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PERSONS IN NEWS - March 2021

Mar 2021

Mar 12, 2021

Anurag Thakur Promoted as Captain in Territorial Army

Union Minister Anurag Thakur became the first serving MP to be appointed as Captain in the Territorial Army.
The four-time BJP MP from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur was commissioned into the Territorial Army as a Lieutenant by the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Dalbir S Suhag TA in July 2016.
Thakur was promoted as Captain in the 124 Sikh regiment.
Thakur joined the Army after clearing the SSB exam and a personal interview conducted in Chandigarh.
The Territorial Army that is the second line of defence in the hierarchy, comprises volunteers who are imparted military training for about a month in a year.

New CEO Pierre Bruno to Lead Wipro's Business in Six Regions across Europe

Information Technology major Wipro announced the appointment of Pierre Bruno as chief executive officer for its Europe operations.
The company expects Bruno to lead Wipro's business in six distinct regions across Europe and claims that it is a bold indication of the firm's continued investment and focus on the European market, building on its momentum across the region in recent years.
Pierre brings 25 years of experience in the IT Infrastructure consulting and services sector.
He joins Wipro from DXC Technology where he was Vice President and Managing Director of Southern Europe.
Wipro's European presence extends to six regions, comprising UK & Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Nordics, Benelux and Southern Europe, as well as three near-shore delivery locations and includes an array of marquee clients across industries, many of whom the company is helping to transform at scale.

Thomas Bach Re-elected as International Olympic Committee President

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach was re-elected for an additional four-year term.
The German lawyer was unopposed and won the vote 93-1, with four members abstaining, following an opening eight-year mandate dominated by the Russian doping scandal and the first Olympics to be postponed in peacetime.

Mar 11, 2021

G. P. Samanta is New Chief Statistician of India

The government has appointed G. P. Samanta as the new Chief Statistician of India for a period of two years. Samanta was till now an adviser in the RBI's Department Of Statistics and Information Management.
Samanta is India's fourth CSI.
Kshatrapati Shivaji, a 1986-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, was given additional charge as MoSPI secretary in September last year after the tenure of Pravin Srivastava ended on August 31, 2020.
The CSI's responsibilities include coming out with key economic data such as national accounts that encompasses gross domestic product along with macroeconomic indicators such as industrial production, retail inflation and the employment-unemployment numbers through the Periodic Labour Force Survey.

Mar 10, 2021

Pranay Jivrajka Quits Ola

Pranay Jivrajka, a founding partner of Ola, has quit the ride-hailing company and may launch his own startup.
Jivrajka is leaving when Ola has new growth plans, including setting up a Rs. 2,400-crore electric vehicle facility expected to become the world's largest two-wheeler factory.
Under Jivrajka's leadership as chief executive officer (CEO) of Ola Foods, the firm's new business grew in the coronavirus pandemic.
Jivrajka helped Ola Foods, which was launched in 2019, expand its network of technology-enabled kitchens in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad and other cities.

Pallav Mohapatra is New Chief of Asset Reconstruction Co India Ltd (ARCIL)

Asset Reconstruction Company (India) Ltd (ARCIL) appointed Pallav Mohapatra as its Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
Prior to the appointment, Mohapatra was the MD and CEO of Central Bank of India (CBoI) from September 21, 2018, to February 28, 2021. Before being elevated as MD and CEO of CBoI, he was Deputy Managing Director, Stressed Assets Management Group, State Bank of India.
ARCIL, which was set up in 2002, currently has assets under management (in non-performing loans) of Rs. 12,000 crore.

Teerath Singh Rawat to be New Uttarakhand CM

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced Tirath Singh Rawat as the new Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He will replace Trivendra Singh Rawat.
The decision was taken at the legislative party meeting of the BJP in Dehradun.
Tirath Singh Rawat, the MP from Pauri Garhwal, served as the chief of Uttarakhand unit of the BJP from 2013 to 2015.

Murmu Appointed Chairman of an UN Panel

Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu has been again appointed as the chairman of the panel of external auditors of the United Nations for 2021.
Besides India, the panel consists of 12 countries, namely Germany, Chile, China, United Kingdom, France, Philippines, Switzerland, Italy, Ghana, Indonesia, Canada and Russia.
As the Chairman, the CAG plays a key role in achieving the panel's objective of greater degree of collaboration and coordination and exchange of information on audit methods and findings among the panel members.

Mar 09, 2021

Kannada Poet Lakshminarayana Bhatta Passes Away

Well-known Kannada poet, critic and translator N.S. Lakshminarayana Bhatta passed away in Bengaluru.
Born in 1936 in Shivamogga district, he was a prolific writer, publishing several collections of poems besides critical works and translations. He taught Kannada literature in Bengaluru university until he retired. Some of his best known songs are Thaye ninna madilali, Marege ninthu kayuthiruva karulu yaavudu, Baare nanna Deepika among others.
Dr. Bhatta translated 50 sonnets of William Shakespeare, poetry and works of T.S. Elliot and Yeats into Kannada. He also translated several plays.

IATO Elects Rajiv Mehra as President

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), which represents more than 1,600 operators for inbound tourists, has elected Rajiv Mehra of Uday Tours & Travels as its new president.
He will serve in the role for a two-year period, and will be eligible for another term thereafter.
He takes over the charge from Swagtam Tours' Pronab Sarka.

Mar 08, 2021

Bhaskar Menon, Global Music Industry Giant Dies

Kerala-born Bhaskar Menon, a legendary figure in the global music industry, passed away at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He was 86.
Menon was the founding chairman and CEO of the renowned label EMI Music Worldwide.
After earning his master's degree from Christ Church, Oxford, Menon joined EMI as a management trainee in London in 1956. In 1964, he returned to India and became the chairman of Gramophone Company of India, which later became the Indian subsidiary of EMI, which made HMV records.
Menon was named the managing director of EMI International in 1969, at the age of 35. Two years later, he relocated to Los Angeles, United States, to take the helm of Capitol Records in which EMI held a majority interest. He stayed in the position till 1978.
Menon founded EMI Music Worldwide in 1978. After retiring from EMI and the music business in 1990, Menon founded the company International Media Investments in 1995, through which he made investments in major media and entertainment companies including Indian broadcaster NDTV.

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