current affairs from january to june 2013 persons

7/27/2019 Current Affairs From January to June 2013 Persons

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www.sakshieducation.com


2013 Current Affairs Special Persons

January

Syed Asif Ibrahim is appointed as new chief of IB

Syed Asif Ibrahim and Alok Joshi took over as new chiefs of the country's top snoop

agencies, Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing on 1st January. The

Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh had cleared their names in November.

59-year-old Ibrahim is the first Muslim to lead the internal intelligence agency of

the country. A 1977-batch IPS officer ofMadhya Pradesh cadre, Ibrahim was appointed

as OSD in the Intelligence Bureau last month. He today took over as its Director after

incumbent Nehchal Sandhu retired yesterday.

Joshi, who took over as RAW chief, is a 1976 batch IPS officer of Haryana cadre.

He has earlier served as Special Secretary in the agency besides occupying other important

positions. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet had approved Joshi's appointment

for a period of two years or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in place of present

incumbent S.K. Tripathi, whose tenure completed on December 29.

Y.V. Reddy to head 14th Finance Commission

Former RBI Governor Y.V. Reddy will be the Chairman of 14th Finance Commission,

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said on 2nd January. The Finance Commission has been

asked to submit its report by October 31, 2014. Finance Commission, a

constitutional body, is set up every five years. Besides other things, the

Commission lays down principles governing the grants-in-aid to states

and other local bodies for a five-year period beginning April 1, 2014.

Prior to joining RBI as its Governor in September 2003, Mr. Reddy was

Indias Executive Director on the Board of the International Monetary Fund. The 13th

Finance Commission was headed by former Finance Secretary Vijay Kelkar.

S. Ramakrishnan took over as Director of VSSC

Indian pioneer in aerospace propulsion, Dr.S. Ramakrishnan took over as the Director of

Vikram Sarabhai Sapace Centre in Thiruvananthapuram. He is an expert in aerospace

propulsion, launch vehicle systems and project management. Before being at Liquid

Propulsion Systems Centre, he served as Director (Projects) at VSSC and Chairman of

Flight readiness review panel. He played a major role in accomplishing the PSLV C-


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11/Chandrayaan Mission. He was also hounoured with a Padma Shri in 2003. He served

as the Mission Director for PSLV C1, C2, C3 and C4 flights. He played a major role in

helping India accomplish its first Satellite Launch Vehicle SLV-3.

Urjit Patel appointed as the Deputy Governor of the RBI

Urjit Patel was appointed as the Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on 3rd

January 2013. Urjit Patel succeeds Subir Gokarn, who handled Monetary Policy in RBI.

The threeyear term ofSubir Gokarn terminated in November 2012 but he was given an

extension that ended finally on 31st December 2012. Urjit Patel was chosen over current

Deputy Governor Subir Gokarn and International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist

Kalpana Kochhar.

Manmohan Became the 19th Most Followed Leader on Twitter

According to a study of Digital Policy Council (DPC),

Manmohan Singh became the 19th most followed leader of the

world on Twitter. The Indian Prime Minister is ahead of David

Cameron and Julia Gillard, both of who were left behind in less than

12 months time. The latest study conducted by Digital Policy

Council (DPC) concluded that leaders of politically unstable states or fragile states are

considered to be social media threatening, but Manmohan Singh and India were an

exception to this fact. Singh was ranked 19th with 3,42,612 followers. US President

Barrack Obama topped the list with 2,46,11,982 followers. Second on the list was Former

President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez with 38,02,177 followers.

DPC provides its analysis about government institutions and world leaders who make

use of the social media sites for connecting with the citizens. The latest study conducted by

DPC proves that 75 percent of the heads of countries were making use of Twitter.

Committee on Air India constituted

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on 3rd January 2013 constituted a five-member committee

to look into and suggest the measures that can be taken for cost cutting as well as optimal

utilization of resources in Air India. The committee would be headed by Prof. Ravindra

Dholkia of IIM, Ahmadabad. The Ministry has provided a two months time to Prof.

Dholkia and the committee to submit its report along with interim recommendations, for

immediate implementation.


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New Financial Services Secretary, Rajiv Takru

Rajiv Takru, now Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in the Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare, has been appointed as Financial Services Secretary in the

Finance Ministry. With the promotion, the 1979 batch IAS officer (Gujarat cadre), Mr.

Takru took over as Secretary, Department of Financial Services, from Dinesh Kumar Mittal,

who retired on 31st January.

Violinist M S Gopalakrishnan died

M. S. Gopalakrishnan (82), Veteran violinist passed away in Chennai on 3rd January

following a brief illness. Awarded with Padma Bhushan among others, Gopalakrishnan's

career spanned over seven decades during which he was known for his deep knowledge of

Carnatic and Hindustani music. His contemporaries include Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and

T.N. Krishnan.

D.K. Jain as Chairman of 20th Law Commission of India

The Union Government appointed Justice D.K. Jain as Chairman of

the 20th Law Commission of India on 7th January 2013. Justice Jain

joined his duties as Chairman of the Law Commission on 24th January

after he retired as the Judge ofSupreme Court on the same day. The

Law Commission is responsible for offering advices on complex issues

to the Government. He would be heading the commission as its chief for

a period of three-years from the date of being in the office. The 20th

Law Commission of India was constituted with the Order of the Government of India with

effect from 1 September 2012.

First Woman Chief Justice of Sri Lanka ousted

Shirani Bandarnayake, the first woman chief justice of Sri Lanka, was sacked by the

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 13th January 2013, after endorsing her impeachment by

the Parliament that claimed to caught her guilty on the corruption charges.

Bandarnayake, aged 54, was given the notice in which the President ordered her to move

down from the post. This happened two days after the Parliament in Sri Lanka voted to put

her on trial, widening the face-off between the government and the judiciary. The

parliamentary committee had declared on 8 December 2012, that Bandarnayake was guilty

of 3 charges out of 14. The impeachment proceedings were held against her, which were

moved by ruling UPFA coalition legislators.


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First woman Speaker of the Singapore Parliament

Halimah Yacob (58) became the first woman Speaker of the Singapore

Parliament on 14th January 2013. She replaced Michael Palmer, the former People's Action

Party MP. Palmer got down from the post of Speaker of the Parliament and also as an

MP, on 12 December 2012. Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong nominated her for

the speakers office. Halimah Yacob came down from her post of Minister of State (Social

and Family Development) and was elected as the Speaker by Members of

Parliament. Halimah Yacob is an Indian-origin woman born in Singapore. She belongs

to the People's Action Party.

Mohan Peiris, new Chief Justice of Sri Lanka

Sri Lankas president Mahinda Rajapaksa on 15th January swore in Mohan Peiris, a retired

attorney general and a legal adviser to the Cabinet, as Chief Justice of Srilanka after his

candidature was approved by a parliamentary council on 15th January. On 14 January,

Rajapaksa dismissed Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake after a parliaments

impeachment.

Tahir-ul Qadri asked Pakistan government to quit

Tahir-ul Qadri The Canada-returned cleric led thousands of the protestors in Pakistan

andrallied in Islamabad for the third consecutive day on 16th

January 2013. Qadri asked

the government to quit as well as dissolve the provincial and national assemblies on 16 th

January 2013. In his speech, Qadri who marched on 14th January to Islamabad with

thousands of supporters to protest near the Parliament of Pakistan outlined four major

demands, which included electoral reforms as per the Constitution before the electionsas

well as reconstitution ofElection Commission. On 16th January 2013, Qadris protests

leveraged as the apex court passed an order for arresting Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz

Ashraf on the corruption charges associated with power projects. Qadri is Thehrik-e-

Minhajul Quran leader who is protesting for a corruption free Pakistan.

Wei Wei, appointed as China's new ambassador to India

Wie Wei-China on 16th January appointed career diplomat Wei Wei, its current envoy to

Singapore, as the country's new Ambassador to India, succeeding Zhang Yan. President

Hu Jintao has appointed Wei Wei, 57, as China's new ambassador to India, replacing

Zhang, state run Xinhua news agency reported. Hu made the appointment in line with a

decision made by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC),

China's top legislature.


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S. N. Ananthasubramanian elected as the President of ICSI

S. N. Ananthasubramanian a Fellow Member of the Institute of Company

Secretaries of India (ICSI) has been elected as the President of the Institute with effect

from 19th January 2013. Harish K. Vaid, also a Fellow Member of the Institute, has been

elected as the Vice-President. Ananthasubramanian has been in practice as a Company

Secretary at Thane since 1991. He has contributed to the visibility and growth of the

profession as member ofICSI-WIRC between 2001 and 2006. Shri Ananthasubramanian

was a member of various committees of the council of the ICSI including the core group for

formulating the ICSI-Vision 2020.

Rahul Gandhi elevated to the number two position

Rahul Gandhi was formally elevated to the number two position

in the Congress Party on 19th January after being appointed as its

vice-president. His role in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls would be

decided later. The anointment of the 42 year old, nine years after

the entry in to politics, was formalised at the meeting of the

party's highest policy making body, the Congress Working

Committee (CWC), which unanimously adopted a resolution for this moved by defence

minister A.K. Antony.

S. Janaki refused Padma Bhushan award

S. Janaki The renowned playback singer, refused to accept the Padma Bhushan

award. She refused on the grounds that only some people from the

Southern states were awarded and that honour given to her was too

late. Janaki was given Padma Bhushan award in art discipline. She

has been singing for past 55 years. She is 75 years old. The singer had

won four national awards.

P.R. Vasudeva Rao appointed as Director of IGCAR

P.R. Vasudeva Rao was appointed as the Director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for

Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam on 31st January 2013. He succeeded S.C.

Chetal, who has now retired. Dr. Rao was earlier the Director, Chemistry Group in IGCAR

and is also a specialist in the field of actinide chemistry as well as a few areas of chemistry

of nuclear fuel cycle.


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New chief for Southern Command

Lt. Gen. Ashok Singh will take over as Pune-based Southern Army Commander,

replacing Lt. Gen. A. K. Singh who is superannuated on 31st January. Lt. Gen Ashok

Singh is at present the Commandant ofNDA. Prior to his present appointment, he had also

commanded the elite 1st Strike Corps in Mathura and held various important command and

staff appointments. He is a graduate ofDefence Services Staff College, Wellington. He

is an alumnus of the 45thNDA programme.

February

Renowned Pakistani journalist Ayesha Haroon died

Ayesha Haroon (46), the renowned Pakistani journalist died on 2nd February 2013 in

New York following 4 year long fight with cancer. Ayesha Haroon is a highly respected

journalistic figure in Pakistan. She was former Lahore Resident Editor for The News

International. She played an important role in setting up as well as launching Waqt TV

channel under The Nation group. She bagged various awards for working as the leading

journalist.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Germany book presented to Pranab

Anita B. Pfaff Daughter of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose presented the first copy of

the book Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Germany to the President of India

Pranab Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 6th February, 2013. The book is

brought out by Federation of Indo German Societies in India and Prof. Anita B. Pfaff. The

Federation of Indo-German Societies in India was established in 1971 to strengthen the

existing friendly relations between India and the Federal Republic of Germany.

K. Surendranath is Chief of Staff of Southern Army Command

Lt. Gen. K. Surendranath took over as Chief of Staff of Southern Army Command on 11 th

February. He was commissioned in to 71 Armoured Regiment in 1975 and later went on to

Command the same regiment, a Defence Ministry release said in Chennai. Lt. Gen

Surendranath has held number of challenging command appointments in Western, Northern

and Eastern theatres that include command of an Independent Armoured Brigade, an

Infantry Division in Counter Insurgency environment and a Corps deployed along the

International Border opposite Tibet Administrative Region. He has also been awarded Ati

Vishisht Seva Medal, Bar to Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Sena Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal

for his meritorious service.


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K. K. Chakravarty appointed as Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi

The President of India appointed Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty, as Chairman of Lalit Kala

Akademi on 12th February. Kalyan Kumar Chakravarty is a 1970 batch Indian

Administrative Service Officer and retired in the rank of Secretary to Government of India.

He served as the vice chancellor, National Museum Institute. Chakravarty will hold office till

the end of the calendar year in which he completes 70 years of age i.e. up to December 31,

2017.

Subodh Kumar Agrawal is President of ICAI

Subodh Kumar Agrawal, A fellow member ofthe Institute of Chartered Accountants of

India (ICAI) with 24 years of standing has taken over as the new President of the

Institute with effect from 12th February. Mr. Agrawal has been serving as Central Council

member of the Institute for two terms since 2007. He has specialization in the area of

internal and statutory audit of private and public sector entities viz. banks and insurance

companies. He has been actively involved with the functioning of the central council of the

institute in various capacities, viz. as Vice President and Chairman, Vice-Chairman and

Member of its various Committees.

K. Raghu, new Vice-President of ICAI

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) appointed K. Raghu as its new

VicePresident on 12th February 2013. Mr. Raghu is an expert in the areas of business,

taxation and technology consultation. He served as the member of the central council of

ICAI from 2007 to 2010 and during this period he served ICAI as the Chairman of

Information Technology Committee and brought forward the e-learning and web-casting

initiatives of the organization.

C.R. Krishnaswamy Rao Passed away

Former Cabinet SecretaryC.R. Krishnaswamy Rao Sahib (86), who was a

distinguished IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre,passed away at Chennai on 13th

February. Rao Sahib had the distinction of working with three Prime Ministers as he was

Principal Secretary to Charan Singh and Cabinet Secretary during 1981-85 in the

Governments of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He also served as secretary to then

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jalagam Vengal Rao while serving in the State. A dedicated

and able administrator, Rao Sahib was honoured with the second highest civilian

award ofPadma Vibhushan in 2006 in recognition of his yeoman services, over 20 years

after his retirement. He was also conferred with the Great Maratha Award in 2009. He


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was a visionary and played a stellar role in the making of the Integrated Guided Missile

Programme of the country during the 1980s.

Mohan Parasaran appointed as Solicitor General of India

Mohan Parasaran, the Additional Solicitor General was on 13

February 2013 appointed as the Solicitor General of India after

senior advocate Rohinton Nariman resigned from his

designation. Mohan Parasaran will serve as the Solicitor General of

India for a term of three years. The Appointments Committee of the

Cabinet (ACC) cleared his name for Solicitor General of India.

Rohinton Nariman resigned from his post in early February 2013. Mohan Parasaran is a

senior advocate of the Supreme Court. He was appointed by first UPA Government as

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) in July 2004. The Solicitor General of India is thesecond highest law officer of India and a subordinate to the Attorney General for

India, who is the Indian government's chief legal advisor.

A K Mukherji, next Permanent Representative of India to the UN

The Ministry of External Affairs appointed Ashok Kumar Mukheji as the Permanent

Representative of India to the United Nations on 13th February 2013. Mukerji replaced

Hardeep Singh Puri who retired in February 2013 after the tenure of two years. At present,

Mukerji is Special Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry. He also served as the Consul

General in Dubai as well as the Deputy High Commissioner in London.

A. Padma Raju appointed as VC of NG Ranga Varsity

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on 13th February appointed noted soil scientist A. Padma

Raju as vice-chancellor of Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University for a term of

three Years. The University had been without a head for the last two years with Telangana

protagonists insisting that the post should go to a Telangana professor this time. In October

last year the board of management of the university had finalised the name of Padma Raju

for appointment as vice-chancellor.

Y. Bhaskar Rao sworn in as the Karnataka new Lokayukta

Y. Bhaskar Rao (75), the former Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court, sworn in as the

Lokayukta on 14th February 2013. The post of Lokayukta was lying vacant since

September 2011. Mr. Rao will succeed Justice (Retd.) Shivaraj Patil who resigned as the

Lokayukta in September 2011 after allegations about illegal possession of government site.


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Y. Bhaskar Rao previously served as the member of National Human Rights Commission.

Rao was sworn- in by the Governor H.R. Bhardwaj at Raj Bhavan.

First woman President of South Korea

Park Geun-hye (61), Park Geun-hye, sworn-in as the first woman President of South

Korea on 25th February 2013. After swearing-in, she vowed for zero tolerance against

nuclearised North Korea as well as economic prosperity of the country. Park Geun-hye took

charge of the office of the President of South Korea just a little over 50 years after Park

Chung-hee, her father, had taken over the office in 1961. Park Geun-hye was elected as

the President of South Korea on 19th December 2012. She belongs to the conservative

Saenuri party. Former President of South Korea was Lee Myung-bak.

G. Thapliyal took over as the Director General of the ICG

On 28th February 2013, Vice Admiral Anurag G. Thapliyal took over as the twentieth

Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. He succeeded the outgoing Vice Admiral

M.P. Muralidharan. He was commissioned on Indian Navy on 1st July 1977 and since then

held different sea and operational appointments. He is a Navigation and Aircraft Direction

specialist.

Rajiv Shahare, new High Commissioner to Maldives

Rajiv Shahare was appointed as the new High Commissioner to Maldives on 28th

February 2013, replacing D. M. Mulay. Till recent, Shahare was a Joint Secretary in the

West Asia and North Africa division of Ministry of External Affairs. D. M. Mulay, on the

other hand, now has been appointed as the Indias Consul General in NewYork. He

would he took over the office in March 2013. The appointment of Rajeev Shahare came at a

time when bilateral relations between India and Maldives are suffering because of

termination of contract to GMR for Male International Airport modernization.

Rajeev Shahare appointed as the new Commissioner to Maldives

Rajeev Shahare was appointed as the new High Commissioner to Maldives on 28 th

February 2013, replacing D. M. Mulay. At present, Shahare is a Joint Secretary in the

West Asia North Africa division of Ministry of External Affairs. Mulay, on the other hand, has

now been appointed as the Indias Consul General in New York.


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March

Natwar Singh Walking with Lions book released

The Vice President of India M. Hamid Ansari on 1st March, released a book entitled

Walking with Lions: Tales from a Diplomatic Past written by K. Natwar Singh,

former Union Minister for External Affairs at a function in New Delhi. In this work, Mr. Singh

puts together fifty episodes that entertain, inform and illuminate the readers.

Mukul Sangma sworn in as the CM of Meghalaya

Mukul Sangma (47) of Congress has sworn in as the Chief Minister of Meghalaya for

the second term on 5th March 2013. He took oath for the second term as 26th Chief

Minister of the state. The Governor, R.S. Mooshahary administered him the oath of office

and secrecy at the Raj Bhavan premises in Shillong.

Neiphiu Rio sworn in as CM of Nagaland for the third straight term

Neiphiu Rio (63) of Naga Peoples Front (NPF) party was sworn in as Chief

Minister of Nagaland for the third straight term on 5th March 2013 along with 11

ministers by the Governor Nikhil Kumar at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima. The Naga Peoples

Front (NPF), is supported by two alliance partners BJP and JD (U) with one MLA each, and

with an unconditional support of 7 Independents.

Neiphiu Rio is the only leader to have led the regional party to victory in the

assembly elections for the third time in the 50-year history of Nagaland

statehood. Neiphiu Rio was Chief Minister from 6 March 2003 to 3 January 2008, and has

been Chief Minister again since 12 March 2008.

Hugo Chavez passed away on March5

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez (58) passed away on 5th March 2013 at a

military hospital in Caracas at the age of 58, after battling from cancer for

two years during which he underwent several surgeries and chemotherapy

in Cuba. With his death, his 14 year rule of Venezuela came to an

end and bringing a challenge of electing a new President for the country

within 30 days as per Constitution of Venezuela. Till then the Presidency will be assumed by

the Vice-President of the country, Nicolas Maduro.

Hugo Chavez was the President of Venezuela from 1999 till his death in 2013. He was the

leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela. He was responsible for the


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promotion of the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement 200 (MBR-200) in early 1980s. He

served the Venezuelan army as an officer before entering into politics. He led a coup

attempt in 1992 and landed in jail for his act and launched his political career, serving as

the President of Venezuela for three times.

Commemorative Postage Stamp released on Sahir Ludhianvi

The President Pranab Mukherjee released the Commemorative Postage Stamp on

Sahir Ludhianvi on occasion of his birth anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New

Delhi on 8 March 2013. Sahir Ludhianvi died on 25th October 1980 and was a

renowned Urdu poet. He was known among the young for his poetry on beauty and love.

Sahir Ludhianvi had converged Urdu poetry into the film songs as well. Also, he fought for

recognition of lyric writers through the Film Writers Association.

Ramankutty Nair, Kathakali exponent passed away

Kathakali exponent, Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair (88), passed

away at his house at Vellinezhi, near Palakkad, on 11th March. He became famous for his

role of Parasurama in Sita Swayamvaram, which became his trademark in his early days.

He was the most appreciated for his enactment of Ravana, Duryodhana, Keechaka and

other negative heroes in the category of performance called katthi vesham. He also

excelled in the role of Hanuman in Thoranayudham and Kalyanasougadhikam. Ramankutty

Nair, who studied in Kerala Kalamandalam, later became its Principal. He wrote his

autobiography Thiranottam, and the famous filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan made

a documentary film on the legendary Kathakali artist.

Sripada Pinakapani, a prominent Carnatic musician died

Legendary Carnatic musician and medical practitioner Sripada Pinakapani (100),

passed away at his residence Kurnool on 11th March. Popularly known as Doctor Singer of

Kurnool, he made great contributions to creative music and evolved his own style. He was

considered the healer of malady (as doctor) and producer of melody (as

musician). He produced a voluminous treatise on Carnatic music. In recognition of

his contribution to music, he was awarded Padmabhushan, Kalaprapoorna,

Rabindranath Tagore Ratna, Gana Vidya Varadhi, Sangeetha Nataka Academy

Award and many other rewards.


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Legendary painter Ganesh Pyne died in Kolkata

Ganesh Pyne (76), legendary painter, on 12 March 2013 passed away after a heart

attack in Kolkata. Ganesh Pyne was born in Kolkata in 1937. In his long career of five

decades, his paintings were exhibited round the world Paris, London, Washington and

Germany. He was described as an artist's artist, a philosopher's philosopher and

master fantasist of them all. He had received several awards and accolades for his

works. He was conferred Raja Ravi Varma award by Kerala Government. In the year

2012, Ganesh Pyne was conferred the lifetime achievement award by Indian Chamber of

Commerce.

Sundar Pichai heads Google's Chrome division

Google on 13th

March announced that Andy Rubin, who was heading the company's

Android division, is stepping down. He will be replaced by Sundar Pichai, an IITian, who

also heads Google's Chrome division. The architect of Android, the world's top-selling

mobile operating system, Andy Rubin, has decided to step down as Google Inc. combines

mobile software divisions under one roof, the company said on 12 th March. Google

appointed Sundar Pichai, the executive overseeing its Chrome web browser and

applications like Google Drive and Gmail, to take over Rubin's responsibilities, hinting at

how the company with the dominant Internet search engine intends to address the rise of

mobile devices.

B. Ashok Reddy appointed as chairman of CII

B. Ashok Reddy, the Infotech Enterprises President (Human Resources and

Corporate Affairs), was elected as the new chairman of Confederation of Indian

Industry (CII), Andhra Pradesh, for 2013-14.C Suresh Rayudu, the Srinivasa

Hatcheries Group Managing Director was elected as the vice-chairman of CII, AP. Both of

them were elected on 16 March 2013 in Hyderabad. Earlier, Ashok Reddy served as the

Vice-Chairman, CII Andhra Pradesh.

K. Anji Reddy, The man behind Dr Reddy's Laboratories died

The man behind Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. (DRL), the

second-largest drug maker of India passed away on 15th March

2013 at Hyderabads Apollo Hospital. Anji Reddy was the founder

and chairman of DRL. He was 72. He died because of liver cancer.

Anji Reddy was a chemical engineer. He served as the member on


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Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry. Dr. K. Anji Reddy was honoured with

Padma Bhushan, the highest Civilian Award in India, in April 2011. He was awarded for

distinguished service in Trade and Industry field.

He also founded Neonatal Intensive Care and Emergencies called NICE

Foundation, which is the only institute for newborn in Asia. In 1998, he alsoestablished Naandi Foundation which provided safe drinking water in rural areas. This

foundation also provides the midday meals to 1.3 million children as well as farmers. Dr.

Reddy's Laboratories is the second-largest pharmaceutical company of India, in

terms of market capitalization with Rs. 31,000 crore. It was also the first

pharmaceutical company of India that was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2001.

Bobby Ghosh appointed as the editor of Time International

Bobby Ghosh, the eminent Indian Journalist was appointed as the editor of Time

International on 16 March 2013. He is the first non-American World Editor in the

history of the Times. Bobby Ghosh joined TIME in 1998 after serving India as a journalist

for 10 years.

Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman passed away

The President of Bangladesh, Zillur Rahman passed away on 20

March 2013 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. He was aged 84

years. The Government of Bangladesh announced three-day mourning in

the country. Zillur Rahman was undergoing treatment for kidney as well

as respiratory complications. Speaker Abdul Hamid became acting President of Bangladesh.

Sanjay Dutt sentenced of 5 years jail

The Supreme Court sentenced Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt (53)to

a jail sentence of 5 years because of his association with the 1993

bombings in Mumbai, on 21 March 2013. The verdict was given by a

bench of Justice P.S. Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan. Sanjay Dutt,

was held for acquiring illegal weapons for Mumbai bombings in 1993

which killed 257 people. The Apex Court upheld his conviction under

the Arms Act, but brought down the 6 year imprisonment given by TADA (Terrorist and

Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act court to 5 years. He has already served 18

months in a jail in Pune, which means that he will have to serve remaining three and half

years of sentence.


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Ramaswamy nominated to the National Council of the Arts

US President Barack Obama nominated Indian American Renee Ramaswamy, a

Bharatanatayam exponent, to the prestigious National Council of the Arts on March

22nd for a five year term. Ramaswamy founded the Ragamala Music and Dance

Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1992 and has been popularizing this classical Indian

dance form in America.

Meena Kumari, first Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court

Justice T. Meena Kumari was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of Meghalaya High

Court by Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary on March 23rd. The Governor

administered the oath of office and secrecy to Justice Kumari at a ceremony held in the Raj

Bhavan.

Justice Kumari was earlier a judge of the Patna High Court. Talking to reporters after

her swearing in ceremony, Justice Kumari said that her first priority area would be to

see that fast track courts are being set up in the state. Later, the Chief Justice also

administered oath of office to two new judges T.M.K. Singh and S.R. Sen at the

Shillong High Court. The newly established Meghalaya High Court will be formally

inaugurated on March 25th by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice Altamas Kabir.

Apart from Meghalaya, Manipur and Tripura have also been given their own full-

fledged high courts. While, the strength of judges in the two high courts will be three each

including the chief justice, Tripura High Court, however, will have four judges including

the chief justice.

With the approval of these three full-fledged high courts in the North East, the total

number of high courts in the country has increased from 21 to 24.

Nikhil Kumar sworn in as the 20th Governor of Kerala

Nikhil Kumar, former Nagaland Governor sworn in as the 20th

Governor of Kerala on23 March 2013. Chief Justice of Kerala High Court Justice Manjula Chelloor administered

the oath of the office and secrecy at Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram to him. Kumar will

succeed as Governor of Karnataka, H.R. Bharadwaj, who was holding the additional

charge of Kerala after the death of M.O.H. Farooq in January 2012. Nikhil Kumar, a retired

IPS Officer, had served as the head of the National Security Guard and has served congress

as its former MP.


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The Pulitzer Prize is a

U.S. award which is

given to Journalists for

their achievements in

newspaper and online

journalism, literature and

musical composition.

Syed Raabe Hasani Nadvi was elected as President of AIMPLAB

Maulana Syed Raabe Hasani Nadvi was elected unopposed as the President of the All-

India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) for the fifth consecutive term. Nadvi

and other office bearers were elected during the three-day 23rd annual general meeting of

AIMPLB which began in Ujjain on March 23. Nadvi was first elected to the post in 2002 in

Hyderabad.

Anthony Lewis died in Boston

Two-time Pulitzer winner Anthony Lewis (85),

passed away on 25 March 2013 in Boston. Anthony Lewis

was a New York Times columnist for 32 years. He has

defended causes such as free speech and human rights. He

was known for his skill at interpreting and writing clearly

about the decisions of the Warren Court. He had won his

first Pulitzer in 1955 for defending a navy civilian falsely

accused of being a communist sympathizer, and he won again in 1963 for reporting on the

Supreme Court.

Bharti Mittal appointed as the president of ICC

The Vice Chairman and Managing Director ofBharti Enterprises Rajan

Bharti Mittal on 31st March 2013 was appointed as the President of

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) India. ICC India is the

Indian affiliate of the Paris based ICC, the world business organization

with presence in over 90 countries. Bharti Airtel a group company of

Bharti Enterprises is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20

countries across Asia and Africa. ICC India is one of the most active chapters of the ICC,

the world's apex business organization.

AprilChitra Ramakrishna is new Chief of NSE

The National Stock Exchange is set to have a new chief on 1 st April, when Chitra

Ramakrishna (49) will take over as Managing Director and CEO. As MD and CEO of

the NSE, Ms. Ramkrishna succeeded Ravi Narain who assumed the role of non-executive

Vice Chairman with effect from April 1st, 2013, after serving in various leadership roles at


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the exchange since its inception. Ms. Ramkrishna has handled various operational and

strategic aspects of NSE for many years during her roles as Deputy and Joint Managing

Director. She has often been named among the top women business leaders from the

country in various rankings.

N. K. Verma appointed as the director of ONGC

Narendra Kumar Verma was appointed as the director of the state-owned Oil and

Natural Gas Corporations (ONGC) Exploration division, on 4th April 2013. 54 year

old Narendra Kumar Verma would be replacing S.V. Rao, who term superannuated on 31st

March 2013. As Director-Exploration at OVL, Responsibility of N.K. Verma is to look for

development and implementation of exploration strategy and Business Development for

past 15 months. Narendra Kumar Verma is the 11th Director (Exploration) in the worlds

number 3 exploration and Production Company.

American film critic Roger Ebert died

American film critic Roger Ebertdied after a long battle with cancer in Chicago on 4th

April. The 70 years old was found to be suffering from thyroid cancer in 2002, losing his jaw

and his ability to speak in a subsequent surgery. But he later resumed writing full time

and also returned to TV, the BBC reported. Ebert, known for his thumbs-up or down

reviews on a TV programme with partner and friend Gene Siskel, became a film critic for

the Chicago Sun-Times in 1967 and later became the first person to win the Pulitzer Prize

for criticism. His columns were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers worldwide.

S Gopalakrishnan elected as the President of CII

S. Gopalakrishnan, The co-founder and Executive Co-Chairman of Infosys, on 5th April

2013 was elected as the President of the industry body Confederation of Indian

Industry (CII) for the year 2013-14. He is succeeding Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej

Group. The Padma Bhushan recipient, was voted in recent times as the top CEO (IT

services category) in Institutional Investor's inaugural ranking of Asia's Top Executives, and

was selected as one of the winners of the second Asian Corporate Director Recognition

Awards by Corporate Governance Asia.

Bratindra Nath Mukherjee, the renowned historian died

The renowned historian and an epigraphy expert, Padma Shri Professor Bratindra

Nath Mukherjee (79) passed away at his residence in Kolkata on 4th April 2013. He

deciphered several ancient scripts, authored more than 50 books and wrote about 700


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articles in different national and international journals. Few of his famous books were

Greek and Aramaic Edicts of Ashoka, Rise of Kushan Empire and a book on coins of the

country named Indian Gold. He served as the Professor in the Department of Ancient

Indian History and Culture, University of Calcutta.

Abhilash became the first to circumnavigate the globe solo

Lt. Commander Abhilash Tomy of Indian Navy, on 6 April 2013 became the first

Indian to circumnavigate the globe, solo and non-stop, in a sail boat over a 150-

day voyage. The voyage ended at the Gateway of India, Mumbai. He started his voyage

across the oceans of the world from the same place from in his boat INSV Mhadei on 1 st

November 2012. The Voyage was conducted under the Sagar Parikrama Project,

which was sanctioned by Pranab Mukherjee, when he was the Defence Minister of India.

With this achievement Tony turned up to be the first Indian and second Asian to completesuch a voyage.

Krishnakumar Natarajan appointed as the Chairman of NASSCOM

K Natarajan, CEO and Director of Mindtree on 8th April 2013, was appointed as the

Chairman of Nasscom for the year 2013-14. He succeeded N. Chandrasekaran, MD and

CEO of TCS, who was the Chairman for the year 2012-13. R. Chandrasekaran, Cognizant

Group Chief Executive (Technology & Operations) was appointed as the Vice Chairman of

the Executive Council. NASSCOM Foundation is a non-profit organization that represents

the Indian IT BPO industry and it played a leading role in developing the Indian IT-BPO

industry to reach mark of 100 billion dollar industry.

Robert Edwards, test tube baby founder died

Robert Edwards (87), The British Nobel Laureate who pioneered the development

of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF ) that led to the birth of the worlds first test tube

baby , died in London, on 9th

April, after a long illness. Sir Robert, who founded theworlds first IVF clinic at Bourn Hall in Cambridge in 1980 and developed IVF with Dr.

Patrick Steptoe, started work on fertilization in the 1950s. He was awarded the Nobel

Prize in physiology or medicine in 2010 and Knighted a year later in recognition of his

contribution to science. The first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in July 1978 at

Oldham General Hospital.


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Anil Goswamy appointed as Home Secretary

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Anil

Goswami, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment as Home Secretary,

Ministry of Home Affairs for a period of two years from the date of taking over the charge of

Home Secretary.

P.J. Kurien elected as the Chairman of the AFPPD

P.J. Kurien, Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, on 11 April 2013 was unanimously

elected as the Chairman of the prestigious Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on

Population and Development (AFPPD) during the 73rd Executive Committee Meeting of

AFPPD at Bangkok. He replaced Yasuo Fukuda, former Prime Minister of Japan as the

Chairman of AFPPD. P.J. Kurien at present is also the Chairman of the Indian Association of

Parliamentarians on Population and Development.

AFPPD was established in 1981 as a regional non-governmental organization to

serve as a coordinating body of twenty five National Committees of Parliamentarians on

Population and Development. It seeks to generate cooperation and support among the

Asian Parliamentarians in different areas like population and Development.

The person behind on oral vaccination for polio died

Dr. Hilary Koprowski (96), A Polish researcher who developed the first successful

oral vaccination for polio died on 11th April 2013 in Philadelphia. Koprowski developed

an oral vaccine using the live polio virus that was first used on humans in 1950. Hilary

Koprowski remained the President of Biotechnology Foundation Laboratories., Inc. as well

as the Head of the Center for Neuro-virology at Thomas Jefferson University. In 1997, he

won the Legion d'Honneur from the French government. In 1998, he won the Grand Cross

of the Order of Merit of Poland.

Indias top takeover specialist, R.P. Goenka died

Rama Prasad Goenka (83), one of the countrys biggest industrialists and the

architect of RPG Enterprises, died at his Kolkata residence on 14 April. Known as

Indias top takeover specialist, Goenka, had served as a Rajya Sabha member, was

once president of FICCI and chairman of IIT-Kharagpur Board of Governors. He was twice

awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure by Japans Emperor. He established RPG

Enterprises in 1979, largely with inherited companies like Phillips Carbon Black, Asian

Cables, Agarpara Jute Mill and Murphy India. He took up Ceat Tyres of India in 1981, then


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KEC in 1982, Searle India (now RPG Life Sciences) in 1983, Dunlop in 1984 and

Gramophone Company of India (now Saregama India) in 1986. In 1989, Goenka took

control of four new companies CESC, Harrisons Malayalam, Spencer & Co and ICIM. His

last major acquisition was Calcutta Electric Supply Corp. in 1989, which has since been

renamed CESC.

J.S. Verma passed away on 22April

Justice J.S. Verma (80), the former Chief Justice of India, died on 22 April 2013 in New

Delhi after multiple organ failure. He sworn as the 27th Chief Justice of

India on 25th March 1997 and retired on 18 January 1998. Justice Verma

chaired the committee that was constituted by the Government to frame

a tougher law to combat crime against women, in the wake of the 16th

December 2012 Delhi gang rape incident in the moving bus. He served asthe Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. He served as

the first Chairperson of the News Broadcasters Standards Authority.

Renowned violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman no more

Lalgudi Jayaraman (82), renowned violinist and composer, died in Chennai on 22nd April

2013 due to illness. He is known for introduction of new concepts of musical ensembles

using veena, flute and violin in 1960s. He was also awarded Padma Bhushan in 2001. In

1963, he earned the title ofNada Vidya Tilaka by the Music Lovers Association of Lalgudi.

He was conferred the Padma Shri in 1972. In 1994, he received the honorary citizenship of

Maryland, US. He won National Film Award for Best Music Direction for film titled Sringaram

in 2006. In the year 2010, he became the fellow of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Legendary singer Shamshad Begum died on 23 April

Shamshad Begum (94), legendary singer, died on 23rd April 2013 in Mumbai due to

illness. She was one of the first few playback singers of the Hindi film industry. Some of her

popular Hindi songs include Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar, Kajra Mohabbat Wala and Mere Piya

Gaye Rangoon. Shamshad Begum started her singing career in early thirties. She sang in

various languages such as Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali apart from Hindi in

multi-lingual song Ye Duniya Roop Ki Chor. In 2009, she was conferred with the third-

highest civilian honour of India, Padma Bhushan.


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N. Ravi elected as the president of Editors Guild of India

N. Ravi, the Director of Kasturi and Sons Limited as well as the former Editor of The Hindu

was unanimously elected as the president of Editors Guild of India on 23rd April 2013 at the

annual general meeting of the Guild in New Delhi. He succeeded T.N. Ninan, the chairman

and editorial director of Business Standard. He will be serving two year term as the

President of the Guild. Editors Guild of India is the organization of the editors of various

magazines and newspapers of India.

Takehiko Nakao appointed as President of ADB

Takehiko Nakao (57), on 27 April 2013 was appointed as the President of the Asian

Development Bank (ADB) by the Board of Governors at New Delhi. He succeeded Haruhiko

Kuroda, who resigned from his office in March 2013 to take up an assignment as the

Governor of the Bank of Japan. Nakao is the former Vice Minister of Finance for

International Affairs of Japan. He is the ninth President and had assumed the charge of his

office on 28 April 2013.

Journalist and feminist Mary Thom, Passed away

68 Years old American Journalist and feminist Mary Thom, had passed away on 29

April 2013 in a motorcycle accident in Yonkers in the state of New York. She was a former

editor of Ms. Magazine. She devoted her career to giving voice to women's rights issues in

books, magazine columns and through her work within the women's movement.

May

Satheesh Reddy appointed as Director of RCI

G. Satheesh Reddy, a navigation scientist, has been appointed Director, Research

Centre Imarat (RCI), a premier missile laboratory of the Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO). He took charge on 1st

May. Mr. Reddy, who did his

B.Tech (ECE) from JNTU, Anantapur and M.S. in Electronics and Communication

Engineering from JNTU Hyderabad, joined DRDO in July 1986 and has been serving RCI

right from its inception. He has been conferred with many awards for his innovative efforts,

including Young Scientist Award, AGNI award for excellence in self reliance, DRDO Scientist

of Year Award in 2010 and FAPCCIs Outstanding Engineer Award for 2011. He was

conferred the DRDO Performance Excellence Award twice for his contribution towards

success of BrahMos and Dhanush missions.


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P. K. Mohanthy appointed as CS of Andhra Pradesh

Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, an IAS officer of the 1979 batch on

1st May 2013 was appointed as Chief Secretary of Andhra

Pradesh government. He succeeded Minnie Mathew who retired on

1st May 2013 after completing a three-month extension. Prasana

Mohanty obtained his Masters and doctorate degrees from Boston

University and completed his post-doctorate work in Finance Policy

and Urban Affairs from the Harvard. Prasana Kumar Mohanty has

worked in various capacities in different parts of the State. He was the collector of Guntur,

Commissioner of Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, and Commissioner and Special

Officer of (erstwhile) Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad. He had also won the Prime

Ministers Award for best civic services and it was during his tenure from 1999 to 2001 that

Hyderabad got a facelift as it emerged a metropolis.

Sheikh Salman bin is new president of AFC

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al Khalifa was elected as the new president of Asian

Football Confederation on 2nd May 2013. He replaced Mohamed Bin Hammam. Bahraini

Sheikh Salman won 33 votes out of 46 in Malaysia to beat his rival Yousuf Al Serkal of the

United Arab Emirates as well as Worawi Makudi of Thailand. Sheikh Salman claimed the

vacant seat on executive committee of FIFA as well, which was held by Bin Hammam. On

this seat, Sheikh Salman defeated Qatar World Cup organizing Chief Hassan Al Thawadi. It

is important to note that Bin Hammam was given a lifetime ban in 2011 by FIFA on the

basis of allegations that he tried to buy the votes.

Sheikh Salman elected as the new president of AFC

Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa was elected as the new president of Asian

Football Confederation on 2nd May 2013. He replaced Mohamed Bin Hammam. Bahraini

Sheikh Salman won 33 votes out of 46 in Malaysia to beat his rival Yousuf Al Serkal of theUnited Arab Emirates as well as Worawi Makudi of Thailand. Sheikh Salman claimed the

vacant seat on executive committee of FIFA as well, which was held by Bin Hammam. On

this seat, Sheikh Salman defeated Qatar World Cup organising chief Hassan Al Thawadi. It

is important to note that Bin Hammam was given a lifetime ban in 2011 by FIFA on the

basis of allegations that he tried to buy the votes. He eventually retired from football in July

2012 after his suspension was annulled.


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Sarabjit Singh died at Lahore's Jinnah Hospital

Sarabjit Singh (49), The Indian national and a death row prisoner in the Lahores Kot

Lakhpat Jail died on 2 May 2013 at the Lahore's Jinnah Hospital in Pakistan. He was on the

life-support system since 26 April 2013 after being attacked by the inmates in the jail.

Sarabjit Singh is an Indian national who was born in Bhikhiwind Province

of Punjab and had spent 23 years in Pakistani jail, after being convicted

of involvement in the serial bomb blasts of 1990 in Lahore and

Faisalabad that killed 14 people. He was arrested from Kasur Border for

illegal crossing the border in Pakistan in August 1990. In May 2012, his

fifth mercy petition was dismissed.

Sunil Chopra elected as the Deputy Mayor of a London Borough

Sunil Chopra, A leading NRI in the UK has been elected as the Deputy Mayor of a

London Borough. Councilor Sunil Chopra got elected as the Deputy Mayor of Southwark

for 2013-14. Delhi-born Chopra, General Secretary of the Indian Overseas Congress,

London, is the first and only Indian-origin elected councilor in London Borough of

Southwark Council, which has only 1.5 per cent Indian-origin people.

Staffan de Mistura, a Special Envoy to India on Marines Issue

Italy appointed Staffan de Mistura the Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy as the Special Envoy

to India on Marines Issue. The Prime Minister of Italy Enrico Letta did his appointment to

the post. Staffan de Mistura's appointment as the special envoy was done to work out for a

fair outcome of the case against the two Italian Marines facing trial for killing two Indian

fishermen on the coast of Kerela in February 2012. He has been a frequent visitor to India

from the Italian side, since the two marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were

arrested in the case.

Veteran journalist Profulla Borua died in Guwahati

Profulla Borua (75), the veteran journalist died in Guwahati, Assam after prolonged

illness on 6th May 2013. Profulla Borua severed as Editor for quite a few prominent

Assamese newspapers. From 1969 to 1986, he was the editor of Janambhumi, the

prominent newspaper in North-Eastern India. He was also the editor of Dainik Asam from

1987 to 1995.


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Master of VFX & stop motion animation, Ray Harryhausen died

Ray Harryhausen (92), the master of visual effects and stop-motion animation,

died on 7th May 2013 in London, UK. Ray Harryhausens stop-motion animation films such

as Clash of the Titans, and Jason and the Argonauts were his outstanding achievements. He

was an inspiration for various film directors such as James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and

Peter Jackson of the Lord of the Rings. In 1992, he received special Oscar for his work with

special effects in days just before computer-generated imagery. He was inducted in the

Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2005. He won the annual British Fantasy Society Wagner

Award in 2008 for the lifetime contribution to animation. In 2003, he was honored with star

on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Roberto Azevedo named as the Head of the WTO

Roberto Azevedo of Brazil was named as the Head of the World Trade Organisation

on 8th May 2013. He will take charge of his office from Pascal Lamy of France in the

Geneva-based Body in September 2013. Azevedo is the first Latin American to be

appointed as the head of the WTO since it was created in 1995. The process of electing the

WTO Head took a period of about six months.

WTO was established with the signing of the Marrakesh Agreement/ Marrakesh

Declaration at Marrakesh, Morrocco in 1994. WTO came up as a replacement of the General

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which was overseeing the rules of commerce since1948. GATT covered only the trade of goods, whereas WTO deals with trade of inventions,

designs and services too.

The dhrupad vocalist Ustad Zia Fariduddin passed away

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Daga, the dhrupad vocalist passed away on 8 May 2013

following brief illness at his Gurukul near Panvel. He was 80 years of age. Drupad is the

oldest existing north Indian classical music form. Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar was born in

Udaipur, Rajasthan on 15 June 1932. He was also the court musician of Maharana Bhupal

Singh of Udaipur. He played a prominent role in reviving the dhrupad tradition in the 20th

century along with his brother late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, the legendary rudra veena

player. Ustad Fariduddin won various prestigious honours and awards such as Tagore

Award, Tansen Samman and Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship. He was also conferred

upon with the Padma Shri India's fourth highest civilian honor in 2012, but he turned it

down.


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Sanaullah Ranjay, who was attacked by a jail inmate died

Sanaullah Ranjay, the Pakistani prisoner who was attacked by a jail inmate in Kot

Bhalwal jail in Jammu died due to multi-organ failure at the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh

on 9 May, 2013. Sanaullah was attacked by a fellow inmate, who was a former Indian army

soldier on 3 May 2013 after the death of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian Prisoner in Jinnah

Hospital, Lahore after he was attacked by his jail inmates in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Pakistan.

Sanaullah was in prison for the past 17 years on militancy related charges. He was a

resident of Sialkot, Pakistan, and was serving a life term in India after being convicted

under the TADA provisions. He was arrested in 1999.

Noted Islamic scholar Asghar Ali died

Asghar Ali Engineer (73), Noted Islamic scholar passed away on 14th May 2013 after

a prolonged illness in Mumbai. From 1980, he edited the journal named the Islamic

Perspective and during 1980s he published a series of books on Islam and communal

violence in India. His books were based on his investigations in the post independent

India. The USA International Student Assembly and the USA Indian Student Assembly

honoured him with Distinguished Service Award in 1987. For communal harmony, he

received Dalmia Award in 1990. He was the Chairman of the Centre for Study of Society

and Secularism (CSSS) founded in 1993 after the 1992 Babri Mosque destruction. He edited

Indian Journal of Secularism. He had received the National Communal Harmony

Award in 1997. He won the USA Award from the Association for Communal Harmony in

Asia in 2003.

Mittu Chandilya named as the CEO of Air Asias Indian operations

The Chennai-born Mittu Chandilya named as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ofAir

Asias Indian operations on 15th May. Air Asia India (Private) Ltd., a joint venture

between Air Asia, Tata Sons and Telstra, will start a low cost airline in India by the year-

end with Chennai as its hub. Mr. Chandilya had assumed office on June 1, 2013.

Kushal Singh appointed as the Chairperson of NCPCR

The Ministry of Women and Child Development appointed Kushal Singh as the

Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) in New

Delhi on May 29. She was selected by the Committee that was headed by Krishna Tirath,

Minister of Women and Child Development. Kushal Singh held various high level posts in

the Central Government as well as the Government of Rajasthan. She was the Chief

Secretary of the Government of Rajasthan.


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Laxman Singh Rathore elected as the Member of WMO

Laxman Singh Rathore, the Director General of Meteorology and Permanent

Representative of India with World Meteorological Organization (WMO), was elected as the

Member of Executive Council of WMO during the 65th Executive Council of WMO

meeting, which is ongoing at Geneva. He had served a term as the Vice President of

Commission of Agriculture Meteorology of WMO and was also elected to serve the Executive

Council in an individual capacity. The council includes 37 Heads /Directors /Director

Generals of National Meteorological Services and also the President and three Vice-

Presidents who are elected by Congress.

Nirbhay Sharma, the new Governor of Arunachal Pradesh

Nirbhay Sharma, on 16 May 2013 appointed as governor of Arunachal Pradesh as

the term of present incumbent Gen (Retd.) J.J. Singh ended in January 2013. He served

eight tenures in Jammu and Kashmir and the north east in various command assignments

beside holding important assignments in Military Operations, Planning, Crisis Management,

Material Management and UN Peace Keeping Missions. He was heading the Army division

when the Uri Muzaffarabad road was opened and his men were involved in the

construction of 'Aman Setu', a bridge connecting the two sides of Kashmir. He was also a

part of the Airborne Assault Group, the first Indian Army Unit to enter Dacca (Dhaka)

during 1971 war.

Youngest Arab to make it to the top of Everest

Raha Moharrak became the first Saudi woman and also the youngest Arab to make

it to the top of Everest. She is 25 years old. She was part of a four person expedition

which comprises the first Qatari man and the first Palestinian man as well who are

attempting to reach the summit. The expedition is trying to raise fund for education

projects in Nepal. Moharrak is a university graduate currently based in Dubai and hails from

Jeddah.

Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta is new CJ of AP High Court

Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta of the Uttarakhand High Court has been appointed Chief

Justice of the AP High Court. Following assent from President Pranab Mukherjee, the Centre

on 17th May notified the new CJ's appointment. Born and brought up in Kolkata, Justice

Sengupta started his legal career as a lawyer in April 1981 and practised civil, criminal and

constitutional matters at the Calcutta High Court. He was appointed permanent judge in the

same court in 1997.


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Samina Baig, first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest

Samina Baig became the first Pakistani woman to scale Mount Everest. She did this

along with Nunshi and Tashi Malik, the first Indian twin sisters to scale the Everest on 19

May 2013. After reaching to the top of Everest, all three women hoisted Indian and

Pakistani flags along side, depicting a message of collaborative action, friendship and

peace. The Nepal Mountaineering Department officials confirmed the feat, while at the

same time, also explaining that 35 foreigners along with 29 Nepalese Sherpa guides scaled

the Everest after climbing from highest camp on South Col, which is the pass between Mt.

Everest and another neighbouring mountain.

Nunshi and Tashi Malik, first twins to scale Mount Everest

Nunshi and Tashi Malik---- Two 21-year old Indians from Dehrahdun became first

twins to scale Mount Everest on 19 May 2013. They were among 135 other people, who

reached the top of the Mount Everest, which is the highest mountain of the world at 8,848

metre above sea level. It is interesting to note that these twins reached the top of Mount

Everest with two sherpas, who were also twins.

Arunima Sinha, the first Indian amputee to conquer Mount Everest

Arunima (25) became the first Indian amputee to conquer Mount Everest on 21st

May 2013. Arunima is former national level volleyball player who had lost one of her legs

after being thrown off a moving train of Padmawati Express for resisting a chain snatching

attempt by some criminals in her travel from Lucknow to Delhi on 12 April 2011. She scaled

the 8848 metre high summit of the worlds highest peak at 10.55 a.m. as IST on 21 May

2013.

Shashi Kant Sharma, to be the new CAG of India

The President of Indian Union, Pranab Mukherjee on 21 May 2013 appointed Shashi Kant

Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. Shashi Kant

Sharma succeeded Vinod Rai who superannuated on 21st May 2013 after completing tenure

of five and half years as the Head of the Constitutional Financial body. He is the IAS officer

of 1976 Bihar Cadre holding the post of Defence Secretary in the Ministry of Defense,

Government of India at present.


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Oldest man to climb the highest mountain

Yuichiro Miura, the 80-year old mountaineer from Japan reached Mount Everests

summit on 23rd May 2013, creating the world record of the oldest man to climb the

highest mountain peak of the world. Yuichiro Miura climbed the Everest at the age of

70 and 75 as well. As the oldest man to climb Mount Everest, he replaced Nepal's Min

Bahadur Sherchan who climbed the Everest at the age of 76 years in 2008.

T M Soundararajan died in chennai

Tamil playback singer T. M. Soundararajan (91), passed away at his residence in

Chennai on 25th May 2013 after a brief illness. He had been awarded various honours

including the Padmashri and the state governments Kalaimani. He hailed from Madurai. He

was a playback singer for nearly four decades in Tamil cinema. He almost sang for all the

leading actors. He had rendered over 5000 cinema and devotional songs.

Rituparno Ghosh, Noted filmmaker died in Kolkata

Rituparno Ghosh, noted filmmaker passed away on 29th Maydue cardiac arrest at his

south Kolkata residence. He was 49. Winner of 12 national and some international awards,

Ghosh was suffering from pancreatitis and died of heart attack at 7.30 am, his family said.

Ghosh shot to fame by his direction of a children's film 'Hirer Angti' in 1994. His film 'Unishe

April' won national award in 1995. His other widely acclaimed films include 'Dahan', 'Asukh',

'Chokher Bali', 'Raincoat', 'Bariwali', 'Antarmahal' and 'Noukadubi'.

Scripps National Spelling Bee is Arvind Mahankali

Indian American Arvind Mahankali, triumphed in the

Scripps National Spelling Bee on 30th May. The 13 year old from

Bayside Hills, New York, correctly spelled 'knaidel,' the word for a

small mass of leavened dough, to win the 86th Scripps National

Spelling Bee on Thursday night. The bee tested brain power,

composure and, for the first time, knowledge of vocabulary. Arvind

finished in third place in both 2011 and 2012, and both times, he was eliminated on

German derived words. This time, he got one German word in the finals, and the winning

word was from German derived Yiddish, eliciting groans and laughter from the crowd. He

spelled both with ease.Arvind is the sixth consecutive Indian-American winner and the 11thin the past 15 years, a run that began in 1999 when Nupur Lala captured the title in 1999

and was later featured in the documentary Spellbound.'' Arvind's family is from Hyderabad

in southern India.


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Avinash Chander appointed as the new Director General of DRDO

The man behind Indias 5,000-km range Agni missile and its smaller range

variants, Avinash Chander was appointed as the new Director General of Defense

Research and Development Organization (DRDO) on 31st May. As a director of

Advanced System Laboratory in Hyderabad and project director of Agni in past, he was the

chief controller in charge of missiles and strategic systems at DRDO headquarters before

taking over as the DRDO chief from V. K. Saraswat, who spearheaded the surface to

surface Prithvi missile programme. Chander has successfully delivered three long range

weapon systems in the Agni series, which are under various stages of induction in the

armed forces.

S.K. Roy appointed as the chairman of LIC

The current Managing Director of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), S.K.

Roy has been elevated as the organization by the government. Mr. Roy would be

succeeding D.K. Mehrotra, whose term as LIC Chief ended on May 31st. Roy would be at

the helm of the insurance behemoth for a period of five years. Roy joined the largest

insurance company in the country in 1981. On May 31, 2013, he assumed charge as

managing director of LIC along with Thomas Mathew and Sarkar. LIC, which manages

assets worth around Rs14-lakhcrore of over 20 crore policyholders, has the

largest market share among 24 players in the industry.

June

Sudha Sharma appointed as the new Chairperson of CBDT

Sudha Sharma, a 1976 batch IRS Officer, has been appointed the new Chairperson

of the Central Board of Direct Taxes on June 2nd. She took over as Poonam Kishore

Saxena who retired on 31st May. Sudha Sharma was serving as member (legislation and

computerization) in CBDT. The CBDT is a part of Department of Revenue in the Ministry ofFinance. The Central Board of Direct Taxes is a statutory authority functioning under the

Central Board of Revenue Act, 1963.

T. Venkataratnam is new chairperson of AP womens Commission

The Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy reconstituted A.P Women's Commission

by appointing Dr. Tripurana Venkataratnam as Chairperson with six other

members on 3rd June. The other members are Paruchuri Jamuna, Dr. Sunita Krishnan,

Thoti Malleswari, Mukala Kasturi and L. Feroz Begum. The Scheduled Tribe category


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member would be nominated separately and orders to this effect will be issued soon. Dr

Tripurana Venkata Ratnam is a doctorate and LL.B. from Srikakulam District. She was an

MLA from TDP during 1983 from Cheepurupalli and Minister in the cabinet of Sri N. Bhaskar

Rao. She is also a noted social worker and activist.

Ayaz Sadiq, the new Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan

Leader of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Ayaz Sadiq was elected as the

Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan on 3rd June. He won with 258 votes out

of 313 votes which were cast in the election of a Speaker in lower house of the Parliament

of Pakistan. The strength of National Assembly of Pakistan is 342. His opponents,

Shaheryar Afridi of the Pakistan TehrikeInsaf and S.A. Iqbal Qadri of the Muttahida

Qaumi Movement got just 31 and 23 votes respectively.

Susan Elizabeth appointed as security adviser to Obama

Susan Elizabeth Rice, the American ambassador to the United Nations was

appointed as the National Security Adviser of US President Barack Obama on 5th

June 2013. She replaced Tom Donilon. She is said to be the first Jamaican-American

woman to hold the office of UN ambassador. She was the Principal and Managing Director

at Intellibridge from 2001 to 2002. Susan Elizabeth Rice received one of the Glamour

Magazine Women of the Year Awards in the year 2009.

K.R. Kamath re-elected as chairman of IBA

The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) announced on 6th June 2013 that K. R. Kamath, the

chairman and managing director of Punjab National Bank (PNB) was re-elected as the

Chairman of IBA for 2013-14 tenure. At the 66th annual general meeting, IBA also elected

Aditya Puri, managing director and CEO of HDFC Bank, as its Deputy Chairman. Along with

this, the Chairman of State Bank of India (SBI), Pratip Chaudhuri was elected as the

Honorary Secretary.

Indian Banks' Association (IBA), which based in Mumbai is an association of Indian

banks and financial institutions. The objective of the association is strengthening,

development and coordination of the Indian banking. It also facilitates various member

banks.

Virginius Xaxa inducted in to NAC

After the exit of Aruna Roy, on 6 June, the Government of India has reconstituted

the National Advisory Council by inducting renowned sociologist Virginius Xaxa


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into the 12 member panel chaired by Sonia Gandhi. The term of the panel, which

has been giving legislative and policy inputs to the government ranging from the seminal

rural jobs scheme to the latest food security bill, has been made coterminus with the term

of the present government. Xaxa, the new member of the Council, has written extensively

on tribal communities of the country and is a Professor at the Tata Institute of Social

Sciences, Guwahati.

Lydia became the first woman elected to the FIFA EC

Lydia Nsekera became the first woman elected to the FIFA executive

Committee after winning a vote on 7th June in Mauritius. The 46 year old head of the

Burundi Football Association outlasted Australias Moya Dodd and Sonia Bien-Aime, of Turks

and Caicos. The FIFA executive board contains 24 members from across the world headed

by President Sepp Blatter. FIFA co-opted Nsekera into the executive committee last year,also a first.

Satya Pal Dange passed away in Amritsar

Veteran CPI leader Satya Pal Dang (92) passed away in Amritsar on 15 June 2013.

Satya Pal Dang was born in 1920 in Gujranwala in Pakistan and had married to Vimla,

another CPI leader, in 1952. Vimla died in 2009. The couple was known for their courage in

raising their voices against terrorism in Punjab. Satya Pal Dang had contested his first

Vidhan Sabha election in 1966-67 from Amritsar west constituency. He won that election

after defeating then CM Gurmukh Singh Musafir.

Amol Rajan appointed as editor of The Independent

Indian-born Amol Rajan has been appointed editor of the London morning daily

The Independent, making him Fleet Street's first non-white editor, the newspaper

reported on 17th June. Rajan, 29, was previously the daily's comment editor. Rajan, who

was born in Calcutta, as Kolkata was then called, moved to Britain when he was three and

studied at a state school.

V.K. Duggal appointed as nodal officer for relief in Uttarakhand

V.K. Duggal, the former Union Home Secretary was appointed as the nodal officer

for relief and rescue operations in the rain ravaged Uttrakhand by the Union

Government on 21 June 2013. Duggal will operate from Dehradun. He will help in

establishing coordination between different agencies involved in relief and rescue

operations and the centre, as lack of coordination between the agencies was hampering the


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mitigation efforts. He served as Indian Union Home Secretary from March 2005 to April

2007.

Kanji Ram, only the second Hindu in Pakistans Punjab assembly

Kanji Ram became only the second Hindu to be part of the Pakistans Punjab

assembly after Seth Bharta Ram who was elected a lawmaker in 1997. Kanji Ram took

oath on 17th June 2013. Moreover, Saradar Ramesh Singh Arora on June 1st, 2013

became the first ever Sikh to be elected as the member of the House since

Pakistans creation in 1947. Ram and Sikh representative Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora were

both nominated by the PML-N to seats in the Punjab Assembly reserved for non-Muslims.

James Comey nominated as FBI Director

Barack Obama, the US President on 21 June 2013 nominated James Comey (52)

as the next FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Director. James Comey is a

registered Republican and former Justice Department official under President George W.

Bush. He was the United States Deputy Attorney General, serving in President George W.

Bush's administration from December 2003 to August 2005. Comey would succeed Robert

Mueller, who held the post of FBI Director since 2001 and will retire after completing 12

years of his service to FBI as its Director.

Joneja became the youngest Indian to scale the Everest

Raghav Joneja became the youngest Indian to scale the Mount Everest on 21st

May 2013 when he along with his five schoolmates climbed the fifth highest peak in the

world. Climbing at the age of 15 years and seven months Raghav Joneja broke the record

set by Nameirakpam Chingkheinganba of Manipur, who climbed the Everest at the age 16

years seven months and 11 days.

New CJI of India, P. Sathasivam

Justice P. Sathasivam, on 29th June 2013, was appointed as the

next Chief Justice of India (CJI) after he justified the Collegiums

System of Appointment of Judges. The 64 year old Sathasivam

succeeded the incumbent Chief Justice of India, Altamas Kabir, who

superannuated on 18th July 2013 from his office. He is the 40th CJI and

his appointment to the post has been approved by Pranab Mukherjee,

the President of India. He will serve the nation till his 26th April 2014 He was born on 27th

April 1949 and enrolled as an advocate on 25th

July 1973 at Madras.


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k hi d ti

Anil Goswami took over as Union Home Secretary

Anil Goswmitook over as Union Home Secretary on 30th June. He succeeds Raj Kumar

Singh who retired from Government service. Anil Goswami is an IAS officer of 1978 batch

and belongs to the Jammu and Kashmir Cadre. Before joining MHA as Officer on Special

Duty (OSD) on April 27, 2013, Goswami was Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and

Empowerment. He has served in his Cadre and at the Centre in various capacities including

Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

Krishna Chaudhary appointed as Director General of NDRF & CD

Krishna Chaudhary, IPS, has been appointed as Director General, National Disaster

Response Force and Civil Defence (NDRF&CD). He assumed charge of the post with

formal superannuation on June 30, 2017.

current affairs from january to june 2013 persons

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