April 2021 Persons in News

Sakshi Education

Who has been appointed as MD & CEO of NCDEX?
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved the appointment of Arun Raste as the new Managing Director and CEO of National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange Ltd (NCDEX) for five years.

He is currently Executive Director of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) as an Executive Director. Raste also serves as a director on the board at Indian Immunological Limited and Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt Ltd.

Earlier, he worked with IDFC First Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, NABARD, ACC Cement, and non-profit NGO IRFT. Raste did his bachelor's and master's in economics, and hold a post-graduate diploma in marketing management.

Earlier this month, NCDEX said that Vijay Kumar had bid adieu to the exchange following completion of his extended term as the Managing Director and CEO. NCDEX is a leading agricultural commodity exchange offering services across the entire post-harvest agricultural commodities value chain.

It brings buyers and sellers together through its electronic trading platform. Some of NCDEX's key investors include National Stock Exchange of India Ltd, Life Insurance Corporation of India, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd, Oman India Joint Investment Fund, Punjab National Bank, Canara Bank, Build India Capital Advisors LLP, and Investcorp Private Equity Fund I (earlier known as IDFC Private Equity Fund III).
India assured of 4 medals at Youth World Boxing Championships in Poland
In the World youth Boxing championships, four Indian women advanced into the semi-finals in Kielce, Poland. All the four boxers have secured at least a bronze medal for the country.

Asian champion Vinka blanked her Colombian opponent Camilo Camela 5-0 in the 60kg category, while the 2019 Asian junior champion Alfiya Pathan 81 also won by the same margin against Hungarian boxer Reka Hoffmann.

Playing in the 57kg category, Poonam notched up an easy 5-0 win against NazerkeSerik of Kazakhstan to progress to the semifinals.

Gitika 48kg dominated her opponent Romania's Elisabeth Ostan. However, another Indian woman in action Khushi 81kg lost her last-8 bout against BusraIsildar of Turkey.

In the men’s section, Manish (75kg) and Sumit (69kg) made their way into the quarter-finals in their respective categories with identical 5-0 victories against Jordan’s Abdallah Alaarag and Ladislav Horvath of Slovakia respectively in the pre-quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Akash Gorkha (60kg) and Vinit (81kg) couldn’t progress further as they suffered defeats in their respective last-16 bouts.
Deepak Punia settles for silver in 68kg at Asian Championships
World championships silver medallist Deepak Punia had to settle for silver medal in the Asian wrestling championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan yesterday.

Deepak, who has already secured a place in Olympics, lost 10-0 in two minutes 53 seconds to the world champion Hassan Yazdani in the 86kg freestyle final.

Sanjeet bagged bronze for India in the 92 kg category. He lost to Uzbekistan's Rustam Shodiev 8-11. India thus ended the Asian Championships with seven medals in the men’s freestyle event and an overall tally of five gold, three silver and six bronze medals.
Government appoints Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth on RBI board
The Reserve Bank on Monday said the government has appointed Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth on the central bank's board. Seth replaces Tarun Bajaj, who was appointed as Revenue Secretary earlier this month.

A 1987-batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, Seth assumed charge of the Department of Economic Affairs last week.

"The Central Government has nominated Ajay Seth, Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India as a Director on the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India vice Tarun Bajaj," the RBI said in a statement. The nomination of Seth is effective from April 24, 2021, and until further orders, it said.
Who has been appointed as ASICS brand ambassador?
Japanese sportswear brand, ASICS, on April 27th announced that it has appointed Ravindra Jadeja, the all-rounder of the Indian cricket team and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as its brand ambassador.

“Extremely proud and thrilled to be an ASICS ambassador. Looking forward to this journey together. I urge you all to stay safe and stay strong during these testing times. Stay indoors, wear a mask if you have to go out and regularly sanitize/wash your hands,” Jadeja captioned an image.

Rajat Khurana, managing director, ASICS India and South Asia, said that its partnership with Jadeja would further strengthen the company’s commitment, spread awareness about its diverse offerings, and magnify the reach of the brand during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) season.

Regarded as one of the best all-rounders in the world, Ravindra Jadeja has picked up over 425 wickets and scored over 4,000 runs in international cricket.

He first came into the limelight during the 2006 U/19 Cricket World Cup in Sri Lanka and was also the vice-captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup.
Who has been appointed as Finance Secretary?
Expenditure Secretary TV Somanathan has been designated as the Finance Secretary, a Personnel Ministry order issued on Wednesday said.

He is a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved designating Mr Somanathan, Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance as the Finance Secretary, the order said.

The senior-most officer among all the secretaries in the finance ministry is designated as the Finance Secretary.

Mr Somanathan's batchmate Debasish Panda is Secretary, Department of Financial Services.

TuhinKanta Pandey and Ajay Seth are secretaries, Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and Department of Economic Affairs, respectively.

Tarun Bajaj, a 1988-batch IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, is the Revenue Secretary.
Amitabh Chaudhry re-appointment as MD & CEO of Axis Bank
Private sector lender Axis Bank on Thursday said its board has approved the re-appointment of Amitabh Chaudhry as its Managing Director and CEO for three years with effect from January 1, 2022.

The appointment will be subject to the approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and shareholders of the bank, the filing added.

Chaudhry was appointed as Managing Director (MD) and CEO of Axis Bank for a period of three years, with effect from January 1, 2019 up to December 31, 2021.

Prior to joining Axis Bank, Chaudhry was MD and CEO of HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company.
Supreme Court judge Mohan M Shantanagoudar passed away at 62
Supreme Court judge Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar died on Saturday at a private hospital in Gurugram, reported Bar and Bench. He was 62.

Born on May 5, 1958, Shantanagoudar enrolled as an advocate in September 1980. He practised for one year at Dharwad in Karnataka, before shifting to Bengaluru.

On May 12, 2003, he was appointed as additional judge of the Karnataka High Court. Shantanagoudar was made a permanent judge on September 24, 2004.

He was later transferred to the Kerala High Court, where he assumed charge as the acting chief justice on August 1, 2016. Shantanagoudar was sworn in as the chief justice of Kerala High Court on September 22, 2016.

He was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court of India on February 17, 2017.

Members of the legal fraternity and many political leaders expressed their grief. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said that Shantanagoudar’s death was a big loss to the country. “May God give strength to his family members to bear this loss,” he tweeted. “May his soul rest in peace.”

Bharatiya Janata Party leader SA Ramadass said he was pained to hear about the judge’s death.
Former Attorney General, Padma Vibhushan awardee Soli Sorabjee passes away
Former Attorney General, veteran lawyer and Padma Vibhushan awardee Soli Sorabjee passed away this morning after getting infected with COVID-19.

Mr. Sorabjee held several offices in organizations of national and international repute during his long and noted career in the field of law. The 91 year old legal luminary is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons.
Who has been appointed as Chad’s interim president?
Chad's President IdrissDeby, who ruled his country for more than 30 years and was an important Western ally in the fight against Islamist militants in Africa, was killed on Monday in a battle against rebels in the north, authorities said.

His son, Mahamat IdrissDeby, was named interim president by a transitional council of military officers, army spokesman AzemBermendoaAgouna said on state television on Tuesday.

Deby, 68, took power in a rebellion in 1990 and was one of Africa's longest-ruling leaders, surviving numerous coup attempts and rebellions. His death, the exact cause of which was unclear, could deepen Chad's problems, as well as those of its allies.

On the domestic front, the military is divided and the opposition bridling against years of repressive rule.

Internationally, France and the United States will be hoping their counterterrorism efforts are not now pushed off course.

Deby's death was announced a day after he was declared winner of a presidential election that would have given him a sixth term in office. Most of the opposition boycotted the vote.
Who has been appointed as chairperson of NASSCOM?
IT industry body NASSCOM on Thursday elected Accenture India Chairperson and Senior Managing Director Rekha M Menon as its chairperson for 2021-22.

Menon is the first woman to take on the role of chairperson for the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in the industry body’s 30-year history.

She succeeds Infosys CEO UB Pravin Rao who served as NASSCOM Chairman for 2020-21. The IT industry body also named Krishnan Ramanujam, President and Head of Business & Technology Services, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) as its Vice-Chairperson for 2021-22.

In addition, NASSCOM announced its new Executive Council which comprises industry sectors like ER&D (Engineering and R&D), BPM (Business Process Management), IT Services, GCC (Global Capability Centres), SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and Startups. The new Executive council will play a strategic role in enabling India’s tech sector to take leadership on the global map through focused initiatives and programs.

The members of NASSCOM’s Executive Council include Chairperson Menon, Vice-Chairperson Ramanujam, Immediate past chairperson Rao, President Debjani Ghosh, Wipro Chairman Rishad Premji, Salesforce.com India CEO and Chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, Microsoft India President Anant Maheshwari, Intel India Country Head Nivruti Rai among others.
Who has been appointed as part-time chairman of HDFC Bank?
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved Atanu Chakraborty as the part-time chairman of HDFC Bank.

HDFC Bank, in a statement said, "A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bank will be convened in due course inter-alia to consider the appointment of Atanu Chakraborty as the Part Time Chairman and Additional Independent Director of the Bank."

The appointment is for a period of three years and follows the exit of previous chairperson, Shymala Gopinath in December last year.

Chakraborty is a 1985 batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre. He has a post-graduate diploma in business finance and an MBA from the UK.

Chakraborty served as the managing director and executive director of Gujarat State Petronet Limited from November 6, 2014, to April 11, 2016. He served in the districts of Vadodara and Sabarkantha, and was collector of Amreli.
CAG GC Murmu chosen as external auditor by OPCW
India's Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) GC Murmu has been chosen as the external auditor by a prestigious intergovernmental organisation working for the elimination of chemical weapons.

External Affairs Ministry said, the Hague-based Conference of State Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) selected the CAG as its external auditor for a three-year term starting 2021.

The appointment was made through an election process at the OPCW conference yesterday where India received overwhelming support ahead of others.

The MEA said, India's election was a recognition of its standing among the international community as well as the professionalism, high standards, experience globally and competitive bid by the CAG of India.

India was also selected as a member of the Executive Council of the OPCW representing Asia Group for another two-year term during the OPCW Conference of State Parties.
Radiologist Padma Shri Subbarao passed away at 96
Renowned radiologist and Padma Shri awardee Kakarla Subbarao passed away on 16th April, 2021. Born on January 25, 1925, the 96-year-old doctor breathed his last at the KIMS hospital in Secunderabad, said his family.

Subbarao was a well known radiologist both in India and overseas as well. Subba Rao was also the ex-director of Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad. During his tenure, Subba Rao was known for his services to the hospital and his efforts to transform the NIMS into a super speciality hospital.

The former Chief Minister and principal opposition leader in Andhra Pradesh said Subbarao was born in an agricultural family and went to win the Padma Shri award.

Dr Rao was also the founder president of Telugu Association of North America (TANA). Condolences have been pouring in for the veteran.
Tamil Comedian Padma Shri awardee Vivek passed away at 59
The Padma Shri awardee and Tamil actor and comedian Vivek passed away on 17th April, 2021 at SIMS hospital in Chennai. He was 59.

The renowned comedian Vivek was popularly called 'ChinnaKalaivanar' for his social reformative dialogues in Tamil cinema. He was bestowed with the Padma Shri Award, India's fourth-highest civilian award in the year 2009 by the union government.

Vivek, who was last seen in the Tamil remake of the Hindi film 'Vicky Donor' titled 'Dharala Prabhu', is also part of director Shankar's upcoming film 'Indian 2', which stars Kamal Haasan in the lead role.
Kannada lexicographer Prof G Venkatasubbaiah passes away at 107
Professor G. Venkatasubbaiah, the grand old man of Kannada language, died in Bengaluru early on 19th April, 2021. He was 107.

GV, as he is popularly known in Kannada literary field, was a lexicographer, grammarian and literary critic. He has compiled 12 dictionaries. His works cover various forms of Kannada literature, including grammar, poetry, translation and essays.

After completing his post-graduation in Kannada, he started his career as a teacher at a municipal school in Mandya.

Later, he went on to teach at a high school in Davanagere and at Maharaja’s College in Mysuru before switching over to Vijaya College in Bengaluru.

He took up the task of working on Kannada-to-Kannada dictionary as its chief editor after retiring from Vijaya College in 1973.

He had presided over the 77th Akhila Bharata Kannada Sahitya Sammelana held in Bengaluru in 2011.

His monumental literary works got him various awards, including the Padma Shri, Pampa Award, Bhasha Samman by the Sahitya Akademi, Karnataka Rajyotsava Award and the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award.

His enthusiasm even after crossing 100 years had caught the attention of people.
Olympian Ahmed Hussain passed away at 89
Football Olympian Ahmed Hussain Lala passed away in Bengaluru on 16th April, 2021 (Friday), aged 89.

Ahmed represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics and was born in Hyderabad before he moved to Bengaluru.

Ahmed was also a well-known defender of the famed Hyderabad City Police team in the 1950s under the tutelage of one of India’s greatest coaches ever, late S.A. Raheem.

He was a regular for Mohammadan Sporting in the Kolkata league for many years. Ahmed represented India at various other international tournaments including the 1958 Asian Games and the Merdeka Tournament in 1959.

He was the coach of the Indian team for the President Cup in Seoul while P.K. Banerjee was the chief coach.
Former RBI governor M Narasimham passed away at 94
Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor M Narasimham passed away on Tuesday after battling Covid-19. He breathed his last a Hyderabad hospital. He was 94.

Narasimham was the first and only governor to be appointed from the Reserve Bank cadre. He served as the 13th RBI governor for seven months between May and November, 1977.

Narasimham had joined the RBI bank as a Research Officer in the Economic Department. He later joined the government and served as Additional Secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs.

After his stint at the RBI, Narasimham joined the International Monetary Fund where he served as Executive Director and later at the World Bank. He also served as the Finance Secretary in 1982.

Narasimham is considered as the father of banking reforms. He headed two committees in 1991 and 1997 that had critical influence on the country's banking sector.
Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh passed away at 89
Eminent Bengali poet Shankha Ghosh passed away Wednesday morning. He was in home isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on April 14. Ghosh was 89.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences on his passing, “His death created a deep void in the society,” she said.

Ghosh had several comorbidities and was hospitalised a few months ago. After testing positive, he did not want to go to the hospital, following which his family decided to keep him in home isolation after consulting with the doctors.

Considered to be an authority on Rabindranath Tagore, his famous works include Adim Lata – Gulmomay and MurkhaBaroSamajik Nay, among other books.

The poet was vocal about contemporary issues and was also seen at the forefront during many political upheavals in the state including the Nandigram violence.

In 2011, he was awarded Padma Bhushan and in 2016 he received the Jnanpith Award. In 1977, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ‘BabarerPrarthana‘.

He is survived by his daughters Semanti and Srabanti, and wife Pratima. Ghosh was born on February 6, 1932, at Chandpur in present-day Bangladesh.
Islamic scholar and Padma awardee Maulana Wahiduddin Khan passed away at 96
Islamic scholar and Padma Bhushan-awardee Maulana Wahiduddin Khan passed away on 21 April. He was 96.

Khan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Delhi on 12 April, after testing positive for COVID-19.

Born in 1925 at Azamgarh, Khan received most of his education in a traditional seminary. He was known to be a peacenik who crusaded against extremism and orthodox interpretations of holy scriptures. He was also known to have urged the Muslim community to forgo its claims on the land in Ayodhya over the Babri Masjid conflict.

Khan was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honour, in 2000. The Government of India had announced in January 2021 that he would be conferred with the Padma Vibhushan.

Through the course of his lifetime, Khan wrote as many as 200 books that advocated spirituality and prophetic wisdom. He also established the Centre for Peace and Spirituality in 2001 in a bid to promote interfaith dialogue and peaceful co-existence in a multicultural society.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale passed away at 93
Former Vice President Walter Mondale died Monday at age 93. Mondale, who was the 1984 Democratic nominee for president and also served as a longtime senator from Minnesota.

The son of a minister, Mondale, known as Fritz, became one of Minnesota's most famous political figures in a state known for Democratic politicians.

He was selected in 1964 to replace then-Vice President Hubert Humphrey, a mentor, in the Senate. In his 12 years in the U.S. Senate, Mondale followed in the footsteps of Humphrey, the lead author of the Civil Rights Act, in championing civil rights and other progressive causes.

In the statement announcing his death, Mondale's family emphasized his work in passing civil rights legislation and the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.
Who has been appointed as new Chief Statistician?
The government has appointed G P Samanta as the new Chief Statistician of India for a period of two years. Samanta was till now an adviser in the RBI's Department of Statistics and Information Management. “The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Dr GP Samanta as Chief Statistician of India (CSI)-cum-Secretary, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation initially for a period of two years,” the Department of Personnel and Training said in an order dated March 9. Samanta is India’s fourth CSI.

Kshatrapati Shivaji, a 1986-batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, was given additional charge as MoSPI secretary in September last year after the tenure of Pravin Srivastava ended on August 31, 2020.

The government had then said the CSI will be the head of the National Statistical Organisation and secretary of the National Statistical Commission, and have a tenure of three years.

A search committee constituted by the government recommends a panel of names for filling the vacancy and applicants have to be Indian nationals with “proven statistical and managerial experience in a large statistical organisation”.

The CSI’s responsibilities include coming out with key economic data such as national accounts that encompasses gross domestic product along with macroeconomic indicators such as industrial production, retail inflation and the employment-unemployment numbers through the Periodic Labour Force Survey.

The Annual Survey of Industries, Economic Census, Consumer Expenditure Survey and other surveys on agricultural households, too come under the CSI’s domain.
Who has been elected as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam?
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bùi Thanh Son was born in 1962. His hometown is Hanoi.

He is a professional diplomat with expertise and more than 30 years of experience in international relations studies, foreign policy planning, international economics and international negotiations.

He is married and has one daughter.

He graduated in 1984 from the University of Diplomacy (now the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam) and obtained a Master degree in International Affairs at Columbia University (USA) in 1993.

He speaks English and Japanese.

Minister Bui Thanh Son began his diplomatic career in September 1987 as a research fellow at the Institute for International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

From June 1993 to March 1996, he was designated as the Head of Europe – America Department, Chief of Office, Institute for International Relations. He held the position of Deputy Director of the Institute for International Relations between March 1996 and February 2000.

From March 2000 to July 2003, he was Minister Counselor at the Embassy of Viet Nam to the Republic of Singapore, before returning to MOFA to serve as Deputy Director, then Director General for Foreign Policy Planning until September 2008.

Between September 2008 to November 2009, he acted as Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director General for Foreign Policy Planning. He also was Viet Nam’s Chief Negotiator of the Partnership and Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Viet Nam and the EU from September 2008 to June 2012.

In November 2009, he was appointed Vice Minister and from July 2016 served as First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Bui Thanh Son is a member of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam since January 2016 and a deputy of the National Assembly since June 2016.

On April 8, 2021, he is appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by the National Assembly.

Awards and honours
In his career, he has been conferred with many awards of high distinction, including two Second-Class Order of Labour in 2016 and 2018 and the Third-Class Labour Order in 2011 and numerous Prime Minister’s Certificate of Merit for his outstanding contributions to the diplomatic service and the execution of the country’s foreign policies.
Former Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurty passes away at 86
Former Election Commissioner G.V.G. Krishnamurty passed away here on Wednesday morning due to prolonged illness. He was 86.

Krishnamurty passed away about 10 a.m. due to age-related ailments. He is survived by his wife Padma Murty, son and senior Supreme Court advocate G.V. Rao, and daughter Dr. Radha Bodapati.

Mourning the loss of an illustrious former member of the ECI family, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra recalled that Krishnamurty "made an exemplary contribution during his tenure in the Commission as Election Commissioner from October 1, 1993, to September 30, 1996".

Krishnamurty's last rites were held at Lodhi Road crematorium here in the city. A wreath was laid in tribute on behalf of the ECI.
Who has been appointed as next Prime Minister of Vietnam?
Vietnam’s National Assembly confirmed Pham Minh Chinh, a career security official, as the southeast Asian country’s next Prime Minister.

The move completes the five-yearly renewal of Vietnam’s top four positions, as it looks to maintain economic growth, keep the Coronavirus pandemic at bay, and balance relations with Beijing and Washington.

China has been asserting its authority in the South China Sea, while the U.S. Treasury Department labelled Vietnam a 'currency manipulator' in December due to its trade surplus with the United States and heavy foreign exchange market intervention to hold down the value of its dong currency.
Who has been appointed as 48th Chief Justice of India?
President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed Justice N V Ramana as the 48th Chief Justice of India, accepting the recommendation made by the outgoing CJI SA Bobde. Justice Ramana will have a term till August 26th next year.

Before his elevation to the Supreme Court on February 17th, 2014, Justice Ramana was the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. He was born in an agricultural family in Andhra Pradesh.
Andhra Pradesh Governor BiswabhusanHarichandan Receives Kalinga Ratna Samman
Andhra Pradesh Governor BiswabhusanHarichandan received the Kalinga Ratna Samman for 2021.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu conferred Biswabhusan with the prestigious award in Cuttack on the occasion of the 40th annual day of the Sarala Sahitya Sansad at the Sarala Bhawan.

The Kalinga Ratna Samman carries a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati, a copper plaque and a shawl.

About BiswabhusanHarichandan:
Biswabhusan, who was born at Godijhara village in Puri district on August 3, 1934, was present with the award for his contribution to literature. ‘Matrubhasa’, ‘BhasaJhalaka’, ‘Rana Pratap’, ‘Astasikha Manasi’ and ‘SangramaSarinahi’ are some of several books. The veteran politician was elected to the Odisha Assembly five times. He was also a cabinet minister in 2004 when BJD-BJP jointly ruled the State. President Kovind appointed him as the 23rd Governor of Andhra Pradesh in July 2019.
Prince Philip, husband of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, passes away at 99
Britain's Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth the II's husband has died at the age of 99. The Prince married Princess Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen, and was the longest-serving royal consort in British history.

Philip spent 65 years supporting the queen, retiring from his public role in 2017 and staying largely out of the view since. In his active years, he helped set a new course for the monarchy under a young queen, championing Britain itself, as well as environmental causes, science and technology.
Who has been appointed as new chairman of SCOPE?
Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) has said its chairman Soma Mondal has been elected as the new chairman of Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE). Mondal has been elected for a term of two years, with effect from 1st April, 2021, SAIL said in a statement. She had assumed the charge of Chairman of SAIL on January 1.
Ex-Madagascar leader Didier Ratsiraka passes away at 84
Madagascar's longtime former leader Didier Ratsiraka, a naval officer and instigator of a socialist revolution on the Indian Ocean island, died Sunday morning aged 84, president Andry Rajoelina announced.

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed. Nicknamed "Deba", Malagasy for 'bad guy' and 'boss', Ratsiraka was in power from 1975 until 1991 and returned for another stint from 1997 to 2002.

When he first came to power, he practised a form of Marxism and had close ties to North Korea's Kim Il Sung, Cuba's Fidel Castro and the Kremlin.

But economic setbacks and pressure for greater political openness amid allegations of widespread corruption brought a new liberalism, eventually forcing his resignation in 1991.