1. Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar takes over as Vice Chief of Army Staff
Tags: Defence Person in news
Lt. Gen. M.V. Suchindra Kumar took over as Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 1 March 2023.
An overview of the news:
General Officer Suchindra Kumar, Lieutenant General B.S. Raju, who took over the reins of the Jaipur-based Sapta Shakti Command on March 1, 2023.
Prior to taking over, Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar was the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) at the Army Headquarters.
In his recent responsibilities, he has experience in various departments like Intelligence, Operations, Force Structuring, Operational Logistics and Tech Infusion.
The General Officer has held various staff and instructional responsibilities at home and abroad.
Suchindra Kumar's military papers have been published in several professional journals.
Chiefs of Indian Services:
Chief of Defense Staff: Lt. Gen. Anil Chauhan (Retd.)
Army: General Manoj Pandey
Navy: Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar
Air Force: Air Marshal VR Chowdhary
2. Rajesh Malhotra appointed as new Principal Director General of Press Information Bureau
Tags: Person in news
The Central Government has appointed Rajesh Malhotra, a senior officer of the 'Indian Information Service', as the Principal Director General of the 'Press Information Bureau' on 28 February 2023.
An Overview of the news:
Along with the appointment of Rajesh Malhotra, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has appointed Priya Kumar as Director General of Doordarshan News.
Rajesh Malhotra, a 1989 batch information officer, has been appointed to the post in place of Satyendra Prakash, who was holding the post from August 2022 and retired on February 28.
According to the government order issued in this context, Mr. Malhotra is now the Chief Spokesperson of the Government of India and will assume his office on March 1, 2023.
Malhotra, as Principal Director General, had earlier served as the head of the Media and Communications Division of the Ministries of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
He has over 30 years of experience in formulating and implementing media and communication strategies for the Election Commission of India and other central ministries and departments.
Earlier Shri Malhotra was associated with the Election Commission as in-charge of Media and Communication for nearly 21 years (1996-2017).
3. Bola Tinubu elected as the new President of Nigeria
Tags: Person in news
Nigerian electoral officials announced on 1 March 2023 that the ruling party's candidate in the presidential election, Bola Tinubu, has been elected as the country's new president.
An Overview of the news:
Bola Tinubu has been associated with the 'All Progressive Congress Party' from which he has been winning elections.
However, not accepting Bola Tinubu's victory, the other two opposition candidates have demanded re-election.
Main opponents Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi are likely to challenge the decision again in court. Because Abubakar had finished second in the 2019 election as well and challenged the result in court. However, his suit was dismissed.
Nigeria:
Capital: Abuja
Currency: Nigerian naira
Prime Minister: Bola Tinubu
President: Muhammadu Buhari
4. The Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark call on the President
Tags: Person in news
On February 28, 2023, Crown Prince Frederik and Princess Mary of Denmark met Draupadi Murmu, President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
An Overview of the news:
India-Denmark relations have grown stronger in every sense in the last few years. President Draupadi Murmu expressed confidence that bilateral trade and investment between the two countries would grow significantly.
Climate change is an area or subject on which there is a wide convergence of views and interests of India and Denmark.
India has positioned itself on the path of 'climate friendly development'. India has launched a new mission called 'LIFE - Lifestyle for Environment' to respect nature along with sustainable lifestyle.
Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE):
The idea of LIFE was brought by India during the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in the year 2021.
It promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on 'careful and deliberate use' rather than 'reckless and wasteful consumption'.
It seeks to leverage the potential of social networks to influence social norms related to climate.
Denmark:
Capital: Copenhagen
Currency: Danish Krone (DKK)
Form of government: Constitutional monarchy (Queen- Margretha II)
Prime Minister: Mette Frederiksen
5. Lt Gen RS Reen takes over as Director General Quality Assurance
Tags: Defence Person in news
Lt Gen RS Reen took over as Director General Quality Assurance on 24 February 2023.
An overview of the news
Lt Gen Rin, a 1986 batch officer, is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.
He completed his BE (Electrical) from National Institute of Technology, Srinagar.
He specialised in Radio Engineering and did his post graduation in Communication Engineering from MC EME, Secunderabad.
He has served as a senior faculty at Defense Institute of Quality Assurance, Bengaluru.
He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt from the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
He is certified in Reliability Engineering from IIT, Kharagpur and is a qualified Lead Auditor in Quality Management Systems and Integrated Management Systems from Bureau Veritas, Bengaluru.
Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA)
The Director General Quality Assurance (DGQA) is an Inter-Service Organisation functioning under the Department of Defence Production in the Ministry of Defence.
It is responsible for second party quality assurance of defence stores and equipment, both imported and indigenous, for items of common use to the Indian Army, Indian Navy (except Naval Armament) and Indian Air Force procured from the private sector and public sector.
6. Indian Origin Ajay Banga to be next World Bank President
Tags: Person in news
The Biden administration on February 23 named Ajay Banga, former chief executive officer of Mastercard, as the next president of the World Bank.
An overview of the news
The 63-year-old Banga is an Indian-American and currently serves as the Vice Chairman at equity firm General Atlantic.
He was previously the Chief Executive Officer at Mastercard.
Banga has significant experience in mobilising public-private resources to address the challenges of climate change.
He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guide organisations to drive fundamental change.
It is noteworthy that David Malpass, the current President of the World Bank, had announced his intention to step down by the end of June.
Malpass has about one year left in his five-year term.
Casting doubt on the science at a conference, Malpass said last year that the burning of fossil fuels causes global warming.
He later apologised and said that he had said the wrong thing.
7. Spain's Football player Sergio Ramos announces retirement
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
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Spain legend Sergio Ramos on 23 February announced his retirement from international football, revealing that he is not part of head coach Luis de la Fuente's plans.
An overview of the news
Ramos has played 180 international matches, a football career that spanned almost 18 years.
Ramos, 37, made his debut for the Spanish national team in 2005.
Ramos was dropped from the national team set up by former coach Luis Enrique and hasn't featured in the squad since March 2021.
The new Spain coach also informed Ramos of his decision to drop him from the team, which eventually led to his decision to retire.
Ramos was part of the Spain squad that won the 2010 World Cup and the Euro Championships in 2008 and 2012.
8. CAG Girish Chandra Murmu selected as External Auditor of ILO in Geneva
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Comptroller and Auditor General, Girish Chandra Murmu has been selected as the External Auditor of the International Labor Organization in Geneva for a period of four years from 2024 to 2027.
An overview of the news
Girish Chandra Murmu will take over from the current External Auditor of the ILO, the Supreme Audit Institution of the Philippines.
His appointment enhances its high standards, global audit experience and strong national credibility with the international community.
The ILO had constituted a selection panel and invited bids from the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) for the appointment of external auditors.
In this, on the basis of superior technical experience and other criteria, the ILO has selected the three Supreme Audit Institutions (India, Canada and the United Kingdom).
The selection panel will use the CAG's perspective in developing a strategic partnership with the ILO.
Its main objective is to assist the ILO in meeting its strategic goals while maintaining the independence and oversight important in performing the external auditor's functions.
ILO is an agency of the United Nations, which brings together the governments, employers and workers of 187 member countries,
It sets labor standards, formulates policies and programs that promote decent work for all women and men.
Present role of CAG - It is currently the External Auditor of-
World Health Organization (2020-2023),
Food and Agriculture Organization (2020-2025),
International Atomic Energy Agency (2022-2027),
Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2021-2023)
Inter-Parliamentary Union (2020-2022).
CAG is Member of the Governing Boards of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) and ASOSAI.
CAG is a member of the United Nations (UN) Panel of External Auditors.
9. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde named Shiv Sena chief
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Eknath Shinde was named Shiv Sena chief on 22 February at an important meeting of his party.
An overview of the news
Recently, the Election Commission recognized the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena in its dispute with the Uddhav Thackeray faction and allotted it the party's election symbol 'bow and arrow'.
This was the first national executive meeting of Shiv Sena after Eknath Shinde got the party's name and election symbol.
Many important proposals were presented in this meeting, including the proposal to give Bharat Ratna to Veer Savarkar.
Apart from this, a proposal was presented to give maximum employment opportunities to the local youth in all the projects in the state and to give the status of elite language to Marathi language.
About Eknath Shinde
Before emerging as the leader of Shiv Sena, Eknath Sambhaji Shinde drove an auto-rickshaw to earn a living.
Born on 9 February 1964, Shinde dropped out of college before completing his graduation.
He is 58 years old and hails from Satara district of western Maharashtra, he started his political career from Thane, Mumbai.
He is a four-time MLA, having handled the urban development and PWD portfolios in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Shinde was appointed the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for a brief period in 2014.
10. Former Gujarat governor O P Kohli passes away
Tags: Person in news
Former Gujarat governor and veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Om Prakash Kohli passed away on 20 February. He was 87.
An overview of the news
He held the responsibility of many posts including the President of Delhi Pradesh BJP.
Apart from being a Rajya Sabha member, he was the 19th Governor of Gujarat from 2014 to 2019.
Kohli began his political career as a volunteer of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and held various positions with the ABVP, the Delhi University Students' Union and the Delhi University Teachers' Association.
In January 1991, Kohli entered the political arena and took over as the President of the Delhi BJP.
He held the office of president thrice and represented Delhi in the Rajya Sabha.
As a member of the National Executive of the BJP, he also held the organisational charge of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.
