• Six-time Miami Open champion Novak Djokovic confirmed to pull out of the upcoming Tennis Tournament.
• Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade, will retire from first-class cricket after the upcoming Sheffield Shield final but will remain available for selection in white-ball formats.
• Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in the Women's Premier League 2024 final, in New Delhi.
• The 2024 edition of the Swiss Open Super 300 Badminton tournament will begin in Basel, Switzerland.
• India’s sports industry clocked a growth of 11 per cent recording a total revenue of ₹15,766 crore in 2023 over 2022, as per a report released by GroupM ESP.
• India’s Lakshya Sen jumped five places to reach world number 13 in the latest BWF rankings, following his impressive run at the All England Championships.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• Former Navy Chief Admiral (retired) Laxminarayan Ramdas passed away at the age of 90.
• Former member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Prominent Buddhist Monk of Ladakh popularly known as Lama Lobzang passed away in New Delhi at the age of 94.
• In Bangladesh, legendary Rabindra Sangeet singer and composer Sadi Mohammad passed away at the age of 70.