Current Affairs search results for tag: person-in-news
By admin: April 30, 2022

1. LG Baggavalli Somashekar Raju to take over as Vice Chief of Army Staff

Tags: Popular Defence Person in news National News

Lieutenant General Baggavalli Somashekar Raju will take over as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff on 1 may. 

  • An alumnus of Sainik School Bijapur and National Defence Academy, Raju was commissioned into the Jat Regiment on 15 December 1984.

  • He commanded his battalion during OP Parakram in the Western Theatre and in Jammu and Kashmir.

  • Raju also has the distinction of commanding the Uri Brigade on the Line of Control, a counter insurgency force and the Chinar Corps in the Kashmir Valley.

  • Raju has also served as the Commandant of the Indian Military Training Team in Bhutan.

  • During his illustrious career spanning 38 years, BS Raju has been involved in several important regimental, staff and instructional appointments at Army Headquarters.

  • Before taking over as the co-chief of the Army, Lt Gen Raju was the Director General Military Operations during the standoff with China on the LAC.

  • He is also a qualified helicopter pilot. He has flown in the UNOSOM-2 operation in Somalia.

By admin: April 27, 2022

2. PIL against grant of life time 'Cabinet Minister' status to a Goa politician

Tags: Person in news State News

Senior Goa leader Pratapsingh Rane has been honoured by conferring lifetime "Cabinet Minister" status for completing 50 years as an MLA in the Goa Legislative Assembly. Hence a Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court against this decision.

  • It has been said in the PIL that this step of the state government is in violation of the '91st Amendment of the Constitution'.

  • The maximum number of members in the Goa cabinet is 12.

  • After Rane was given the status of 'Cabinet Minister', the number of 'Cabinet Members' increased to 13, which is more than the maximum limit prescribed by the Constitution.

  • Lifetime Status of the rank of Cabinet minister

  • The former Chief Minister and former Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly mr. Rane had completed 50 years as a legislator.

  • The cabinet decided that in future also those who complete 50 years and hold posts like CM and Speaker will be given cabinet status even after their retirement.

  • What is the Constitution (91st Amendment) Act, 2003 ?

  • It states that the total number of ministers, including the chief minister, in the council of ministers in a state should not exceed 15% of the total number of members of the legislative assembly of that state.

  • It provides a condition that the number of ministers including the chief minister in a state should not be less than twelve.

  • A cabinet minister for life would be entitled to 12 staff members – OSDs, support staff, peons, drivers – which would cost the exchequer Rs 90 lakh a year. Hence this decision is not justified.

By admin: April 25, 2022

3. Macron is reelected as French president

Tags: Popular Person in news

Republican on the move candidate Emmanuel Macron has been re-elected as the President of France.

  • In the presidential election, Emmanuel Macron defeated his right-wing rival Marin Lopen with 58.2% of the vote.

  • Emmanuel Macron is the first president to be elected for a second consecutive term in twenty years.

  • Twenty years ago Mr. Ziak Chirac was elected to a second term.

  • The term of the President is five years. No leader can hold this post for more than two terms.

  • Presidential election process in France

  • In France, the President is elected by direct voting system and ballots are used.

  • Every Frenchman over the age of 18 is entitled to vote. Whether he lives in France or in some other country.

  • There can be a maximum of two phases of election. The first stage is compulsory while the second stage depends on the result of the first. In the first phase, the person who gets more than 50 percent of the votes is declared the winner.

  • In the first phase, if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the total votes, then the second and final phase is held between the two top candidates who get the maximum votes.

  • To become a candidate, it is necessary to have the support of at least 500 elected representatives (mayor etc.).

  • Powers of the President of France

  • Most of the powers of the President of France are vested in the Prime Minister, the Council of Ministers and the Parliament.

  • The President can dissolve the Parliament, suspend any law with a power of prohibition.

  • All three are the heads of the armies and they also have control of nuclear weapons.

By admin: April 25, 2022

4. PM Modi receives first Lata Mangeshkar Award

Tags: Awards Person in news

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the first Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar Award for his selfless service to the nation and society at the 80th Annual Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award ceremony in Mumbai.

  • Addressing the award ceremony, Modi said that he dedicates this award to all the citizens of the country.

  • The award has been Established in the memory of Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar.

  • The Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award aims to honour stalwarts in the fields of music, drama, art, medicine and social work.

  • Every year this award will be given to a person who has made outstanding, brilliant and extraordinary achievements for the country, its citizens and society.

  • This award will be given in the memory of Master Dinanathji who was a singer, composer and theatre artist, his significant contribution in the field of music has been a source of inspiration for the people of India.

  • The Dinanath Mangeshkar Memorial Award was organised in his honour by the Mangeshkar family.

By admin: April 23, 2022

5. Suman Bery appointed NITI Aayog vice-chairman

Tags: Person in news National News

After the resignation of Rajiv Kumar, the Government of India appointed Suman K Berry as the vice- Chairman of NITI Aayog.

  • Bery will take charge from May 1, 2022.

  • Kumar will be relieved on 30 March 2022.

  • Noted economist Kumar took over as the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog in August 2017.

  • Berry previously served as the Director General (Chief Executive) of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi.

  • He has also been a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, the Statistical Commission and the Technical Advisory Committee of the Reserve Bank of India on Monetary Policy.

  • Berry has also served as Director General of the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) from 2001 to 2011.

  • about NITI Aayog

  • It is the premier policy think tank of the Government of India, it provides directional and policy inputs.

  • It designs strategic and long-term policies.

  • It also provides relevant technical advice to the Centre, States, and Union Territories.

  • The Governing Council of NITI Aayog is chaired by the Prime Minister and includes the Chief Ministers of all the States and Union Territories and the Lieutenant Governors of other Union Territories. 

  • It was constituted on January 1, 2015.

  • NITI stands for National Institution for Transforming India.

  • The Government of India constituted the NITI Aayog to replace the Planning Commission, which was set up in 1950.

  • This step was taken to better meet the needs and aspirations of the people.

By admin: April 21, 2022

6. Pomila Jaspal 1st woman Director (Finance) at ONGC

Tags: Person in news

Pomila Jaspal has been appointed as the first woman director (finance) of the country's leading oil and gas producer ONGC.

  • Prior to this appointment, Pomila Jaspal was a subsidiary of ONGC, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (MRPL) as Director (Finance).

  • Pomila Jaspal has been appointed as the second woman Executive Director in ONGC Company. One, Alka Mittal who serves as the Acting Chairperson and Managing Director of the company as well as the Director of Human Resources.

  • She will replace Subhash Kumar.

  • Pomila Jaspal joined ONGC in 1985 as a Finance and Accounts Officer.

  • About ONGC

—ONGC is owned by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.

—Founded- 14 August 1956.

—--Headquarters- New Delhi.

—-Chairman & MD- Alka Mittal

—--Full Form - Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited

By admin: April 21, 2022

7. Ajay Kumar Sood appointed Principal Scientific Advisor

Tags: Person in news

Physicist Ajay Kumar Sood of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore has been appointed as new Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the government.

  • He succeeds Prof. K. VijayRaghavan.

  • Dr. Sood is member of the Science, Technology and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) and a physicist known for his work on graphene. 

  • Mr Vijay Raghavan was appointed PSA in 2018 and played a key role in vaccine and drug development as well as pandemic management.

  • His term ended in 2021 but was given an extension.

  • About Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA)

—The Office of the PSA coordinates with several ministries and advises the government in science and technology policies and interventions that are of strategic socio-economic importance.

–It also advises institutions, academia and industry.

–The PM-STIAC is one of the catalysts for such tasks.

–This body has nine major missions - Natural Language Translation, Quantum Frontier, Artificial Intelligence, National Biodiversity Mission, Electric Vehicles, Bio–science for Human Health, Waste to Wealth, Deep Ocean Exploration, Accelerating Growth of New India’s Innovations (AGNIi).

By admin: April 19, 2022

8. Government appoints Lt Gen Manoj C Pande as next Chief of Army Staff

Tags: National Popular Defence Person in news

Presently Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Manoj C Pandey has been appointed by the Government as the next Chief of Army Staff.

  • His appointment to the post will be effective from the afternoon of April 30, 2022.

  • Born on May 06, 1962, Lt Gen Manoj C Pande was commissioned on December 24, 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers) of the Indian Army. 

  • During his long and distinguished service spanning over 39 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.

  • The Command appointments of Lt Gen Manoj C Pande include Command of an Engineer Brigade in the Western Theatre, as part of Strike Corps and an Infantry Brigade along with Line-of-Control in Jammu & Kashmir. 

  • Other important Command appointments include a Mountain Division in the high-altitude area of the Western Ladakh and Command of a Corps, deployed along the LAC and in the Counter Insurgency Operations area of Eastern Command. 

By admin: April 19, 2022

9. Guru Tegh Bahadur’s birth anniversary

Tags: Popular Person in news

Prime Minister  Narendra Modi will address the nation from Red Fort on April 21, to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

The programme will be organised by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

  • About Guru Tegh Bahadur

–He was the ninth Sikh Guru.

—His term as Guru ran from 1665 to 1675.

—He was born at Guru ke Mahal (now a Gurudwara with the same name), Amritsar in 1621.

—He was the fifth and the youngest son of Guru Hargobind Sahib. His childhood name was Tyag Mal.

—He stood up for the rights of Kashmiri Pandits.

—He was publicly killed in 1675 on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for himself, refusing Mughal rulers and defying them.

—He was publicly assassinated in Delhi in 1675 on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

  • His Contributions

—He opposed the forced conversion of non-Muslims to Islam during the rule of Aurangzeb.

—He contributed several hymns to the Guru Granth Sahib, including salokas, or couplets.

—He is known to have travelled extensively to propagate the teachings of Nanak.

—He had set up community kitchens and wells for the local people wherever he went.

—He founded the city of Chak-Nanki in Punjab, which later became a part of Anandpur Sahib, a famous holy city and a global tourist attraction in the foothills of the Himalayas.

—Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak (1469–1539) in the 15th century in the Punjab district of then-undivided India and Pakistan.

By admin: April 14, 2022

10. Malcolm Adiseshiah Award 2022 to Prabhat Patnaik

Tags: Awards Person in news

Eminent Indian economist and political commentator Prabhat Patnaik has been named as the recipient of the Malcolm Adiseshiah Award for the year 2022.

  • The award is given annually by the Malcolm and Elizabeth Adisia Trust to an outstanding social scientist.

  • Dr Patnaik has taught at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning at the School of Social Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and has served as the Deputy Chairman of the Kerala State Planning Board.