PERSONS IN NEWS APRIL 2013

PERSONS IN NEWS
A) APPOINTMENTS
Jonty Rhodes named South African tourism ambassador in India
Former cricketer Jonty Rhodes was named as the brand ambassador of South African Tourism in India.
Chitra Ramkrishna Took Over as NSE chief
On 1 April Chitra Ramkrishna took over as National Stock Exchange (NSE) new Managing Director and CEO .As MD and CEO of the NSE, Ramkrishna succeeds Ravi Narain who would assume the role of non-executive Vice Chairman .She is the first female head of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in its nearly 20-year history of operations as a bourse.
Rakesh Bhatia is Catholic Syrian Bank’s new MD & CEO
Rakesh Bhatia had taken over as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Syrian Bank.He was previously the Global Head of HSBC’s Trade and Receivables Finance Division.
2 Indians selected for Yale fellowship programme
Abhik Sen, Managing Editor, The Economist Group, and Prodyut Bora, State General Secretary of BJP in Assam, have been selected as the two Indian representatives for 2013 Yale World Fellows Program.About 16 people have been selected for the programme.Since 2002, the university has welcomed a group of exemplary mid-career professionals from a wide range of fields and countries for an intensive four-month period of academic enrichment and leadership training.With the selection of Sen and Bora, the total number of Indian fellows stands at 13.
Infosys’ S Gopalakrishnan is the new CII President
S. Gopalakrishnan (Kris), co-founder and executive co-chairman, Infosys Technologies Limited, had been elected as the President of CII for the year 2013-14. He succeeds Mr Adi Godrej as the new President.
S.C. Sinha Appointed as NHRC Member
On 5 April National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief S.C. Sinha has been appointed as a member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) .S C Sinha, a 1975 batch Haryana cadre officer.He will now get a five year term at NHRC.
Krishna Kumar Natrajan appointed as the New Chief of NASSCOM
Krishnakumar Natarajan, CEO and Director of Mindtree on 8 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.
First Woman director for IICT
On April 8,Dr. Mannepalli Lakshmi Kantam, had been appointed as Director of the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), the first woman scientist to head any of the 37 laboratories belonging to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in the country.
Kenyatta sworn in as Kenya’s president
Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in as Kenya’s fourth president on 09 April 2013, becoming the second sitting president in the world to be indicted for crimes against humanity and creating a challenge for western governments keen to sustain links with a strategic east African ally.
PJ Kurien elected Chairman of Asian forum of Parliamentarians
On April 11 Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha, PJ Kurien  was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the prestigious Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) during the during the 73rd Executive Committee Meeting of AFPPD at Bangkok. He replaced Yasuo Fukuda, former Prime Minister of Japan as the Chairman of AFPPD. PJ Kurien at present is also the Chairman of the Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development.
Five new judges sworn-in
Five new judges to the Andhra Pradesh High Court were sworn-in by acting Chief Justice N.V. Ramana in Hyderabad on 12 April 2013.The new judges who were administered the oath of office and secrecy are: Challa Kodanda Ram, A. Rajasekhar Reddy, P. Naveen Rao, A.V. Sesha Sai and S.V. Bhatt.
Two Judges Sworn in Supreme Court
On 12 April with two more judges sworn in the strength of the Supreme Court has risen to 30.Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir.While Justice Sikri was the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Bobde was the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court. The sanctioned strength of the apex court is 31 judges including the CJI.
Sunil Kumar Takes over as Managing Director of CRIS
On 16 April 2013,Sunil Kumar took over as the Managing Director of Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS).
Shri Asoke Kumar Mukerji appointed as the Permanent Representative of India to the UN
On April 17,Shri Asoke Kumar Mukerji, took charges as the  Ambassador/Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at New York.
CRPF gets first woman Special DG
On April 18, Senior IPS officer Aruna Bahuguna appointed as the Special Director General of the country’s largest paramilitary force CRPF. This is the first time a woman officer is occupying the second top post in the hierarchy of the force. She is a 1979-batch IPS officer. She was till now serving as the Chairman of the AP police housing corporation. Bahuguna is expected to take charge at the force headquarters in New Delhi within 15 days.
Abdul Hamid elected Bangladesh President uncontested
Abdul Hamid is to be Bangladesh’s 20th president after no other candidate was nominated in the poll to replace President Zilliur Rahman who died on 20 March 2013. Abdul Hamid was elected uncontested as the 20th President of Bangladesh.
Sunil Bharti Mittal Appointed as Vice Chairman of ICC
On 22 April Sunil Bharti Mittal , the Chairman and Group CEO of Bharti Enterprises appointed as the Vice-Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC),which is  one of the world’s oldest global business organisations.With the appointment as the Vice Chairman of ICC, Mittal became the third business person from India in the history of ICC to be appointed on the ICC Executive Board.
Ajay Devgn, Runa Laila named SAARC ambassadors for HIV/AIDS
Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila and Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy have been named as SAARC Goodwill Ambassadors for HIV/AIDS.A  meeting of the selection committee was held recently at the SAARC Secretariat and of the 10 nominations received from the member states, the three celebrities were nominated.
Takehiko Nakao is new ADB President
On 27 April Takehiko Nakao has been unanimously elected president of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) by the Board of Governors at New Delhi.He succeeds Haruhiko Kuroda, who resigned in March to take up his assignment as Bank of Japan governor.Nakao assumed office as ADB’s ninth president on 28 April.
Gulzar’s appointment as chancellor elates Assam University
Lyricist-writer and Padma Bhushan awardee, Gulzar has been appointed the new chancellor of Assam University.Established in 1994, the Assam University campus is situated in Dargakona, about 20 km from Silchar.
B)RESIGNS
Kerala minister resigned following domestic violence complaint by wife
Kerala Forest minister K.B.Ganesh Kumar resigned his post on 02 April 2013 due to domestic violence complaint by wife in the local police station.He is only one Congress person in the Congress- UPF Coalition Alliance government in Kerala.
Cyprus Finance Minister Michalis Sarris Resigns
On 3 April Cyprus Finance Minister Michalis Sarris has resigned citing his role as chairman of Laiki Bank, whose failure was a major contributor to the island’s near financial meltdown, as one of the reasons behind his decision.
UP Goverment suspends cabinet minister Raja Ram Pandey
The Uttar Pradesh government on 13 April 2013 removed cabinet minister of Khadi and Gramudyog, Raja Ram Pandey for making sexist comments.Pandey had promised to “build roads as smooth as Hema Malini’s and Madhuri Dixit’s cheeks” besides giving the state’s roads “a facial” while addressing a function in Pratapgarh on 12 April 2013.UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, who is now in charge of 63 ministries, has taken charge of Pandey’s ministry.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Resigned
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad resigned on 13 April 2013 after falling out with president Mahmud Abbas. Salam Fayyad was tasked with the role of caretaker for the current government until a new prime minister is appointed.
Supreme Court bids farewell to Justice Aftab Alam
On April 19,the Supreme Court bid farewell to Justice Aftab Alam marking the end of his five and a half year tenure at the Supreme Court. Justice Alam enrolled as an Advocate on March 27, 1973. He practised in the Patna High Court and was designated as Senior Advocate by the Patna High Court on February 1, 1984. He was appointed as Judge of the Patna High Court on July 27, 1990 and was later transferred to the Jammu & Kashmir High Court, where he was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice on June 06, 2007. He assumed office as Supreme Court judge on November 12, 2007.
C)DEATHS
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Oscar winner and novelist, died
Oscar, the Booker Prize winner novelist and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, author of “Heat and Dust” and many other books set in India, died on 03 April 2013.Jhabvala also worked on several movie adaptations with filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant, winning two Academy Awards for her screenplays for 1985 movie “A Room With a View” and “Howards End” in 1992.Jhabvala was born in Germany but emigrated with her family to Britain during the Nazi regime. She later married an Indian architect and moved to India, where she began to write about her life there.Jhabvala collaborated with Merchant and Ivory on more than 20 movies including “The Remains of the Day” and “Mr. And Mrs. Bridge.”
Bratindra Nath Mukherjee passes away
A Padmashri winner, Professor Bratindra Nath Mukherjee, renowned historian and an expert in epigraphy who deciphered several ancient scripts, died in Kolkata on 04 April 2013.
Britain’s First Female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Died
Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first and still only female prime minister has died on 8 April at London.Thatcher was the Prime Minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990 from Conservative party of Britain and was the first lady to hold the post of Prime Minister.She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and is the only woman to have held the office. A Soviet journalist called her the “”Iron Lady”", a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. “This first volume of Margaret Thatcher’s memoirs book(1993), which encompasses the entirety of her career as Prime Minister.
Test-tube baby pioneer dies
British scientist Robert Edwards, 87, who won the Nobel Prize for his pioneering work in in vitro fertilisation, leading to the birth of the first test- tube baby, died in London on 10 April 2013.He born in Yarkfire in North England on 27 September 1925.Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe both proceeded to achieve in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), resulting in the birth of Louise Brown, the first “test-tube baby”, on 25 July 1978..
Polio Vaccine Developer Koprowski Died
On 11 April Dr Hilary Koprowski , a Polish researcher who developed the first successful oral vaccination for polio died  in Philadelphia. He was 96 years of age.He was a Polish virologist and immunologist and was known for developing the first effective polio vaccine. In 2006, he was conferred with the record 50th grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Justice Chinnappa Reddy dead
Justice O Chinnappa Reddy, one of the  highly respected members of the Indian judiciary, died at his jubilee hills residence in Hyderabad on 13 April 2013. He was born at Gooty in Anantapur district on September 25, 1922.Justice Reddy was appointed as judge of the Supreme Court from January 17, 1978 and continued in the post for about 10 years.He retired on 24 September 1987.After his retirement he became chairman of the Karnataka BC commission.
Playback singer PB Srinivas passes away
Veteran playback singer PB Srinivas who rendered more than 3,000 songs in eight languages died  in Chennai on 14 April 2013.He debuted as a singer with Hindi film Mr. Sampath in 1952. His last song was from the 2010 Tamil film Aayirathil Oruvan.
Ex-CEC, governor VS Rama Devi dead
Former Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh Governor V S Ramadevi, the only woman to head the Election Commission, died in Bangalore on 17 April 2013.Born on March 15, 1934, Ramadevi was the Chief Election Commissioner of India from November 26, 1990 to December 11, 1990. She was the only woman who became the CEC. She was succeeded by T N Seshan.She had served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh from July 26, 1997 to December 1, 1999 and as the Governor of Karnataka from December 2, 1999 to May 20, 2002.
Dina Thanthi MD Sivanthi Adithan dead
Veteran journalist and managing director of Tamil daily Dina Thanthi B Sivanthi Adithan died in Chennai on 19 April 2013.He was also head of the Indian Olympic Association before Suresh Kalmadi took over and is the former vice president of Olympic Council of Asia. At the time of his death, Sivanthi Adithan was the life president of IOC and president of the Volleyball Federation of India.Sivanthi Adithan was honoured with Padmashree in 2008.
Mathematical Genius Shakuntala Devi Died
On 21 April The ‘human computer’ ‘mental calculator’, mathematics whizard Shakuntala Devi died at Bangalore.Her name was recorded in Guinness Book of World Records for her ability of making calculations at lightning-speed.In the year 1977, she calculated the 23rd root of digit number 201 in just 50 seconds.Some of her books were Puzzles to Puzzle You, Mathablit, Astrology for You, Fun with Numbers and Awaken the Genius in Your Child.
Former England Captain Mike Denness Died
On 19 April Michael Henry Denness, popularly known as Mike Denness, the former England captain died in London.Mike Denness played county cricket for Essex and Kent. He scored over 25000 runs in the first-class career.He was the captain of Kent to six domestic trophies between 1972 and 1976.He was among first few inductees into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame.He was also named as the Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1975.
Former Chief Justice of India J S Verma dead
Former Chief Justice of India J S Verma, who headed the government-appointed committee to frame a tough law to tackle crime against women in the wake of the December Delhi gangrape incident, died  in Gurgaon on 22April 2013.Justice Verma was the 27th Chief Justice of India and served from March 25, 1997 until his retirement on January 18, 1998.He began his legal career in 1955 and became a Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court in June-1973. He became Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court in June,1986 and also served as Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court from September, 1986 to mid-1989.Justice Verma was also a former Chairman of National Human Rights Commission.He was also the first Chairperson of News Broadcasting Standards Authority.
Veteran violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman died
Celebrated violinist and composer Lalgudi Jayaraman, who carved out a niche for himself in the Carnatic music with his unique style, died in Chennai on 22 April 2013. Jayaraman, who began his music career at the age of 12 as an accompanying artist, later achieved fame as a solo violinist and also had success as a composer in four languages – Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Sanskrit.Considering his contribution to the field of music, he was conferred with several awards including Padma Shri in 1972 and Padma Bhushan in 2001.He was also feted with state Vidhwan of Tamil Nadu and also fellow of Sangeet Natak Akademi.
Legendary Singer Shamshad Begum Died
On 23 April Legendary singer Shamshad Begum died in Mumbai . She was 94 years of age. She was one of the first few playback singers of the Hindi film industry. She was conferred with the O P Nayyar award for contribution to Hindi film music, in the year 2009.In 2009 again, she was conferred with the third-highest civilian honour of India, Padma Bhushan.
Sripathi Rajeswara Rao dead
Former Telugu Desam Minister Sripathi Rajeswara Rao who founded the All India NTR Fans Association several decades ago, died of kidney ailment at NIMS in Hydearabad on 28 April 2013.
Sailendra Nath Roy died  In Zip-Line Ponytail Stunt
Sailendra Nath Roy, a 49-year-old police officer, was attempting to cross the River Teesta in the state of West Bengal on 28 April 2013 on a 180m (594ft) wire above the water.After attaching his shoulder-length hair to a pulley on the wire, Mr Roy had completed around half the distance but then became entangled and found himself unable to move.After sometime he dead. Mr Roy achieved the Guinness World Record after covering 82.5m (271ft) on a zip-line while attached by his hair in 2011 at the Neemrana Fort, a heritage hotel in the desert state of Rajasthan.
Nuthakki Bhanu Prasad Passes away
On 29 April 2013 the Scientist, Padma Shri award recipient died in Hyderabad.He got Padma shri award in 1959 for his Contribution  in field of India’s Atomic reactor.The Petrotech 2003 Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Padmashri Dr. Nuthakki Bhanu Prasad for his contribution to India’s Upstream Petroleum Industry.He is also worked as a Chairman of ONGC.
D)VISITORS
Indian PM schedules UAE visit in August
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will pay a “stand Alone visit” to the United Arab Emirates in early August, the first by an Indian prime minister to the Gulf nation since Indira Gandhi visited nearly three decades ago.
PM Manmohan Singh leaves for Germany on a three-day visit
On April 10, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had left India on a three-day official visit to Germany, where he will co-chair inter – governmental consultations and witness the signing of a series of agreements on education, science and technology and renewable energy.The PM is leading a high-level delegation to Berlin that includes five cabinet ministers: Salman Khurshid (external affairs), Anand Sharma (commerce), Farooq Abdullah (renewable energy), MM Pallam Raju (human resource development) and S Jaipal Reddy (science and technology).
Prime Minister of India Visited Germany: Important Documents Signed
Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh visited Germany from 10 April 2013 to 12 April 2013 for participating in second round of Inter Governmental Consultations with Germany.
During his visit, certain documents were signed. These documents are as follows:
1.Joint Declaration of Intent regarding promotion of German as a foreign language in India
2.Intergovernmental MoU between India & Germany on Cooperation in the field of Higher Education
3.Joint Declaration of Intent on Indo-German cooperation in the area of Civil Security Research
4.Joint Declaration for the bilateral “”Kooperations Program” of the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection and the National Seeds Association of India and the German Association of Plant Breeders
5.Joint Declaration of Intent on the Establishment of an Indo-German Working Group on Quality Infrastructure for Cooperation in Standardisation, Conformity Assessment and Product Safety
6.Joint Declaration of Intent on Indo-German Development Cooperation regarding the Establishment of Green Energy Corridors
Vice President Hamid Ansari Visited Tajakistan
The Vice-President of India, Hamid Ansari visited Tajikistan from 14 April to 17 April 2013.During the visit he was accompanied by a high-level delegation that included Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries and four Members of Parliament.On 15 April , the Vice President met the President  Emomalii Rahmon and Oqil Oqilov the Prime Minister of Tajikistan.
E)MISCELLANEOUS
Down’s syndrome boy sets Everest record
A 15-YEAR-OLD American had become the first teenager with Down’s syndrome to reach Everest Base Camp, according to his father, in an attempt to inspire different attitudes towards disabilities.Eli Reimer, from Oregon, reached the 5364-metres high camp in Nepal’s Himalayan mountains in mid-March after 10 days of trekking.Tom Whittaker, a British mountaineer, became the first person with a disability to summit the peak in 1998 after a car crash almost two decades earlier had forced him to have his foot amputated.
Abhilash Tomy Becomes First Indian To Sail Round The World
Indian Navy’s Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy became the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe, solo and non-stop, over a 150-day voyage.He was addressed a function after welcoming Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy whose boat INSV Mhadei reached the Gateway of India after commencing its historic journey from the same spot on November 1 last year.He has sailed around 23,100 nautical miles, crossing the Indian, Southern, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.Lt Cmdr Abhilash Tomy is the first Indian and the second Asian to do so. Lt Cdr Tomy, a maritime pilot, switched off his boat’s engine soon after leaving Mumbai harbour and switched it on again on 6 April to get the boat alongside the Gateway of India.
K Vishwanath Name in Limca Book Of Records
Legendary director K.Vishwanath is the only Telugu person in the ‘Person of the year – 2013′ announced by the famous Limca books of Records. This list which contained several other prominent names like Mani Ratnam, Kamal Haasan, Santosh Sivan, Prabhu Deva, Sreekar Prasad and Naseeruddin Shah was released on the occasion of Indian cinema completing 100 years. Tabu, Vidya Balan, Shabana Azmi, Kajol and Ranbir Kapoor are also on this list.
Nepali TV Anchor Made Guinness(World) Record for Longest Talk Show
A TV anchor in Nepal set a world record of longest television talk show by staying on air for 62 hours and 12 minutes.The 36 years old Rabi Lamichhane lived in America and came back to Nepal after hosting the program ‘Lord Buddha Was Born in Nepal’.Lamichhane broke the world record of Pavlo Kuzheyew and Tetiana Danylenko of 22 hours. They made that record in 2011 at the Independence Day anniversary of Ukraine.  According to the rules of Guinness World Record Lamichhane got the break of five minutes after every hour.
Mahatma Gandhi figured among the Top Three Leaders of the World
As per the 16th Annual Global CEO survey, Mahatma Gandhi figured among the top three most admired leaders of the world.In this list Winston Churchill , Steve Jobs(Co-founder of Apple)  and Mahatma Gandhi got the first,second and third places respectively .
Egypt PM sentenced to one-year jail
On April 17,Egypt’s Misdemeanor Dokki Court sentenced  Prime Minister Hesham Qandil to one year in prison and ordered his removal from job, accusing him of failing to implement a verdict to return a privatised company to the state.
Chidambaram, Aamir in Time’s 100 most influential global list
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and actor Aamir Khan have been named by Time magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world in its annual list of global achievers that also includes teenaged Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and US President Barack Obama.
pakistan former president musharraf arrested
The Islamabad High Court on 18 April 2013 ordered Musharraf’s arrest for detaining senior judges when he imposed emergency rule in 2007.So, Pakistani police arrested Musharraf on 19 April 2013.
Gates’ foundation to put $1.8bn to eradicate polio
Bill Gates announced in Abu Dhabi on 25 April 2013 his foundation will contribute $1.8 billion to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a third of the total funds needed. He announced this contribution  in Global Vaccine summit in Abu Dhabi.
8 killed as bomb targets Syria’s prime minister
Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halki survived a bomb attack on his convoy in Damascus on 29 April 2013.8 members(including PM’s car driver and Personal security) are killed in the blast.