Current Affairs Mar 2018 - Appointments
1 - Journalist Rahul Mahajan appointed as Rajya Sabha TV Editor-In-Chief
A selection committee headed by Prasar Bharti Chairman A Surya Prakash and Vice-President of India M Venkaiah Naidu appointed veteran television journalist Rahul Mahajan as editor-in-chief of the television channel Rajya Sabha TV. Rahul Mahajan is a well-known journalist with experience of more than 12 years in the media industry. He has worked with various channels such as Jansatta, Zee News, AjTak, Star News, News 24 and Bhaskar News.
Rajya Sabha TV is owned and operated by the Upper House of Indian Parliament that covers the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha.
2 - Ajay Rastogi sworn in as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court
Former Rajasthan High Court judge Justice Ajay Rastogi was sworn-in as the Chief Justice of Tripura High Court. Governor Tathagata Roy administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Chief Justice in presence of dignitaries following the retirement of Justice T. Vaiphei. He was appointed in the place of T Vaiphei who served in the post since 2016.
Tripura is a hilly state in northeast India, bordered on 3 sides by Bangladesh.
3 - Air Marshal RKS Shera took over as Air Officer-in-Charge Maintenance at Air Headquarters
Air Marshal RKS Shera AVSM VSM took over as Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance of Indian Air Force. He was commissioned in the Aeronautical Engineering Electronics Branch of Indian Air Force. He has been trained in Russia on MIG-29 aircraft at the time of fleet induction in 1986.
The Air Officer was Senior Maintenance Staff Officer at HQ Maintenance Command before taking over as Air Officer-in-charge Maintenance at Air HQ. During his career of 37 years, the officer has held several important commands that include Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Engg A), SMSO HQ WAC and Station Commander TETTRA School.
4 - Gina Haspel appointed as the first female CIA Director
US President Donald Trump has appointed Gina Haspel as the new Director of CIA. She, thus, became the first female director of CIA. She took over Mike Pompeo who was appointed as the Secretary of State.
Haspel joined the CIA in 1985 and is a career spymaster. She reportedly ran the CIA's first overseas detention site in Thailand. Haspel has received several prestigious awards, including the George H. W. Bush Award for excellence in counterterrorism, the Donovan Award, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal and the Presidential Rank Award.
5 - Larry Kudlow appointed as Chief Economic Advisor to President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump has appointed Larry Kudlow as the new Chief Economic Advisor. He would replace Gary Cohen as director of the National Economic Council (NEC).
Kudlow served in the Regan administration when he helped to craft the economic policy. Kudlow worked for decades in the financial sector, rising to become the chief economist at Bear Stearns. The National Economic Council director advises the US president on economic issues and works to implement policy goals.
6 - Yi Gang appointed as the new Governor of People’s Bank of China
China has appointed Yi Gang as the Governor of its central bank, People’s Bank of China. Mr Yi has been the deputy governor of the bank since 2008. Mr Yi will replace incumbent governor Zhou Xiaochuan. The Chinese government appointed Liu He as a vice premier of the central bank.
Mr Yi earned a business degree at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Illinois.
7 - Government nominated Professor J S Rajput as India’s Representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO
The Government of India has nominated Professor J S Rajput, former Director NCERT, as India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO. Professor J S Rajput is an eminent educationist with rich experience in various fields including UNESCO.
The EXB has a four-year term of office and 58 seats. The executive board is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General Conference. The executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding budget estimates. In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies and programmes of UNESCO.
8 - Shekhar Kapur appointed as the Chairman of central panel of 65th NFA
Veteran director Shekhar Kapur has been appointed as Chairman of the central panel of the 65th National Film Awards. Mr Kapur is known for his work in Hindi cinema and International cinema.
The central panel comprises a Chairperson and 10 other members, including five regional chairpersons who head the respective regional panels. Film writer Imtiaz Hussain will be the regional Chairperson of South 1- panel. Imtiaz Hussain, Mehboob, Gautami Tadimalla, Rahul Rawail and P Sheshadri are the regional Chairpersons for South 1- panel, South -2 panel, North panel, Western panel and Eastern panel respectively.
9 - Lt Gen Harpal Singh appointed as Director General Border Roads
Lt Gen Harpal Singh is appointed as Director General Border Roads (DGBR). He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He has been the Chief Engineer of Project Dantak (BRO) at Bhutan, Chief Engineer (Navy), Mumbai and Chief Engineer HQ Eastern Command. The General is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the Higher Command and National Defence College courses.
During his 34 years of distinguished career, the General Officer has held several prestigious assignments to include Gde 2 at Army HQ, Gde 2 and Gde 1 at Comd HQ, DDG DV at Army HQ and Dy MS at Central Command.
10 - Indu Bhushan appointed the CEO of Ayushman Bharat mission
The government has appointed Indu Bhushan as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Mission (ABNHPM). He has been appointed in the post for a period of two years.
Mr Bhushan is currently the Director General of East Asia Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila, Philippines. Prior to his appointment to EARD, Bhushan was the Director General of the Strategy and Policy Department. He has been with the ADB since 1997.
11 - Former Karnataka High Court Judge Jawad Rahim appointed as acting Chairperson of NGT
The Supreme Court appointed Justice Jawad Rahim as the acting Chairman of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). He was currently a judicial Member of the NGT. He will replace Justice Swatanter Kumar, a former Supreme Court judg, who retired in December 2017.
The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.
12 - Vijay Raghavan appointed as the Principal Scientific Advisor to Government
Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan has been appointed as the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India for a period of 3 years. He will succeed nuclear physicist R Chidambaram. Prior to his appointment, VijayRaghavan was the Secretary in the Department of Biotechnology.
The Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA), a post created by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999, is the topmost advisor to the government on all matters related to scientific policy. Vijay Raghavan is one of the most distinguished biologists of the country.
