August 2018 Persons in News

Sakshi Education

Satya S Tripathi appointed Assistant Secretary General & Head of New York Office of UNEP
Veteran Indian development economist Satya S Tripathi has been appointed as the Assistant Secretary General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) by UN Chief AntónioGuterres.

Tripathi, who will succeed Elliott Harris of Trinidad and Tobago, has since 2017 served as Senior Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at UNEP.

Spokesman for the Secretary-General StéphaneDujarric told reporters in UN that a development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of experience, Tripathi has worked for the United Nations since 1998 in Europe, Asia and Africa on strategic assignments in sustainable development, human rights, democratic governance and legal affairs.
Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan passes away
UN Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan died in Switzerland on 19th Aug 2018. He was 80. The Kofi Annan Foundation said, he passed away peacefully after a short illness. He was the first black African to become UN secretary-general.

Mr Annan served two terms as UN chief from 1997 to 2006.

He later served as the UN special envoy for Syria, leading efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 for helping to revitalize the international body, during a period that coincided with the Iraq War and the HIV/Aids pandemic.
Asian Games gold medallist athlete Hakam Singh passes away
Asian Games gold medallist athlete Hakam Singh passed away at a private hospital in Sangrur, Punjab on 14th August, 2018. He had been ailing for some time and was undergoing treatment for liver and kidney ailments. He was 64.

Hakam Singh won gold in 20 km race walk event during the 1978 Asiad at Bangkok. The Dhyan Chand awardee had also served as Havaldar in the 6 Sikh regiment.

Union Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore had sanctioned financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the athlete, while Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh helped him with Rs 5 lakh.

Punjab Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi expressed profound grief over the demise of Singh.

He termed the passing away of Singh as end of an era and an irreparable loss to the sports fraternity.
Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar passes away at age of 95
Veteran journalist, author and human rights activist, Kuldip Nayar, passed away in New Delhi on 23rd August, 2018.

He was 95. Kuldip Nayar, a former editor of the Indian Express, was also the author of 15 books including “Beyond the Lines”, “India after Nehru” and “Emergency Retold”.

During Emergency, he was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act for leading a protest against the excesses of the administration.

In 2015, he was honoured with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ for his contribution to journalism at the eighth edition of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence awards. His last rites will be performed at 1 p.m. at Lodhi crematorium.

Kuldip Nayar also served as High Commissioner of India to the UKin 1990 and as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Dr G Satheesh Reddy appointed as chairman of DRDO
The Scientific Advisor of Defense Minister, Dr G Satheesh Reddy has been appointed as Secretary, Department of Defense Research and Development and Chairman of Defense Research Development Organization.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Dr Reddy's appointment for a period of two years. His appointment will be effective from the date of assumption of charge.

Union Government in May 2015 had bifurcated post of scientific adviser to defence minister-cum-DRDO chief, which was held by one person till then.

He hails from Nellore in Andhra Pradesh. He had graduated in electronics and communication engineering from JNTU, Anantapur, and received his MS & PhD from JNTU, Hyderabad. He joined Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad in 1986. Subsequently he had joined Research Centre Imarat (RCI), which is brain child of scientist and late president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, after its formation.

He was elevated as Distinguished Scientist in September 2014 and was appointed as scientific adviser to defence minister in May 2015. In this role, he had significantly contributed to formulation of many national policies and was pivotal in evolving roadmap for self-sufficiency in missiles.
Scott Morrison elected as New Prime Minister of Australia
Scott Morrison elected as New Prime Minister of Australia. Morrison who is a treasurer will succeed Malcolm Turnbull. His election comes after Turnbull lost the support of a majority of the party's MPs. Morrison, an ally of deposed leader Malcolm Turnbull, won a party-room ballot 45-40. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, another Turnbull backer, was also in the running but was eliminated in the first round of voting.
Rekha Sharma appointed as chairperson of National Commission for Women
Rekha Sharma (54) was appointed as chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW). Prior to this appointment, she was member of the Commission and was holding the additional charge of chairperson after Lalitha Kumaramangalam had demitted office in September 2017.

National Commission for Women (NCW)
NCW is a statutory body established under the National Commission for Women Act, 1990. It was established in January 1992. It is apex national level organization of India the mandate of protecting and promoting the interests of women. It also reviews constitutional and legal safeguards for women. It recommends remedial legislative measures, advise Government on all policy matters affecting women and facilitate redressal of grievances related to women. It regularly publishes monthly newsletter, Rashtra Mahila, in both Hindi and English.
Lok Sabha ex-speaker expired
Lok Sabha ex-speaker Somnath Chatterjee expired on 13th Aug due to kidney failure.

He was the Speaker of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) from 2004 to 2009.

In 1996 he won the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award.
Atal Bihar Vajpayee ji passed away
India’s former minister Atal ji passed away at an age of 93 on 16th Aug 2018.

He served as the Prime Minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, for a period of eleven months from 1998 to 1999, and then for a full term from 1999 to 2004.

He is known as poet & for his oratory skills.

He is one such leader who earned friends rather than enemies irrespective of party.
1st woman Judge to J&K High court
Justice Geeta Mittal was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, becoming the first woman judge in the history to head it.

Justice Mittal was till now the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

How Judges of HC appointed?
The Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by the President with the consultation of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Governor of the State.

The other judges are appointed by the will of President, Governor and the Chief Justice of High Court.