1. Praveen Kumar Srivastava appointed Interim Central Vigilance Commissioner
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The government of India has appointed the vigilance commissioner Praveen Kumar Srivastava as the acting Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) on 28 December 2022.
The incumbent CVC chief Suresh N Patel completed his term on 24 December 2022.
Srivastava is a 1988-batch (retired) Indian Administrative Service officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. He retired on 31 January 2022.
The Vigilance Commission is headed by a CVC and can have a maximum of two other Vigilance Commissioners.
Besides Srivastava, former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Arvind Kumar is the other Vigilance Commissioner.
The tenure of a CVC and vigilance commissioner is of four years or till the incumbent attains the age of 65 years.
Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC)
The Central Vigilance Commission was set up by the Government in February, 1964 on the recommendations of the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, headed by Shri K. Santhanam, to advise and guide Central Government agencies in the field of vigilance.
It was made a statutory body by an ordinance issued by the President in 1998 and later the ordinance was replaced by the Central Vigilance Commission Act 2003.
Government of India has authorized the Central Vigilance Commission as the "Designated Agency" to receive written complaints for disclosure on any allegation of corruption or misuse of office and recommend appropriate action.
It consists of a Chairman and two vigilance commissioners.
2. President Murmu lays foundation stone for PRASHAD project in Bhadrachalam and at Rudreswara Temple (Ramappa), in Telangana
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The President of India Droupadi Murmu, laid the foundation stone for the Bhadrachalam Group of Temple’s project and the Rudreswara (Ramappa) Temple’ project in Telangana on 28 December 2022 to be developed under the Union Tourism ministry’s PRASHAD (National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) Scheme.
The PRASHAD scheme was launched by the Union Tourism Ministry in 2014-15 to provide assistance to the states for the integrated infrastructure development of pilgrimage and heritage tourism destinations in the country.
Development of Pilgrimage Facilities at Bhadrachalam Group of Temples’
The Bhadrachalam Group of Temples, Sri Seetha Ramchandra Swamyvari Devasthanam, is situated in the Bhadradri Kothagudem District of the state of Telangana. It is said to be 350 years old and is associated with Lord Rama with his wife Goddess Sita and brother Lakshmana.
The project has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism at an estimated cost of Rs 41.38 Crores.
‘Development of Pilgrimage and Heritage Infrastructure of UNESCO World Heritage Site at Rudreshwara Temple (Ramappa)’
The project has been approved by the Ministry of Tourism at an estimated cost of Rs 62 Crores.
The Ramappa temple which is located in the Mulugu district of Telangana is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It was built in 1213 AD by the Kakatiya rulers and has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in 2021.
3. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to visit Cyprus, Austria from December 29 to 3 January
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According to the Ministry of External Affairs, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the Republic of Cyprus and Austria from December 29 to 3 January 2023.
Minister S.Jaishankar will be in the Republic of Cyprus from December 29 to December 31, 2022. This year marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Cyprus.
During his visit, Jaishankar will meet Cyprus foreign minister Ioannis Kasoulides. He will also address the Cyprus business and investment community and interact with the Indian diaspora.
Jaishankar visit to Austria
In Austria, the External affairs minister will meet Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg. This will be the first visit of an Indian foreign minister to Austria in the last 27 years. 2023 marks 75 years of diplomatic relations between India and Austria.
S.Jaishankar will also meet the foreign ministers of Austria, Czech Republic foreign minister Jan Lipavský and Slovakia foreign minister Rastislav Káčer who will be there in the Austrian capital Vienna for the Slavkov format meeting.
Slavkov is a place in the Czech Republic. The Slavkov format was created in 2015. It is a cooperation format between Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.
During his visit, Jaishankar will call on Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. He will also meet Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Republic of Cyprus
It is an island European country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
It gained its Independence from Britain in 1960. The country has a majority population which are of Greece descent while the minority population are of Turkish origin.
Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and created a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983. Except Turkey no country recognises Turkish Cyprus.
India also recognises the Cyprus government.
Capital: Nicosia
Currency: Euro
President: Nicos Anastasiades
4. Arshdeep Singh, Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Singh of India nominated for the ICC emerging cricketer of the year 2022 men's and women's category respectively
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Indian Arshdeep Singh has been included in the men’s and Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Singh in the women’s section of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) emerging player of the year 2022 award nominee list.
The nominee list was announced by the ICC on 28 December 2022.
ICC emerging Men’s player of the year award 2022 nominee
The ICC emerging Men’s player of the year award 2022 nominee includes Indian fast bowler Arshdeep Singh of India, South African fast bowler Marco Jansen, Afghanistan’s batsman Ibrahim Zardan and New Zealand’s batsman Finn Allen.
Arshdeep Singh who plays for Punjab Kings team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) made his international debut for India in the T-20s and One Day International (ODI) in 2022. The fast-bowler played 21 T20Is for India, taking 33 wickets at an economy of 8.17.
ICC women’s player of the year award 2022 nominee
Indian fast bowler Renuka Singh and Batter Yastika Bhatia, England batter Alice Capsy and Australian bowler Darcie Brown have been included by the ICC in its emerging women player of the year award 2022.
Last year Janneman Malan of South Africa and Sanna Mir of Pakistan were declared the ICC men’s and women’s player of the year award 2021 respectively.
International Cricket Council (ICC)
It is an international body which governs the men’s and women’s international cricket.
It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 and was later converted into the International Cricket Conference in 1965.
In 1987 it was renamed as the International Cricket Council.
Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Chairman of ICC: Greg Barclay of New Zealand
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ICC: Geoff Allardice of Australia
5. RBI approves Baskar Babu’s re-appointment as Suryoday Bank’s Chief for 3 years
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The Reserve Bank of India has approved the re-appointment of Baskar Babu Ramachandran as MD & CEO of Suryoday Small Finance Bank for three years with effect from January 23, 2023.
Important facts
Prior to co-founding Suryoday Micro Finance Pvt Ltd, he held various positions with various companies including GE Capital Transportation Financial Services Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd.
Suryoday Small Finance Bank (Suryoday SFB) is a scheduled commercial bank.
The Bank was originally incorporated as Suryoday Micro Finance Pvt Ltd at Chennai in 2008 and subsequently got converted into a public limited company as Suryoday Micro Finance Ltd in 2015.
The SFB commenced its business with effect from January 23, 2017.
- The bank has a wide presence across 13 states and UTs across India through its 565 banking outlets, with a strong presence in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Odisha.
The bank reported a net profit of Rs 13 crore in Q2 FY23 as against a net loss of Rs 1.92 crore in Q2 FY22.
Total income rose 14.1% year on year to Rs 305.70 crore in Q2 FY23.
6. Hasmukh Adhia appointed advisor to the Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel
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Former finance secretary, Government of India Hasmukh Adhia and former retired bureaucrat SS Rathore has been appointed as the Chief advisor and advisor respectively to the chief minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel on 27 December 2022. SS Rathore is a former secretary of the roads and buildings department of the Gujarat government.
According to the Gujarat government order the tenure of the two new posts will last until the present chief minister is in office or until further orders.
Hasmukh Adia is a former Gujarat-cadre IAS officer. He was made the secretary in the Department of Financial Services, Union Ministry of Finance when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India in 2014 .Adhia retired from service in November 2018.
At present, he is the non-executive chairman of the Bank of Baroda and chancellor of the Central University of Gujarat. He is also the vice chairman of the boards of Pandit Deendayal Energy University and Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute (GERMI), and a member of the board of governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
7. Santosh Kumar Yadav appointed as the chairman of NHAI
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Government of India has appointed senior IAS officer Santosh Kumar Yadav as the chairman of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on 26 December 2022.
A 1995-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Santosh Yadav is currently additional secretary in the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Education.
Government has also appointed Ganji Kamala V Rao as the Chief Executive Officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Subhasish Panda, a 1997-batch IAS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as Delhi Development Authority (DDA) vice chairman.
National Highways Authority of India
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was constituted by the National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988. It is responsible for the development, maintenance and management of National Highways.
It comes under the Union Ministry for Road Transport and Highways.
Headquarters: New Delhi
8. Former GM of Central Railway Anil Kumar Lahoti appointed as Chairman of Railway Board
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Anil Kumar Lahoti has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Railway Board on 26th December.
Important facts
Lahoti, former general manager of Central Railway, was appointed as member (infrastructure) of the board a week ago, and will take over the chairmanship from Vinay Kumar Tripathi on January 1, 2023.
He is a 1984 batch Indian Railway Service of Engineers (IRSE) officer with a Master of Engineering (Structures) from IIT Roorkee (erstwhile University of Roorkee).
He joined Central Railway and worked in various positions from 1988 to 2001 in Nagpur, Jabalpur (now in West Central Railway), Bhusaval Division and Central Railway Headquarters.
He has also worked as Officer on Special Duty to Member Engineering, Railway Board, Chief Engineer (Construction), Northern Railway, Executive Director (Track Machines), Railway Board and Principal Chief Engineer of North Central Railway.
He has played a vital role in planning for developing New Delhi station as a world-class station.
Lahoti was appointed as the General Manager of Central Railway in July 2021, prior to which he held several key positions in Zonal Railways and Railway Board in Delhi.
9. Nikhat Zareen, Lovlina Borgohain win gold medals at the 6th Elite National Women’s Boxing Championships 2022
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World Champion Nikhat Zarin of Telangana and the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain of Assam won gold medals in their respective weight categories at the 6th Elite National Women’s Boxing Championships 2022 in Bhopal on 26 December 2022.
The 6th Elite National Women’s Boxing Championship was held at the Tatya Tope Stadium, Bhopal, and Madhya Pradesh from 20-26 December 2022. 302 women boxers from all over the country participated in the event.
The Railways team topped the medals tally with 10 medals - five golds, three silvers and two bronze.
Madhya Pradesh team came second with one gold, two silver and five bronze, and Haryana with two gold and two bronze claimed the third spot.
Gold medal winners
Category: Winner
48kg: Manju Rani
50kg: Nikhat Zareen
52kg: Sakshi
54kg: Shiksha
57kg: Manisha
60kg: Poonam
63kg: Shashi Chopra
66kg: Manju Bamboria
70kg: Sanamacha Chanu
75kg: Lovlina Borgohain
81kg: Saweety Boora
81kg+: Nupur
10. Indian Arches dominate the Archery Asia Cup 2022 stage 3, tops the medal tally with 10 medals
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Indian archers dominated the Archery Asia Cup 2022 stage 3 held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates from 20 to 25 December 2022. They topped the medal tally with 10 medals – five golds, three silvers and two bronze.
Seven of India’s 10 medals at the Archery Asia Cup 2022 stage 3 were won by compound archers. India had sent a junior team to the continental meet.
Medal winners of India
Gold medal winners
Women’s team compound: Pragati, Aditi Gopichand Swami, Aishwarya Sharma.
Men’s team recurve: Mrinal Chauhan, Akash, and Parth Sushant Salunke
Men’s team compound: Priyansh, Ojas Pravin Deotale, Manav Ganeshrao Jadhao
Men’s individual compound: Priyansh
Women’s individual compound: Pragati
Silver medal
Men’s individual compound: Ojas Pravin Deotale
Women’s individual compound: Aditi Gopichand Swami
Mixed team recurve: Parth Sushant Salunke, Tisha Punia
Bronze medal winners
Men’s individual recurve: Parth Sushant Salunke - bronze
Women’s individual compound: Parneet Kaur
