General Awareness

PERSONS IN NEWS - May 2019

May 2019

Oct 23, 2019

Bureaucratic Reshuffle In The Central Administration

The Union Government named Sanjeev Nandan Sahay as Secretary, Ministry of Power, in place of S.C. Garg, who had sought Voluntary Retirement from Service (VRS) after he was unceremoniously shunted out from the Ministry of Finance, where he had been Secretary, Economic Affairs.
Outgoing Power Secretary Garg's application was accepted and, as rules prescribe, his three month period of service will come to an end on October 31, 2019, a year before his superannuation in the normal course.
Another important appointment is that of Pankaj Kumar, a 1987 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the body that governs and implements Aadhaar.
With his appointment, the government has started appointing IAS officers belonging to the 1987 batch as Secretaries, after 25 officers were empanelled recently to hold the post of Secretary in the government.
Another notable change in top bureaucracy is the repatriation of Anil Kumar Khachi, who was appointed as Secretary, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management in July 2019, but has been replaced by Tuhin Kanta Pandey, who has been brought in from the Odisha State cadre. Mr. Khachi has been repatriated to his parent cadre of Himachal Pradesh on personal grounds.

Ashok Malik appointed MEA policy advisor

Ashok Malik, former press secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind, has been appointed policy advisor in the Ministry of External Affairs with the rank of additional secretary, an order by the Department of Personnel and Training.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Malik, a distinguished fellow in the Observer Research Foundation on contract basis.

Oct 22, 2019

Indian Banks Association Elects Rajnish Kumar As Chairman

SBI's head Rajnish Kumar has been elected as the chairman of the banking industry lobby Indian Banks Association for fiscal 2019-20.
The body, which represents banks' interests with the government and regulators, said it has three top bankers from various lenders as its deputy chairmen.
An official statement said these include Union Bank of India G Rajkiran Rai, S S Mallikarjuna Rao of Punjab National Bank and Madhav Kalyan JP Morgan Chase Bank.

Oct 21, 2019

Maha Wrestling Legend Dadu Chougule Dies Of Heart Attack

Wrestling legend Dadu Chougule died of a heart attack in Kolhapur in Maharashtra.
He was 73. He is survived by two sons.
Born in a farmer's family, Chougule received wrestling lessons early on and went on to join Motibaug Talim, one of the oldest talims (akharas or places for practicing wrestling), in Kolhapur which is known for its love for the traditional Indian sport.

EC Appoints Vinod Zutshi As Special Observer For Haryana Assembly Elections

Election Commission has appointed Vinod Zutshi, former Deputy Election Commissioner as Special Observer for the ensuing elections to Assandh Assembly Constituency in Karnal District of Haryana.
Mr Zutshi has been asked to take necessary corrective action and ensure a free, fair and peaceful election.
The decision was taken in view of the alleged circulation of controversial information on a video circulating on social media.
Mr Zutshi has earlier worked as Chief Electoral Officer, Rajasthan.

Oct 20, 2019

Former IMF Chief Christine Lagarde Appointed Head Of European Central Bank

European Union leaders confirmed the appointment of Christine Lagarde as the new chief of the European Central Bank, replacing Mario Draghi from November 1, 2019.
Lagarde's confirmation for a non-renewable term of eight years comes after EU leaders nominated her for the position.

Anup Kumar Singh Appointed As Director-General Of NSG

Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as Director-General of the National Security Guard (NSG).
The appointment of Mr Singh, who is a 1985-batch IPS officer, was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
His appointment will be from the date of joining the post and up to 30th of September, 2020.

Oct 19, 2019

SC Orders Transfer Of Assam NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela To MP On Deputation

The Supreme Court ordered the transfer of Assam NRC coordinator, Prateek Hajela, to Madhya Pradesh on deputation.
A bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, however, did not specify the reason, behind transferring Hajela to Madhya Pradesh.
After the final list of National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in Assam, several complaints were filed against Hajela alleging discrepancies in the list.
The list is aimed at segregating Indian citizens living in Assam from those who had illegally entered the state from Bangladesh.

CJI Ranjan Gogoi Recommends Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde As His Successor

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi sent a letter to the Centre recommending Justice S A Bobde, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor.
Justice Gogoi, who was sworn in as the 46th Chief Justice of India on October 3, 2018, will demit the office on November 17, 2019.

Gujarat-Cadre IPS officer Anup Kumar Singh is New NSG chief

Senior IPS officer of Gujarat cadre Anup Kumar Singh has been appointed as director general of the National Security Guard (NSG).
The appointment of Singh, a 1985-batch IPS officer, as the DG of the 'black cats commando' force was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The post was lying vacant for over two months after the retirement of Sudeep Lakhtakia, a 1984-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Telangana cadre.

Internationally Acclaimed Bangladeshi Painter Kalidas Dies

Internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi painter Kalidas Karmakar passed away at his residence after suffering a cardiac arrest.
He was 73 and is survived by his two daughters who live in the US.
Karmakar was an adviser of the Gallery Cosmos, an exclusive art space located in the heart of the Dhaka city.
Born on January 10, 1946 in Faridpur district, Kalidas completed his graduation from the Government College of Fine Arts and Crafts in Kolkata in 1969.
A recipient of the Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, Kalidas's works have been displayed in at least 70 solo exhibitions across the world, including India, US, Japan, Iran and Hong Kong.
Apart from painting, he was also known for his installation work in which he used diverse materials like wood, pottery, brass, utensils and others.

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