General Awareness

PERSONS IN NEWS - March 2019

Mar 2019

Jan 12, 2020

Omani Sultan Qaboos Dies At 79

For the first time in roughly half a century, Oman is under new direction.
The longest-serving monarch of the Arab world, Sultan Qaboos bin Said, died at the age of 79, ceding the country to his cousin and former culture minister Haitham bin Tariq al-Said. The latter was sworn in as sultan, assuming the reins of state in a ceremony attended by high-ranking military and government officials.
Since he took power, Oman has seen a dramatic upswing in its fortunes, increasing its gross domestic product from about $250 million at the start of his reign to a sum better measured in the tens of billions.

Government Appoints 2 Joint Secretaries, 38 Other Officials

The government has appointed two joint secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries and 25 under secretary-rank officials in the newly-created department of military affairs headed by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat.
The appointments were made as per laid down roadmap to create an enabling set up for the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to implement the government's vision of ensuring tri-services synergy.
Two joint secretaries, 13 deputy secretaries and 25 under secretaries were appointed in the department of military affairs.

Kannada Scholar Chidananda Murthy Passes Away

Noted Kannada scholar, epigraphist and activist Chidananda Murthy passed away. He was 88.
He was ill for sometime and was being treated for age-related illness at a private hospital, where he breathed his last.

Lt Col Yuvraj Malik Appointed Director Of National Book Trust

Lt Col Yuvraj Malik has been appointed the Director of the National Book Trust (NBT).
Malik, who has taken over from Sahitya Akademi-awardee writer Rita Chowdhury, joined the NBT on deputation from the Indian Army.
The officer has served with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Raj Bhawan in Jammu & Kashmir, United Nation Missions in Africa and several operational areas in administrative and operational assignments including Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Punjab and Rajasthan.

Jan 11, 2020

Veteran Broadcaster, Academic-Poet Obaid Siddiqui Passes Away

Veteran broadcaster, poet and academician Obaid Siddiqui passed away in a Ghaziabad hospital due to health related problems.
Siddiqui, 63, was quite unwell due to multiple ailments and was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kaushambi, Ghaziabad where he breathed his last.
Born in Meerut in 1957, Siddiqui received higher education a the Aligarh Muslim University and joined the All India Radio at Srinagar station in 1988.

SC Stays NCLAT Order Restoring Cyrus Mistry As Tata Sons' Chairman

The Supreme Court stayed in toto the NCLAT order restoring Cyrus Mistry as executive chairman of the Tata Group, observing that there were "lacunae" in the orders passed by the Tribunal.
A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant said the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) decision suffers from "basic errors and we have to hear the matter in detail".

Narendra Modi Fifth Biggest Geo-Political Risk Of 2020

India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been listed as the fifth biggest geo-political risk of 2020, by the political risk consultancy – the Eurasia Group – in a list that is topped by elections in the US and followed by events and developments like the US-China technology tug of war on 5G as well as the trade war between Beijing and Washington.
According to Ian Bremmer (Eurasia Group president) and Cliff Kupchan (Eurasia Group chairman), Modi has spent much of his second term--since winning the April-May 2019 poll--promoting controversial social policies at the expense of an economic agenda.

Jan 10, 2020

Forbes' 20 people To Watch In The 2020s

Kanhaiya Kumar, Prashant Kishor, and Mahua Moitra have found a place in the Forbes' list of people to watch in the 2020s. Forbes India recently published this list that included the names of politicians, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and sportspersons.A US-based political commentator and comedian Hassan Minhaj is one first position in the list, while Keyna's Marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge in on the 20th place.
• Apart from Kanhaiya Kumar and Prashant Kishor, five Indians have also been ranked in this list. These five Indians are - Aditya Mittal, The Godrej family, Dushyant Chautala, Mahua Moitra, Garima Arora.
• Environmental Activist Greta Thunberg also found a place in the list. She has ranked 15th on the list.
• A chef by profession, Garima Arora, has ranked 14th in the list. Forbes explained that she has become the first Indian woman to receive a Michelin star as her restaurant, Gaa, in Bangkok was awarded by the 2019 Michel Guide for Thailand.

Rajya Sabha MP Chandra Pal Singh New Chairman Of KRIBHCO

Agri-cooperative leader and Rajya Sabha MP Chandra Pal Singh has been unanimously elected as Chairman of Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO).
According to KRIBHCO, Besides, V Sudhakar Chowdary, a versatile farmer's leader, he was unanimously elected as Vice Chairman of the cooperative society.
A decision in this regard was taken at a special general board meeting called to elect nine directors. Eight directors were elected unanimously but there was a fight for the post of ninth director which was won by Gujarat''s Maganlal Dhanjibhai Vadaviya.

Former PM Zoran Milanovic Wins Croatia Presidential Polls

Former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, who has pledged to make Croatia a tolerant country turning the page on its wartime past, has won presidential runoff, defeating the incumbent conservative leader.
Milanovic, the Social Democrat candidate, took 52.7 percent of the vote, while President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who had tried to unite a fractured right wing, garnered 47.3 percent, according to results based on a vote count at nearly all polling stations released by the electoral commission. The turnout was about 55 percent.

Austria's Kurz Sworn In As Chancellor

Conservative Sebastian Kurz was sworn in 7 January 2020, as Austria's chancellor, completing a comeback from the collapse of his previous government as the leader of a new and very different coalition, with the Greens.
Kurz, 33, returned to the top job after a seven-month absence. The cabinet sworn in by President Alexander Van der Bellen is Austria's first with a female majority and marks the first time that the environmentalist Greens have entered the country's national government.

Jan 09, 2020

Hudco Appoints M Nagaraj As Chairman, Managing Director

State-owned Housing and Urban Development Corporation (Hudco), has appointed, M Nagaraj,the company's Chairman and Managing Director.
Nagaraj is also Director (Corporate Planning) of the company.

Jan 08, 2020

Ravindra Nath Mahto Elected As New Jharkhand Assembly Speaker

Rabindra Nath Mahato was unanimously elected as the Speaker of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA was administered the oath of the office by pro-term Speaker Stephen Marandi. The pro-term speaker had earlier sworn in all the newly-elected MLAs in the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly on January 6, 2020.
Rabindra Nath Mahato's name was proposed for the speaker post by Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. JMM MLA Champai Soren had supported the proposal during the second day of the three-day assembly session.

Shri Arun Kumar Sahu Accredited As The High Commissioner Of India To The Commonwealth Of Dominica

Shri Arun Kumar Sahu (IFS:1996), High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, has been concurrently accredited as the next High Commissioner of India to the Commonwealth of Dominica, with residence in Port of Spain.

Padma Bhushan Artist Akbar Padamsee No More

Celebrated painter and artist Akbar Padamsee died at the Isha Yoga Center near Coimbatore .
One of the most versatile and prolific artists of the modern age, Akbar Padamsee, a long-time resident of Isha, passed away at 91, owing to natural causes arising out of ageing. His last rites were performed at the Yoga Center .

Anusha Shetty Named Chairman And Ceo Of Grey Group India

Anusha Shetty has been appointed chairman and group chief executive (CEO) of WPP Plc-owned Grey Group India. She replaces Yashaswini Samat who will be relocating to Singapore to take up a senior integrated role at the agency.
Shetty is currently serving as the CEO of digital agency Autumn Worldwide (now called AutumnGrey) which she incubated in 2005. Grey Group acquired a majority stake in the agency in 2018.
Shetty will continue to report to global COO and chairman and CEO, Grey Asia Middle East and Africa (AMEA), Nirvik Singh and will work closely with him to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.

Lt Gen Pn Hoon, Who Secured Siachen For India In 1984, Dies At 90

Lt Gen Prem Nath Hoon, who served the army for four decades before hanging up his boots as chief of the Western Command in 1987, died in Panchkula. He was 90.
Commissioned into the Sikh regiment two years after the Partition, Lt Gen Hoon led the Operation Meghdoot — as the commander of Srinagar-based 15 Corps — to capture the Siachen glacier in 1984.
As a frontline soldier, he defended the borders, during the Chinese Aggression and the 1965 war against Pakistan. He also served as the director general of military operations.
Lt Gen KJ Singh (retd), former chief of Western Command, said Hoon was a committed General, who till his unfortunate demise dedicated himself to the service of nation and community.

Elizabeth Wurtzel: Prozac Nation Author Dies Aged 52

Elizabeth Wurtzel, author of the best-selling 1994 memoir Prozac Nation which detailed her struggles with depression and addiction, has died aged 52.
She died at a New York hospital after a long battle with cancer.
Published when she was in her 20s, Prozac Nation divided critics. Some praised Ms Wurtzel for her candor while others said she was self-absorbed.
She told the BBC in 2012 it was a book about "growing up".
It included details of her self-harm, drug use and sex life, and made her an influential voice of Generation X.
The memoir has been credited with helping to spark a boom in confessional writing.

Sakthivel Took Over As AEPC India Chairman

Apparel Export Promotion Council of India (AEPC) has appointed A Sakthivel as the new chairman of the organisation.
The industry had been struggling to survive and the exports growth were stagnant.
They will work to find new and potential markets for India's garment exports.
Sakthivel along with some exporters had founded Tirupur Exporters Association in 1990.

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