1. KV Shaji appointed as the new chairman of NABARD
Tags: Person in news
K V Shaji has been named Chairman of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on 7 December. He formerly served as NABARD’s Deputy Managing Director (DMD) till May 21, 2020.
Important facts
Before joining NABARD, he worked in Canara Bank in various capacities for 26 years.
As his last assignment, he was in charge of Strategy, Planning and Business Development at the Corporate Office of Canara Bank.
He successfully handled the project of amalgamation of Syndicate Bank into Canara Bank.
He was earlier also the Chairman of India’s largest Regional Rural Bank, Kerala Gramin Bank.
He is a post graduate in Agriculture and holds a PGDM degree in Public Policy from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad.
About the NABARD
It is a development bank focussing primarily on the rural sector of the country.
It is a statutory body established in 1982 under National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981.
Established on the recommendations of Shivaraman Committee.
Headquarters - Mumbai
2. Indian-American Krishna Vavilala receives US Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award
Tags: Awards Person in news
The United States of America President Joe Biden has conferred the Presidential Lifetime Achievement (PLA) Award on the Indian American Krishna Vavilala. The Presidential Lifetime Achievement is America’s highest honour and is awarded to American citizens, who exhibit outstanding character, worth ethic, and dedication to their communities.
86 years old Krishna Vavilala is from Andhra Pradesh and migrated to the United States. He is a retired Electrical Engineer and is the founder and Chairman of the Foundation for India Studies (FIS). It is a non-profit organisation, whose Indo-American Oral History Project'' won the 2019 Mary Fay Barnes Award for Excellence.
3. Dr Ogarit Younan and Dr Waleed Slyabi of Lebanon gets the Jamnalal Bajaj Award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India 2022
Tags: Awards Person in news
The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation has on 8 December 2022 announced the winners of the Jamnalal Bajaj award 2022 .Dr Ogirat Younan and Dr Walid Slyabi of Lebanon was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India.
The Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation was established in 1977, in the memory of Mr. Jamnalal Bajaj, a close associate and adopted fifth son of Mahatma Gandhi. It was inaugurated on 4th November, 1977 by Mr. Morarji Desai, Prime Minister of India. Each award carries a Citation, a Trophy and a Cash Prize of Rs. 10, 00,000.
The Foundation gives 4 awards in different categories. Three are given to Indians and one award, for promoting Gandhian values outside is given to a foreigner.
Jamnalal Bajaj 2022 winners
For Constructive Works
Nilesh Desai of Madhya Pradesh has been chosen for the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Constructive Works. He is the founder of the Sampark Samaj Sevi Sansthan which works for the upliftment of the Bhil Community.
Award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development:
Mansukhbhai Prajapati of Gujarat was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Application of Science and Technology for Rural Development. He was selected for his innovation and entrepreneurship in bringing traditional pottery making into the mainstream. His company Mitticool produces clay products and clay pots .He has helped the rural artisans making clay pottery to find new markets and business.
Award for Development and Welfare of Women and Children:
Sophia Saik of Odisha was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Development and Welfare of Women and Children. She is a social service activist who works for women empowerment and gender rights. She is a prominent activist for women beedi workers in Odisha.
International Award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India:
Dr Ogirat Younan and Dr Walid Slyabi of Lebanon was awarded the Jamnalal Bajaj award for Promoting Gandhian Values outside India.
They are the founders of the Academic University College for Non-Violence and Human Rights .They are the pioneers of non-violence in Lebanon and Arab world and spreading the Gandhaian ideas in the region.
4. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons has been appointed as the Chairman of B20
Tags: Economy/Finance Person in news
The Government of India has appointed Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran as the chairman of the B20 to lead the business agenda during India’s G20 presidency. India took over the presidency of G-20 from Indonesia on 1 December 2022 and will hold the G-20 Summit meeting on 9-10 September 2023.
The government has also appointed the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) as the B20 India Secretariat. B20 is the voice of the G20 business community and helps in shaping economic policy statements by the G20 grouping over the years.
B20 India work will be conducted through Task Forces and Action Councils, which will develop consensus-based policy recommendations to the G20. It will commence work on various task forces and action councils after the inception meeting, scheduled on 22-24 January 2023, culminating into the B20 India Summit in August 2023.
B20 India has identified priorities for deliberations under the theme “R.A.I.S.E – Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable, and Equitable Businesses. About 100 business policy initiatives will be organised by CII under the B20 calendar across the country during the presidency year.
G20 is a group of 19 countries and the European Union.
5. Dina Boluarte assumes office as first female President of Peru
Tags: Person in news International News
Peru's President Pedro Castillo has been impeached. In his place, Vice President Dina Boluarte has been sworn in as President on 7 December. Dina is the first female President of the country. She will hold the post till 2026.
Important facts
In the 130-member parliament, 101 voted in favor of the motion, while only 6 voted in support of the president. 10 MPs abstained from voting.
Francisco Morales, head of Peru's constitutional court, ordered Vice President Dina Boluaarte to assume the presidency in a speech before parliament voted on an impeachment motion.
Police have taken Pedro Castillo into custody in the capital Lima.
Pedro Castillo was elected as the President of Peru in July 2021.
While in office, he faced an investigation over allegations of corruption.
About Peru
President - Dina Boluarte
Capital - Lima
Currency - sole
6. Volodymyr Zelensky and “Spirit of Ukraine” is the is Time Magazine's 2022 Person of the Year
Tags: Person in news International News
The prestigious American magazine ‘Time’ has named Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and "the spirit of Ukraine" as its 2022 Person of the Year.
The Time person of the year award goes to an event or person deemed to have had the most influence on global events over the past 12 months. In 2021 Elon Musk was the Time person of the Year.
The Time magazine editor Edward Felsenthal wrote that "spirit of Ukraine" referred to Ukrainians around the world, including many who "fought behind the scenes" against the Russian invasion.
The magazine said Mr Zelensky had inspired Ukrainians and was recognised internationally for his courage in resisting the Russian invasion.
Time Heroes of the Year
Women in Iran were named the Time Heroes of the Year. Iranian women who are protesting for over three months against the custodial death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. She was arrested for not wearing hijab publicly and she died while in the custody of the Iranian morality police. Her death has triggered a mass protest from the Iranian women against public wearing of Hijab and the morality police.
Other Awards
The South Korean K-pop band Blackpink were recognised as Time's Entertainer of the year.
American baseball player Aaron Judge has been recognised as the Athlete of the Year and Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh is the Icon of the Year.
Indian to be named the Time person of the Year
Mahatma Gandhi is the only Indian to be named TIME Person of the Year, having been given the honour in 1930. The magazine described him as 'Saint Gandhi' and later named him as one of the 25 Political Icons of all time.
The tradition of naming Time person of the year started in 1927. Initially it was named the Time Man of the Year. Other past winners have included the former dictator of Germany, Adolf Hitler in 1938, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was 2007's Person of the Year.
7. Arun Kumar Singh appointed as the new Chairman of ONGC
Tags: Economy/Finance Person in news
The Government of India has appointed former chairman of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Arun Kumar Singh, as the new chairman of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on 7 December 2022. He has been appointed for a term of three years.
ONGC has been without a regular chairman and managing director since April 2021.
Vetsa Rama Krishna Gupta has taken over the additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL)
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
It is a public sector company owned by the government of India.
It is a Maharatna company and is the largest crude oil and natural gas company in India, contributing around 71 per cent to Indian domestic production.
It was set up as the Oil & Natural Gas Commission on 14th August 1956. It was later converted to Oil & Natural Gas Corporation in 1994.
It has three subsidiary companies. They are:
- ONGC Videsh,
- Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL) and
- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)
Headquarters: New Delhi
8. Saikhom Mirabai Chanu wins silver at Weightlifting World Championship in Colombia
Tags: place in news Sports Person in news
Former world champion Mirabai Chanu had to settle for a silver medal in the women’s 49kg division at the World Weightlifting Championships 2022 being held in Bogota, Colombia.
Mirabai Chanu lifted a total weight of 200kg (87kg snatch + 113kg clean and jerk) for her second world championships medal. She won the gold in 2017 and finished fourth in the 2019 edition.
Jiang Huihua of China won her third world championship gold medal with a combined lift of 206 kg (93kg+113kg). Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Hou Zhihui of China won the bronze medal.
The World Weightlifting Championships 2022 are the first in the series of qualifying events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It is being held in Bogota, Colombia from 5-15 December 2022.
9. Three Indian Gautam Adani, Shiv Nadar and Ashok Soota in the Forbes Asia Heroes of Philanthropy list
Tags: Person in news
Three Indian billionaires Gautam Adani, Shiv Nadar, and Ashok Soota were named in the 16th edition of Forbes Asia's Heroes of Philanthropy list released on 6 December 2022. It also included Malaysian-Indian businessman Brahmal Vasudevan and his lawyer wife Shanthi Kandiah.
Asia’s richest man Gautam Adani has pledged Rs 60,000 crore to charity. The money will be used in healthcare, education, and skill development. The money will be channelled through the family's Adani Foundation, which was founded in 1996.
Co-founder of HCL Technologies, Shiv Nadar has donated Rs 11,600 crore this year to the Shiv Nadar Foundation. The foundation has helped set up educational institutions such as schools and universities and it also promotes art and culture.
Ashok Soota, founder of Happiest Mind software company has pledged Rs 600 crore (USD 75 million) to the medical research trust he founded in April 2021 for the study of ageing and neurological illnesses.
Malaysian-Indian Brahmal Vasudevan, founder and CEO of Kuala Lumpur-based private equity firm Creador, and his lawyer wife, Shanthi Kandiah, support local communities in Malaysia and India through the Creador Foundation, a non-profit they co-founded in 2018.
10. Priyanka Chopra, Sirisha Bandla, Geetanjali Shree and Sneha Jawale included in the BBC’s list of 100 influential women of 2022
Tags: Person in news
In the annual BBC(British Broadcasting Services) ‘100 influential Women of the year 2022 list’ four India’s women , Priyanka Chopra Jonas, aeronautical engineer Sirisha Bandla, Booker-winning author Geetanjali Shree and social worker Sneha Jawale have been included .
The annual list celebrates the achievements of women internationally, from grassroots volunteers to global leaders, and is used by the broadcaster to focus on women's experiences around the world through a dedicated series of interviews and documentaries.
This year was the first time when BBC asked some of the previous ‘100 Women’ on the list to nominate the ones they believe deserve a place on the 2022 list and whose stories need to be told.
Priyanka Chopra is a former Miss World (2000) and a leading Bollywood actress.
Geetanjali Shree is the first Indian to win the International Booker Prize award 2022 for her Hindi novel “Ret Samadhi," or ‘Tomb of the Sand’.
Sirisha Bandla was part of Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed sub-orbital spaceflight in 2021. The mission was known as Unity 22 mission. She is the second Indian born woman after Kalpana Chawla to go into space. Till date three Indian origin women have gone to space but astronaut Sunita Williams, who is an American of Indian descent was born in the United States of America.
Sneha Jawale, the fourth Indian on the list, is a domestic abuse victim turned social worker.
