Appointments

V Narayanan appointed as the new Chairman of ISRO

V Narayanan appointed as the new Chairman of ISRO and Secretary of the Department of Space. He will assume office on January 14, succeeding S Somanath.

V Narayanan currently serves as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) of ISRO in Valiamala, Kerala. He is a distinguished scientist with nearly four decades of experience in rocket and spacecraft propulsion. Joined ISRO in 1984 and has served in various capacities before becoming the director of LPSC.

Bahadur Singh Sagoo elected as Athletics Federation of India (AFI) President

Bahadur Singh Sagoo (Asian Games champion in Men’s Shot Put) elected as the new President of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Election announced during the two-day Annual General Assembly Meeting in Chandigarh (7 January 2025).

Bahadur Singh succeeds Adille Sumariwalla, who served as AFI President since 2012. Sandeep Mehta, former senior joint secretary, elected as the secretary of AFI during the meeting.

India will host its first World Athletics Continental Tour level event on 10 August 2025, presenting a major responsibility for the new chief.

Arunish Chawla Named New Revenue Secretary; Major Government Appointments Announced

Arunish Chawla: 1992 batch Bihar cadre IAS officer appointed as the Revenue Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. Previously Secretary of Pharmaceuticals in the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.

Amit Agrawal: Chief executive officer of Unique Identification Authority of India, appointed as the new Pharmaceuticals Secretary.

Vineet Joshi: Manipur chief secretary, appointed as the Secretary of Higher Education.

Neerja Sekhar: Special Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, appointed as the Director General of the National Productivity Council.

Rachna Shah: Textiles Secretary, appointed as the Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Neelam Shammi Rao: Secretary of the National Commission for Minorities, appointed as the new Textiles Secretary.

Sanjay Sethi: Appointed as the Secretary of the National Commission for Minorities.

President Appoints New Governors in 5 States

The President of India announced the appointment of Governors for five states on 24 December 2024.

New Appointments:

  • Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati: Appointed as the Governor of Odisha (previously Governor of Mizoram).
  • General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.): Designated as the new Governor of Mizoram.
  • Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar: Currently Governor of Bihar, now appointed as the Governor of Kerala.
  • Arif Mohammed Khan: Previously Governor of Kerala, now assigned as the Governor of Bihar.
  • Ajay Kumar Bhalla: Former Union Home Secretary, appointed as the Governor of Manipur.

Effective Dates: The appointments will take effect from the dates the appointees assume charge of their respective offices.

Resignation Accepted: The resignation of Odisha’s outgoing Governor, Raghubar Das, has been accepted by the President.

V. Ramasubramanian appointed as NHRC Chairperson

Retired Supreme Court judge V. Ramasubramanian has been appointed as the new chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) by President Droupadi Murmu on 23 December 2024.

Other Appointments: Priyank Kanoongo and Dr. Justice Bidyut Ranjan Sarangi (Retd.) have also been appointed as members of the NHRC.

Background: Justice Ramasubramanian served as a Supreme Court judge from September 23, 2019, to June 29, 2023.

Vacancy: This appointment fills the vacancy left by former NHRC chairperson Justice Arun Kumar Mishra, who concluded his tenure on June 1, 2024. Fllowing Mishra’s retirement, Vijaya Bharathi Sayani served as the acting chairperson.

Indian-American Sriram Krishnan Appointed as Senior White House Policy Advisor on AI

President-elect Donald Trump appointed Indian-American entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as the Senior White House Policy Advisor on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Collaboration: Krishnan will work closely with David Sacks, the White House AI and Crypto Czar, to shape AI policy across the federal government.

Background: Born in Chennai, Krishnan moved to the United States after graduation and began his career at Microsoft as a founding member of Windows Azure.

Career: Besides being a seasoned tech leader, Krishnan is also a venture capitalist, podcaster, and author.

Madan Lokur Appointed as Chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council (IJC)

Appointment: Former Supreme Court judge Madan B. Lokur has been appointed as the Chairperson of the United Nations Internal Justice Council (IJC).

Tenure: His term will last 4 years, ending on 12th November 2028.

UN Secretary-General’s Communication: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed pleasure in appointing Justice Lokur, effective immediately.

Purpose of IJC: The IJC was established by the UN General Assembly to ensure independence, professionalism, and accountability in the administration of the UN’s justice system.

Justice Lokur’s Background: He retired as a Supreme Court judge on 31st December 2018, after serving for more than 6 years.

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