1. Surinder Chawla appointed as MD & CEO of Paytm Payments Bank
Tags: Person in news
Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL) has appointed veteran banker Surinder Chawla as its new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
An overview of the news
The appointment has been approved by the Reserve Bank of India for a period of three years.
Chawla will replace Paytm Payments Bank CEO Satish Kumar Gupta, who retires in October 2022, with Deepender Singh Rathore serving as the interim CEO.
Prior to joining PPBL, Chawla was working with RBL Bank, where he served as Head of Branch Banking and focused on expanding CASA base, fee revenue and cross-selling across channels.
This Indian domestic bank was under regulatory scrutiny for a while.
RBI barred it from taking on new customers in March 2022.
The action was based on some material supervisory concerns found in the bank, according to the central bank.
Chawla has had an illustrious career spanning over 28 years in Retail Banking in reputed institutions like HDFC Bank, RBL Bank, ABN AMRO Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.
Paytm founder and CEO - Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Paytm founded- August 2010 (Noida)
2. Senior BJP leader and former Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi passed away
Tags: Person in news
Former Governor of West Bengal and senior BJP leader Pandit Kesharinath Tripathi has passed away at the age of 88 in Prayagraj.
About Pandit Kesrinath Tripathi
Pandit Kesrinath Tripathi was born on 10 November 1934 in Allahabad.
Along with being a senior advocate of the Allahabad High Court, he also held the post of Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly for many years.
He was the Speaker of the UP Legislative Assembly thrice. Apart from this, he has also been the president of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Pandit Kesrinath Tripathi served as the Governor of West Bengal from 2014 to 2019, in addition to this he was also assigned the additional charge of the Governor of the states of Bihar, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Poetry Collection - Manonukriti, Age - Wings, Silence and Zero, Rejuvenation on Wounds, Unmukt
Honours - Bharat Gaurav Samman, Vishwa Bharti Samman, Uttar Pradesh Ratna Samman
3. Kevin McCarthy elected as new speaker of the US House of Representatives
Tags: Person in news International News
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has been elected as the speaker of the US House of Representatives.
An overview of the news
He was serving as the House Minority Leader in the House.
The US Parliament has elected Kevin McCarthy of the Republican Party as the speaker of the House of Representatives after 15 rounds of voting. McCarthy is the 55th speaker of the US House of Representatives.
Kevin McCarthy, 57, has replaced Nancy Pelosi, 82, the leader of the Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.
After the midterm elections held on November 8, the number of members of former President Donald Trump's Republican Party has increased to 222 in the 435-member House of Representatives.
With this, President Joe Biden's Democratic Party has come in the minority in the House of Representatives.
Kevin McCarthy has become the third most senior US position after US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
About Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy is a member of the Republican Party.
He was elected as the House Minority Leader from 2019 to 2023.
He previously served as the House Majority Leader from 2014 to 2019 under Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan.
McCarthy has been elected as a member of the US Parliament 9 times. He was born in Bakersfield, California.
4. Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council elects Saiyam Mehra as chairman
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The members of the All India Gem and Jewelry Domestic Council (GJC) on January 5 elected Sayam Mehra as the chairman and Rajesh Rokade as the vice-chairman of the body for a period of two years (2023-24).
An overview of the news
GJC represents over 6,00,000 industry players including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, distributors, laboratories, gemologists, designers and allied service providers.
Saiyam Mehra, known for his vision to set benchmarks in the gold jewellery business, has been associated with GJC for the past several years.
Being the convener, he ably led GJC's biggest B2B expo - GJS and chalked out its roadmap for the years to come.
He has also headed PMI and has been instrumental in taking it to newer heights.
The board also appointed Rajesh Rokade as the Vice Chairman, who is a thought leader and has been instrumental in promoting GJC initiatives.
All India Gem and Jewelry Domestic Council is a national trade association for the promotion and development of the gems and jewellery trade across the country.
5. Last surviving NASA's Apollo 7 astronaut Walter Cunningham dies at 90
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Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA's Apollo program, died at the age of 90 on 3 January.
An overview of the news
Walter Cunningham was the last surviving astronaut of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Apollo mission, the first successful manned space mission crew.
NASA confirmed Cunningham's death, and said that he was "instrumental in the success of our Moon landing program".
Cunningham was born in Creston, Iowa, and earned a master's degree in physics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Cunningham was the lunar module pilot on the space flight, which launched from Cape Kennedy Air Force Station, Florida, on October 11 and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean, south of Bermuda.
Apollo 7 Mission
Apollo 7 was the first crewed flight of an Apollo spacecraft, carrying astronauts Walter Schirra, Jr., Don Eisele, and Walter Cunningham.
Walter Cunningham was one of the crew members of the Apollo-7 mission sent to space by NASA in 1968.
The mission was for a total of 11 days and its launch was telecast live.
It was only through the Apollo-7 mission that it was possible for astronauts to land on the surface of the Moon later.
6. Five-time MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania to be next speaker of Himachal Assembly
Tags: Person in news State News
Senior Congress leader and five-time MLA from Bhatiyyat Kuldeep Singh Pathania is all set to be the next speaker of the Himachal Assembly. The election for the Speaker post is to be held on 5 January 2023.
With Kuldeep Singh Pathania being the only candidate his election is a mere formality. He will be the 18th Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh legislative Assembly.
His name was proposed by the Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and was seconded by the leader of the opposition in the house and BJP leader Jai Ram Thakur.
Kuldeep Singh Pathania was elected to the Assembly in 1985, 1993, 2003, 2007, and 2022.
The first session of the 14th Himachal Pradesh legislative Assembly started on 4 January 2023 in the state capital Shimla. It is a three day session.
Jaiwant Ram was the first speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
7. Koustav Chatterjee is India’s 78rd Chess grandmaster
Tags: Sports Person in news
19 year old Koustav Chatterjee of West Bengal became India’s 78th chess Grandmaster, securing the third and final GM norm at the MPL 59th National Senior Chess Championship 2022 being held in New Delhi. He is the 10th Grandmaster from West Bengal.
- This was the third GM norm for Koustav Chatterjee and he also crossed 2500 Elo rating points. To become a GM a player has to secure three GM norms and 2500 live Elo rating points.
- Viswanathan Anand was the first Indian to become the Chess Grandmaster in 1988.
Chess rating System
- Chess rating system is used in chess to estimate the strength and skill of a player.
- In chess, the Elo rating system is used to grade the players by International chess governing body FIDE.
- The highest rating for a chess player is Grand Master or GM followed by International Masters or IM and then Masters etc.
- Players are invited to various chess tournaments in the world depending upon their grading.
FIDE
The International Chess Federation or French acronym FIDE Fédération Internationale des Échecs) is an international organization that was set up on 20 July 1924 in Paris, France.
It is the international body which governs world chess championships.
President of FIDE: Arkady Dvorkovich,
Headquarters of FIDE: Lausanne, Switzerland
8. Dr. Vinay Prakash Singh takes over as the Secretary General of the Asian Pacific Postal Union
Tags: Person in news International News
Dr Vinay Prakash Singh assumed the charge as the Secretary General of the Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) on 1 January 2023. . This is the first time that an Indian is leading an international organization in the postal sector. Dr Singh will remain in office for 4 years.
Former Member (Personnel), Postal Services Board, Department of Post Dr Vinay Prakash Singh was elected as the Secretary General during the 13th APPU Congress held in Bangkok during August- September 2022.
Asian Pacific Postal Union (APPU) is an intergovernmental organization of 32-member countries of the Asian-Pacific region. APPU is the only Union of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in the region, which is a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The headquarters of the Asian Pacific Postal Union is in Bangkok, Thailand.
The Secretary General leads the activities of the Union and is also the Director of the Asian Pacific Postal College (APPC) which is the largest intergovernmental postal training institute in the region.
The Asia Pacific region generates around half of the global mail volume and has around one-third of the global postal human resource.
9. Captain Shiva Chauhan becomes the first women officer to be operationally deployed in Siachen
Tags: National Defence Person in news
Fire and Fury Corps officer Captain Shiva Chauhan became the first woman officer to be operationally deployed at the highest battleground in Kumar Post on the Siachen glacier.
This information was tweeted by the official account of the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army.
Ms Shiva had to undergo arduous training before her posting in Kumar Post.
Siachen Glacier
The Siachen glacier lies in the Karakoram Range .It is 75 km (47 miles) long, which makes it the second longest nonpolar glacier in the world, after Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan.
Strategic Significance of Siachen Glacier
The Siachen Glacier is the highest battleground on earth, where India and Pakistan have fought intermittently since 1984. The Glacier is of strategic significance for India namely;
- The Glacier guards the routes which lead to Leh, the capital of Ladakh.
- Secondly the Saltoro Ridge overlooks the area of Gilgit–Baltistan of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
- Thirdly, it overlooks and dominates the Shaksgam Valley, which was illegally ceded to China by Pakistan.
- Fourthly, it is close to the Karakoram Pass through which the Karakoram Highway passes connecting Gilgit-Baltistan to Xinjiang Province of China.
Due to its strategic significance both countries maintain a permanent military presence in the region at a height of over 6,000 metres (20,000 feet).
More than 2,000 soldiers have died in this inhospitable terrain, mostly due to weather extremes and the natural hazards of mountain warfare.
Operation Meghdoot
Operation Meghdoot was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to take control of Siachen Glacier on the morning of April 13, 1984 before the Pakistani army did so.
At that time Siachen Glacier was in the State of Jammu and Kashmir but presently it is in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
10. Himachal Pradesh government launches CM’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh
Tags: Government Schemes Person in news State News
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu launched CM’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh with an outlay of Rs 101 crore on 1 January 2023.
All the Ministers and Congress MLA will contribute their first salary to the fund. The Congress party has 40 MLA in the 68 member Himachal Legislative Assembly. Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government was sworn in on 11 December 2022.
Aim of the CM’s Sukhashray Sahayata Kosh
The scheme will aim to provide the facility of higher education to needy children and destitute women.
The state government will bear the expenditure on skill development education, higher education, and vocational training of such children. They will also be given financial assistance as per their requirement so that they can lead a respectable life.
There will be no requirement for any income certificate for availing these facilities.
The Chief Minister said that children living in childcare institutions, all children being benefited under foster care, destitute women living in Nari Seva Sadan, Shakti Sadan and residents of old age homes would be benefited under this scheme.
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh became a Union Territory on 1 November 1956. It became the 18th state of India on 25 January 1971.
The State is bordered by Jammu & Kashmir on North, Punjab on West and South-West, Haryana on South, Uttarakhand on South-East and China on the East.
District in State: 12
State Governor: Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Capital: Shimla
State Icons
State Animal: Snow Leopard
State Bird: Western Tragopan
State Flower: Pink Rhododendron
