Dear Readers, Here we have given the list of Important Weekly Current Affairs of May 15th to 21st May 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 Hypertension Day 2023 is celebrated on May 17 & the theme is “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”.
• World Telecommunication And Information Society Day 2023 is celebrated on May 17 & the theme is “ Digital technologies for Older Persons and Healthy Ageing”.
• International Museum Day is celebrated every year on May 18 to raise awareness about the museums in society.
• World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is observed every year on May 18 to raise awareness about the need for vaccines.
• World Metrology Day is celebrated on May 20

CURRENT AFFAIRS : NATIONAL NEWS

• The Home Ministry stated that the comprehensive ‘Model Prisons Act, 2023’ has been finalised under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah.
• Under the One Station One Product’ (OSOP) scheme of Indian Railways, 728 stations are covered with 785 OSOP outlets in 21 States and 3 Union Territories across the country so far.
• The President of India recently conferred 37 Gallantry awards, including eight Kirti Chakras and 29 Shaurya Chakras, during Defence Investiture Ceremony (Phase-1) held in New Delhi
• The government will spend around $1.2 billion to modernise the Semi-conductor Laboratory (SCL) in Mohali, a 30-year-old facility currently capable of producing 8-inch CMOS microchip wafers mostly used for the country’s strategic needs such as the space programme.
• Union Minister Smriti Irani launched the 'Poshan Bhi, Padhai Bhi' scheme.
• 36th Chief Information Security Officer Deep-Dive Training program organized by National e-Governance Division (NeGD).
• “Harit Sagar” the Green Port Guidelines 2023 has been launched by Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways SarbanandaSonowal at a function in New Delhi.
• A national framework will be set up with the aim of decarbonizing the Indian economy by pricing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions through the trading of Carbon Credit Certificates.
• The 6th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) is being hosted by Bangladesh and is being held in Dhaka.
• The modalities of engagement for working towards a comprehensive TEPA discussed by India and the EFTAstates.
• Centre reduces windfall levy on domestically produced crude to nil.
• All medical practitioners will now be covered under a common National Medical Register.
• A mobile app called Meri LiFE (My life) has been launched by Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi.
• University Grants Commission (UGC) has launched a newly designed website and portal to transform higher education in India.
• Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 8th All India Pension Adalat inaugurated in Delhi.
• The 67th Foundation Day of Regional News Unit (RNU) of Akashvani Guwahati was celebrated in association with Oil India Limited.
• Under Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) Shri Manoj Kumar, Gram Vikas Yojana Distribution program has been organized inNanpur village of GarhMukteshwar tehsil, Hapur, Uttar Pradesh.
• The Union Cabinet has approved the second edition of the production-linked incentive (PLI 2.0) scheme for IT hardware with a ₹17,000-crore outlay.
• The Union government has approved a subsidy of Rs 38,000 crore for phosphatic and potassic (P&K) fertilisers for the kharif 2023 season (April-September) under the nutrient-based subsidy (NBS) mechanism.TheUnion Government transferred Kiran Rijiju from the Ministry of Law and Justice to the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• The Government has amended rules under the Foreign Exchange Management Act to bring in international credit card spends outside India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).
• India will host the prestigious 2-day Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC), which will bring together global leaders from the petrochemical sector to debate on key issues related with growth, trade, investment and sustainability
• The government has decided to form 1,100 new Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) in the cooperative sector.
• The Union Health Ministry will screen and list 75 million people, diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes on standard care by 2025 through primary health care centres in the country.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have agreed to forge closer economic ties by extending the Beijing-backed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan.
• First-ever direct international flight service from Bhubaneswar to Dubai has been started.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) launches its first-ever comprehensive framework on reducing anaemia, calling on countries to accelerate action to halve anaemia prevalence in women of reproductive age by 2025.
• India and Bangladesh have jointly launched the '50 Start-up Exchange Programme' under which 50 Start-ups from India and 50 Start-ups from Bangladesh will exchange visits to each other’s countries.
• The first ministerial meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) will be held in Brussels, Belgium.
• Lao tourism authorities are preparing to host the annual ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2024, which will take place in the Lao capital Vientiane on 22-27, 2024
• The 76th Cannes Film Festival started in France.
• South Asia Gas Enterprise (SAGE), an international consortium of companies in deepwater pipeline projects, has sought the support of the ministry of petroleum and others to develop an undersea gas pipeline from the Gulf to India.
• India launched "Operation Karuna" to provide humanitarian assistance for people in Myanmar, which is affected by Cyclone Mocha, and three ships carrying relief material reached Yangon.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : STATE NEWS

• Assam Chief Minister Shri HimantaBiswa Sarma ceremonially dedicated ‘Digitizing Asom,” a community project aimed at digitization of rare Assamese journals and books published between 1813 and 1970, for public use at an event organised at the Janata Bhawan in Guwahati, Assam.
• Mitsubishi Electric India (MEI), a part of the $37 billion Japanese major Mitsubishi Electric, will invest ₹1,891 crore in a new air-conditioner and compressor factory project near Chennai, Tamil Nadu (TN).
• Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM) Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated a Gau-raksha Sankalp Sammelan (Cow-Protection Resolution Conference) and flagged off 406 veterinary ambulances under the 'PashuChikitsa Ambulance' (animal ambulance) scheme at Lal Parade ground in Bhopal, MP.
• Andhra Pradesh (AP) Revenue Minister Shri DharmanaPrasada Rao launched ‘E-chits’ application of the Registration and Stamps Department.
• Himachal Pradesh (HP) Chief minister (CM)Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu introduced the Himcare scheme for jail inmates by providing Himcare cards to the prisoners at Model Central Jail Kanda in
• Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin inaugurated one of India’s biggest Skywalk bridges.
• Kalangummukal,becameKerala’s first fully insured ward as 1,382 residents in the 5 to 70 age group were eligible for insurance coverage against accidental death and
• Madhya Pradesh (MP) capital Bhopal has become the first city in India to accept the localization of the United Nations (UN)-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
• Congress has won the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections with the largest vote share and seats after 34 years.
• Himachal Pradesh (HP) Chief Minister (CM) Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched the 'Him' data portal, a common digital platform to improve the delivery of welfare schemes by integrating real-time and accurate data of all government bodies.
• Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM), Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has launched a CM Farm Loan Interest Waiver Scheme namely MukhyamantriKrishakByaajMaafi Yojana-2023 (Chief Minister Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme).
• The Gujarat cabinet has given its approval to a proposal of setting up 21 new industrial estates across 13 districts in Gujarat, with an aim to boost employment generation locally.
• Himachal Pradesh’s (HP) Kangra tea, known for quality, unique aroma, and a tinge of fruity flavor, has been registered with the European Union (EU) as a protected Geographical Indication (GI).
• Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Shri Pushkar Singh Dhamilaunched a mobile application named "Patch Reporting App" which will help make the roads of Uttarakhand pothole-free.
• State-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) will set up an ethylene cracker (EC) project at Bina in Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh (MP), and expand its refinery capacity with a capital expenditure of around Rs 49,000 crore.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BANKING & FINANCE

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued an advisory to banks and other RBI-regulated entities, emphasising the need to take steps to ensure a complete transition from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) from July 1, 2023.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced a ‘100 Days 100 Pays’ campaign for banks to trace and settle the top 100 unclaimed deposits of every bank in every district of the country within 100 days.
• EXIM (Export-Import) Bank is expected to operationalise its proposed GIFT City subsidiary for trade finance by the third quarter (Q3) of the current financial year (FY24).
• Non-banking financial company (NBFC) Profectus Capital Private Limited has received the Certificate of Registration (CoR) under the Factoring Regulations Act, 2011 from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to provide factoring services to the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• The Board of Executive Directors of World Bank (WB) approved an $82 million loan for Animal Health System Support for One Health Programme (AHSSOH) will support India’s Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme, towards to control animal diseases by adopting global best practices for animal health management & to prevent, detect, & respond to endemic zoonotic, transboundary, and emerging infectious diseases.
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (KMBL) announced the launch of its all-new Privy League programme, an exclusive premium banking programme with unique lifestyle benefits and bespoke financial solutions tailored to high-net-worth people (HNI).
• The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) report on Currency and Finance (RCF) for the year 2022-23 states that India’s green financing requirement is estimated to be at least 2.5% of Gross domestic product (GDP) annually till 2030.
• The Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN) is organising its first-ever Greenwashing TechSprintto combat greenwashing risks in financial services.
• ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited launched a new debt fund called ICICI Pru Constant Maturity Fund; it is available with the insurer’s Unit-linked insurance plans (ULIP).
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) imposed a penalty totalling Rs 1.9 crore on 4 former officials of Karvy Group for flouting norms in the case pertaining to misappropriation of clients' funds by Karvy Stock Broking Ltd (KSBL).
• India’s Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has set up a five-member expert committee to advise it on subjects related to mental health and insurance.
• Capital markets regulator Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) tweaked the rules about investment in mutual funds made in the name of a minor through a guardian.
• The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE India) launched rupee denominated futures contracts on underlying New York Mercantile Exchange's (NYMEX) West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil and natural gas in its commodity derivatives segment.
• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has directed all insurers to comply with the provisions outlined in the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021, and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Act, 2021.
• HDFC Asset Management Company (AMC) Limited, investment manager of HDFC mutual fund (HDFC MF) has announced the launch of India's first mutual fund - HDFC Defence Fund focussed on defence sector.
• Regulator for housing finance firms National Housing Bank (NHB) has asked housing finance companies with asset size of over Rs 1,000 crore to adopt an early warning signals (EWS) framework to check financial fraudsand also to prevent accounts from turning into non-performing assets.
• The World Bank (WB) has approved a grant of ₹51-crore to set up an integrated road safety enforcement system in Shimla and Nurpur police districts of Himachal Pradesh (HP) and develop the Palampur-Sheela chowk in Kangra as a “safe corridor”.
• Food aggregator platform Zomato has partnered with ICICI Bank to launch its own unified payments interface (UPI) offering called Zomato UPI, for some of its users.
• The Government has amended rules under the Foreign Exchange Management Act to bring in international credit card spends outside India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS).
• Capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) proposed expanding the definition of qualified institutional buyer (QIB) for investing in debt securities in a bid to increase the supply of funds to the issuers of such securities.
• The government has appointed IDBI Capital, BOB Capital and SBI Capital to manage the initial public offer (IPO) of the Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA).
• The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Asia’s oldest stock exchange, relaunched Sensex and Bankex derivative contracts in its bid to boost derivative trading.
• IKEA India joins hands with HDFC Bank by launching a hassle-free and convenient consumer financing option for all its customers.
• Japanese international payment brand, JCB International Co will partner with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to offer RuPay JCB cardholders 40% cashback on in-store purchases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Malaysiaand
• Payments and financial services company Paytm has partnered with SBI Card & National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to launch Next-Generation Co-branded RuPay Credit Card named Paytm SBI Card on the RuPay network to further boost credit inclusion in India.
• Godrej Agrovet Ltd (GAVL) has partnered with the State Bank of India (SBI) to introduce a first of its kind finance offering for oil palm farmers.
• The Regulator Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has relaxed norms for 'surety bonds', a type of insurance policy protecting parties involved in a transaction or contract from potential financial losses due to a breach of contract or other types of non-performance.
• The Capital Market Regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has released a consultation paper on real estate investment trusts (REITs)and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs) that envisages giving special rights to unit-holders, looks at the roles of sponsors and also proposes the concept of self-sponsored trusts.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BUSINESS NEWS

• The government is all set to make an equity infusion of Rs 300 crore in Alliance Air.
• India’s annual retail inflation eased to a 18-month low of 4.7% in April from 5.66% the previous month.
• The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) announced the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Scheme 2023, which is aimed at regulating cab aggregators and delivery service providers.
• The Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) has signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government for a large-scale investment of ₹20,000 crore to be spent over 10 years (2023-2032).
• India’s goods exports have fallen 12.7% in April 2023 to $34.66 billion according to the Commerce & Industry Ministry.
• WPI inflation declined to minus 0.92% in April 2023.
• The National Stock Exchange will launch two new cash-settled energy futures contracts on WTI Crude Oil and Natural Gas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

• The US Senate confirmed Dr Geeta Rao Gupta, an Indian-American, for the position of Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Women's Issues in the State Department.
• Twitter Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Elon Musk announced that Linda Yaccarino will be the social media platform's next CEO.
• Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Praveen Soodwill become the next head of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• The central government has appointed Ravneet Kaur, as the Chairperson of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
• The Member States of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Migration Agency, elected Amy E. Pope as its next Director General during the 6th Special Session of the IOM Council.
• Eminent educationist Manoj Soni took oath as the chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
• Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the 47th Deputy Chief of the Air Staff& he succeeded Air Marshal Narmdeshwar Tiwari.
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of Anil Kumar Jain as the new chairman of the oil and gas sector regulatory body, Petroleum & Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB).
• Raheja QBE General Insurance Company Limited has appointed Rajeev Dogra as the new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer following regulatory approval from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.
• One 97 Communications Ltd, which owns Paytm, has appointed Bhavesh Gupta, as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company .
• Siddaramaiah has been sworn in as the new chief minister (CM) of Karnataka for the second term, along with the Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar as the deputy chief minister.
• Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been roped in to galvanise the Indian team and cheer for the athletes headed to the Special Olympics for people with intellectual disabilities scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany from June 16 to June 25, 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : AWARDS & HONOURS

• Bharat Ratna Dr Ambedkar Award has been given to UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
• Jayant Vishnu Narlikarreceived the first Astronomical Society of India Govind Swarup Lifetime Achievement Award.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : DEFENCE NEWS

• Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh approved the 4th Positive Indigenisation List (PIL) of 928 strategically-importantLine Replacement Units (LRUs)/Sub-systems/Spares & Components, including high-end materials & spares which will help the government avoid imports worth ₹715 crore.
• Goa-based Indian Naval Ship (INS) Hansa has become the first Joint-User International Aerodrome in the South-Asia Pacific region to be augmented with the Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approach.
• The 4th edition of India-Indonesia Bilateral Naval exercise Samudra Shakti-23 between the Indian Navy& the Indonesian Navy was held at Batam, Indonesia from 14-19 May 2023.
• A BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was successfully test-fired from the Indian Navy’s frontline guided missile destroyer Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mormugao.
• As part of the Indian Navy’s deployment to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, Indian Naval ships INS Delhi and INS Satpura under the command of Rear Admiral Gurcharan Singh, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet departed Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Angamaly-based CML Biotech Ltd., one of the largest manufacturers of blood collection tubes in India, has installed the world’s first integrated machine ‘Husky –Ichor’, for manufacturing of blood collection tubes.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) Scientific Balloon Program has launched a 2nd football-stadium-sized, heavy-lift super pressure balloon (SPB) from Wānaka Airport, New Zealand, on a technology mission aimed for 100 days or more of flight in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has partnered with United States (US) technology giant Google to establish the Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CeRAI), an interdisciplinary research centre, to ensure ethical and responsible development of AI-based solutions in the real world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING AND INDEX

• According to a United Nations report, India is leading the list of 10 counties that together account for 60 percent of global maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths, and 51 percent of live births globally.
• In the assessment for the December quarter (Q3) of FY23, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) has been ranked second among 66 ministries in the Data Governance Quality Index (DGQI).
• India rejected the United States State Department's report on religious freedom, describing it as motivated and biassed.
• The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) released a mid-year update of its WorldEconomic Situation and Prospects report.
• The Netherlands emerged as the third-largest exporting platform in India.
• An analysis of data from the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) shows that Internal displacement in India was 2.5 million in 2022.
• According to Knight Frank Mumbai ranks 6th among 46 cities globally in terms of annual price growth of high-end residential properties with an appreciation of 5.5 per cent.
• According to a report by property consultancy Knight Frank the number of ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWIs) in India is expected to rise 58.4 per cent in the next five years from 12,069 in 2022 to 19,119 in 2027.
• India is expected to witness a massive 58.4% rise in its 'ultra-high-net-worth individual'(UHNWI) population by 2027, surpassing the growth rate of the previous five years, says Knight Frank in its Wealth Report 2023.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Ministry of AYUSH have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).
• The Centre for Digital Innovation & Transformation (CDiT) at the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) and the Kerala Police Cyberdome Project, inked an MoU to augment cyber security measures in new-age policing.
• The Union Cabinet approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Competition Commission of India (CCI) and Egyptian Competition Authority (ECA).
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced to invest 12.7 billion dollars in cloud infrastructure in India by 2030.
• Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn will invest Rs 4,000 crore in a new electronics manufacturing facility in Hyderabad which will lead to the creation of 25,000 jobs and will be spread over an area of 200 acres.
• The Nifty derivatives contracts traded on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) have been renamed to GIFT Nifty.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : ENVIRONMENT NEWS

• A 5,000-year-old 'Great Grandfather' tree is believed to be the oldest tree in the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : BOOKS & AUTHORS

• Dr Manoj Kumar's book, ‘Supreme Court on Commercial Arbitration,’ released and published by Legal Matrix Publication
• Ajai Chowdhry one of the co-founders of HCL also an Entrepreneur, sportsman, and salesman authored a new book titled ‘Just Aspire’ ‘Just Aspire’  which is a motivational book that focuses on the importance of having a positive mindset, setting goals, and taking action to achieve them.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

• Indian boxers Deepak Kumar, Mohammed Hussamuddin and Nishant Dev made the country proud by winning bronze medals at the IBA Men's World Boxing Championship 2023 held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
• Rajasthan Royals bowlerYuzvendra Chahal became the leading wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League.
• The Indian pair won the gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan.
• At the 13th Hockey India Sub Junior Women National Championship 2023, the Hockey Haryana team was declared the winner.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : OBITUARIES

• Nobel Prize-winning American economist Robert E. Lucas Jr Passed away at the age of 85 in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America (USA).
• Eminent singer and the youngest daughter-in-law of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Kalyani Kazi passed away at the age of 87 in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) from Ambala Rattan Lal Kataria, passed away at the age of 72 in Chandigarh.