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PERSONS IN NEWS - November 2018

Nov 2018

Sep 07, 2020

Jiri Menzel: Oscar Winning Czech Director Passes Away

Oscar-winning Czech director Jiri Menzel died aged 82 after battling serious health issues.
Menzel won an Academy Award in 1968 for best foreign language film for World War Two drama Closely Watched Trains.
He was one of the leading figures in the Czech New Wave cinema during the 1960s alongside One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest director Milos Forman.
Menzel was rarely seen in public after brain surgery in 2017.

Kesavananda Bharati, Petitioner in Landmark SC judgement on Constitution, Passes Away

Kesavananda Bharati, on whose petition the Supreme Court delivered the landmark judgement on the celebrated doctrine of basic structure of the Constitution, passed away.
People from all walks of life paid homage to the departed seer at the Edneer Mutt of which he became the head overfive decades ago.
The case in which Bharati had challenged Kerala Land Reform laws nearly four decades ago set the principle that the Supreme Court is the guardian of the basic structure of the Constitution and the verdict involved 13 judges, the largest bench ever to sit in the apex court. While the seer did not get the relief he wanted, the case became significant for its landmark judgment which clipped the widest power of Parliament to amend the Constitution and simultaneously gave judiciary the authority to review any amendment.
Kesavananda Bharati Swamiji, the seer of Edneer Mutt was a rare blend of philosopher, classical singer and a cultural icon. His patronage of Yakshagana was crucial in reviving this traditional theatre form in Karnataka.

Sep 05, 2020

Ayushmann Khurrana Brand Ambassador of Bajaj Allianz Life

Private life insurer, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited appointed bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana as its brand ambassador. As the brand ambassador of the life insurer, actor will be promoting the products as well as the digital services of the Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited.
The bollywood actor is also set to feature in the upcoming campaign "Smart Living" of the private life insurer which encompasses its Term Plan "Smart protect Goal" and the newly digital service "Smart Assist" which collectively seeks to secure and enable its customer's life goal amid these uncertain times.

Sep 03, 2020

IRDAI Set Up 6 Member Working Group Headed by Dinesh Pant

Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) formed a 6-member working group headed by Dinesh Pant, appointed actuary of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to scrutinize various aspects for allowing the life insurance companies to offer index linked products.
The regulations of IRDAI does not permit the insurance companies to offer or sell the index linked products.
The insurers requested IRDAI to permit them to sell the index linked products.
Considering the request of the life insurers, the working group has been constituted to study the aspects of index linked products in the life insurance segment.
The working group of 6 members headed by Dinesh Pant, includes Anil Kumar Singh, Jose C. John, Manish Kumar, Y. Srinivasa Rao, and DNK LNK Chakravarthi.

Kshatrapati Shivaji Takes Up India's Top Statistical Post

The Government of India appointed Kshatrapati Shivaji, a 1986-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, as secretary in the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The secretary at this ministry is, by design, known as the chief statistician of India.
But he has only been given additional charge to head India's statistical system, and the government has not appointed a full-time chief statistician yet. Shivaji will continue to lead the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions as his main charge until his superannuation at the end of March 2021.
The interesting bit is that the Cabinet post for this ministry is held by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is the second instance when a secretary at this ministry will oversee India's statistical system. In 2018, when T. C. A. Anant quit as the then chief statistician, the Modi government had given the top job for government statistics to the then secretary in this very ministry, K. V. Eapen.

Sep 02, 2020

Hemant Khatri Assumes Charge as CMD of Hindustan Shipyard Limited

Retired Commodore Hemant Khatri succeeded Rear Admiral L. V. Sarat Babu (Retd) and assumed charge as the Chairman and Managing director (CMD) of Hindustan Shipyard limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, a Miniratna public sector undertaking (PSU) of the Ministry of Defence. Previously he was serving as the Director of Strategic Projects HSL.
His appointment as the CMD of HSL was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 27th May 2020 with effective from 1st September 2020 till 31st July 2025 the date of his superannuation or until further orders.
Hemant Khatri is a former Indian Navy Officer, who has an immense experience on ship construction and repair. He joined HSL in April 2017.
He served in the naval dockyard and the headquarters at various capacities.
He worked in the Euro Shipyard in Italy for three years and oversaw the construction and delivery of INS Deepak and INS Shakti (Navy Fleet Tankers).

CBDT Chairman Pramod Mody Gets Extension

The government has extended Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) chairman Pramod Chandra Mody's tenure for a second time to ensure continuity in the leadership on income-tax matters during the next budget expected on February 1, 2021.
He was due to relinquish office on 1st September after ending the first one-year extension period.
Mody, a 1982-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, had taken over as the new chairman of CBDT on February 15, 2019. Before being elevated, Mody was the member-administration of CBDT, the apex policy making body of the income-tax department. He had succeeded Sushil Chandra, who was appointed as an Election Commissioner.

Sep 01, 2020

India's First Female Cardiologist Dr. S. Padmavati Passes Away

India's first female cardiologist, Dr. S. Padmavati died due to COVID-19 at the National Heart Institute. Dr. S Padmavati was popularly known as 'God Mother of Cardiology'.
For her contribution to the field of cardiology in India, Padmavati was awarded Fellowship of the American College of Cardiology and FAMS. The government of India conferred her with Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan in 1967 and 1992, respectively.
Padmavati was born in Burma, now known as Myanmar, in 1917. She migrated to India in 1942 during World War II. She graduated from Rangoon Medical College and went overseas for higher education.
In 1962, Dr. Padmavati founded the All India Heart Foundation. Later, in 1981, she founded the National Heart Institute.

Pranab Mukherjee, Former President, Passes Away

Former Indian President Pranab Mukherjee passed away at the age of 84 in Delhi. Mukherjee, who served as the 13th President of India, was hospitalised at the Army Hospital on August 10.
As India's President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee made Rashtrapati Bhavan even more accessible to common citizens. He made the President's house a centre of learning, innovation, culture, science and literature.
Pranab's career in politics spanned over five decades.
In 2017, Mukherjee decided not to run for re-election and to retire from politics after leaving the presidency due to health complications relating to old age. His term expired on July 25, 2017. Prior to his election as President, Mukherjee was Union Finance Minister from 2009 to 2012.
For his distinguished service to the nation, he was first awarded India's second highest civilian award, Padma Vibhushan in 2008. In 2019, he was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.

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