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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.