1. BVR Subrahmanyam appointed new CEO of Niti Aayog
Tags: Person in news
The government on 20 February approved the appointment of BVR Subrahmanyam as the CEO of NITI Aayog. He will be the fourth CEO of NITI Aayog.
An overview of the news
Subrahmanyam will replace Parameswaran Iyer, who has been appointed as the Executive Director of the World Bank for a period of two years.
Prior to this, he was the former Commerce Secretary to the Government of India.
Subramaniam, a 1987 batch IAS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, was appointed as the chairman and managing director of ITPO on a two-year contract after his superannuation on September 30.
Subramaniam has also been the personal secretary of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
NITI Aayog
It is the apex public policy think tank of the Government of India and responsible for bringing ideas and focus to key areas through policy formulation.
It is also responsible for promoting cooperative federalism in the country through the participation of state governments in the economic policy-making process.
2. UNICEF Names Ayushmann Khurrana As Its National Ambassador For Child Rights
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actor Ayushmann Khurrana was appointed as the National Ambassador of Child Rights for UNICEF India on 18 February.
An overview of the news
Ayushmann Khurrana is known for his knack for off-beat scripts and roles.
The 38-year-old actor has previously worked as a 'celebrity advocate' for UNICEF-India.
Ayushmann was appointed as UNICEF India's Celebrity Advocate in September 2020 to advocate on ending violence against children and promoting child rights.
As a national ambassador, Khurran will help UNICEF ensure the rights of all children.
Recently, he focused on inclusiveness and non-discrimination through gender inclusive sports on World Children's Day 2022, along with Sachin Tendulkar, UNICEF South Asia Regional Ambassador.
About UNICEF India
UNICEF India works to promote and protect the rights of children across the country.
The partnership of UNICEF with India began in 1949.
The first office was established in New Delhi in 1952.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is a nodal agency in India.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is a United Nations agency which was set up on 11 December 1946 as United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund.
It was renamed as the United Nations Children's Fund in 1953.
It provides development and humanitarian assistance to children and mothers.
Headquarters: New York, United Sates of America.
3. Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar is new Army Vice Chief
Tags: Defence Person in news
The Indian Army has named Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar as the new Vice Chief of the Indian Army, while current Vice Chief Lt Gen BS Raju has been transferred to the South Western Army Command (Jaipur) as Army Commander.
An overview of the news
At present, Suchindra Kumar is serving as Deputy Chief of Staff (Strategic) at the Army Headquarters.
BS Raju will succeed Lt Gen AS Bhinder, who is retiring as the Chief of the South Western Army Command on February 28.
Lt Gen NSR Subramani has been promoted to the rank of Army Commander. He will be the new commander of the Army's Central Command in Lucknow. He is currently the Chief of Staff in the Northern Command.
About MV Suchindra Kumar
Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune.
He has completed several courses including Defense Services Staff College in Wellington, Higher Command Course in Mhow and National Defense College in New Delhi.
He has also attended specialised training programs like 'Cooperative Security in South Asia' in Sri Lanka and 'United Nations Senior Mission Leaders Course' in Egypt.
He was first commissioned into the Assam Regiment in June 1985 and has had an illustrious career in the Indian Army.
4. Tulsidas Balaram, legendary Indian footballer, passes away aged 86
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Tulsidas Balram, one of the country's finest footballers and a member of the golden era (1951-1962) of Indian football, passed away on February 16 due to multiple organ failure in Kolkata. He was 86 years old.
An overview of the news
He played in two Olympics in 1956 and 1960 and reached the pinnacle of Asian football when India, under the guidance of legendary coach Syed Abdul Rahim, won the Asian Games gold in Jakarta, beating South Korea 2-1 in 1962.
He was also a part of the Indian football team in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics.
In the 1960 Rome Olympics, he scored spectacular goals against Hungary and Peru.
He also captained the country's famous football club East Bengal based in Kolkata.
He was called by the name of Chunni Goswami, PK Banerjee and Tulsidas Balram 'Holy Trinity' (Trimurti).
Balram, who was awarded the Arjuna Award, had a great performance in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
India, who were drawn in the 'Group of Death' along with Hungary, France and Peru, lost 1-2 to Hungary in the first match, but Balram got himself into the pages of history by scoring a goal in the 79th minute.
Balram mostly played as 'Center Forward' or 'Left Winger'.
Due to tuberculosis, his career lasted only for 8 years (1955 to 1963) and he had to say goodbye to the game at the age of 27.
Born on 4 October 1936 in Ammuguda village of Garrison City, Secunderabad to a Tamil family, Balaram scored 131 goals, including 14 for India, in seven seasons.
5. Yakshagana Bhagavat Balipa Narayana Bhagavatha dies at 85 in Karnataka
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Famous Yakshagana singer and screenwriter Balipa Narayan Bhagwat passed away on February 16 in Karnataka.
An overview of the news
He had mastered a unique style of singing, due to which fans have given it the name of 'Balipa Style'.
Rich in voice, Bhagwat has written more than 30 Yakshagana 'Prasanga' (scripts).
He was well versed in over 100 Yakshagana episodes, which he composed by heart.
He had served in the field of Yakshagana for about 60 years.
He was the chief Bhagwat of Kateel Durgaparameshwari Prasadita Yakshagana Mandali (Kateel Mela).
Born on April 13, 1938 in Padre village of Kasargod district (Kerala), Bhagavata wrote several Yakshagana episodes.
Bhagwat entered the Yakshagana field at the age of 13.
He composed the five-day 'Devi Mahatme' episode, which was an important milestone in the history of Yakshagana literature.
He was honoured with several other awards including the 'Karnataka Sri' award in 2002 for All India Kannada literature.
6. Neil Mohan appointed as new CEO of YouTube
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Indian-American executive Neil Mohan has been appointed as the new CEO of YouTube.
An overview of the news
He is working as YouTube's Chief Product Officer and Senior Vice President.
He will replace Susan Wojcicki, who has announced her decision to step down after nine years in the position.
Mohan is joining an elite list of Indian-origin tech chiefs, including Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, IBM's Arvind Krishna and Adobe's Shantanu Narayen.
Who is Neal Mohan?
He completed his studies in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
He completed his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2005.
He worked at DoubleClick Inc. from 1997 to 2003. Worked in
At Microsoft, he served as Manager, Corporate Strategist from June 2004 to September 2004.
He returned to DoubleClick as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Product Management.
He joined Google in 2008.
From 2008 to 2015, Mohan was in charge of Google's display and video advertising business.
Mohan became the Chief Product Officer of YouTube in 2015.
7. Bollywood actor Javed Khan Amrohi passes away
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Bollywood actor Javed Khan Amrohi passed away due to lung failure at a Mumbai hospital on 14 February.
An overview of the news
Amrohi is survived by a son and a daughter.
He worked in more than 150 films with many big stars including Shah Rukh Khan to Aamir Khan and Salman Khan.
Javed Khan last worked in the year 2020 in Alia Bhatt and Aditya Roy Kapur starrer film 'Sadak 2'.
He started his career in 1973 with the film 'Jalte Badan'.
Apart from this, he worked in many best films like Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram, Prem Bandhan, Jhootha Kahin Ka, Prem Rog, Pasand Apni-Apni, Ram Teri Ganga Maili.
Apart from this, Doordarshan's famous show 'Nukkad' also gave him a lot of recognition, after that he also worked in Gulzar's 'Mirza Ghalib', in which his role of a fakir was highly appreciated.
Javed Khan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2001 for the film 'Lagaan'.
8. Prominent Indian-American politician Nikki Haley announces US Presidential bid
Tags: Person in news International News
Former South Carolina Governor, Indian-American leader and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced her candidacy for the US President on 14 February.
An overview of the news
In this way, she has become the first Republican to challenge former US President Donald Trump to become her party's nominee for the White House in 2024.
Haley, 51, has been a two-time governor of South Carolina and the US ambassador to the United Nations.
Before entering the presidential election, Haley must win the primary vote for the Republican presidential candidate, which begins in January next year.
The next US presidential election will be held on November 5, 2024.
About Nikki Haley
Helly is the child of migrant Punjabi Sikh parents.
Haley was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, and became the state's first female governor and the first Indian-American to lead the state.
If she wins the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, she will make history as the first woman and the first Asian-American.
9. Noted painter Lalitha Lajmi passes away
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Noted painter Lalitha Lajmi, late actor-filmmaker Guru Dutt's sister, died on 13 February at the age of 90. The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) shared the news of her demise.
An overview of the news
Lalita Lajmi was born in 1932 in Kolkata.
Hailing from an artistic family, Lajmi was very fond of classical dance and painting.
She has held several exhibitions in international art galleries in Paris, London and the Netherlands.
Lalita made a small appearance in the 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, starring Aamir Khan, in which she played an art teacher.
She was also fond of classical dance.
Through her work, she has told a layered history of the modern Indian woman in the decades following independence.
10. Mohammad Shahabuddin elected President of Bangladesh
Tags: Person in news International News
According to the notification issued by the Election Commission of Bangladesh on 13th February Mohammad Shahabuddin will be the next President of Bangladesh.
An overview of the news
He will be the 22nd President of Bangladesh.
He was the only candidate to file his nomination after the time for nomination and withdrawal was over.
Retired judge, Anti-Corruption Commission commissioner and freedom fighter Mohammad Shahabuddin was nominated for the post by the ruling Awami League.
The term of current President Abdul Hamid ends on April 23.
He served as the President of Bangladesh for two consecutive terms.
The Constitution of Bangladesh does not allow any person to hold the presidency for more than two terms.
About Mohammad Shahabuddin
He was born in 1949 in Pabna. He took part in the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
After the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975 along with most of his family members, he was imprisoned for several years.
He is a member of the Awami League Advisory Council.
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Capital: Dhaka
Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wazed
President: Mohammad Shahabuddin
Currency: Taka
